Blog Tour & Review: Ribbons of Scarlet by Kate Quinn

Title: Ribbons of Scarlet

Author: Kate Quinn, Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie, Sophie Perinot, Heather Webb & E. Knight

Published: October 2019, William Morrow Paperbacks

Format: Paperback, 560 pages

Source: Publisher via TLC Booktours

Summary: 

Six bestselling and
award-winning authors bring to life a breathtaking epic

novel
illuminating the hopes, desires, and destinies of princesses and
peasants, harlots and wives, fanatics and philosophers—six 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.

My thoughts: I love a good  historical novel and I love when I find something that’s a little bit out of the norm…something that touches on a topic that I don’t know much about and that is exactly what we have here with this novel. I was excited about this book because it is written by a few of my favorite authors and some new-to-me authors – and to me, that’s a win-win. 

This book was fascinating. It gives us the perspective of the French Revolution from the female’s point of view at a time when females had no rights. And each of the women we hear from all are unique, distinct voices –  but they were all united in a common goal. They were all part of a sisterhood of women, sharing the same voice, standing up for equality.

Each one of these stories is captivating and it was so clever how they all weave together. The women all show strength of character, perseverance and courage and it is quite evident just how far they were willing to go for their goal. What is even more interesting to note is that these women are all real. This book is based on real-life women and now I want to read more about them. This is why I love reading historical fiction – it always leaves me wanting to learn more.   

This book is the type of book that stays with you long after you finish it because of the power of what these women have done. No, it’s necessarily a happy book, but it’s the struggle and the inspiration that these women have taken on that stays with you and resonates on a deeper level. 

I applaud the writers of this book – it was well-researched and well-written. I found myself completely lost in each one of the stories and know that I will be thinking of these women for some time to come. If you haven’t added this book to you reading list yet, you definitely should…it’s definitely worth a read!

Purchase Links:   HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Be sure to check out all the other stops on the blog tour and follow the tour on Twitter (hashtags:  #TLCBookTours & #ribbonsofscarlet).