- Paperback: 479 pages
- Publisher: Fawcett (31 Dec 1996)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 044991268X
- ISBN-13: 978-0449912683
- Product Dimensions: 24.6 x 16.3 x 4.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,215,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
Robespierre and Danton. These are the names that have come down to us as the architects of the French Revolution. Yet there is another story of that glorious, bloody movement that still lies buried: the courageous women who sparked the revolution by taking to the streets. Now, in her most splendid, thought-provoking novel yet, Marge Piercy brings to vibrant life three of the women who played prominent roles in the most tumultuous turning point in European history, and tells the intimate stories of the men whose names we know so well.
Claire Lacombe escapes the grinding poverty of Pamiers by joining a traveling theatrical troupe as an actress. Defiantly independent, strikingly beautiful, she will become a symbol to many as she tests her theory: if men can make things happen, perhaps women can too. . . . Manon Philipon, a jeweler's daughter, worships Rousseau and the life of the mind. When she marries Jean Roland, a minor provincial bureaucrat, she finds she has a talent for politics--albeit as the ghostwriter of her husband's speeches, and the hostess of his salon. . . . Pauline Léon, owner of a chocolate shop in Paris, witnesses the torture and executions of common people who riot for bread. As the revolution gathers momentum, Pauline is certain of one thing: the women must apply the pressure, or their male colleagues will let them starve. And so the Revolutionary Republican Women are
born. . . .
And while the women make their voices heard in every district, the men sit in makeshift assemblies, willing the revolution into being through infighting and intrigue. The incorruptible Maximilien Robespierre, the earthy and opportunistic Georges Danton, and the intellectual Nicholas Condorcet all vie for power as Paris whips itself into a frenzy. History has recorded their political legacies, but in City of Darkness, City of Light Marge Piercy reveals the innermost thoughts and feelings of these three men, their insecurities and vulnerabilities, the way they loved and sometimes lost what was most precious to them.
The women's march on Versailles. The haggling of the Committee for Public Safety. The overarching reach of the Terror. All the events of the revolution explode with the urgency of today's headlines, as Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, Marat, Tom Paine, Camille Desmoulins, Olympe de Gouges, and many other legendary figures play their parts on the great stage of history. Marge Piercy has done nothing less than capture the entire sweep of the French Revolution, while opening to us the minds and hearts of six people who changed the world, lived their ideals--and were prepared to die for them. Filled with the philosophy, politics, and dreams of these extraordinary women and men, City of Darkenss, City of Light is Marge Piercy's masterpiece.
Claire Lacombe escapes the grinding poverty of Pamiers by joining a traveling theatrical troupe as an actress. Defiantly independent, strikingly beautiful, she will become a symbol to many as she tests her theory: if men can make things happen, perhaps women can too. . . . Manon Philipon, a jeweler's daughter, worships Rousseau and the life of the mind. When she marries Jean Roland, a minor provincial bureaucrat, she finds she has a talent for politics--albeit as the ghostwriter of her husband's speeches, and the hostess of his salon. . . . Pauline Léon, owner of a chocolate shop in Paris, witnesses the torture and executions of common people who riot for bread. As the revolution gathers momentum, Pauline is certain of one thing: the women must apply the pressure, or their male colleagues will let them starve. And so the Revolutionary Republican Women are
born. . . .
And while the women make their voices heard in every district, the men sit in makeshift assemblies, willing the revolution into being through infighting and intrigue. The incorruptible Maximilien Robespierre, the earthy and opportunistic Georges Danton, and the intellectual Nicholas Condorcet all vie for power as Paris whips itself into a frenzy. History has recorded their political legacies, but in City of Darkness, City of Light Marge Piercy reveals the innermost thoughts and feelings of these three men, their insecurities and vulnerabilities, the way they loved and sometimes lost what was most precious to them.
The women's march on Versailles. The haggling of the Committee for Public Safety. The overarching reach of the Terror. All the events of the revolution explode with the urgency of today's headlines, as Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, Marat, Tom Paine, Camille Desmoulins, Olympe de Gouges, and many other legendary figures play their parts on the great stage of history. Marge Piercy has done nothing less than capture the entire sweep of the French Revolution, while opening to us the minds and hearts of six people who changed the world, lived their ideals--and were prepared to die for them. Filled with the philosophy, politics, and dreams of these extraordinary women and men, City of Darkenss, City of Light is Marge Piercy's masterpiece.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
i've read all Marge piercy's books and while this is not quite the best it's still a real page turner. She knows how to be radical in her treatment of women for instance without being treacly or false good at narrative and really getting inside the heads of her characters, with some lovely poetic turns of phrase. It tells the average reader like me an awful lot about the french revolution as it actually happened that I didn't know in a really quite gripping way.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Being a fan of Marge Piercy I was delighted to find a book of hers I hadn't read. It depicts the events of the French Revolution through the lives of key characters. I didn't enjoy it as much as eg Summer People or Small Changes - I think because her narrative drive and skill at depicting shifts in relationships gets a bit lost in the wide historical sweep across characters who don't know each other. However the role of women in the Revolution in particular is one that was unknown to me and I found that fascinating.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A couple years ago I read some academic histories of the revolution, and as I made my way through this novel, I was glad I had done so. It was hard work getting into it, as each short chapter began a separate story told by a different character. Just as you're getting into it, it all changes. If I hadn't been vitally interested in the period I wouldn't have bothered. Also Piercy's prose style is not very elegant. The great strength of this book however is her passionate interest in each of the characters and the events they lived through.
Compared to the academic books, good as they were, in this book it is much easier to understand the importance of the respective roles played by Danton, Robespierre, Desmoulins and others, and why it was that at times they were allies and at others enemies. I can think of no political story - except perhaps the time of the Roman Republic - when the main players shifted alliances so rapidly. By writing each chapter from the viewpoint of each character in turn Pierce attempts to enter the world as it looked to each player, and this is a highly effective strategy for attempting to explain how things unfolded the way they did.
This is a novel but clearly Piercy has done her homework. If you want to understand how the French Revolution unfolded I would recommend this book very highly.
Compared to the academic books, good as they were, in this book it is much easier to understand the importance of the respective roles played by Danton, Robespierre, Desmoulins and others, and why it was that at times they were allies and at others enemies. I can think of no political story - except perhaps the time of the Roman Republic - when the main players shifted alliances so rapidly. By writing each chapter from the viewpoint of each character in turn Pierce attempts to enter the world as it looked to each player, and this is a highly effective strategy for attempting to explain how things unfolded the way they did.
This is a novel but clearly Piercy has done her homework. If you want to understand how the French Revolution unfolded I would recommend this book very highly.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
humanstory
marge piercy's writing is wonderful, at its best, deeply political and thought provoking. for the first time i actually understand the separate waves of the french revolution, and... Read more
Published 7 months ago by processqueen
The French Revolution in an exciting way
I was looking for a novel on the French Revolution for a school project when I found "City of Light, City of Darkness" and when I started reading, I simply couldn't put it down. Read more
Published on 19 Oct 2009 by Simone Lindquist Hansen
Robespierre
Marge Piercy has written an entertaining work, but seems to have trouble with accepting the fact that Robespierre (that ANY man) was a lifelong virgin: the clue to much in his... Read more
Published on 26 Mar 2009 by Mr. A. K. Walker
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