NYBackus

Tom Reiss writes extremely well and picks fascinating topics. This story of the son of a French marquis and a San Domaine (now Haiti) slave woman who rises to become a celebrated general in the French revolution during a brief era when all men (and women) were, in fact, considered equal. Because of highest ideals of the revolution, being half black was no longer an obstacle to accomplishing great things. Alas, the revolution was betrayed and the period was brief; racism quickly returned. It's a fascinating story of the man who would father the novelist Alexandre Dumas but who was clearly a remarkable man, a celebrity in his own right and a fascinating figure in French history.

By far the most compelling thing about this audiobook are the performances which are absolutely first-rate.

The fact that it is told in the first-person by a number of the characters, both male and female, was quite interesting. The mystery of the woman in white does carry you along for quite a while and then the mystery of how Hartright will set things right takes over. Unfortunately, the ending is somewhat fortuitous and contrived.

The section which Frederick Fairlie narrates is hilarious.