Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Ribbons of Scarlet: A Novel of the French Revolution's Women
    Unavailable
    Ribbons of Scarlet: A Novel of the French Revolution's Women
    Unavailable
    Ribbons of Scarlet: A Novel of the French Revolution's Women
    Ebook535 pages10 hours

    Ribbons of Scarlet: A Novel of the French Revolution's Women

    By Kate Quinn, Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie and

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    Listen to the audiobook instead

    About this ebook

    “The French Revolution comes alive through the eyes of six diverse and complex women, in the skilled hands of these amazing authors.”--Martha Hall Kelly, New York Times bestselling author of Lilac Girls

    A breathtaking, epic novel illuminating the hopes, desires, and destinies of princesses and peasants, harlots and wives, fanatics and philosophers—seven unforgettable women whose paths cross during one of the most tumultuous and transformative events in history: the French Revolution.

    Ribbons of Scarlet is a timely story of the power of women to start a revolution—and change the world.

    In late eighteenth-century France, women do not have a place in politics. But as the tide of revolution rises, women from gilded salons to the streets of Paris decide otherwise—upending a world order that has long oppressed them.

    Blue-blooded Sophie de Grouchy believes in democracy, education, and equal rights for women, and marries the only man in Paris who agrees. Emboldened to fight the injustices of King Louis XVI, Sophie aims to prove that an educated populace can govern itself--but one of her students, fruit-seller Louise Audu, is hungrier for bread and vengeance than learning. When the Bastille falls and Louise leads a women’s march to Versailles, the monarchy is forced to bend, but not without a fight. The king’s pious sister Princess Elisabeth takes a stand to defend her brother, spirit her family to safety, and restore the old order, even at the risk of her head.

    But when fanatics use the newspapers to twist the revolution’s ideals into a new tyranny, even the women who toppled the monarchy are threatened by the guillotine. Putting her faith in the pen, brilliant political wife Manon Roland tries to write a way out of France’s blood-soaked Reign of Terror while pike-bearing Pauline Leon and steely Charlotte Corday embrace violence as the only way to save the nation. With justice corrupted by revenge, all the women must make impossible choices to survive--unless unlikely heroine and courtesan’s daughter Emilie de Sainte-Amaranthe can sway the man who controls France’s fate: the fearsome Robespierre.

      

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 1, 2019
    ISBN9780062916082
    Author

    Kate Quinn

    Kate Quinn is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of historical fiction. A native of Southern California, she attended Boston University, where she earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in classical voice. A lifelong history buff, she has written four novels in the Empress of Rome Saga and two books set in the Italian Renaissance before turning to the 20th century with The Alice Network, The Huntress, The Rose Code, and The Diamond Eye. All have been translated into multiple languages. She and her husband now live in California with three black rescue dogs.

    Read more from Kate Quinn

    Related to Ribbons of Scarlet

    Related ebooks

    War & Military Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Life In Wartime: Women Dominate A Quartet Of World War II Novels

      Aug 25, 2021

      The 4 best recent novels set during World War II show the ingenuity of women who put everything on the line to defeat the Nazis.

      4 min read

    • Article

      Women Of Bletchley Part I: The Bombe Operator

      Jan 24, 2019

      Although it was shrouded in secrecy for decades, the codebreaking work of Bletchley Park is now recognised as an extraordinary wartime achievement. Prodigiously talented cryptanalysts devised various methods to decipher Axis communications. This prod

      11 min read

    • Article

      The Boy Who Drew Auschwitz

      Jan 27, 2021

      The Boy Who Drew Auschwitz
      4 min read

    • Article

      Orlando Spirit Of The Age

      Jun 11, 2019

      Orlando Spirit Of The Age
      5 min read

    • Article

      Kathleen Kent And Laird Hunt On Witches And Wickedness In American History And Literature

      Oct 17, 2018

      The concept of the witch has figured prominently, not only in American history but in American literature as well. From Cotton Mather’s cautionary essays to Nathaniel Hawthorne to Arthur Miller, readers have been held in thrall by accounts of accused

      8 min read

    • Article

      In The Middle Of Even This: Poetry

      Jan 1, 2020

      To be brought from the bright schoolyard into the house:to stand by her bed like an animal stunned in the pen:against the grid of the quilt, her hand seemsstitched to the cuff of its sleeve—although he wantsmost urgently the hand to stroke his head,a

      7 min read

    • Article

      Grandeur Of The Unimportant

      Jul 1, 2018

      APZ Books The reasons a contemporary American poet might consider writing political poetry these days are too many to name. I would include the government’s attempt to silence dissent in the media, in the Justice Department, the FBI, the CIA, the NSA

      13 min read

    • Article

      Women Have Always Been at the Center of Upheavals: Amber Tamblyn in Conversation with Janet Fitch

      Sep 16, 2019

      The two authors talk feminism, politics, history, aesthetics, sexuality, cinema, tiki drinks—and wrap things up with a live game of exquisite corpse. The post Women Have Always Been at the Center of Upheavals: Amber Tamblyn in Conversation with Janet

      12 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Mark Slouka

      Dec 16, 2021

      When times get hard—and the news, I think it’s fair to say, has sucked of late—my reading, like everyone else’s, gets reactive. The post A Year in Reading: Mark Slouka appeared first on The Millions.

      8 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Il’ja Rákoš

      Dec 14, 2019

      I, like you, definitely don’t need to be made more susceptible to the predations of the truly sinister agents of corruption that are at work all around us. The post A Year in Reading: Il’ja Rákoš appeared first on The Millions.

      5 min read

    • Article

      Our Sister Killjoy

      Nov 6, 2023

      Our Sister Killjoy
      4 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Ribbons of Scarlet

    4/5

    56 ratings8 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      Ribbons of Scarlet: A Novel of the French Revolution's Women is a difficult book to plow through. A lot of research went into the writing of this book. The French Revolution was a horrible time for people. The guillotine was used liberally to behead royalty, citizens and peasants. What was supposed to rid the French people of poverty, cruelty, royalty and tyranny in the end The French Revolution did nothing. Ribbons of Scarlet tried to expose the reader to some women who fought bravely for the revolution in different ways. Because the book was difficult to read through with too much story information, the book only received three stars in this review.
    • 4/5
      The French Revolution was a time of immense change, violence and uncertainty for everyone in the country.  The women of France eagerly became caught up in the Revolution hoping for change, for rights and for freedom.  Many of these women died for their part in the revolution and their beliefs that women should have the same rights as men.  Through the eyes of six amazing authors, six equally stunning and brave women of the French Revolution come alive: Sophie de Grouchy, Louise Audu, Elisabeth Philippine Marie Helene de France, Manon Roland, Charlotte Corday and Emilie de Sainte-Amaranthe.Through their tragedies and triumphs, these women weaved in and out of one another's lives.  While each section of the book is written through just one woman's eyes, the others are present.  Each woman's perspective moved farther in time through the Revolution.  I love that the focus was not on the intense politics of the Revolution or what the men were fighting for, but the beliefs of each woman and how she set about to accomplish her task. Sophie de Grouchy used her political fervor to educate and empower other women under the guise of entertainment.  Louise Audu, a feisty fruit seller and student of Sophie bands with other women to storm the Bastille. Elisabeth of France takes a stance to protect her family and realize just what her family is being killed for.  Manon Roland takes up the pen as her weapon using the endurance and graciousness as women for strength. Charlotte Corday is convinced that murdering a man that slings slander and incites violence and hatred is a step towards peace.  Emile de Sainte-Amaranthe uses her beauty to keep those who control France's fate under her influence.  Each woman's emotions, desires, convictions and bravery are placed in the forefront of the writing. While their beliefs may not have always aligned, the women's power of conviction shone through.This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
    • 5/5
      the French Revolution brings to mind many things but probably most of all the guillotine. It was a time of terror and death brought on by system of a rich ruling elite existing in somewhat of a vacuum regarding the conditions of the poor. Voices of change rose and soon that change was being implemented but not quite in an orderly way, nor in a way that was fair or equitable to any of the classes. Fear, rumor, hate and divisiveness became the new normal. Most of the names we remember from this time are those of men; Robespierre, Marat, Louis XVI. But there were many strong women who also played large roles in the destruction of the monarchy and the rise of the Republic.Ribbons of Scarlet tells the story of the Revolution through the voices of 6 of these women. They come from all levels of French society from a fruit seller barely able to find enough to feed herself to the sister of the King. This assures that both sides of the story are told.The book is broken into sections for each woman; The Philospher, The Revolutionary, The Princess, The Politician, The Assassin and The Beauty. Each section tells the tale of of the woman and advances the story. It is all done very fluidly and if one didn’t know there were 6 authors one would not be able to tell. Everything just flows from the retelling of the history to the integration of the women’s stories.I must admit I was surprised to learn of all of these strong and intelligent women who were fighting so hard for human rights at this point in history. Oftentimes women’s stories are lost to history, particularly in times of war. Or their stories are perverted to suit the winner’s version for as we all know history is written by the victor. We now know that Marie Antoinette was not as awful as she was purported to be.I was enthralled from the first pages of this novel. It’s a period of history I know fairly well for it’s one I’ve studied in college and have read about quite a bit since. To learn so much new in one book was a delight. The recent trend for books to focus on women in history has been an utter delight for this reader of historical fiction. I hope it continues for it brings to light the impact that simple women working together can have on history. Yes, I know that the King’s sister can hardly be considered “simple” but many woman who cause great change are often ignored for the actions of men. It’s enlightening to return to a familiar time and see it again through female eyes who helped shaped it – for better or worse.
    • 5/5
      What is Ribbons of Scarlet about? It is about empowering women. From royalty to fruit sellers the reader learns about six different women with different lives with the same goal. It is the eighteenth century where women have no place in politics, but these women put themselves right in the middle of the French Revolution. We have The Philosopher by Stephanie Dray; Sophie de Grouchy Condorcet (Grouchette) was a prominent salon hostess from 1789 to the Reign of Terror. She was well-connected and influential before, during, and after the French Revolution. Her salon became a meeting place for those opposed to the autocratic regime and she survived the Revolution, publishing her husband's works.The Revolutionary by Heather Webb takes on Louise "Reine" Audu, a fruitseller who participated in the French Revolution. She along with others led the Women's March on Versailles. The march started by women who were upset about the high price and scarcity of bread. She was part of the delegation that met with the King but was later arrested and jailed. Her stay ended with her going "insane".Then we have The Princess by Sophie Perinot. Madame Élisabeth was a French princess and the youngest sibling of King Louis XVI. She stayed with the royal family when they fled Paris during the Revolution. She had the ear of the King and often tried to advise him. As a result of being the sister of the King, she was executed.The Politician by Kate Quinn features Manon (Madame) Roland who was a French revolutionary, salonnière, and writer. Along with her husband, Jean-Marie Roland de la Platière were both supporters of the French Revolution. They were involved in the Girondist faction but fell out of favor during the Reign of Terror and was executed on the guillotine. The Assassin by E.Knight has Marie-Anne Charlotte de Corday d'Armont, also known as Charlotte Corday was another figure in the French Revolution. Jean-Paul Marat was a member of the Jacobin faction who exerted power via his newspaper. Charlotte felt that his death would save the people of Paris. She did kill him and was executed for her crime.Lastly, The Beauty by Laura Kamoie protagonist is Charlotte-Rose-Émilie Davasse de Saint-Amarand who was the daughter of a courtesan becomes a heroine when she takes on Robespierre. Let's just say that I love any and all stories by these talented authors. How they could take six powerful French women and combine their stories into one fantastic novel beats me but they did. I knew about the French Revolution, King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette but nothing about any of the heroines in the book. I was sad for the women who were executed and in such an inhumane way but I was happy that they were an important part of the history of France. Each of these authors is talented in their own right but writing together, very powerful! Well researched and put together, one of my favorite books of the year!
    • 4/5
      Just when I think I know most of the historical figures who took part in the French Revolution, there's a novel like that casts light on another, or this case, on six. I was happy to encounter women I hadn't known of previously and women whose perspective I had rarely encountered in accounts of the French Revolution. I found the novel overall compelling and would highly recommend it to fans of historical fiction.
    • 4/5
      My Review:I am in awe of the amount of research these authors had to do for this book. Each author took a different female character and wrote a chapter that centered on that character. However, the characters also had interactions with each other so the authors had to interweave those encounters. Also, keep in mind that each of these characters was a real person. That makes the book even more remarkable.The book is extremely well written – but, it just did not grab me. With each chapter changing to a different character I could not find that connection with any one of them that I need to really enjoy a book. I am also not overly interested in this period of history. I was hoping the book would generate an interest within me but it did not. As for my rating, I feel I need to rate it primarily on the writing itself and not on my enjoyment. For technique and the writing itself I give it four stars. For my enjoyment it would be three stars. (I did like the character Sophie.)
    • 5/5
      Given the list of authors involved in writing this novel, I was certain I'd enjoy it, but still it surprised me. I hadn't expected that a collaboration among so many different authors could come together as such a perfect, cohesive whole.There are six parts, each focusing on a different woman (though one part centers on two women). The women are from diverse backgrounds, ranging from a poor fruit seller to a princess. Each character tells her story in first person, and with a different author at the helm of each of these stories, every character has a her own distinct voice. Every one of these six stories feels as if it could stand on its own, but combined, they tell one complete, unforgettable story. The parts are arranged in chronological order with the first set before the Revolution and the last set during the Terror. Though each part centers on one main character, each part has appearances by most of the other women too. That way, once a characters section has wrapped up, her story may continue. And if the character hasn't been featured yet, the reader has already gotten to know her. This criss crossing of characters was perfectly done and made for a solid, unified whole.I definitely found some characters more relatable than others, but there was more to relate to here than the women. There were themes that are very relevant today.I also appreciated the range of emotion in this book. Of course there was horror, but there was also tenderness and love.I learned a lot reading this, and I appreciated the authors' notes at the end.I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys historical fiction or even books about strong women.I was fortunate enough to have an ARC to base this review on, but I was so impressed by this novel that I ordered a finished copy.
    • 4/5
      This new historical fiction novel is an interconnected group of short stories by six of the top historical fiction writers today. It's about six different women and their part in the French Revolution. I think that this is the first book that I've read about this time period and it was very informative. Each author wrote about a woman who had a part in the revolution and they were all from different levels of society but they all had one thing in common - their goal to give women more freedom and a stronger part of the governing of France.This was an excellent book about a time period in history that isn't talked about or even written about much. The authors presented a compelling story of six women who even though they were on different sides of the conflict were interconnected by their goals to give more freedom to women - a fight that continues to the present day.Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.