Welcome to my stop on the Ribbons of Scarlet blog tour sponsored by TLC Book Tours! Thanks to TLC for the invitation!
My Thoughts:
Wow, look at the authors contributing to this novel of the French Revolution!
In France, in the 1700s, women do not have power or a voice in how their country is run. As the revolution mounts, this is their opportunity to finally be heard.
Sophie de Grouchy is a staunch believer in equal rights for women, and unusual for the time, her husband is, too. Sophie assets that an educated country does not need a formal government.
Louise Audu is student of Sophie’s, and she wants vengeance and to eat… Louise leads a women’s march to Versailles after the fall of the Bastille. The monarchy is going to have to fold, but they have at least one more fight left.
Things really heat up when the newspapers turn the revolution on its head, and now the revolutionists, including the women, are in the crosshairs of the guillotine. Manon Roland takes up her pen to find a way out of the Reign of Terror, while Charlotte Corday and Pauline Leon pick up their weapons.
A search for justice haunted by revenge, who will come out on top, and what position will women have when the Revolution ends?
This powerhouse group of female hist fic authors has penned a powerhouse story of seven strong female characters. There’s beauty here and utter despair. The history of the time provides a rich backdrop.
I’ve read a few books set during this tumultuous and bloody time period, but not with this slant, which I found eye-opening and inspiring. Even with seven authors and seven characters, the book reads seamlessly as if one person wrote it. It’s a page-turner. It’s brilliant. And it’s a must-read for all hist fic fans. This is one we’ll be talking about for quite some time.
I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
About Ribbons of Scarlet
• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (October 1, 2019)
“The French Revolution comes alive through the eyes of six diverse and complex women, in the skilled hands of these amazing authors.”–Martha Hall Kelly, New York Times bestselling author of Lilac Girls
A breathtaking, epic novel illuminating the hopes, desires, and destinies of princesses and peasants, harlots and wives, fanatics and philosophers—seven unforgettable women whose paths cross during one of the most tumultuous and transformative events in history: the French Revolution.
Ribbons of Scarlet is a timely story of the power of women to start a revolution—and change the world.
In late eighteenth-century France, women do not have a place in politics. But as the tide of revolution rises, women from gilded salons to the streets of Paris decide otherwise—upending a world order that has long oppressed them.
Blue-blooded Sophie de Grouchy believes in democracy, education, and equal rights for women, and marries the only man in Paris who agrees. Emboldened to fight the injustices of King Louis XVI, Sophie aims to prove that an educated populace can govern itself–but one of her students, fruit-seller Louise Audu, is hungrier for bread and vengeance than learning. When the Bastille falls and Louise leads a women’s march to Versailles, the monarchy is forced to bend, but not without a fight. The king’s pious sister Princess Elisabeth takes a stand to defend her brother, spirit her family to safety, and restore the old order, even at the risk of her head.
But when fanatics use the newspapers to twist the revolution’s ideals into a new tyranny, even the women who toppled the monarchy are threatened by the guillotine. Putting her faith in the pen, brilliant political wife Manon Roland tries to write a way out of France’s blood-soaked Reign of Terror while pike-bearing Pauline Leon and steely Charlotte Corday embrace violence as the only way to save the nation. With justice corrupted by revenge, all the women must make impossible choices to survive–unless unlikely heroine and courtesan’s daughter Emilie de Sainte-Amaranthe can sway the man who controls France’s fate: the fearsome Robespierre.
Social Media
Please use the hashtag #ribbonsofscarlet and tag @tlcbooktours and @williammorrowbooks.
I’m eager to begin this! 👍😍
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I hope you love it, Carol!
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I’m going to an author event 10/12 and a signed Ribbons of Scarlet is included in the ticket. I think Kate Quinn signed it 👍😍
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That’s so exciting, Carol! I love that!
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Lovely picture, wonderful review, and blog tour, Jennifer! I added this historical fiction to my tbr list. Thanks, Jennifer and Happy Friday, 🌺💕📚🥰😘🌺
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Thanks, Virginia! This is such a good read! I hope you get a chance to check it out!
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Great review, Jennifer. I’ve never read a book set during this time period. Sounds interesting though.
I want those macarons!! 😃
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Thanks so much, Laurie! It was such a richly fascinating time. If you ever in the area, I can tell you the best Mac place!
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Tell me!! Tell me!! 😋
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I’ll email you! ♥️
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Thanks!! 🥰
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Lovely picture and review, Jen! Makes me hungry. Have a good weekend. 😊
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Thanks so much, M! Those macs are so yummy!I hope you have a good weekend, too! ♥️
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This sounds brilliant, and so unusual to have 7 authors contributing to one story! Thanks for sharing😁
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My pleasure, Tammy! It really is unique and pretty masterful the way it all comes together!
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Yum macaroons!! Awesome review Jen! I’m going to see if I can find this one! Have a wonderful weekend my friend!🌞💖
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Thanks so much, Sus! I hope you can find it. It’s super good! ♥️
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I know next to nothing about this time period so I’m interested in this one. Thank you for being on this tour! Sara @ TLC Book Tours
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My pleasure, Sara! It was such a great read. I hope you get a chance to check it out!
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Oh I like that this focuses on so many different stories and perspectives, but that everything still feels so seamless. Really interested to read this one!
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I think you’d enjoy this, LP! It’s such a good read for hist fic fans!
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I thought I won a copy in a FB group, but it hasn’t arrived.
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I hope you get it soon, Denise!
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me, too. hopefully it was sent by media mail. It’s always awkward chasing down a book.
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I definitely remember from before I was a blogger, and I like to know a book hasn’t arrived so I can reach out on your behalf. ♥️ If it was a finished copy you won, they haven’t been available a super long time, so hopefully it’s on its way. And once you get it, I hope you love it!
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Thanks!
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It sounds like an interesting angle to The French Revolution. I am very impressed how that many authors can work together and get a smooth story out of it!
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It’s so true, SG! I have enjoyed many of the books I’ve read from this time period, but I loved the angle this one had.
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Sounds great! I know Chalotte Corday was a real person – are all the other women real people too? Fab review! 😀
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I think they are, FF! It really is a beautifully-told story!
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I am always looking for a well done historical fiction book. I have been disappointed in a few I have read recently. Thanks for the recommendation, Jennifer!
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My pleasure, Marialyce! I hope it’s one that works well for you too!
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I’m excited to read this one! Won a copy on Instagram!
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Aww, yay! I hope you love it!
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