Mademoiselle Revolution

By: Zoe Sivak

Narrated by: Imani Jade Powers

Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

A powerful, engrossing story of a biracial heiress who escapes to Paris when the Haitian Revolution burns across her island home. But as she works her way into the inner circle of Robespierre and his mistress, she learns that not even oceans can stop the flames of revolution.

Sylvie de Rosiers, as the daughter of a rich planter and an enslaved woman, enjoys the comforts of a lady in 1791 Saint-Domingue society. But while she was born to privilege, she was never fully accepted by island elites. After a violent rebellion begins the Haitian Revolution, Sylvie and her brother leave their family and old lives behind to flee unwittingly into another uprising—in austere and radical Paris. Sylvie quickly becomes enamored with the aims of the Revolution, as well as with the revolutionaries themselves—most notably Maximilien Robespierre and his mistress, Cornélie Duplay.

As a rising leader and abolitionist, Robespierre sees an opportunity to exploit Sylvie’s race and abandonment of her aristocratic roots as an example of his ideals, while the strong-willed Cornélie offers Sylvie safe harbor and guidance in free thought. Sylvie battles with her past complicity in a slave society and her future within this new world order as she finds herself increasingly torn between Robespierre's ideology and Cornélie's love.

When the Reign of Terror descends, Sylvie must decide whether to become an accomplice while a new empire rises on the bones of innocents…or risk losing her head.

©2022 Zoe Sivak (P)2022 Penguin Audio

A new author in historical fiction to follow!

This is a story rich in historical detail with poignant, although not tightly veiled, connection to 2020's politics. I would suggest it for those who liked Michelle Moran's, "Madame Tussaud" (although this novel is significantly better), The Outlander series, or fans of Sara Donati. I eagerly and hopefully await the author's next book.

A New View

Mademoiselle Revolution, in one sense, is easy to read, easy to see the Revolutions through new eyes, though—true to the pov of the main character, Sylvia—the Haitian Revolution is still much more murky. I’ve read A Place of Greater Safety twice and taken a course on it, as well as reading Ribbons of Scarlet, so it was very interesting to see a number of characters through a different viewpoint. But on top of that, this novel wraps one up in the intimate details of a life, a family, an idealistic group. Excellent and here’s to more from the author!