Paris in 1789 is a city of food queues and riots. This book looks at the French Revolution through the experiences of George-Jacques Danton, a lawyer determined to make a name for himself and Maximilien Robespierre, a lawyer terrified of violence. Winner of the 1992 "Sunday Express" Award.
A Place of Greater Safety
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‘Superbly readable…an assured and strange masterpiece.’ Sunday Telegraph
'One of the best English novels of the 20th century.' Diana Athill, The Oldie
‘Hilary Mantel has soaked herself in the history of the period…and a striking picture emerges of the exhilaration, dynamic energy and stark horror of those fearful days.’ Daily Telegraph
‘I cannot think of a historical novel as good as this until one goes back to Marguerite Yourcenar’s “Memoirs of Hadrian”, published forty years ago.’ Evening Standard
‘Marvellous…It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. Hilary Mantel captures it all.’ Time Out
‘Intriguing…She has grasped what made these young revolutionaries – and with them the French Revolution – tick.’ Independent
‘Crafty tensions, twists and high drama…a bravura display of her endlessly inventive, eerily observant style.’ Times Literary Supplement
‘An extraordinary and overwhelming novel…immensely detailed and yet fast-moving…she has set herself to capture the excitement and intellectual fervour of the period. She does it admirably…a tour de force.’ Scotsman
'Riveting…the book overflows with a natural storyteller's energy.' New Yorker
‘Much, much more than a historical novel, this is an addictive study of power, and the price that must be paid for it…a triumph.’ Cosmopolitan
'This is a high-class historical blockbuster.' Red Magazine
‘Hilary Mantel has pulled off the apparently impossible…an ambitious, gripping epic.’ Vogue
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.About the Author
Hilary Mantel is the author of thirteen books , including A PLACE OF GREATER SAFETY, BEYOND BLACK, and the memoir GIVING UP THE GHOST. Her two most recent novels, WOLF HALL and its sequel BRING UP THE BODIES, have both been awarded The Man Booker Prize – an unprecedented achievement.
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
185 of 190 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This is a huge and dynamic novel about three makers of the French Revolution. The two more famous men, Danton and Robespierre, are linked by their mutual friend Camille Desmoulins, whose role in history was to make the speech that inflamed the mob to storm the Bastille. The novel shows us a very complex and chaotic revolution, accelerated by many types of people and careering out of anyone's control. It is far from a simple case of the peasants rising up to guillotine the aristocrats.
The three main characters are diverse: Danton the bluff orator, the patriot who expects to make a good living out of the revolution; Robespierre the incorruptible, ruled by logic, who believes that the revolution is an essential reform more important than mere individuals, and the magnetic hell-raiser Camille - brilliant, immature, seductive, amoral, driven. Their wives, lovers, friends and enemies swarm through the book creating a riot of events and ideas.
This is wonderful writing with sparkles of genius: Camille's wife imagines the 'semi-demi-half life' of existence without him; a major character dies leaving a book marked with her place, 'And this is it' - it is twinned with her place as a character in this book, the place she got up to.
Hilary Mantel teases fiction out of history, leaving the imaginary indistinguishable from the facts. Both are compelling and thrilling, from the young Camille's subtle humiliation of his host at a dinner party, as a means of seducing his hostess, to Danton's theft of the French crown jewels for diamonds to bribe the enemy to lose a battle.
The story, written in short fragments from various personal points of view, has a form similar to another great historical novel, 'The Man on a Donkey', but this is faster and races through events with a comprehensively modern air. The complexity of the historical events make it an involved narrative with a great many characters, but for the reader who is willing to be swept along, this is a lasting experience. Have two copies - one to dip into again and again, and one to lend to lucky friends.
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
By onetrack
Format:Paperback
It took me a while to get into this book. I was desperate to get to the revolution and the first couple of hundred pages, although beautifully written concentrated on the main characters early lives. The "Revolution" crept up very subtley until you found yourself suddenly engulfed in the tumult and paranoia of the historical process. It is a truly compelling read, the characters are so well drawn you even manage to feel sympathy for Robespierre, whilst for Danton and Camille nothing less than hopeless dread. A host of other characters add to the marvellous complexity but never clutter the story's path. I studied the French Revolution at A Level and found it difficult to pin down or understand, but this book opened my eyes and made it feel contemporary and real. Fabulous.
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a huge book, both in the number of pages (nearly 900) and its subject matter (The French Revolution). Mantel shows us history through the eyes of three individuals, Danton, Robespierre and the journalist Camilles Desmoulins. Their lives intertwine as the revolution gathers apace and we are privileged to hear from their wives, lovers, co-conspirators and families along the way. All of which gives a great depth and breadth to the story.
Mantel's research must have been immense and her eye for detail and character mean that what might be seen as dry history never suffers that fate. It leaps off the page in a kind of glorious technicolour. The characters, bloodthirsty and morally ambivalent though they are, are also portrayed as fascinatingly human and at times sympathetic.
Despite the length, the complexity of the story and the huge cast of characters Mantel achieves the nigh on impossible task of making this book as easy to read as a holiday blockbuster and just as compelling. A tour de force
Mantel's research must have been immense and her eye for detail and character mean that what might be seen as dry history never suffers that fate. It leaps off the page in a kind of glorious technicolour. The characters, bloodthirsty and morally ambivalent though they are, are also portrayed as fascinatingly human and at times sympathetic.
Despite the length, the complexity of the story and the huge cast of characters Mantel achieves the nigh on impossible task of making this book as easy to read as a holiday blockbuster and just as compelling. A tour de force
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Marvellous
Take no notice of people who tell you it's too long. it is a rare and remarkable re-creation of the French Revolution, with nary a spare word.
Published 8 days ago by Mrs. Gillian Reynolds
4.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant, brilliant writing but a slightly dull disappointing story
Hilary Mantel can sure write. Her narrative style is as recognisable as a finger-print and makes reading a real pleasure. Read more
Published 10 days ago by Drew
4.0 out of 5 stars
History at its best
Mantel again has done her homework and is descriptive and informative she brings the characters alive and adheres to the truth
Published 10 days ago by Wendy Robins
4.0 out of 5 stars
My third Mantel
A hefty tome but gripping. The story has such fine detail that I have become part of their world. Brilliant
Published 19 days ago by J.P. Mansfield
5.0 out of 5 stars
So evocative
Mantel has an extraordinary ability to make the reader empathise with her characters. A great insight into the French Revolution.
Published 22 days ago by P. J. Shaw
5.0 out of 5 stars
very good
at first i found the jumping around style abit confusing. but once I got used to it I couldnt put it down, and now months after reading it I still find myself thinking about the... Read more
Published 23 days ago by kindleaddict
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Read
I loved this book. I bought it after reading Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies and wasn't disappointed. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Lara
4.0 out of 5 stars
Absorbing look into the personalities of the French Revolution
Mantel's books about Cromwell are winning awards left and right, she's done the impossible by making him an approachable character. Read more
Published 1 month ago by M Poole
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb read but not an easy one
A 'proper read', I would consider a classic, it's awesome. Like eating a big healthy dinner that isn't all easy going but you know you benefitted from it. Read more
Published 1 month ago by KT
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant reconstruction
Hilary Mantel is one of the greatest writers in the English language and we are fortunate indeed to have her with us. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Alison M. G. Finch
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