You may have seen my recent review of The Woman in the Wallpaper by Lora Jones, set during the French Revolution. It has inspired the theme of this month’s Musings post as I take a look at other books I’ve read set during the same period of history, as well as some I still intend to read. Let me know if you can suggest any more!
Books I’ve read and reviewed on my blog:
Many of the French Revolution novels I’ve read are classics, including A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. This is my favourite book by Dickens, partly because I found it quite different from most of his others – less humorous and more tightly plotted – and also because it has such a beautiful, heartbreaking ending. Baroness Orczy’s The Scarlet Pimpernel is another famous one and I’m sure many of you will know the story even if you haven’t read the book. The mysterious and elusive Scarlet Pimpernel is rescuing aristocrats from the guillotine and smuggling them to safety, but who is he and will he ever be caught? I’m slowly working my way through the sequels and although they’re all enjoyable, none of them are quite as good as the original.
In Rafael Sabatini’s Scaramouche, Andre-Louis Moreau becomes caught up in the events of the French Revolution after taking the role of Scaramouche the clown in a Commedia dell’Arte troupe as part of an elaborate plan to avenge his murdered friend. From the wonderful opening line (“He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad”) I could tell I was going to love this book!
Audrey Erskine Lindop’s 1961 novel, The Way to the Lantern, sadly seems to be out of print, along with the rest of her books. It’s the story of a disreputable young actor who is accused of being both a French aristocrat and an English spy, despite being neither. It’s great fun and if you can find a copy, I highly recommend it. Farewell, the Tranquil Mind by RF Delderfield is also currently out of print, one of his only novels not to have recently been reissued. It follows David Treloar, who flees England after a failed smuggling operation and arrives in France in the middle of the Revolution.
I love most of Daphne du Maurier’s books, but The Glass-Blowers – based loosely on du Maurier’s own ancestors and set during the French Revolution – isn’t one of my favourites. I felt that it didn’t have such a strong sense of time and place as some of her other books, which was surprising considering the setting. Another author I love is Andrew Taylor, but again his French Revolution novel isn’t my favourite. The Silent Boy features a ten-year-old boy who witnesses a murder on the night the Tuileries Palace is stormed and the French monarchy falls.
The final two books I’m going to mention here are books that weren’t entirely to my taste, but were still quite entertaining. The Time of Terror by Seth Hunter is a nautical novel set during the Reign of Terror, while The Bastille Spy by CS Quinn is a fast-paced historical thriller which I described as ‘a cross between The Scarlet Pimpernel, James Bond and Pirates of the Caribbean‘.
To read:
I’ve enjoyed some of Hilary Mantel’s other novels, including the Thomas Cromwell trilogy, so I’m sure I’ll try A Place of Greater Safety eventually, but the length looks so daunting!
Everyone seems to have enjoyed Little by Edward Carey, about Anne Marie Grosholtz, better known as Madame Tussaud. I’m not sure why I still haven’t got round to reading it – possibly because I tried to read Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran and didn’t get on with it. Maybe Little will be more to my taste.
I’m also planning to continue with the Pimpernel series; Lord Tony’s Wife is the next one on my list!
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Have you read any of the books I’ve mentioned here? Which other books about the French Revolution can you recommend?
She Reads Novels 
Hi Helen
Thank you for this post. I am interested in the French Revolution and have read both the Scarlet Pimpernel and Tale of Two Cities. I like the sound of Scaramouche and have already been recommended the Audrey Erskine Lindop’s book by a friend and will keep an eye out for a second hand copy. I was also intrigued by your review of the Woman in the Wallpaper and hope to read it soon.
Have you read any of Joanna Bourne’s books? She only wrote six or seven set around the time of the French Revolution. They are all romances combined with spy stories. I think the characterisation, settings and dialogue are all excellent. The first one is Forbidden Rose although The Spymaster’s Lady was written first and is the one I read first. I have been hoarding the last two novels as I will be sad when I have finished all Ms Bourne’s works.
I am currently reading Human Remains, a very modern crime novel by Jo Callaghan but also have Queen of Fives out from the Public Library to read next, courtesy of your earlier review.
Thanks for your reading inspiration.
Best wishes, Jill
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Scaramouche and The Way to the Lantern are both excellent books. I keep hoping a publisher will decide to bring Lindop’s work back into print, but unfortunately it hasn’t happened yet.
I haven’t read anything by Joanna Bourne, but will look out for her books. Thank you for the suggestion – and I hope you enjoy Queen of Fives!
I am generally a Mantel fan, but I think you have to know a lot more about the political end of the French Revolution than I did to know exactly what’s going on. However, since you have read so many books about it, maybe you do.
I think I would probably struggle with the politics in the Mantel book too, which is one of the reasons I’ve been putting off reading it. I would still like to try it, though.
I was able to finish it, but I was confused part of the time.
Thank you so much, Helen, You always give me more than one great new read. Even just one would be valuable. Your site is a great place for the discerning reader!
I read A Place of Greater Safety ages ago. I knew nothing about the French Revolution, but that didn’t matter. I could not put the book down. It is weird how – out of nowhere, the characters and bits of the story keep coming back to me, years later. I think it is, mostly, the characters; how Mantel paints them so compellingly. They feel very real. I could see them while I read, in the flesh, so to speak. They aren’t melodramatic or “too much”. But they are unforgettable. Mantel took historic events and made them memorably tragic, triumphant, or glorious…I cannot say how she did it but there is no one like her. At her best, she created worlds, strange and beautiful atmosphere, milieu, vibrant places > I’ll never want to forget. She was a rare bird of an author.
You’re definitely tempting me to read A Place of Greater Safety sooner rather than later! I think I’ll probably enjoy it, as I’ve loved some of her other work. I just need to find the right time to commit to such a big, complex book.
Thanks for your kind words about my blog. It’s good to know that people are finding it useful!
What a good post–I’ll check out some of these–only the Daphne was already on my TBR. A few years ago I read a book I really liked–but I’m not very knowledgeable about French history or the revolution so maybe it’s not as good as I thought? Ribbons of Scarlett–my review is here if you want it. No pressure to click. https://hopewellslibraryoflife.wordpress.com/2019/11/18/review-ribbons-of-scarlet-a-novel-of-the-french-revolution/https://hopewellslibraryoflife.wordpress.com/2019/11/18/review-ribbons-of-scarlet-a-novel-of-the-french-revolution/
That does sound good. Thank you!
While I was blogging I read The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B by Sandra Gulland; it’s a trilogy about Josephine Bonaparte of which this is the first installment, the only one I have read, based in The Reign of Terror for the most part. I liked it a great deal; don’t know why I didn’t go on to read the sequels.
Thanks, Carmen! I haven’t read much about Josephine Bonaparte so would probably find that trilogy interesting.
City of Darkness, City of Light by Marge Piercy is very good. I’ve read all 3 of the Sandra Gulland books mentioned by Carmen, and enjoyed them. Also Daughters of the Storm by Elizabeth Buchan.
I haven’t read any of those books. Thanks for the suggestions!
Do give Little a try. It’s utterly grotesque, but very rewarding.
I’m definitely planning to try it. I’m glad you liked it!
Scaramouche sounds great thanks it’s on the list, A Tale of Two Cities is the only one I’ve read and loved it too, shame about the du Maurier though.
Scaramouche is a great book – I would definitely recommend it! The du Maurier wasn’t bad, but I had expected something more atmospheric like her other books. I still thought it was worth reading.
I haven’t read any of the books you read but I did read the first part of the Mantel book and also Little and I both didn’t like them 🙈 I also did read ‘The Queen’s dressmaker’ it was ok. And Lucas Zandberg’s novel about Jeanne Du Barry, the last mistress of Louis XIV who met the guillotine. I believe that will be my favourite
Sorry you didn’t like Little or the Mantel book! I’m not sure if I’ll like them either, but I do want to try them.
I have read A Place of Greater Safety and loved it. Like all well written books it flows so easily that it didn’t take me that long to read it.
That’s good to know. It does make a difference when a book is well written and pulls you into the story.
Not exactly set during the Revolution, Andrew Miller’s Pure as you know is set in the pre-Revolutionary period when turmoil was in the offing. The Mantel book on (I think) Robespierre daunted me for its length too and I never actually got round to reading it.
Oh, I’ve yet to tackle my copy of Antal Szerb’s The Queen’s Necklace (Pushkin Press) but if my memory serves me right it’s about Marie-Antoinette’s piece of jewellery and its fate.
I almost included Pure on this list, but decided against it as it wasn’t actually set during the Revolution – although the pre-Revolution period was just as important, of course. I hope you enjoy the Antal Szerb! I haven’t read that one but Pushkin Press are one of my favourite independent publishers.
I gave up on A Place of Greater Safety as I just couldn’t get into the writing style. That was many years ago so I might think differently if l tried it again. Unlikely, as I gave my copy away!
I really enjoyed Little. It’s quirky which is Edward Carey’s style.
Sorry you couldn’t get into A Place of Greater Safety. I’ve enjoyed some of Mantel’s other books so I would like to at least give it a try. If only it wasn’t so long! Little sounds great, though.
I enjoyed reading your post. The first book I read about the French Revolution was Baroness Orczy’s The Scarlet Pimpernel which I loved. Later on I read A Tale of Two Cities which I also loved. More recently (2012) I read Hilary Mantel’s A Place of Greater Safety which I also loved even though it is so long and took me a month to read. It’s not a book to rush through. In my post about it I wrote that reading this book and Wolf Hall had been a pleasure – ‘real journeys’ into other times and places. Here’s my review if you’d like to read it – https://booksplease.org/2012/05/10/a-place-of-greater-safety-by-hilary-mantel-a-book-review/.
I haven’t read the other books you’ve mentioned but I’ll certainly look out for them including The Glass-Blowers, even though you say it isn’t one of your favourites.
I’m pleased to hear you loved the Hilary Mantel book. I really enjoyed all three of her Thomas Cromwell books, but that one looks even longer and more complex. Thanks for linking to your review – I’ll follow your advice and take my time with it so I can read shorter books in between.
I don’t think The Glass-Blowers is one of du Maurier’s better books, but it’s definitely still worth reading.
Hi Helen, I think the only book I have read set in the French Revolution is A Tale of Two Cities, and like you, it is one of my favourite Dickens’ novels. With me being such a sensitive soul though, it probably isn’t a time period and/or setting I will rush to read more of. 😅
Blessings, Jessica 💌
I loved A Tale of Two Cities, so I’m glad it’s one of your favourite Dickens novels too. And yes, I can see how the French Revolution isn’t the most comfortable subject to read about!
I’m always adding books to my TBR set during the French revolution so a couple of these have ended up on it now too. I don’t read many classics (although I want to start trying some out) but Scaramouche sounds interesting. I’m pretty sure the Madame Tussaud book that didn’t work for you is on it somewhere too so I really hope I get on with it better than you did 😬
I’m sure I’ve read a few but I can only think of Scarlet by Genevieve Cogman right now 😅
I’m always especially intrigued by anything that promises to be fantasy or gothic within the setting 😍
I hope you enjoy the ones still on your TBR.
Scaramouche is a great book! I would like to read it again one day. I hope you do get on better than I did with the Madame Tussaud book – maybe I was just in the wrong mood for it, as I’ve enjoyed other Michelle Moran books.
I hope you get to 🥰 thank you, I’m glad you’ve enjoyed others by her before at least. Although it’s always such a shame when an author who normally works for you let’s you down.