| Title | : | Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0307588653 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780307588654 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 446 |
| Publication | : | First published February 15, 2011 |
| Awards | : | Goodreads Choice Award Historical Fiction (2011) |
Smart and ambitious, Marie Tussaud has learned the secrets of wax sculpting by working alongside her uncle in their celebrated wax museum, the Salon de Cire. From her popular model of the American ambassador, Thomas Jefferson, to her tableau of the royal family at dinner, Marie's museum provides Parisians with the very latest news on fashion, gossip, and even politics. Her customers hail from every walk of life, yet her greatest dream is to attract the attention of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI; their stamp of approval on her work could catapult her and her museum to the fame and riches she desires. After months of anticipation, Marie learns that the royal family is willing to come and see their likenesses. When they finally arrive, the king's sister is so impressed that she requests Marie's presence at Versailles as a royal tutor in wax sculpting. It is a request Marie knows she cannot refuse - even if it means time away from her beloved Salon and her increasingly dear friend, Henri Charles.
As Marie gets to know her pupil, Princesse Élisabeth, she also becomes acquainted with the king and queen, who introduce her to the glamorous life at court. From lavish parties with more delicacies than she's ever seen to rooms filled with candles lit only once before being discarded, Marie steps into a world entirely different from her home on the Boulevard du Temple, where people are selling their teeth in order to put food on the table.
Meanwhile, many resent the vast separation between rich and poor. In salons and cafés across Paris, people like Camille Desmoulins, Jean-Paul Marat, and Maximilien Robespierre are lashing out against the monarchy. Soon, there's whispered talk of revolution... Will Marie be able to hold on to both the love of her life and her friendship with the royal family as France approaches civil war? And more important, will she be able to fulfill the demands of powerful revolutionaries who ask that she make the death masks of beheaded aristocrats, some of whom she knows?
Spanning five years, from the budding revolution to the Reign of Terror, Madame Tussaud brings us into the world of an incredible heroine whose talent for wax modeling saved her life and preserved the faces of a vanished kingdom
Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution Reviews
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Michelle Moran has left me gobsmacked! Why is this author now one of my favorite writers of historical fiction?
1. Character portrayal - Centered around Marie Grosholtz (aka Madame Tussaud), the reader learns how this renowned woman was involved during the French Revolution, from tutoring King Louis XVI's sister to entertaining revolutionary figures such as Robespierre, Marat and the Marquis de Lafayette in her family's Salon de Cire, all the while showcasing her talent of constructing wax figures using her exceptional memory for detail as well as possessing an acute business acumen. Sometimes, Marie was a sympathetic character; sometimes not, as Moran depicts her and her family's loyalties often flipping, for business and/or safety sake.
2. This is one of the most informative books I've ever read about the French Revolution! Moran's attention to detail drives the plot so vividly that I actually felt fear for the royalty, clergy and commoners of France! Through this particular setting, the reader is expertly led to understand how Madame Tussaud gained international acclaim.
3. Vivid descriptions of people, fashion, places and events added to the intensity of the story.
4. Special literary extras, such as pertinent quotes at the beginning of each chapter, a section titled "After the Revolution" outlining what happened to notable people, and a "Historical Note" detailing the extensive research pursued to write such a novel were all appreciated bonuses!
I will definitely read more of
Michelle Moran's work! I highly recommend this memorable novel about a notable woman during a very notable time in history! -
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I’m willing to bet there are readers who disagree with me, but I think Michelle Moran a fabulous writer. Her style has a way of drawing you in and though I’ve no idea how, she manages to relate a lot of history without sounding like a college professor. Honestly folks, I had a lot of trouble putting Madame Tussaud down and suspect I’d have been glued to the couch my entire reading if not for the demands of a one year old.
My obvious appreciation aside, I will admit there are elements I found slightly disappointing. To begin with, Mademoiselle Grosholtz would be a far more accurate title for this piece. The story begins in 1788 and takes readers through 1795, the year Marie married Tussaud who really isn’t much of a character come to think of it. The remaining 55 years of Marie’s life are noted, but feel much like an afterthought which was frustrating as I find her life in England very interesting even compared to her time in France. The book is a wonderful story of the French Revolution, I just don’t think it a particularly good novel of Marie and her life’s work.
Another thing that bothered me was how little we see Marie indulging her artistic talents. A Royal Likeness also omitted the details, but I desperately wanted a scene in which Marie is seen molding the wax, painting the figures, or creating a tableaux. I wanted to witness her passion for crafting and feel cheated that Moran never took readers into Marie’s workroom. There is plenty of detail regarding the business itself, the financial aspects and daily operation of ticket sales and managing customers, but I think it might have been nice to explore the effort that went into manufacturing a figure and the pride of the artist when her work was finally set of display.
I was also confused by Marie’s sympathies for the royal family. I understand her personal relationship with them, but the fact that she felt more for them than her neighbors and peers left me scratching my head. Shouldn’t those relationships have caused intense conflict? People she loves were in danger on both sides, but only one came through the narrative. On the same note I would think the disparity between social classes would have made Marie more sympathetic to men like Marat and Robespierre, at least until their ideas took on a life of their own and led Paris into utter chaos. After all, Marie was a common woman and might have seen merit in some of their ideas despite the radical nature of their tactics.
I've listed many complaints, but please know they are minor at best. Moran’s work is excellently atmospheric and filled with memorable characters and genuine tension. There are things I felt missing from the novel, but Madame Tussaud is still fantastic a fiction and one I’d highly recommend to anyone interested in the French Revolution. -
This is an engrossing tale about a woman who has become a byword for tourist-attraction, but was so much more in her own lifetime. This novel sheds a clear light on an amazing person and a turbulent time.
Told in first person and present tense, the book reads like a friend is telling you, moment by moment, about living through civil war and anarchy. Much closer to the main players than I had ever expected to learn, Marie Grosholtz (her maiden name) relates how so many visitors to her family's salon became major figures in the French Revolution, and how calls for bread became calls for blood.
We forget what life was like before television, but it seems that wax exhibits filled that function -- Marie and her family would create new tableaux on a weekly, sometimes daily, basis, to show the scenes and the people who made the news, or perhaps the tabloids. For most Parisians, a fifteen sou admittance fee brought them as close as they could come to the Queen and her bedchamber, or to the makers and shakers of public life. For Marie, designing these scenes was a political dance -- to depict one person could mean offending another, possibly one who would rouse the mob.
Her bittersweet romance with Henri Charles is not allowed to overwhelm the political issues: Marie was a very modern woman in some respects. Her relationship with Henri and later, Francois Tussaud, and always, with money, make her understandable to us, if perhaps a bit odd in her own time.
The author has done some amazing research and has translated it into a highly readable account; it isn't necessary that we understand every political current of the time, and she doesn't overstuff the tale (although an infodump in chapter 3 worried me, it was an isolated instance.)We see what Marie sees, and know what a citizen would be able to find out, although this citizen is surely closer to the power struggle than most.
If I have any complaint, it is that the narrator reports more than she emotes, though she must step back from some events to stay sane. The ending is a bit rushed -- surely Henri had a few pointed questions by then, but this is after the Revolution has passed, and the Revolution could be said to be the most important character of all.
I was fortunate to get this book through the Goodreads first reader program. I would rate it 4.5 for its merits, but in a whole number system I am happy to round up. -
There was a time when I was obsessive about reading historical fiction - but at some point I found I was having a hard time finding quality works into which I might immerse myself. I am so glad that I won Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran. It has brought me back to a genre that I have missed by providing me with a very well written novel of the French Revolution.
I must say, the only thing that I struggled with was the tense. It was written in the present tense - as though all the events were unfolding as you were reading them (which, as it turns out, drew me in even more). But, I wasn't used to that, most books that I've read of late are written in past tense and it just seemed to be a struggle for me at first (strange, I know).
Anyway, with that complaint out of the way, I'm on to the praise.
I found this book VERY well written - plain and simple. The writing style drew me in and kept me reading without feeling as though I had to force myself to continue. It moved along, adding detail about the setting, clothing, appearance, etc, without feeling as though it stopped the story. It only added to the genuine feel of the story, making me feel as though I was there, looking around and taking in the beauty (and sometimes horror) of the times. The dialogue was also well done. All of the words seemed to fill a purpose for the story: character development, moving along the plot, creating a sense of tension, etc. No unnecessary information that made me stop and ask, why on earth do I care about this exchange?
The story was written from the point of Marie Grosholtz - who becomes Madame Tussaud - a talented wax sculptress. She is a very likable character - she is strong and determined, yet believably fearful of her ability to complete the task of teaching the young princess after she has caught the attention of the King and Queen. As the revolution builds and families are forced to chose their loyalties, Marie finds herself brought front and center as a result of her (family's) business and connections.
Even if you have read other accounts (fiction or otherwise) of the French Revolution, I think that this book will provide you with a fresh and intense take on it. Obviously it is an historical FICTION, but the major events noted in the novel actually occurred. The reason I was drawn to historical fiction in the first place (providing an environment around which those facts/events took place and, thus, making it more real and understandable - though fictionalized) is embodied in this wonderful work by Michelle Moran.
I would absolutely recommend this book to others. -
This was the first book I ever read by Michelle Moran, after it caught my eye in the library, I have since read everything by her, and refer to her as one of my all time favorite authors.
Love her work, and fully suggest you buy every copy of every book, like I did! -
I heart Michelle Moran! I need a T-shirt.
I think she is one of those authors you either can't get enough of or you are completely bored with. I am the first! I want to gobble up everything she writes. I loved "The Heretic Queen", "Nefertiti' and "Cleopatra's Daughter".
~But~
I wasn't overly thrilled with "Madame Tussaud". I think I would have enjoyed it more had I never read "The Hidden Diary of Mary Antoinette" or a few other French Revolution Novels. While this did bring a new light with Marie as the center character, I just never was fully engrossed how I was with Moran's other works. I didn't learn anything, other than a few little snip-its about Marie/Henri/Francis' relationships. The saving grace for me was Moran's capability to tell a story-I loved Marie's relationship with the Princese (the Kings Sister), I loved the Wax history and the emotion tied with their family business. As with her other works, this one is also a slow paced novel, a lot does happen but it's told in a way as to not over stimulate us with too much information too quickly.
Recommend this to fans of Michelle Moran and/or fans of the French Revolution or Marie Antoinette.
Warning: There are some liberties taken as far as historical facts go and this is a pretty lengthy book. There are some halfway gruesome parts evolving the wax and creating wax cast's for the victims of the guillotine, nothing to horrendous.
3.5 stars -
“Sometimes, it is not the kings and queen who make for the most fascinating history but the shadowy souls who happen to be in the right place at the right time.”
MADAME TUSSAUD
The French Revolution is one of the most fascinating, yet heartbreaking moments in history. Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran is a historical fiction that showcases one of the most famous woman from that time. We all know Madame Tussaud for her wax museum that are still around today but she was a real woman who witnessed the horrors of revolution. The book begins in 1788 and Marie works with her Uncle to create wax figures in their wax museum. Their figures depict royalty and politicians that the people may never get to meet in reality. However, there is unrest. The people are starving and the royals don’t seem to care. Marie is then assigned to give lessons to Princess Elizabeth. This could be a huge opportunity for their museum but it also places her in a difficult decision as the Revolution escalates. Marie and her family must balence the thin political line. One wrong decision could send them to the guillotine…
While this book does have a slow start it is just filled with astounding historical detail. It goes into wonderful detail about the rise of the Revolution and how it escalated. It didn’t happen overnight. Moran also does a wonderful job at portraying the different political factions. It wasn’t just revolutionaries verses the royals. This time is filled with power-hungry politicians. Meanwhile, the suffering that the people of France endured is absolutely awful, especially for them to see that the Royals aren’t noticing. Moran’s version is that the Royals were ignorant, not heartless. But she also shows that they were also human. When Marie Antoinette has to face the death of her child, she faces depression along with the country in an uproar.
However, one thing I was not expecting from this book is the suspense. No one was safe in this time. There is betrayal after betrayal and it could happen at any given moment. Marie always handles herself so well. She has a passion for her work but it is more of a passion for humanity. She has a gift of seeing the person on the inside, not just how they look. She has courage beyond measure. For survival during the Reign of Terror, she must create facial molds of the people who were decapitated by the guillotine. But during this time it is never enough.
I was sobbing at the end of this book. I couldn’t recommend this book enough. I rate it 5 out of 5 stars! -
I generally love Michelle Moran novels, but unfortunately not this one. I found it slow, and boring and did not make it past the first one hundred pages.......twice. With so many books to read, I've decided two times is enough.
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Absolutely brilliant.....I felt completely caught up in this story of the famous sculptress who was forced to become so closely and grotesquely involved in the horrors of The French Revolution.
I felt that I came to know Madame Tussaud and her family, as they struggled to survive in the frighteningly dangerous place Paris had become.....I could feel the tension and dread as the momentous events of this political and social upheaval spiralled out of control....for me this book was Historical Fiction at its very best, with characters I truly cared about, characters I truly loathed, and an unforgetable history lesson. -
The story of Madame Tussaud is masterfully intertwined with a gruesome depiction of the French Revolution.
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40 pages in, the writing was awkward and nothing in the characters or story had yet caught my attention. By my estimate, Moran is a few steps above Philippa Gregory, but that’s not saying much.
And now I am going to use the rest of this “review” as a soapbox. Ranting ahead.
1st: DECKLE EDGE PAGES. DO NOT WANT. EVEEEER!
2nd: What’s with all the illogical use of first-person present tense these days? This book has a prologue set in 1812. Then it goes back to the main story starting in 1788, and that’s in present tense. How can the character be telling her story in present tense when it’s all already over? Okay, the first-person conceit itself often makes little sense and we overlook that. (And the bookend prologue and epilogue don't actually help that here, because she isn't telling her story in 1812, just being reminded of it.) But dammit, if your story is in the present tense then it’s happening right now. In which case, it isn’t over. Please, authors, think about this.
3rd: This book just has such a bourgeois sensibility (I learned how to spell that word just for this review. I did not learn it from this book because it is not used in the first 40 pages, and I wouldn’t be surprised the characters never use it, even though they actually speak French). And that’s not what I’m looking for when I read a book about the French Revolution. You know, there are literally thousands of wars and conflicts you could write about if you want a “oh, they’re murdering people! How terrible!” sort of book. The French Revolution is different. It came up time and time again in completely unrelated history and literature classes in college, not because people got killed but because it’s rather important in world history: for the ideas, for the effect on social and political structures around the world. And what I learned in class is basically all I know about it--the historical fiction on point just doesn’t seem to be very good. I’ve read A Tale of Two Cities, which is the only Dickens so far that I haven’t liked. But I’m pretty confident that it still did a better job than this book. If I’m going to read a novel about the French Revolution, I want it to really deal with the ideas and the effects and the underlying causes. I want it to care as much about a peasant dying of starvation as it does about a royal being guillotined. I want it to let me make my own moral judgments. I want main characters who are not from the upper classes and revolutionaries who are at least sympathetic, and an aristocracy that is not whitewashed. And I want it to be at least somewhat well-written. And this was not going to be that book.
In fairness, the book does have a picture of a woman in a fancy dress on the cover, so it’s not exactly hiding anything. But she was a career woman*, not a noblewoman, so I thought it might be okay. Then she started saying things like “The king and queen have gifted the city with as much firewood as they can spare from Versailles” and I realized no, no it wouldn’t. A book that thinks a little bit of charity makes systemic abuses okay is not the French Revolution book I’m looking for.
So, if you know of the book I’m looking for, please let me know. This is not it.
* And I was so excited to read historical fiction featuring a career woman who actually existed, which meant I wouldn't have to wade through a bunch of reviews by people who know no more about history than I do but are nevertheless firmly convinced that the character is anachronistic because everybody knows no woman ever made her own way before the 20th century. But Moran's rendering of this character was so bland that it didn't matter. -
I must confess that I was a little apprehensive about reading this novel... I love Michelle Moran but was not really looking forward to reading about wax figures!!! Boy, am I glad I went against my first impressions!!! This novel was a fascinating looking into the French Revolution from start to finish through the eyes of Marie (Madame Tussaud)!!! Her wax figures were a way for the citizens of Paris to get news of what was happening around them... even more so than the newspapers!!! It was a wonderfully written novel about a very sad time in France's history!!! 5 BIG stars!!!
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A fascinating look at the woman as she lived through the French Revolution. The wax figures made by her and her uncle helped tell Parisians the news of the time and we come across many famous names who modelled for her- Robespierre, Rousseau, the Marquis de Sade, Thomas Jefferson. She was quite an unusual woman of the time, ambitious and business focused. The research involved in a book such as this must have been extensive.
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There will be 5000 reviews for this book by the time the year is out so I'm not gonna waste time summarizing. You all know what it's about by now.
What I liked:
-Moran does a superb job of transporting me to another time and place. I really felt as though I was in the streets of France watching rebellion. I gasped and placed a hand over my mouth in shock when Marie was presented with a decapitated head to mold.
-I learned a ton of things about the French Revolution and its people(Marquis de Sade, Lafayette, Jefferson..) that I either didn't know before or didn't understand. I walked away from this book educated.
What I didn't like:
-Too much of the story, the revolution is related to Marie by another person. More telling than showing.
-Too little of the wax making process. A Royal Likeness did a better job IMHO in this particular aspect.
-I didn't like Marie at times. "The salon this, the salon that, money this, money that" and when people are dying in an attempt to create a country of equality, she is fretting over a lost bust. What is one bust for the sake of revolution? Especially after she had already stated that she had made three times the usual amount of money. Everything is about money..
-What side is she on anyway? That was really unclear. Her family has no candles, her errand boy is starving, the queen has a new dress everyday.. yet she seems to side with royalty half the time.
-Marie kept putting off Henri. What the heck kind of romance is that?
-Too long. By the 80 percent mark, I was tired of it. Loved the first half though. It just got old by the end.
Conclusion: Good. I liked it, didn't love it. -
3.5 stars - It was really good.
Really enjoyed this historical fiction novel and learned much about both the French Revolution and Madame Tussaud. Loved seeing the cameo appearances from one of my political heroes (an oxymoron, I know), Thomas Jefferson. I found it to be easy to read, steadily paced, and historically accurate. The quotes at the beginning of each chapter that were taken from various sources during the time of the revolution were a nice touch. I do wish there would have been more time spent around the reunion at the end, but the epilogue was satisfying nonetheless.
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Favorite Quote: But we are all sorry when loss comes for us. The test of our character comes not in how many tears we shed but in how we act after those tears have dried.
First Sentence: When she walks through the door of my exhibition, everything disappears: the sound of the rain against the windows, the wax models, the customers, even the children. -
I have gone to Madame Tussaud's wax museum quite a few times and will admit, that in a creepy way, it's fascinating. Standing next to famous people, seeing how tall, the nuances of their features is interesting. I especially love to see the historical characters. However now, after reading the book I understand the historical importance of her wax figures and tableaux she created. When there was no television, people needed a way to reference the major players of the day. The wax museum brought these characters to life. This gave the public a way to identify important people, and helped them understand and many times, swayed them in political thinking. Originally a form of entertainment, Madam Tussaud became a key figure in the revolution, swept up in the storm of the times, her rare talent making her a major player in the upheaval that shook France.
Moran's book does the same thing. Fleshing out the star players, her words make them as three dimensional as wax figures and we can understand the fury of the times. Excellent book, and gives a interesting perspective of the French revolution. -
Just when I thought I really knew a lot about history, a book like this comes along and makes me realize how little I actually do know (and how much more I want to learn!!)
I finished reading "Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution" last night. Michelle Moran is an absolutely fantastic writer, and I cannot imagine how much research she had to do in order to write this book, because there are more details included in this book than I ever expected to find. Before I started reading, I thought the book would be mostly about Madame Tussaud's relationship with Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, but it was so much more than this. In fact, her time spent at court was not a very large part of the story at all. It really is "A Novel of the French Revolution," which is the subtitle of this book.
Marie Grosholtz (Madame Tussaud's maiden name) is a fascinating person, and her life and work is incredibly well presented in this novel, in addition to her personal thoughts and feelings. She was a woman who was very far ahead of her time. I loved the way this book is written in the first person, from the perspective of Marie Grosholtz.
I learned things about the French Revolution that I had never known, and I have to say that the story of the French Revolution, described by Ms. Moran, is just unbelievable and completely shocking. And I learned so much about people whose names I have known and heard of, but never really knew much about. One example is Jean-Paul Marat. I'm very familiar with Jacques-Louis David's famous painting entitled "The Death of Marat" and Michelle Moran describes in vivid detail the scene of Marat's murder and how Marie Grosholtz was brought to Marat's bathtub (where he was killed) by Jacques-Louis David in order to make a wax model of Marat, dead in the tub. This is exactly what we see in David's painting.
Other famous people from the time of the French Revolution who are very strongly depicted here are Robespierre, the Duc d'Orleans, Camille Desmoulins, and the Marquis de Lafayette. Thomas jefferson is also included in some very interesting scenes, as is the mad man, the Marquis de Sade.
Marie Grosholtz goes to the Bastille to sketch the Marquis de Sade, in order to create a wax model of him. When she arrives at the Bastille, she is led to the Marquis de Sade by the governor of the prison, the Marquis de Launay. I find this scene to be unbelievable. While de Launay is guiding Marie through the Bastille, she hears the sound of a violin coming from one of the cells and asks de Launay if the prisoners are allowed to have musical instruments. "Of course," de Launay says. "Books as well. What else would keep them occupied?" (chapter 9). Marie is told that the Bastille only has seventeen prisoners, and that there are various forms of socializing for them, including bowling and billiards. ??!!???!!!! Yes, I was completely shocked when I read this!!! Not to mention the shock and horror I felt when, later on in the novel, I read about the bloody storming of the Bastille, and the fact that the revolutionaries thought they were releasing the prisoners from "decades of unfair imprisonment." (chapter 26.)
But everything I have just described is just a small part of this novel, which is filled with so many shocking horrors in addition to some very beautiful moments of love and friendship.
Marie's friendship with Madame Elizabeth, sister to Louis XVI, is really very special, and I loved the descriptions of Montreuil, Madame Elizabeth's home near the palace in Versailles, in addition to the exquisite descriptions of the hall of mirrors at Versailles and all of the magnificent gardens filled with orange trees and wildflowers. King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette treat Marie Grosholtz (Madame Toussaud) with so much kindness and respect, and Madame Elizabeth is an absolutely wonderful and giving person. What happens to these people is just horrifying.
I don't want to say much more about the story, because I do not want this review to be a spoiler for anyone. Although it is a story based on history, each time I turned a page I was in for a new shock and/or surprise. This is definitely a page turner, and it is so well-written that I felt as though I was part of this world. Michelle Moran really knows how to tell a story, and this story is especially fascinating because it's based on real people and actual events.
When I finished the book, I wanted more. In fact, there really is still a lot more of Madame Tussaud's fascinating life, after the French Revolution, that I would love to know about. If Ms. Moran ever writes a sequel, I will be the first person to buy a copy of it.
Thank you to Crown/Random for listing this amazing book as a First Reads giveaway, and thank you to Goodreads for selecting me as a winner. And, of course, thank you to Michelle Moran for writing such an excellent book. This is the first of Ms. Moran's books that I've read, and I am looking forward to reading all of her books now. She is an absolutely magnificent writer. -
The history of Marie Grosholtz (who is known to the world today as Madame Tussaud) is a fascinating and grisly one. Her perspective on the French Revolution is intriguing for many reasons: she survived, for one thing (this can't be a spoiler, folks; she's famous for surviving, and Moran's novel is in first person, so how can she not survive?). But more intriguing to me is how she survived. Was she a Royalist, whose salon was visited by the Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, and who was tutor in wax modeling to the King's sister? Was she a Revolutionary who hung out with Marat, Robespierre, and the Duke of Orleans? Author Moran presents Marie as a cautious businesswoman who at first will do just about anything to make a sou and later to survive.
Unfortunately, I don't think the narrative meets the standard of the material. While Moran manages to avoid being as awkward as some other recent writers are in first person present tense, I just feel it's a strange choice. I don't think she really uses it to get into Marie's head as much as I was hoping she would. And, as I mentioned earlier, it kind of kills some of the suspense that comes with Marie's brushes with the Committee of Safety and the insecure tyrant Robespierre. What a horror Paris must have been at the close of the 18th century.
It's the historical gems and glimpses that make the read worthwhile: intimate conversations with Marie Antoinette and her sister-in-law, Madame Elisabeth; the surprising brattiness of Madame Royale, the only daughter of Louis XVI and his queen; the stunning, brash closed-mindedness of supposed patriots. Not to mention the fascinating choice of work of Marie herself: to create still lifes of current events as lifelike as possible, so that people could know what was going on in Paris and Versailles. Her salon was like the TMZ of its day, which is pretty amazing in and of itself.
When I expected the book to get its darkest and most detailed — as the Reign of Terror takes full force in France and Marie finds herself being handed freshly mutilated heads to recreate in wax — it seems instead to take up speed. The book has more than 50 chapters, each assigned a date. There are longer, more expository chapters at the beginning that each represent a single day; as the story progresses, shorter chapters suddenly encompass several months. I think the prologue and epilogue both unnecessary, at least in the bookend fashion in which they are presented (then again, I'm never a fan of bookends, in novels or in films).
Is this story one of business, or survival? How does Marie as a character change? Is she hardened by what she experiences? I couldn't tell you. I didn't feel a shift in her, and I felt the story deserved it. Did she ever doubt what she was doing? Did she ever decide, even for the smallest of moments, that her chosen profession was wrong? Unfortunately the Marie in this novel is sometimes quite passive in her reactions to things, like there is some kind of veil drawn — some kind of separation between the reader and the action. This wasn't always the case, but it seemed to happen more often than not for me. There are a few lovely moments, but these are drowned out by explanations of the history and politics that could be more organic within the storytelling.
One example — Moran has a character make a comic reference to the biblical figure Methuselah, but kills the joke immediately afterward by explaining that Methuselah "lived to see his nine hundred and sixty-ninth birthday."
If nothing else, the book's got me longing to revisit London and stop by the Madame Tussauds in Marlyebone Road, something I haven't done in nearly ten years. -
The name Madame Tussaud is connected worldwide with wax museums, but few of us are aware of the role she played during the darkest days of the French Revolution. Born Marie Grosholtz, as a young girl she began learning the trade of wax modeling for entertainment purposes from her mother's lover, Philippe Curtius. Marie became a renowned wax sculptor, and during her early adulthood, attended Curtius's salons, which were graced by the presence of such soon-to-be luminaries as Robespierre, Marat, and Danton. When requested to serve as tutor to the king's sister at Versaille, Marie became acquainted with many of the royals as well. As a result, her family performed a delicate balancing act at a time when accusations of treason, and immediate execution, could occur at the drop of a hat. When the Terror began, Marie was given an order she couldn't refuse - to make death masks of celebrity victims, many of whom she knew personally.
Michelle Moran offers readers an insider's perspective to the horrific events that transpired on the streets of Paris. In doing so, she succeeds in making the major players, both royals and revolutionaries, real and comprehensible. The story of Marie's life is compelling, and her survival and successes are nothing short of remarkable, given her experiences. Madame Tussaud is a heartrending, dramatic, and reasonably accurate, in short, historical fiction at its best. Be sure to read the afterword, which provides an interesting slant on the events dramatized therein. -
I really enjoyed this and feel like I learned so much! A perfect historical fiction read. Lots of great author notes at the end pulling everything together.
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Many people have already expressed similar views to my own on this novel, so I will be uncharacteristically brief. The main thing that I did not like about this book was the cover. I thought it should have been more indicative of the Revolution, not just some pretty lady. It's really the main reason I did not pick up this book sooner.
Madame Tussaud, or Marie Grosholz as she is through most of the novel, was in a unique position during the French Revolution that enabled her to be relatively close to both the leaders of the rebellion and members of the monarchy. This leads to an interesting look at the varied points of view and motivations that lead to the Reign of Terror. While this is certainly not a comprehensive look at the Revolution, it is quite complete considering it is told through the eyes of one woman. The monarchy was presented in a very pitiable fashion with their biggest fault being their ignorance and trust put in people who only loved them for what they could get out of them. The reader is given the reasons for the uprising but also shown the horrific results.
I would have liked more information on Marie's life after her marriage, but the author does at least include a summary of what happened to key characters beyond the scope of the book. -
So I'm a HUGE Michelle Moran fan, but the first 300 pages of this book took me over a month to get through because I was just so bored! I honestly was telling people, "How on earth can someone make the French Revolution so boring?!" But because I love her books and figured it had to get good, I stuck with it and I'm really glad I did. Because from around page 300 I was seriously hooked! Not a book I would ever own or suggest to someone (I'll stick with telling them about the author's Egyptian and Roman stories), but I'm glad I forced myself to keep reading it and now I'm excited to move on to her most recent book about Napoleon! Especially since I met one of the characters in the next one at the end of this one.
As for the writing, it was mostly done well. I got annoyed that it was always, "I am enraged." "I am angry." "I am surprised." I don't feel emotions when that's the gist of them every time. Also, there's a part where it's in January in the book and then they start talking about it being October, then suddenly it's February, so I'm not sure if the October part was meant to be months earlier or if it says October but it was meant to be February. -
Anachronisms and historical inaccuracies have been a big problem in Moran’s past novels, and Madame Tussaud has a scattered few, none that are too major, but just enough to take away from that feeling of authenticity that all historical novelists must strive for, and they do feel quite odd in the novel’s setting. In terms of anachronisms, I caught characters using all-too modern vernacular on a couple of occasions, fortunately nothing too bad. For the most part, the niggles stayed that way, although Moran does fiddle around with dates, and in a big typo blooper one chapter is dated to 10th October 1789 and then the two chapters directly following it, in which events are supposed to be unfolding linearly, are dated to 5th and 7th October 1789.
Probably the biggest historical inaccuracies in this book are actually what Moran has omitted, not what she has put in. Being pretty familiar with this period, I kept waiting and waiting to read about the Girondin Club and the Paris Commune, but I turned the final page and they were nowhere to be found, pretty astonishing given the big role they played in the Revolution. Moran explains in her Author’s Note that she left them out of the story in essence because she felt there was so much stuff going on in the Revolution anyway that to complicate the story any further wasn’t a decision she was prepared to make. I think I could have coped with their inclusion, but at least she admits to the omission in her Author’s Note and explains why, when too many authors just leave you wondering or attempt to claim that their version of events is completely accurate (I’m looking at you, Philippa Gregory). Also, I feel I must say that I think Moran’s portrayal of the royal family is debatable. Certainly, they were never guilty of the heinous charges levelled at them in their trials, but Moran paints them as wholly sympathetic, and some of their bad actions and poor decisions are omitted or skimmed over and spun in a sympathetic manner.
In my review of Michelle Moran’s previous novel, Cleopatra’s Daughter, I noted that Moran was prone to giving us exposition dumps. Most stories, in film and on the page, require at least some degree of exposition, especially if they’re in a setting unfamiliar to the audience or reader, but how this is handled can vary. Exposition done well is usually integrated and woven into the plot, and released in small snippets over time, and in this form the exposition escapes the pitfalls of coming across as if it has been written solely for the reader/viewer’s benefit, and it mirrors the way that in real life we too learn a little bit at a time over a period, this actually adds to the story’s sense of believability. Poorly done exposition is usually delivered in what I term an exposition dump. It is not given to us a tiny bit at a time over the whole story, but plopped down in the book or film all in one big go, and tends to be very loosely woven into the plot, if at all. As a result, it feels clumsy and clunky within the scene, and it is all too obvious that it is there for our benefit. Madame Tussaud handles exposition in much the same way as Cleopatra’s Daughter; it’s plopped down in chunks and I even know when it’s coming because the salon that Marie and her mentor Philippe Curtius hold for such figures as the Duc d’Orleans, Robespierre, Marat and Camille is used as a vehicle every single time. It’s played out as a discussion between the philosophers, and usually our main character, Marie, takes a backseat and says nothing for several pages whilst the explanations occur. That said, credit where credit is due, this is a little better incorporated into the plot than the exposition dumps we got in Cleopatra’s Daughter, I felt.
Marie never came across as too perfect, which was a relief in a first person novel which can tend towards self-involvement from the protagonist, and her faults laid in her tendency towards workalholicism and her ability to misjudge people. That said I do wish there was one fault that she hadn’t been given.
As much as I dislike characters who are Perfect Little Miss Mary Sues, but this was almost enough to tip the character of Marie over into someone I didn’t want to like or read about. Her response just seems abominably callous and cold.
Once or twice, the novel suffers from logic failures, nothing major though, and again once or twice I got a little bit of a sense of name-dropping, but it wasn't overpowering.
Some reviewers have complained that the book was less Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution and more The French Revolution from the Perspective of Madame Tussaud – they wanted more of specifically Marie’s story and less of the goings on of the Revolution. However, it is conversely possible to argue the opposite – in consequence of the fact that this is essentially Marie’s story, quite a number of the events of the Revolution which she is not present at are related to her secondhand, and even the events she is at still feel like they are missing the sense of epic scale that I would expect from a novel about the Revolution. This was clearly a balancing act, but for me Moran managed to get it just about right. I would have liked a novel about the French Revolution to be rather more epic in scale, to convey the full drama, horror, and importance of events... but this wasn’t a novel about the French Revolution so much as Marie’s story, and although Marie gets caught up with the various events and movers and shakers, she’s still just an ordinary person trying to scrape a living and keep her family safe. That her story felt cosy and insular and not so much epic in scope was right for the story, and though some events are related to her secondhand, they are described in enough detail, and delivered mere hours after events, still close enough to inject some sense of risk and tension. For certain, it’s better than having a first person novel, realising you’ve painted yourself into a corner over how to depict events that your chosen character was not attendant upon, and then deciding to randomly slip into third person for one or two pages whenever it’s handy (again, Philippa Gregory). This way it did feel very much like we’re with Marie throughout. The writing wasn't absolutely scintillating stuff, but the story was interesting enough to keep me tripping along and reading to the end. Speaking of which, the end was a little bit of a bum note.
I quite liked Marie’s "voice". Slight hint of self-involvement and singular incident of callousness aside, I liked her character. She’s a mature woman (unlike precious precocious princesses 12 year old Mary Sue Nefertari or Kleopatra Selene!), and she’s ordinary; her only skills and talents are wax modelling and a head for business, though even then the Salon depends on a good deal of luck to make ends meet. She’s also practical and reasonably intelligent, and even better she is more concerned with pursuing her own career and happiness than marrying – her happiness does not solely depend upon her romantic interest, and unlike some of Moran’s previous novels, the plot does not revolve around how Marie must marry to be happy or learn to please her husband in order to get ahead or for him to trust her. The story definitely felt like it was meatier than Moran’s previous efforts. Maybe that’s because the choice of period is so much closer to our own time and thus Moran had more material to draw upon, or maybe it’s because the Revolution was a time jam-packed with momentous events and interesting people, but I’m going to be generous and say it was probably a combination of that and Moran’s improvements as a writer.
Although I strongly disliked Moran’s previous three books set in Ancient Egypt, each one was a tiny bit better than the last, and I do have to say that Madame Tussaud is a noticeable improvement on Cleopatra’s Daughter. Dare I say it? I actually enjoyed this book. There was nothing in it that gave me rage; there were niggles and it was lacking in certain respects but in no place was it really bad; I liked Marie as a character – and the protagonist was a real, identifiable, likable character, not just a cardboard cut out or a Mary Sue – and once the Revolution got going things began to really heat up and I wanted to continue reading and see how it would end. I’m not saying I'm going to move Moran from my only-from-the-library list to my autobuy list, but if I had been given this as a gift I would be perfectly happy to have it sitting on my bookshelf and give it a re-read at some point.
5 out of 10. All in all, a fairly interesting and enjoyable book, with just enough historical accuracy to make it passable, and a good dose of a decent character and a meaty plot. -
If you haven’t heard of Madame Tussaud’s wax museums, then you need to do some Googling pronto because Madame Tussaud’s museums are about a million kinds of amazing. I’ve been to the one in Las Vegas twice (there are also museums in London, NYC, L.A., to name just a few) and both times was absolutely in awe of the wax figures and the amazing level of detail and craftsmanship that goes into them. But I’ve always wondered who was Madame Tussaud, really? I loved the museums, but knew nothing about the real person behind the persona, so when I saw that Michelle Moran was releasing a book about the real Madame Tussaud, I was curious and excited. I hadn’t yet read any of her books, but so many people have raved about them that I was interested to see how this one turned out. I was definitely not disappointed.
Madame Tussaud is a wonderful piece of historical fiction based on the life of Marie Grosholtz, the French woman who ran the Salon de Cire in Paris with her “uncle” Phillipe Curtius in the time of the French Revolution. Marie and her uncle sculpted wax figures of many of the celebrities and royalty of the day, and the Salon was a prominent destination on the Boulevard de Temple, visited even by the royal family. Her uncle hosted one of the most popular salons in Paris as well, drawing the likes of Robespierre and the duc d’Orleans to discuss politics and philosophy. Marie is even asked at one point to become a tutor in the art of wax modeling for the king’s sister, and travels to Versailles to teach her.
It is during this time of happiness and relative prosperity for the family that the French Revolution breaks out. Marie and her family ride the fence of the Revolution as long as they can, with nobody knowing where things will go, and where the violence will strike next. Many of the Revolution’s leaders have frequented Uncle Curtius’s salon and become friends or acquaintances, but Marie’s loyalty initially lies with the royal family as she begins tutoring the king’s sister. As the Reign of Terror is well under way, Marie and her family must deftly manage their political allegiances and tread carefully to survive the Revolution with their heads intact. Marie is forced to endure tragedy after tragedy, and it’s her skill that saves her in the end, and eventually leads her to become Madame Tussaud.
Michelle does an amazing job with Madame Tussaud’s story; the book is both well-written and absolutely engrossing. I got to meet Michelle at a signing shortly after the book came out, and she had a really great depth of knowledge about what happened, even though Marie’s story is not well-known. I would absolutely recommend Madame Tussaud to any lover of historical fiction or anybody looking for a great story, and I know I’m definitely going to be reading the rest of Michelle Moran’s books.
I received an ARC of Madame Tussaud from the publisher in a First Reads giveaway on Goodreads. -
I want to thank Crown Publishing for giving away copies of this book here on Goodreads First Reads. I was so excited that I was chosen to receive one of the giveaway books.
This is the first novel I've read by Michelle Moran and I think she's a very talented writer. I will be keeping an eye on what she publishes and if she puts out something that interests me I won't hesitate to pick it up.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I thought the writing was very well done and I didn't find a false note or false step anywhere in this story. Which is really a huge endorsement because it is a very rare thing for me to be able to say that.
The events that unfold during the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror are frightening and insane yet Moran is able to convey the craziness of the period without losing the reader explaining the rapidly changing and complicated politics.
Moran shows the reader how difficult and frantic it is for Marie to change the displays in the family’s wax museum just to stay current with the daily political developments. She also does an excellent job showing the reader the fear that everyone lived with at that time.
One particular example that sticks in my mind is when Marie and her mother are teaching Marie's young nephew the new names of the months and the new date according to the new government’s calendar. The names of the months are; Vintage, Fog, Frost, Snow, Rain, Wind, Seed, Blossom, Meadows, Harvesting, Heat, Fruit. And it is Year Two. The child becomes frustrated and doesn't understand how he could have been born before time began. Marie and her mother explain he doesn't need to understand he just needs to learn the rules and follow them. The consequences have already been demonstrated.
I thought this was an excellent novel about a fascinating woman living in a tremendously difficult period of time. I think this novel would be a wonderful companion read to ‘The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette’ by Carolly Erickson. I also read and enjoyed ‘The Sparks Fly Upward’ by Diana Norman set during the French Revolution as well. -
I am a lucky winner of this book from the goodreads first reads program! I am so excited and looking forward to receiving it and reading it!
Let me start off my review by saying that I have loved all Michelle Moran's books. I think she is a great writer.
I really liked this one, but I can't say I loved it. Mostly because I felt our main character, Marie, was a little too cold or removed emotionally. I just can't seem to come up with an adjective to describe my feelings. I didn't feel the warmth from her that I have from some of Moran's other characters. I thought she was a fascinating person though, with quite the story to tell!! It's hard to believe that these things all really happened to her! I just didn't feel that connection to her that makes me love a book/it's heroine. I took a couple of weeks to think on this before writing because I wasn't sure how to put my feelings into words. I did really enjoy learning about the French revolution. All though it was so brutal, the people blood-thirsty etc. I really felt that I learned a lot which is important to me in a historical fiction book. She did a great job of weaving the days important figures into the storyline and making it all come alive. So much alive in fact, that I often became physically ill at the brutality!
Overall, a really good book and I am so glad that I read it (and won it!!). I now can't wait to visit a Madame Tussaud wax museum!! -
Won as a goodreads giveaway!
I really, really enjoyed this. This is a historical novel, not a historical romance - which I appreciated!
It takes you through the French Revolution from the point of view of Marie Grosholtz (who later becomes Madame Tussaud under circumstances I could hardly believe!). Marie is a perfect narrator, because she straddled both sides of the revolution - the royal family and the Jacobins - which only adds to the drama of an already fraught time.
Seriously, if more history books were written like this, I might have actually enjoyed my history classes! I learned a lot that I didn't know, and I enjoyed it. The characters and their actions are both disturbing and yet so, so real.
The author includes a historical note at the end explaining where she took small liberties with history, and which unbelievable parts are true.
All in all, a wonderful read. Will recommend. -
An amazing book about the beginning of the French Revolution told thru the vooice of Madame Tussand who has been invited to teach wax sculpting to the Pricess Elizabeth. Imtimate look at the royal family and all the key players, such as Lafayette, Marat and Robespierre. Marvelous job portraying the politics of the time and the struggles of the common man as well as a more sympathetic look at the royal family.
