Customer Reviews

Annette Vallon: A Novel of the French Revolution

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
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This book is, quite simply, everything a reading experience should be. James Tipton has created a gem of a novel and has left me anxious for another. Work of the caliber is hard to come by and is the sort of novel that lingers with the reader, long after its last page has been read.

Set against the backdrop of the Terror in France, Tipton has created a novel that is part romance, part adventure story, and always a reflective, beautiful tale of a fascinating woman. Annette Vallon is a truly extraordinary character, a woman who is fallible yet engaging. Though she does many courageous and selfless things throughout her life, she never comes across as sanctimonious. She is always humble and true to her heart and I only wish there was an abundance of such female characters in literature. Annette is vibrant, spirited, intelligent, and loving. She is everything a good female character ought to be and Tipton did a wonderful job of capturing the perspective of his obviously beloved heroine.

I initially thought this book would detail the romance of Annette and William Wordsworth. While that's certainly one of the books central and recurring themes, this book is also so much more. Tipton has made Annette a fascinating person in her own right; she's no simple mistress of Wordsworth. The love story between the two is tender, passionate, and romantic and Tipton writes eloquently about their love. The passages with Annette and William always rang true and are a textbook example of what romance writing should be. My only quibble was with William's ultimate decision but I lay that at Mr. Wordsworth's door and certainly not Mr. Tipton's. The author has done a fine job writing a melancholy tale of two lovers who had not only their families and society against them but also the very fabric of the world in which they lived.

And yet the love story is only part of the tale. Annette has a rich and amazing life of her own and Tipton has done a simply marvelous job of conveying the fear, the anger, and the horror of France during the Revolution. Annette's bravery is singular and is driven by personal motives that Tipton details exquisitely. Though Annette suffers many tragedies, the book is never maudlin and the reader is always struck by the force of Annette's will. The book has inspired me to try to get my hands on some historical works in order to try to learn more about Annette, the Revolution, and the brave Chouans.

What struck me most about this novel was the beauty of the prose. Tipton's writing is breath-taking and the book is filled with wonderful, thought-provoking quotes and passages of great beauty. Every character is fully realized, from the main characters to the large and varied cast of secondary and tertiary characters. Tipton has breathed life into each and every one of them and the humanity of the characters is one of many great strengths of the novel. Though he is writing about the Revolution, I found a number of parallels to current events that gave the novel a truly timeless and universal quality. As one of the characters states, "Just say the words 'patriot' or 'security' and everyone will follow you." Certainly these words should strike a chord not just with those reading about the French Revolution but also today's American.

This book is two stories in one. The first story is a love story, about the relationship between Annette Vallon and William Wordsworth. These two romantic souls found their perfect matches in each other, and Annette seemed to inspire Wordsworth's poetry. Unfortunately, events conspired to prevent them from living their dream of a life together. The second story is the story of France's struggles during the series of waves of violence that made up the French Revolution. As the the violence becomes less and less controlled and begins to strike at people who are guilty of nothing more than being at the wrong place at the wrong time, Annette uses her connections and skills to help save some of these innocent souls.

This story helps shed a bit of light on the sequence of events during the French Revolution, and reminds us of the huge toll of human suffering that was paid by the people of France. Ultimately, Annette's love for Wordsworth helps her to survive and inspires her to resist the worst abuses. Mixing tragedy and romance, readers may find themselves haunted by this story.

[This review is based on a pre-publication Uncorrected Proof copy]

I got this book as a Christmas present. I had just finished reading Pillars of the Earth and several Phillipa Gregory novels and my boyfriend thought I'd like this one too. I learned a great deal more about the French Revolution then I knew before and it was an enjoyable read. You really get a good sense of the society and culture of the time. As a Mother I also related to the pulls of motherhood and the balance of work through the story lines of rescue. There are many interesting plots and story lines to follow, it is an interesting read and very entertaining.

As a fan of all Austen novels and continuations, I'd recommend it to those who love these as well.
Nice job, and I look forward to your next novel.

Mr Tipton's novel seems, for one who has read both, merely a fleshing out and reorganization of Emile Legouis' 1922 book "William Wordsworth and Annette Vallon".

It should have been utlimately a more fascinating book had he kept closer to the facts and written a sorely needed biography of Vallon. Further research into her life would seem a most worthwhile effort, rather than a rehashing and rearranging of what is already known.

Annette Vallon is a great read for any historical fiction fan. This book blends many interesting facts about the French Revolution with the romance between Annette Vallon and William Wordsworth. The author does an excellent job creating the personalities of Annette and William, two very real people. That is really what I found the most interesting. The novel is almost a character study on these two historical figures. Through different bits of letters, poems, and actual records, Tipton is able to create a vivid, exciting novel that follows an actual historical timeline and gives believable personalities to Annette and William. His explanation of his methods at the end of the book is most definitely worth reading. In addition to reading about the exciting and deep passion of Annette and William, I learned much about the politics and events of the French Revolution. A definite recommendation for history and romance lovers!

There is definitely a great story behind any book that takes place during the French Revolution. There are hardly many other times in history where so much craziness was going on. That is why I thought a book, with the subscript "a novel of the French Revolution" would be good. Not really in this case. It started out good and I enjoyed the characters but the plot itself really lagged in the middle and end.

There was too much back in forth with Annette's character and whether she wanted to help refugees of the revolution or not. I believe she stopped and started again about three times. Tedious. Little else I can say. Put me to sleep a few times.

I loved this book. I became absorbed quickly. Mr Tipton took time and care developing his characters from biography and the large quantity of information of this bloody piece of history and fashioned a marvelous novel. I am also very glad to say Mr. Tipton gives the curious reader references of books and biographies that were of particular help to him in crafting this haunting novel.
Well done Mr. Tipton I cannot wait for your next novel.....will we see coleridge?
I can hope.

Started off a little slow, but something kept drawing me in. Most definitely picked up pace about half way through and then I couldn't put it down. The end had me sobbing like a baby! I'm not particularly fond of poetry, so I found all of the poetic quotes a little monotonous, but they were an important part of the story. I'm always fascinated by books written by a man, but from a woman's perspective; Mr. Tipton did an impressive job of expressing Annette's voice. Only one drawback (and it's minor)... I tend to have trouble keeping track of characters if their names are similar and I noticed that there were many last names in the novel that began with the letter 'V.' It was a little confusing for me, but certainly nothing to deter anyone from reading this very enjoyable book. Definitely pick it up!

I stumbled upon this book quite by accident in the local library and was very pleasantly surprised. I had recently read the first of the Josephine Bonaparte trilogy, and was happy to see that this was along the same lines - set against the backdrop of the French Revolution.

I learned many things about the time of the French Revolution, and was entertained while reading. I was actually saddened when I finished, because the story was over. Annette Vallon sounds like an incredible figure from that time period. If the story is even half true, what an incredible heroine we have before us! It was a story of romance and love, heroism during a very violent and unstable time, and the story of the strength of one woman who helped to save many from the madness that swept France in the late 18th century. I also learned a little bit more about poetry and Wordsworth along the way.

It was a pleasure to read and I am looking forward to reading another novel by Tipton, if he should produce one. Having checked it out from the library, I had to purchase my own copy as soon as possible, and look forward to reading it again.

Although I'm not a fan of novels written by men from a woman's POV, ANNETTE VALLON disposed of this prejudice in a few pages. Born into a wealthy bourgeois family during the last days of the Ancient Regime, Annette is an avid reader of novels, particularly the "dangerous" ones by Rousseau and Laclos. She is also an idealist, a perilous mindset in any age. When she meets the poet Wordsworth, on a free-spirited tramp through Europe, she falls--finally, fatally--in love. She bears him a daughter, but France and England are soon at war and will remain so for a generation. The lovers can never marry. Tipton's writing is polished and evocative and his settings the most perfect form of time travel, but the novel is broken into two "movements." I enjoyed the second, which deals with Annette's lonely struggle to survive and raise her daughter, more than the first. During this time, France is undergoing successive spasms of revolutionary violence. Social reforms lead to The Terror, to which she loses her beloved father and brother. With the bloody logic of many later revolutions, the ever-increasing savagery of "purification" leads to Napoleon's dictatorship, and from there to his endless wars. I don't know how much of Annette's counter-revolutionary daring is imagined, but if you like brave, intelligent heroines who aren't afraid to use a pistol in the name of suffering humanity, here is one you won't forget.