6/40: Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran

Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution by Michelle Moran
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Michelle Moran is an amazing writer. She adds just enough description to give you an accurate picture while keeping the story moving. Madame Tussaud is a courageous woman who straddled the line between the royal family and the rebellion. How she survived the Revolution is a miracle to me. There were some points I thought it was the end for her and her family.

This book had tension, love and heartbreak. I was rooting for her and Henri the whole book. They were both so alike. He understood her and her ambition. The tension when the Reign of Terror was at it's height kept me reading. I had to know what was going to happen next. Everytime there was a knock on the Salon de Cire I kept thinking "This is it. They've come for them." Parts were hard to read, and it was revolting what people would do to others, even their friends. The level of detail that Moran puts into this book was great it some parts, like describing the Salon and the people. Other times I would have preferred less (squeemish?), but I appreciate that she kept the same level for everything throughout. She didn't sugarcoat anything and I loved that. It was a horrible time in history and the deeds people did (whether accounted truthfully or fiction) are portrayed well.

The only thing I didn't like was the ending. It ended fine, but it felt really rushed. There was only a "and then this all happened" explaination. I would  have loved another 40 pages to really get to the end a little more.

While this is a work of fiction, I loved the account of the French Revolution. The historical facts listed in the back were great. I had no idea that the guillotine was used as a form of death up until 1977.

I will absolutely be reading more by Michelle Moran. Amazing writer! She makes me realize why I love historical fiction so much.
View all my reviews