Customer Reviews

The Days of the French Revolution

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Christopher Hibbert's fine narrative about the French Revolution is an excellent way for the general reader to learn the essentials of the keystone event of modern European history. But for the French Revolution there would have been no Napoleon. But for the French Revolution there probably would never have been a Russian Revolution. But those are not the themes which play in the background of Mr. Hibbert's most-readable history. He lays out the panorama of the Days of the French Revolution in such such a way that one who wishes to know more about that great event can read about it -- cover-to-cover and then put this book down with satisfaction. At last the general reader will fully understand what is meant by "Thermidor", will sympathize with the unfortunate Louis XVI and come away with a new appreciation of his beautiful and misunderstood wife, Marie Antoinette.

The complicated personality of the tragic Robespierre enters the drama at the time appointed by history and Mr. Hibbert gives this austere, no-nonsense rascal his proper place at center stage. There is enough of a biography of him to round him out so that the reader can reach some conclusions as to how the Days of Terror came about under Robespierre's auspices.

The days of the French Revolution teemed with a multitude of monumental historical events crammed into a mere few years. Royalty was executed, wars were fought, governments fell, freedoms simmered, flourished and faded; all was turmoil. It is a wonder in this avalanche of world-shaking events how any writer could manage to sort them out and play them before the reader's eyes so engrossingly. But Mr. Hibbert does it and he does it well in this book that I can highly recommend.

This is a great book to learn about the French Revolution. It's full of interesting characters and packed with nonstop action. The author doesn't analyze or judge from the vantage point of an armchair 200 years later. If you want to know what sort of people Marie Antoinette, Robespierre, Marat, Danton, and other names from history were, you'll hear it from their friends, enemies, relatives, neighbors, servants and clients. You get the feel for what it was like to be a lawyer, butcher, restaurateur, farmer, journalist in 18th-century France. You'll find out what it was really like to be imprisoned in the Bastille, to be pounding on your husband's locked door while a mob was trying to break your bedroom door down, to get up on a table and address a a riotous crowd for the first time in your life, and even what it felt, looked and sounded like to be guillotined. The author doesn't intrude on the story at all; he lets the facts speak for themselves. He doesn't moralize, you reach your own conclusions about what happens when mob rule takes over, when violence generates more violence, and the rules of law and order are abandoned. This is one of the best written history books I've read in a long time, as absorbing as any novel. I'd have hated to miss it and it's a great way to learn.

I read this book several years after reading Simon Schama's "Citizens," which is one of my favorite all time books. This book is much more of an overview of the French Revolution than Schama's book and is probabably a better place to start. While "Citizens" does more to place the French Revolution in the context of its time, Hibbert's book is more of a traditional narrative history. Still, its well written and extremely entertaining (like most of Hibbert's books) and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to get a good overview of the people and events of the French Revolution.

I wanted to read about the French Revolution, and began with "Citizens," by Simon Schama. It is a fine book, but I got bogged down in the details, and was losing the essence of the events. 300 pages in, and still going through the details of the economic environment, I put down "Citizens" and picked up Hibbert's book. It was beautifully written, and quite consistent with the highly-academic "Citizens." But, frankly, Hibbert was much more enjoyable to read.

A note to those who are not adverse to detailed history: Schama has many favorable reviews on this site, and well-deserved. But you might want to start with Hibbert, then go to Schama, with LeFebvre's slim work as a side read.

If you've never read a book on the French Revolution start with this one. Hibbert has an easy going non "history class" style of writing that makes this book a joy. You really get to know the players and see how things get out of hand for everyone. From the weak doomed King to the firey Danton who is set up to die by Robspierre who in less than two months follows Danotn to the guilitine. There is more plotting, murder, backstabbing and mayhem in this book than in any modern day thriller. And it all really happened. The pages turn themselves.

It's been over thirty years since I was in high school, and I failed to pay attention in the French History classes. In anticipation of an upcoming Paris vacation, I thought I would brush up on my history, but was reluctant to do so, as my experience with history books indicated that few things are as dry. Mr. Hibbert was a startling exception; he tells a stirring story that was hard to put down. My trip to Paris will be ever so much more meaningful. If you have any interest whatsoever in the French Revoulution, this is the place to start. If you need a basic understanding, then this is the book to turn to.

This was a good introduction to the French Revolution. The only bad thing i have to say about the book is that sometimes the author seems to think everyone knows the French language (with quotes in french that are rarely translated,) but that happens infrequently enough that the reader doesn't miss out on anything. I certainly would recommend it to anyone with a curiosity about the chain of events that lead the citizens of France into total madness.

Christopher Hibbert's book is an excellent introduction to the French Revolution. He relates the important events and personalities without the pedantic stuffiness of an academic history. With very readable prose and a reasonable length (less than 400 pages), this book is ideal for the average person (read non-history major) who wants to learn about one of the most important events in recent centuries.

Picked up this book prior to a trip to Paris to educate myself about the French revolution. I'm an american after all, how would I be expected to know anything about foreign history.

I chose the book over others because of its relatively short length and previous reviews that praised its accessible prose. The jacket also promised that it would teach me about Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI, Napoleon, the Bastille etc. so I figured I would kill several birds at once.

Take the books title literally: its ten main chapters basically describe 10 important days (ok a few on either side) during the french revolution. The leaps from one these days to the next left some large holes. Perhaps a basic understanding of the events and characters was assumed (I didn't have it) and this was meant to provide in depth coverage of those days. This is not to say that I did not enjoy the book. The description of the days were well written and accessible to a non-historian. Some of it, such as descriptions of "the days of terror" was downright page turning. I could not stop reading though I tried. The only other complaint was that, despite the jacket's promise, I learned little about Napoleon.

Well written and concise history of the French Revolution that is equipped with appendices that includes a summary of the individuals that have roles in the revolution, definitions of key French terminology predominately political and a time chart that outlines the revolution's history.

Quite a fascinating story of the rise of the third estate against the monarchy, the nobles and clergy which had its roots in the downward turn of the economy (partly due to the cost of the war against England during America's war of independence) and the burden of the poor to pay most of the taxes while owning little land. The sheer violence and grotesqueness of the revolution is astonishing as political groups seem to rise and fall not only against the monarchists but continuously over the lengthy period of the revolution with and against various feuding political parties. There seems to be endless purges oddly each supported enthusiastically by the masses in the streets. At times the fear of death is attached to everyone as political shifts occur at astonishing speed over the possible return of the monarchists and outside military powers, which causes extraordinary panic, and just through political differences among the leadership. The deaths of the poorly leadership equipped Louis XVI and his Queen Antoinette are well described and almost symbolic of the many individuals executed for political reasons and the many innocents who were simply accused without regard to a fair trial. Amazing how so called patriots could be aligned to organize a new constitution only to later compete for power at the expense of the life of their former colleagues.

The revolution according to the author seems to cycle into periodic periods of controlled political organization then to despotic periods of terror that seems to reach its peak with the politically self consumed and self important Robespierre whose insensitive annihilation of his political competition back fires when his own out of control ego and vague threats to the assembly make every man feel threatened hastening his own rapid and violent demise with a trip to the guillotine.

This exhaustive cycle of control supplanted by terror opens the door for a strong willed military despot as the author's final two chapters cover the entrance of Napoleon into the national spotlight. One can see that the general population would welcome any sustained order.

I only wish the author spent a little more time explaining how the political mobs could be so violent to literally tear people apart, purposely soak themselves in the blood of their victims and readily kill anyone violently just by mere association. Understanding that lacking the means to eat was certainly part of it plus the heavy tax burden on the poor, but the extent of the violence is shocking as well as the continuous applause of the crowds as the various losers of political power take their trips in carts to the guillotine.