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Mademoiselle Revolution
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.
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.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published August 2, 2022
About the author
Zoe Sivak
1 book106 followersZOE SIVAK is currently pursuing both her Juris Doctorate and Master of Public Health in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with a focus on women's health. She continues to advocate for diverse women in her writing, focusing on BIPOC and LGTBQA narratives in historical fiction. MADEMOISELLE REVOLUTION, her debut novel, follows a biracial woman's tumultuous journey through the Haitian and French Revolutions. It arrives in 8/2/2022.
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September 2, 2022
About the book: “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.”
What an epic story! Sylvie is the daughter of an enslaver, a wealthy planter, and an enslaved woman. She lives a life of privilege in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti). While she has privilege, there are still social hierarchies due to skin color. When the Haitian Revolution begins, Sylvie and her brother flee for safety. They eventually land in Paris, as the Revolution is heating up there.
Sylvie forms relationships with Maximilien Robespierre and his mistress, Cornelie Duplay. Robespierre uses her to further his stance, while she falls deeper in love with Cornelie. Then, the Reign of Terror is imminent.
The author says in the opening that she minces no words about the horrors of the time and place, there are scenes of violence and torture that were common during the time. What a horrifying time in many ways, but what led up to the Revolution, and what enslaved people were subjected to was equally horrifying.
There’s so much goodness I could focus on here. Mademoiselle Revolution is timely and smart, well-written and all-consuming. It’s powerful, emotional, full of intrigue, raw, and inspiring. I hope you’ll read it. It’s inspired me to read more about the Haitian Revolution.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
What an epic story! Sylvie is the daughter of an enslaver, a wealthy planter, and an enslaved woman. She lives a life of privilege in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti). While she has privilege, there are still social hierarchies due to skin color. When the Haitian Revolution begins, Sylvie and her brother flee for safety. They eventually land in Paris, as the Revolution is heating up there.
Sylvie forms relationships with Maximilien Robespierre and his mistress, Cornelie Duplay. Robespierre uses her to further his stance, while she falls deeper in love with Cornelie. Then, the Reign of Terror is imminent.
The author says in the opening that she minces no words about the horrors of the time and place, there are scenes of violence and torture that were common during the time. What a horrifying time in many ways, but what led up to the Revolution, and what enslaved people were subjected to was equally horrifying.
There’s so much goodness I could focus on here. Mademoiselle Revolution is timely and smart, well-written and all-consuming. It’s powerful, emotional, full of intrigue, raw, and inspiring. I hope you’ll read it. It’s inspired me to read more about the Haitian Revolution.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
August 2, 2022
Had an advance peek at this one for a cover quote and loved it! A moving retelling of the true events of the Haitian and French revolutions, wound together with an imaginative fictional heroine. Biracial heiress Sylvie, daughter of a white planter and an enslaved woman, abandons a legacy of privilege built upon slavery as she flees her island home of Saint-Domingue for the boulevards of Paris--only to realize she has traded one bloody revolution for another. Zoe Sivak pens a timely and essential tale that will linger long in the memory.
October 5, 2020
The CHAOTIC BISEXUAL ENERGY in this book! A love triangle with Robespierre and his mistress! Centering a biracial Black woman!
This book is both an exciting and bloody tale about the collision of two revolutions, and a stark look into the nuance of racism in a way that will shape both your perception of history AND your understanding of the world today.
On top of this, the RESEARCH put into this story. No detail is overlooked or spared.
If you loved Evelyn from THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO, then prepare to meet Sylvie.
This book is both an exciting and bloody tale about the collision of two revolutions, and a stark look into the nuance of racism in a way that will shape both your perception of history AND your understanding of the world today.
On top of this, the RESEARCH put into this story. No detail is overlooked or spared.
If you loved Evelyn from THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO, then prepare to meet Sylvie.
January 16, 2022
Fair warning: I already know I'm going to come back and edit this review at some point, because my head is just SWIMMING after reading Zoe Sivak's Mademoiselle Revolution. How she created such a rich and exacting fictional world within a larger (and very real) historical framework is truly mind-boggling to me.
Sivak's delicate unpacking of racism, and particularly anti-Blackness, at the end of the 1700s within several different communities and cultures was superb, and her ability to make so many real-life figures seamlessly blend into this story as fictionalized characters was unmatched. I feel like so many narratives nowadays are rewriting how we frame women's actions throughout history, and Sivak's insights on how survival and self-preservation were top-of-mind are astute.
I'm not sure how long it's gonna be until Zoe Sivak's next book (this is the problem with reading ARCs so early!!!!), but I already can't wait.
Content warning: Graphic violence and torture, racism (specifically anti-Blackness and misogynoir), slavery, classism, murder, suicide, defilement, mentions of rape
Sivak's delicate unpacking of racism, and particularly anti-Blackness, at the end of the 1700s within several different communities and cultures was superb, and her ability to make so many real-life figures seamlessly blend into this story as fictionalized characters was unmatched. I feel like so many narratives nowadays are rewriting how we frame women's actions throughout history, and Sivak's insights on how survival and self-preservation were top-of-mind are astute.
I'm not sure how long it's gonna be until Zoe Sivak's next book (this is the problem with reading ARCs so early!!!!), but I already can't wait.
Content warning: Graphic violence and torture, racism (specifically anti-Blackness and misogynoir), slavery, classism, murder, suicide, defilement, mentions of rape
September 25, 2022
The premise of this book and its descriptions of historical events were really fascinating. I appreciated the grim level of detail given to the Reign of Terror, and the trauma endured by the characters who survived it. And on paper, the basic pitch of "biracial bisexual heiress tries to reckon with/participate in/survive two successive revolutions" is pretty awesome.
Unfortunately the writing leaves a lot to be desired. The parts set in Haiti are the strongest in my opinion, but Mademoiselle Revolution speeds through that section in order to get to France. One consequence of this is that Sylvie and Gaspard go from complacent enslavers to fierce abolitionists Extremely Quickly - like, unrealistically quickly - and that early character whiplash made it hard to connect with either of them. It set up a pattern that persisted for the rest of the book: people made decisions based on whatever the author needed to happen, regardless of whether it made any sense for established characterizations.
And on the note of character: Sylvie is an incredibly irritating protagonist and I almost DNF'd even after 300 freaking pages when I realized she wasn't going to improve. She starts off content with the system of enslavement (and particularly unsympathetic to the women victimized by it) until the aforementioned enlightenment-at-warp-speed. When they arrive in France she immediately imprints on Robespierre, an obsession with little explanation beyond "he's charismatic I guess" that nonetheless persists for almost the entire novel. Her main way of coping with this is to seduce his lover Cornelie, which she admits is only for the sake of getting closer to Robespierre - except then she's in love with Cornelie - nope, she's decided she's just using her again - oh wait they're really together - oh, now Sylvie's decided to marry Robespierre and fuck over Cornelie yet again - whoops, Robespierre's losing his shit now, better break up with him at his most unstable and run back to Cornelie again! This soap opera takes up an absurdly large chunk of the book, and all the while the narrative can't decide whether the two women are "in love" or whether Sylvie has no feelings for Cornelie at all beyond convenience and her slavish loyalty to Robespierre. The romance doesn't even manage to be tragic because it feels so stilted and one-sided; almost all of their scenes together make Sylvie look awful and Cornelie look like an idiot, and the larger plot hinges uncomfortably often on Sylvie remaining obsessed with a man.
This shitshow actually makes sense in context because aside from being incredibly selfish, Sylvie's character is just that inconsistent. She uses the defense of "I'm trying to survive!!" whenever someone calls her out for being an ass, yet she chooses the most unsafe option in every situation. She accomplishes not a damn thing in the entire novel, except for one scene where she becomes an expert assassin with no buildup. Everyone around her makes heart eyes because she's just so gosh darn gorgeous and charming; Cornelie repeatedly professes her love when Sylvie treats her like garbage, Robespierre declares very early on that he will make her the Mother of the Revolution when she's done nothing useful to support it, Marat is supposedly a genius but becomes an imbecile when faced with the power of her charm...the list goes on. Yet for all this - and despite the book's intense level of detail wrt the political events of the time, something that was actually interesting - she seems to have vanishingly little impact on anything that's going on.
So our protagonist is obnoxious, and not in a way that can just fade into the background of an otherwise interesting plot. The author also has this very frustrating habit of backing out of Sylvie's POV to give us a narrative CliffsNotes version of what was literally just said, like the reader can't be trusted to understand...dialogue? I guess?? We also get one of my literary pet peeves, which is: characters in a repressive culture magically not internalizing any of the Problematic aspects of that culture! We see it with Sylvie and Gaspard doing the slavery good->slavery evil speed run, and we see it even more with Sylvie and Cornelie's relationship. I'm a big fan of LGBTQ inclusion in historical fiction, because there isn't nearly enough of it, but if you're going to have a same-sex romance in the 1700s, in a country that was very Catholic up until about five minutes ago, it feels jarring that neither character comments on it at all. Not even a single thought of "wow, sure feels great to go against the expected norms of our culture and society (during a period of time where not being in lockstep with the majority could mean a ticket to the guillotine)!"
I could go into more detail about the things that annoyed me (e.g., gotta love that the execution of an anointed monarch wasn't worth spending page space on), but I already spent the last 150 pages of Mademoiselle Revolution in a state of constant vexation because I'd accepted that none of these characters were going to grow or change in any meaningful way, so that's enough negativity for one day. There were aspects that were really impressive for a debut novel, and parts I personally enjoyed, but even the well-drawn historical settings couldn't distract from weak writing and baffling character choices. Not my favorite.
Unfortunately the writing leaves a lot to be desired. The parts set in Haiti are the strongest in my opinion, but Mademoiselle Revolution speeds through that section in order to get to France. One consequence of this is that Sylvie and Gaspard go from complacent enslavers to fierce abolitionists Extremely Quickly - like, unrealistically quickly - and that early character whiplash made it hard to connect with either of them. It set up a pattern that persisted for the rest of the book: people made decisions based on whatever the author needed to happen, regardless of whether it made any sense for established characterizations.
And on the note of character: Sylvie is an incredibly irritating protagonist and I almost DNF'd even after 300 freaking pages when I realized she wasn't going to improve. She starts off content with the system of enslavement (and particularly unsympathetic to the women victimized by it) until the aforementioned enlightenment-at-warp-speed. When they arrive in France she immediately imprints on Robespierre, an obsession with little explanation beyond "he's charismatic I guess" that nonetheless persists for almost the entire novel. Her main way of coping with this is to seduce his lover Cornelie, which she admits is only for the sake of getting closer to Robespierre - except then she's in love with Cornelie - nope, she's decided she's just using her again - oh wait they're really together - oh, now Sylvie's decided to marry Robespierre and fuck over Cornelie yet again - whoops, Robespierre's losing his shit now, better break up with him at his most unstable and run back to Cornelie again! This soap opera takes up an absurdly large chunk of the book, and all the while the narrative can't decide whether the two women are "in love" or whether Sylvie has no feelings for Cornelie at all beyond convenience and her slavish loyalty to Robespierre. The romance doesn't even manage to be tragic because it feels so stilted and one-sided; almost all of their scenes together make Sylvie look awful and Cornelie look like an idiot, and the larger plot hinges uncomfortably often on Sylvie remaining obsessed with a man.
This shitshow actually makes sense in context because aside from being incredibly selfish, Sylvie's character is just that inconsistent. She uses the defense of "I'm trying to survive!!" whenever someone calls her out for being an ass, yet she chooses the most unsafe option in every situation. She accomplishes not a damn thing in the entire novel, except for one scene where she becomes an expert assassin with no buildup. Everyone around her makes heart eyes because she's just so gosh darn gorgeous and charming; Cornelie repeatedly professes her love when Sylvie treats her like garbage, Robespierre declares very early on that he will make her the Mother of the Revolution when she's done nothing useful to support it, Marat is supposedly a genius but becomes an imbecile when faced with the power of her charm...the list goes on. Yet for all this - and despite the book's intense level of detail wrt the political events of the time, something that was actually interesting - she seems to have vanishingly little impact on anything that's going on.
So our protagonist is obnoxious, and not in a way that can just fade into the background of an otherwise interesting plot. The author also has this very frustrating habit of backing out of Sylvie's POV to give us a narrative CliffsNotes version of what was literally just said, like the reader can't be trusted to understand...dialogue? I guess?? We also get one of my literary pet peeves, which is: characters in a repressive culture magically not internalizing any of the Problematic aspects of that culture! We see it with Sylvie and Gaspard doing the slavery good->slavery evil speed run, and we see it even more with Sylvie and Cornelie's relationship. I'm a big fan of LGBTQ inclusion in historical fiction, because there isn't nearly enough of it, but if you're going to have a same-sex romance in the 1700s, in a country that was very Catholic up until about five minutes ago, it feels jarring that neither character comments on it at all. Not even a single thought of "wow, sure feels great to go against the expected norms of our culture and society (during a period of time where not being in lockstep with the majority could mean a ticket to the guillotine)!"
I could go into more detail about the things that annoyed me (e.g., gotta love that the execution of an anointed monarch wasn't worth spending page space on), but I already spent the last 150 pages of Mademoiselle Revolution in a state of constant vexation because I'd accepted that none of these characters were going to grow or change in any meaningful way, so that's enough negativity for one day. There were aspects that were really impressive for a debut novel, and parts I personally enjoyed, but even the well-drawn historical settings couldn't distract from weak writing and baffling character choices. Not my favorite.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2022
Our heroine Sylvie de Rosiers is the daughter of a wealthy planter and a slave woman in 1791
Saint Domingue (now Haiti). Sylvie is what is known as a mulatto but her father has embraced her as his rightful daughter and Sylvie is living a charmed life in her father’s home with two half-brothers…one (Gaspard) who loves her and one (Edmond) who does not.
1791 is not a good year for the family as the Haitian revolution is upon them causing them to flee for their lives, all except Edmond who is killed in his foolish attempt to fight back. The author has depicted the revolution in graphic detail which is as it should be.
Sylvie and Gaspard depart for France to live with an aunt and find themselves neighbours to the Duplay family where Robespierre resides. Both Sylvie and Gaspard are enamored by Robespierre and his politics.
Sylvie becomes close to the elder Duplay sister who is also Robespierre’s lover and Sylvie enters into a sexual relationship with her (what is her motive? Is she trying to make Robespierre jealous or what?)
Since France appears on the brink of a revolution it is clear that Sylvie has simply fled one revolution to another.
The first part of the book is good reading but further chapters dealing with the French Revolution and Robespierre became heavy and, for me, not anymore so much about Sylvie and I lost interest. I was already more than half-way through the book but wasn’t interested enough to finish it.
Saint Domingue (now Haiti). Sylvie is what is known as a mulatto but her father has embraced her as his rightful daughter and Sylvie is living a charmed life in her father’s home with two half-brothers…one (Gaspard) who loves her and one (Edmond) who does not.
1791 is not a good year for the family as the Haitian revolution is upon them causing them to flee for their lives, all except Edmond who is killed in his foolish attempt to fight back. The author has depicted the revolution in graphic detail which is as it should be.
Sylvie and Gaspard depart for France to live with an aunt and find themselves neighbours to the Duplay family where Robespierre resides. Both Sylvie and Gaspard are enamored by Robespierre and his politics.
Sylvie becomes close to the elder Duplay sister who is also Robespierre’s lover and Sylvie enters into a sexual relationship with her (what is her motive? Is she trying to make Robespierre jealous or what?)
Since France appears on the brink of a revolution it is clear that Sylvie has simply fled one revolution to another.
The first part of the book is good reading but further chapters dealing with the French Revolution and Robespierre became heavy and, for me, not anymore so much about Sylvie and I lost interest. I was already more than half-way through the book but wasn’t interested enough to finish it.
September 5, 2022
Find this review, my favorite quote, and companion read recommendations at: https://historicalfictionreader.blogs...
I've mixed feelings about Zoe Sivak's MADEMOISELLE REVOLUTION. I loved the thematic complexity of this piece, but I struggled with the immense historical scope of the novel and the creative license employed in the later chapters.
Sivak's use of the political turmoil in Haiti and France to develop Sylvie's character is creative, but I feel two revolutions are a lot for one novel. This piece expects its readers to absorb a great deal of historical material, and to be perfectly honest, I think it would have presented more effectively in a duology that covered the Haitian and French Revolutions in equal measure. As is, the novel felt so historically unbalanced that I'd have difficulty offering it to those looking for Haitian fiction.
I enjoy creative twists, but my hackles rise when creative license alters the historical context of an event or minimizes the legacy of a noted figure. There is some ambiguity in the relationship between Éléonore Duplay and Robespierre, and I loved how Sivak chose to use that fact, but I was frustrated at the author's treatment of Charlotte Corday and was displeased with how the fictional drama she created altered Charlotte's historical reputation.
That said, Sivak's debut earned her a place on my watchlist. I think the love triangle she created is beautifully rendered, and I admire how she used Sylvie's mixed heritage and bisexuality to explore her heroine's identity. I also appreciated the thematic relevance of the social issues Sivak addresses in MADEMOISELLE REVOLUTION and have no trouble recommending it to those interested in thought-provoking lit.
I've mixed feelings about Zoe Sivak's MADEMOISELLE REVOLUTION. I loved the thematic complexity of this piece, but I struggled with the immense historical scope of the novel and the creative license employed in the later chapters.
Sivak's use of the political turmoil in Haiti and France to develop Sylvie's character is creative, but I feel two revolutions are a lot for one novel. This piece expects its readers to absorb a great deal of historical material, and to be perfectly honest, I think it would have presented more effectively in a duology that covered the Haitian and French Revolutions in equal measure. As is, the novel felt so historically unbalanced that I'd have difficulty offering it to those looking for Haitian fiction.
I enjoy creative twists, but my hackles rise when creative license alters the historical context of an event or minimizes the legacy of a noted figure. There is some ambiguity in the relationship between Éléonore Duplay and Robespierre, and I loved how Sivak chose to use that fact, but I was frustrated at the author's treatment of Charlotte Corday and was displeased with how the fictional drama she created altered Charlotte's historical reputation.
That said, Sivak's debut earned her a place on my watchlist. I think the love triangle she created is beautifully rendered, and I admire how she used Sylvie's mixed heritage and bisexuality to explore her heroine's identity. I also appreciated the thematic relevance of the social issues Sivak addresses in MADEMOISELLE REVOLUTION and have no trouble recommending it to those interested in thought-provoking lit.
August 12, 2023
2023 reads: 254/350
2023 tbr: 52/100
biracial heiress sylvie de rosiers escapes to paris when the haitian revolution burns across her island. she soon realizes that revolutions can cross oceans as she works her way into the inner circle of robespierre and his mistress.
honestly, i don’t know much about the haitian revolution. so, it was interesting to read about it in this book, especially from the perspective of a young woman whose mother was enslaved. sylvie is in kind of an awkward position because, while the slave owners do not fully accept her, neither do the enslaved people. when she escapes to france in self-preservation, she’s not fully expecting another revolution. again, in self-preservation, she gets close to both robespierre and his mistress, cornelie. sylvie sees robespierre as an important figure, but later realizes that he’s not so great, either. i loved how in-depth each character relationship as well as the historical context were. i can’t wait to read whatever zoe sivak releases next!
2023 tbr: 52/100
biracial heiress sylvie de rosiers escapes to paris when the haitian revolution burns across her island. she soon realizes that revolutions can cross oceans as she works her way into the inner circle of robespierre and his mistress.
honestly, i don’t know much about the haitian revolution. so, it was interesting to read about it in this book, especially from the perspective of a young woman whose mother was enslaved. sylvie is in kind of an awkward position because, while the slave owners do not fully accept her, neither do the enslaved people. when she escapes to france in self-preservation, she’s not fully expecting another revolution. again, in self-preservation, she gets close to both robespierre and his mistress, cornelie. sylvie sees robespierre as an important figure, but later realizes that he’s not so great, either. i loved how in-depth each character relationship as well as the historical context were. i can’t wait to read whatever zoe sivak releases next!
August 31, 2022
As soon as I saw the time period for this book, I knew it would be a heavy read that upset me at times. When I saw Robespierre mentioned as a main character in the summary, I almost donated the book without reading.
If you know the Haitian and French Revolutions and the Reign of Terror, you probably don’t imagine choosing a leisure read set during that period. Over 10,000 people died during this period. France did not come through in better shape…just different shape. Haitians fought for over a decade and emerged as a free state, albeit one that still had a French culture for years. (BTW, Haiti paid reparations TO FRANCE until 1947, which obviously had economic repercussions for the country.)
Sylvia and her brother Gaspard are characters you root for, though you know they are on a dark and dangerous path. Sylvie’s transformation from ignorant to enlightened on Saint-Domingue is a little too swift, but the book obviously needs to get us to France. I almost wish more time was spent in Haiti, but the French part is so complicated that it needed the 300+ pages of the book.
I read the French portion of the book with dread. As Robespierre, Danton, and Marat made their appearances, I cringed. Knowing the inevitable conclusion of the events, I was interested in seeing Sylvie’s part (like how the murder of Marat happened and in Robespierre’s jaw injury), but also dreading it. Sylvie went from being a character you rooted for to one you view with astonishment because she avoids the guillotine several times.
The conclusion is just that. It’s not really an ending. It tells us that some characters are safe for now.
I am keenly interested in France and French history and culture, but I did not enjoy this book. It was well written and almost epic in what it covered, but not entertaining or enjoyable.
If you know the Haitian and French Revolutions and the Reign of Terror, you probably don’t imagine choosing a leisure read set during that period. Over 10,000 people died during this period. France did not come through in better shape…just different shape. Haitians fought for over a decade and emerged as a free state, albeit one that still had a French culture for years. (BTW, Haiti paid reparations TO FRANCE until 1947, which obviously had economic repercussions for the country.)
Sylvia and her brother Gaspard are characters you root for, though you know they are on a dark and dangerous path. Sylvie’s transformation from ignorant to enlightened on Saint-Domingue is a little too swift, but the book obviously needs to get us to France. I almost wish more time was spent in Haiti, but the French part is so complicated that it needed the 300+ pages of the book.
I read the French portion of the book with dread. As Robespierre, Danton, and Marat made their appearances, I cringed. Knowing the inevitable conclusion of the events, I was interested in seeing Sylvie’s part (like how the murder of Marat happened and in Robespierre’s jaw injury), but also dreading it. Sylvie went from being a character you rooted for to one you view with astonishment because she avoids the guillotine several times.
The conclusion is just that. It’s not really an ending. It tells us that some characters are safe for now.
I am keenly interested in France and French history and culture, but I did not enjoy this book. It was well written and almost epic in what it covered, but not entertaining or enjoyable.
August 24, 2022
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 in the French Revolution 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.
December 31, 2022
Heiress Sylvie de Rosiers flees one revolution only to find herself in the middle of another. This beautifully written book encompasses so much – family ties, sibling resentment, racism, questions about belonging, and the meaning of love. With her meticulous research and keen insights, Zoe Sivak had me happily diving back into French history and turning the pages into the night.
In history class, we learned the dates of the French Revolution, and in Mademoiselle Revolution, I loved learning more about the people, especially about the real-life character, painter Éléonore Duplay.
The author underlines parallels with today. My favorite line from the book is “The people are fed on a diet of lies and fear and with enough of that poison they will turn rabid.”
In history class, we learned the dates of the French Revolution, and in Mademoiselle Revolution, I loved learning more about the people, especially about the real-life character, painter Éléonore Duplay.
The author underlines parallels with today. My favorite line from the book is “The people are fed on a diet of lies and fear and with enough of that poison they will turn rabid.”
August 3, 2023
sylvie is irritating as fuck. the writing leaves much to be desired. it's slow as hell.
what i do love is a bisexual, biracial woman grappling with her role in the revolution. the parts of the story that took place in haiti were the most interesting. however, sylvie has a lot of internalized racism.
what i do love is a bisexual, biracial woman grappling with her role in the revolution. the parts of the story that took place in haiti were the most interesting. however, sylvie has a lot of internalized racism.
August 2, 2022
An incredible debut, not to be missed! I feel so fortunate to have been able to read an early copy. My blurb is below:
"Mademoiselle Revolution is a masterful and powerful debut novel that unflinchingly explores complicity in society’s evils, the hope and horror of revolution, and both the liberation and disillusionment that can come from fighting for a better world. Zoe Sivak is a bold and bright new voice in historical fiction, and we are lucky to have her."
"Mademoiselle Revolution is a masterful and powerful debut novel that unflinchingly explores complicity in society’s evils, the hope and horror of revolution, and both the liberation and disillusionment that can come from fighting for a better world. Zoe Sivak is a bold and bright new voice in historical fiction, and we are lucky to have her."
August 31, 2022
Mademoiselle Revolution
By: Zoe Sivak
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
An amazing debut novel by Sivak. I had never read anything about the Haitian and French Revolution, so this was extremely interesting to me.
Sylvia de Rosiers is a biracial heiress of a white slaver and an enslaved woman. She knows she leads a privileged life, but is aware of her fathers infidelity. After the Haitian Revolution begins, Sylvia and her brother leave behind their family in Saint- Dominque and head for Paris.
Unfortunately they leave one Revolution and find themselves in the midst of another one. What follows is a beautifully written novel, although tough novel to read in some parts. I appreciated the realistic scenes and Sivak is not afraid to tackle tough subjects. I cannot wait to see what’s next for her. #mademoisellerevolution, #zoesivak, #berkely, #debutnovel, #bookreview, #bookstagram, #booksconnectus, #stamperlady50
By: Zoe Sivak
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
An amazing debut novel by Sivak. I had never read anything about the Haitian and French Revolution, so this was extremely interesting to me.
Sylvia de Rosiers is a biracial heiress of a white slaver and an enslaved woman. She knows she leads a privileged life, but is aware of her fathers infidelity. After the Haitian Revolution begins, Sylvia and her brother leave behind their family in Saint- Dominque and head for Paris.
Unfortunately they leave one Revolution and find themselves in the midst of another one. What follows is a beautifully written novel, although tough novel to read in some parts. I appreciated the realistic scenes and Sivak is not afraid to tackle tough subjects. I cannot wait to see what’s next for her. #mademoisellerevolution, #zoesivak, #berkely, #debutnovel, #bookreview, #bookstagram, #booksconnectus, #stamperlady50
August 2, 2022
Wow. There’s so much to unpack here.
I really expected to like this book…… BUT …. I didn’t really like it. I think this is meant to be YA, but it reads very simple to the point of awkward at times. I didn’t enjoy the writing style at all.
As for the story, there was a lot of moving parts here, and I think it was just a bit more than the author could do well. Our protagonist was a young biracial girl from a French colony (now haiti) born to a white planter father and an enslaved mother. She flees Haiti during the Revolution there. I think up to this point the book was solid. There was a lot going on here in Sylvie’s understanding and development of issues. The author choose to rush this into the first 20% though and send our MC fleeing to Paris.
This led to a cultural upheaval and social shift for our MC that changed the main thrust of the book to something different. She then falls in with a set of revolutionaries and becomes so enraptured with one that she seems to use every single other person in her life (cruelly) to get close to and possess this man. This leads to involvement in the French Revolution AND an affair with this revolutionary’s mistress. This is where we just descend into chaos.
The relationship between MC and the Man is just not shown on the page, but she is obsessed with him to the point she takes his lover as her own and cruelly uses her for years. She also becomes involved with the French Revolution seemingly to impress him while not seeming to understand it (or give any knowledge to the reader in the meantime). (There are obviously tons of deaths and cruelty and graphic depictions of murder, riot, rape, state sanctioned deaths, racism, classism, etc. so pleased be advised.) Throughout, the MC is consistently self-centered, vain, and self-serving. This is painted under a veil of survival, but the MC doesn’t seem to grow or even offer great rational explanations to tough moral conundrums, she just reacts to everything with little thought or even evidencing a “trying to do the right thing” vibe. (Albeit this simplistic writing style could contribute to the lack of formed intentions by the MC).
I did like the setting of both the Haitian Revolution and the French one. I just wish this character could have been in one and truly dug deeper into the setting and the political and social circumstances while personally growing. Instead, I felt like both were kinda half-a$$ed while the MC flits around in a frantic haze never seeming to grow and with 432 pages in this one, this just got tiresome and boring.
I did really appreciate the author’s note, and I would urge the author to write more novels and to do so in the more elegant and knowledgeable verbiage of the note rather than the tone of the book.
I really expected to like this book…… BUT …. I didn’t really like it. I think this is meant to be YA, but it reads very simple to the point of awkward at times. I didn’t enjoy the writing style at all.
As for the story, there was a lot of moving parts here, and I think it was just a bit more than the author could do well. Our protagonist was a young biracial girl from a French colony (now haiti) born to a white planter father and an enslaved mother. She flees Haiti during the Revolution there. I think up to this point the book was solid. There was a lot going on here in Sylvie’s understanding and development of issues. The author choose to rush this into the first 20% though and send our MC fleeing to Paris.
This led to a cultural upheaval and social shift for our MC that changed the main thrust of the book to something different. She then falls in with a set of revolutionaries and becomes so enraptured with one that she seems to use every single other person in her life (cruelly) to get close to and possess this man. This leads to involvement in the French Revolution AND an affair with this revolutionary’s mistress. This is where we just descend into chaos.
The relationship between MC and the Man is just not shown on the page, but she is obsessed with him to the point she takes his lover as her own and cruelly uses her for years. She also becomes involved with the French Revolution seemingly to impress him while not seeming to understand it (or give any knowledge to the reader in the meantime). (There are obviously tons of deaths and cruelty and graphic depictions of murder, riot, rape, state sanctioned deaths, racism, classism, etc. so pleased be advised.) Throughout, the MC is consistently self-centered, vain, and self-serving. This is painted under a veil of survival, but the MC doesn’t seem to grow or even offer great rational explanations to tough moral conundrums, she just reacts to everything with little thought or even evidencing a “trying to do the right thing” vibe. (Albeit this simplistic writing style could contribute to the lack of formed intentions by the MC).
I did like the setting of both the Haitian Revolution and the French one. I just wish this character could have been in one and truly dug deeper into the setting and the political and social circumstances while personally growing. Instead, I felt like both were kinda half-a$$ed while the MC flits around in a frantic haze never seeming to grow and with 432 pages in this one, this just got tiresome and boring.
I did really appreciate the author’s note, and I would urge the author to write more novels and to do so in the more elegant and knowledgeable verbiage of the note rather than the tone of the book.
August 17, 2022
thank you PRH international for sending me an EARC of this book!
3 stars!
Okay, wow this was heavy and definitely not what i was expecting. Let me start saying that this book was absolutely BEAUTIFULLY written and absolutely flawlessly done. The book was easy to follow, POWERFUL, had such important and crucial conversations handled. Also the representation was absolutely flawless. Then, why did i rate it what i consider is low for such a powerful and crucial story?
I went into this story believing it would be a historical ROMANCE with queer and afrolatine rep. However, this story was actually HISTORICAL FICTION with a very small romantic subplot. Historical fiction is a genre i personally don't enjoy and tend to struggle with, so to be fair, that is on me and not the book or the author whatsoever. But i still wish i knew this beforehand.
There is a main plot of a sapphic couple, however very complex, and again very secondary when it comes to the story as a whole. If you enjoy POC rep in your stories, specially in a society where POC struggle to have a place and to be heard, this story will be powerful and perfect for you. If you enjoy historical fiction, and a female main character who is badass and brave and FLAWED but learns and grows from her mistakes, then you need this story. If you have ever wanted to read more about the France post revolution, aka the Reign of Terror, all told by a POC woman who always ends up involved in these political situations, you will CHERISH this story.
The author did a flawless job on telling this story and creating this incredible character. I just wish that was enough to make me fall in love with it. I'm, sadly, not the target audience for it. But i do cherish the story and the representation it gave, as well as will reflect upon many things this story taught me.
3 stars!
Okay, wow this was heavy and definitely not what i was expecting. Let me start saying that this book was absolutely BEAUTIFULLY written and absolutely flawlessly done. The book was easy to follow, POWERFUL, had such important and crucial conversations handled. Also the representation was absolutely flawless. Then, why did i rate it what i consider is low for such a powerful and crucial story?
I went into this story believing it would be a historical ROMANCE with queer and afrolatine rep. However, this story was actually HISTORICAL FICTION with a very small romantic subplot. Historical fiction is a genre i personally don't enjoy and tend to struggle with, so to be fair, that is on me and not the book or the author whatsoever. But i still wish i knew this beforehand.
There is a main plot of a sapphic couple, however very complex, and again very secondary when it comes to the story as a whole. If you enjoy POC rep in your stories, specially in a society where POC struggle to have a place and to be heard, this story will be powerful and perfect for you. If you enjoy historical fiction, and a female main character who is badass and brave and FLAWED but learns and grows from her mistakes, then you need this story. If you have ever wanted to read more about the France post revolution, aka the Reign of Terror, all told by a POC woman who always ends up involved in these political situations, you will CHERISH this story.
The author did a flawless job on telling this story and creating this incredible character. I just wish that was enough to make me fall in love with it. I'm, sadly, not the target audience for it. But i do cherish the story and the representation it gave, as well as will reflect upon many things this story taught me.
September 9, 2023
4.5 Stars Rounded Up
This had a slow start for me.
I also don't like the way The Haitian Revolution is covered, sparsely and loosely.
Yet the action in France was well handled, interesting and engrossing.
This had a slow start for me.
I also don't like the way The Haitian Revolution is covered, sparsely and loosely.
Yet the action in France was well handled, interesting and engrossing.
August 22, 2022
Opening in the Caribbean, this novel traces the tumultuous history of slavery, rebellion, and revolution in the late 18th century. Sylvie, the biracial daughter of a white planter and a slave, is freed at birth and expects to live a life of luxury and privilege, albeit separate from her white siblings. A slave revolt, however, changes the course of her life. Fleeing violence in her island homeland, Sylvie and her brother find themselves in revolutionary Paris and embroiled in the politics of their neighbor Maximillian Robespierre. This novel does what good historical fiction does so well: place fictional characters in very real events and offer the perspective of someone who witnessed history. This book was compelling and I appreciated the character development throughout. An excellent read that connects the history of the Haitian and French Revolution to today's politics.
December 1, 2023
I truly wanted to like this book but I couldn’t. This is an example of a good idea
badly done. The first part set in Haiti (at the time a french colony called Saint-Domingue) during the slaves uprising of 1791 was good. In fact the premise of the book was very interesting and I hoped to see more of the Haitian Revolution which is often understimated.
But the second part, set in revolutionary France, was a complete mess.
The protagonist, a half-french/half-haitian girl called Sylvie, daughter of a plantation owner and a slave, moves to Paris in 1791 with her brother Gaspard and they stay at their aunt’s place in rue Saint-Honoré. Their neighbours are the Duplay’s family, the ones who gave hospitality to nothing less than Maximilien Robespierre until his death.
She becomes a friend of the eldest daughter, Éléonore but usually called Cornélie, and at a certain point they become even lovers. It was so fast. Sylvie says she loves her but at the same time she admits she is only using her. Girl, decide yourself. Cornélie deserves better.
But Cornélie is also Robespierre’s mistress and honestly I hated how she was constantly referred as such while Robespierre is showed to treat her with very little consideration. There is very little known about her but surely her character didn’t revolve around being Robespierre’s devotee. She was a good artist and she was described as fierce given her nickname. We don’t know for sure if they were actually lovers or soon-to-be-married but I want to see their relationship portrayed as good and healthy for once, even if it’s only platonic.
Suddendly Sylvie, who lived most of her life as a noble, becomes very passionated about the revolution and starts to idolize Robespierre in an obsessive way.
Robespierre’s portrayal is very thermidorian. He is represented as someone obsessed with purity and virtue to the point of madness and paranoia. And of course he is considered the only mastermind of the so-called “Reign of Terror”. It’s so wrong on many levels and Robespierre ends up looking like some cartoonishly evil dictator.
Wow, groundbreaking. Never seen it before, really.
After pining for him for months, like a self-insert fanfiction, Sylvie gets to finally kiss him and she even promises to marry him. There are two s*x scenes between them which were kinda cringe and I wish I didn’t have to read them (in David’s studio, really? Please, have some decency).
In general their relationship is messed up and toxic: Sylvie stays with him only for protection and Robespierre only loves her to satisfy his lust. Writing this phisically pains me.
Other characters suffer from this poor treatment. For example Marat is described as a little gremlin always hungry for blood and somehow responsable for many arrests and sentences but at the National Convention, besides his fame and the influence of his journal “L’Ami du Peuple”, he was just a deputy and didn’t hold that much power.
There are also other characters who don’t even appear, even if they could’ve been pretty relevant to the story, for example Camille Desmoulins or Louis Antoine Saint-Just.
Sylvie is basically a Mary Sue and this irritated me a lot. The moment she arrives in Paris, everybody loves her. Robespierre even calls her “the Mother of the Revolution” without any real reason.
With her background she could’ve been a compelling character but her motives are very confusing.
The most “what the hell” moment is that she kills Marat. Yeah, Cornélie introduces her to a society of women, organized by Olympe de Gouges (Cornélie conspiring with a girondin??) who wants to put an end to the Terror (except for the fact that at the time the Terror hadn’t even begun) and so they decide to kill Marat. Sylvie kills him and the way the scene is described is pretty dumb. Charlotte Corday takes responsability for the act and she is presented as some sort of martyr.
The author tried to push for a sort of an anachronistic “girlboss” feminism but she chose to invent things instead to show the true reality of women at the time. She could’ve talked about the Societé des républicaines révolutionnaires, Claire Lacombe, Pauline Leon, Theroigne de Mericourt, the contrast between bourgeois women and the women of the people…
The author surely had done her researches but most of the time the result is still messy.
Minor details like Cornélie’s younger sister, Elisabeth, who falls in love with Sylvie’s brother for plot reasons but is forced to marry Philippe Le Bas. Actually Elisabeth and Philippe are one of the few couples we know they married out of love and not because they had to.
Robespierre’s brother and sisters are also present, even Henriette who at the point was already dead, sadly.
The ending was as chaotic at the rest and it left me disappointed. The overall writing was kinda immature.
As a bisexual woman myself the represention was not that bad but not even that good.
It’s not my place to talk about biracial representation. As I said, the idea was interesting and it could’ve been a very good book if only the execution was better. That’s why, even if it may sounds harsh, I chose to give such a low rating.
badly done. The first part set in Haiti (at the time a french colony called Saint-Domingue) during the slaves uprising of 1791 was good. In fact the premise of the book was very interesting and I hoped to see more of the Haitian Revolution which is often understimated.
But the second part, set in revolutionary France, was a complete mess.
The protagonist, a half-french/half-haitian girl called Sylvie, daughter of a plantation owner and a slave, moves to Paris in 1791 with her brother Gaspard and they stay at their aunt’s place in rue Saint-Honoré. Their neighbours are the Duplay’s family, the ones who gave hospitality to nothing less than Maximilien Robespierre until his death.
She becomes a friend of the eldest daughter, Éléonore but usually called Cornélie, and at a certain point they become even lovers. It was so fast. Sylvie says she loves her but at the same time she admits she is only using her. Girl, decide yourself. Cornélie deserves better.
But Cornélie is also Robespierre’s mistress and honestly I hated how she was constantly referred as such while Robespierre is showed to treat her with very little consideration. There is very little known about her but surely her character didn’t revolve around being Robespierre’s devotee. She was a good artist and she was described as fierce given her nickname. We don’t know for sure if they were actually lovers or soon-to-be-married but I want to see their relationship portrayed as good and healthy for once, even if it’s only platonic.
Suddendly Sylvie, who lived most of her life as a noble, becomes very passionated about the revolution and starts to idolize Robespierre in an obsessive way.
Robespierre’s portrayal is very thermidorian. He is represented as someone obsessed with purity and virtue to the point of madness and paranoia. And of course he is considered the only mastermind of the so-called “Reign of Terror”. It’s so wrong on many levels and Robespierre ends up looking like some cartoonishly evil dictator.
Wow, groundbreaking. Never seen it before, really.
After pining for him for months, like a self-insert fanfiction, Sylvie gets to finally kiss him and she even promises to marry him. There are two s*x scenes between them which were kinda cringe and I wish I didn’t have to read them (in David’s studio, really? Please, have some decency).
In general their relationship is messed up and toxic: Sylvie stays with him only for protection and Robespierre only loves her to satisfy his lust. Writing this phisically pains me.
Other characters suffer from this poor treatment. For example Marat is described as a little gremlin always hungry for blood and somehow responsable for many arrests and sentences but at the National Convention, besides his fame and the influence of his journal “L’Ami du Peuple”, he was just a deputy and didn’t hold that much power.
There are also other characters who don’t even appear, even if they could’ve been pretty relevant to the story, for example Camille Desmoulins or Louis Antoine Saint-Just.
Sylvie is basically a Mary Sue and this irritated me a lot. The moment she arrives in Paris, everybody loves her. Robespierre even calls her “the Mother of the Revolution” without any real reason.
With her background she could’ve been a compelling character but her motives are very confusing.
The most “what the hell” moment is that she kills Marat. Yeah, Cornélie introduces her to a society of women, organized by Olympe de Gouges (Cornélie conspiring with a girondin??) who wants to put an end to the Terror (except for the fact that at the time the Terror hadn’t even begun) and so they decide to kill Marat. Sylvie kills him and the way the scene is described is pretty dumb. Charlotte Corday takes responsability for the act and she is presented as some sort of martyr.
The author tried to push for a sort of an anachronistic “girlboss” feminism but she chose to invent things instead to show the true reality of women at the time. She could’ve talked about the Societé des républicaines révolutionnaires, Claire Lacombe, Pauline Leon, Theroigne de Mericourt, the contrast between bourgeois women and the women of the people…
The author surely had done her researches but most of the time the result is still messy.
Minor details like Cornélie’s younger sister, Elisabeth, who falls in love with Sylvie’s brother for plot reasons but is forced to marry Philippe Le Bas. Actually Elisabeth and Philippe are one of the few couples we know they married out of love and not because they had to.
Robespierre’s brother and sisters are also present, even Henriette who at the point was already dead, sadly.
The ending was as chaotic at the rest and it left me disappointed. The overall writing was kinda immature.
As a bisexual woman myself the represention was not that bad but not even that good.
It’s not my place to talk about biracial representation. As I said, the idea was interesting and it could’ve been a very good book if only the execution was better. That’s why, even if it may sounds harsh, I chose to give such a low rating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2022
So I picked this book based on the cover. It looked cool and was under ya historical fiction so I thought I would give it a try. So going into this I was completely blind and I think that works best for this book because I didn’t have any preconceived notions of what this book should have been.
This book is about the Haitian Revolution and the French Revolution. This book was so interesting and if you read it please read the authors notes because Zoe speaks about how the enslaved peoples uprising in Haiti started the wheels in motion for what would become the civil war in America. The topic was interesting especially how the French Revolution was seen from people inside the revolution.
This book is powerful and emotional. There are some more graphic parts but war and revolutions are messy so please go in knowing that. Please do yourself a favor and read this book.
I want to say thank you to Netgalley, Zoe Sivak, PRH Audio and Berkley Books for not only the digital but audio copies of the book. The narration done by Imani Jade Powers was so captivating and brought the story to life.
This book is about the Haitian Revolution and the French Revolution. This book was so interesting and if you read it please read the authors notes because Zoe speaks about how the enslaved peoples uprising in Haiti started the wheels in motion for what would become the civil war in America. The topic was interesting especially how the French Revolution was seen from people inside the revolution.
This book is powerful and emotional. There are some more graphic parts but war and revolutions are messy so please go in knowing that. Please do yourself a favor and read this book.
I want to say thank you to Netgalley, Zoe Sivak, PRH Audio and Berkley Books for not only the digital but audio copies of the book. The narration done by Imani Jade Powers was so captivating and brought the story to life.
August 12, 2022
I applaud Zoe Sivak for her biracial heroine who is believably of her time and place. As was all too common, as was typical actually, Sylvie has absorbed the racism of the culture around her. Although her deceased mother was an enslaved African, Sylvie has grown up in the privileged world of her White planter father and doesn't much concern herself with the plight of the enslaved people all around her. This realism was refreshing, and I'm honestly surprised this was traditionally published. In the beginning, Sylvie isn't that likeable, but what a marvelous character arc she has as she opens her eyes to injustice.
I was riveted by the Saint-Domingue portions of this novel (and I loved how perfectly the audiobook narrator, Imani Jade Powers, pronounced Saint-Domingue and the rest of the French). I loved the epigraphs. Sivak clearly read some of the same research books about the island that I did. Her characters even flee the Haitian Revolution to Charleston, SC!
But most of this novel takes place in Paris, and I lost interest in those chapters. I just didn't understand what Sylvie or Cornélie saw in Robespierre. Having loved Charlotte Corday in Ribbons of Scarlet, I also disliked Sivak replacing her with Sylvie.
Even the Author's Note is solely about the Haitian Revolution and its importance, as if the author stopped caring about the French Revolution as well. My advice: supplement this with Ribbons of Scarlet.
I was riveted by the Saint-Domingue portions of this novel (and I loved how perfectly the audiobook narrator, Imani Jade Powers, pronounced Saint-Domingue and the rest of the French). I loved the epigraphs. Sivak clearly read some of the same research books about the island that I did. Her characters even flee the Haitian Revolution to Charleston, SC!
But most of this novel takes place in Paris, and I lost interest in those chapters. I just didn't understand what Sylvie or Cornélie saw in Robespierre. Having loved Charlotte Corday in Ribbons of Scarlet, I also disliked Sivak replacing her with Sylvie.
Even the Author's Note is solely about the Haitian Revolution and its importance, as if the author stopped caring about the French Revolution as well. My advice: supplement this with Ribbons of Scarlet.
July 31, 2022
Mademoiselle Revolution by Zoe Sivak
Length: 432 Pages
Genres: Historical Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
A special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing me with an ARC of this book!
Trigger Warnings in this book for Racism, Slavery, Violence, Death, Gore, Mentions of Torture, Racial Slurs, and a Graphic Birth Scene
"By the age of eighteen, Sylvie de Rosiers has mastered fractions."
[...] On the French colony of Saint-Domingue, fractions were not innocuous numbers separated by a line of dark ink (though she knew those, too). Here, fractions had faces. M*latto, qu*adroon, oct*roon--these terms divided the blood into halves and quarters and eighths, black and white and whiter still."
Sylvie de Rosiers has lived her whole life on her white father's coffee plantation in Saint-Domingue. She is beloved by her father and one of her brothers, Gaspard, reviled by the other and tolerated by her father's wife. As much as her father loves her, has pampered her and given her everything she wants, she knows she does not fit in, amongst her white siblings or the slaves that they own. It is an existence she feels she must accept--until the rebellion started by Vincent Ogé, a Creole aristocrat, ends in his ghastly execution, one that her elder brother insists she sees. The man is put upon the wheel and broken, and it is this act that wakes the revolutionary hidden in Sylvie's heart.
The masters thought it would end the rebellion to kill the voice of it--they thought wrong. As Saint-Domingue burns, plantation after plantation taken over by slaves, Sylvie and her brother escape, fleeing to France in the hopes of peace. But France is in the middle of its own revolution, headed by the icy Maximilien Robespierre. Here, Sylvie will find education as a rebel of France, and fall into a soul-consuming love, not only for Robespierre, but for his mistress, Cornélie Duplay. And as we know, history is not kind to revolutionaries.
I loved this book, and some of that is the amazing writing, the time-period, etc., but most of it is because of the protagonist, who starts off as being almost unlikeable but always understandable, and develops so well over the book into a woman who is not afraid to challenge the status quo. Sivak does something that is so hard as a writer--lets her character be full of faults, and slowly, so slowly we hardly notice it, lets her develop into someone we want to succeed over everything, and love. Revolutionary France comes to vivid life in Mademoiselle Revolution, and I loved every one of the little details that were put in, so obviously well-researched! And of course, loved seeing so many historical figures: Danton! Napoleon and Josephine! Marat and his killer, Charlotte Corday!
This book is a contender for one of my favorites of the year, and I can't wait for everyone to get their hands on it and experience Sylvie de Rosiers--revolutionary, woman, sister, and Rhea Silvia!
For more reviews visit my blog!
Length: 432 Pages
Genres: Historical Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
A special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing me with an ARC of this book!
Trigger Warnings in this book for Racism, Slavery, Violence, Death, Gore, Mentions of Torture, Racial Slurs, and a Graphic Birth Scene
"By the age of eighteen, Sylvie de Rosiers has mastered fractions."
[...] On the French colony of Saint-Domingue, fractions were not innocuous numbers separated by a line of dark ink (though she knew those, too). Here, fractions had faces. M*latto, qu*adroon, oct*roon--these terms divided the blood into halves and quarters and eighths, black and white and whiter still."
Sylvie de Rosiers has lived her whole life on her white father's coffee plantation in Saint-Domingue. She is beloved by her father and one of her brothers, Gaspard, reviled by the other and tolerated by her father's wife. As much as her father loves her, has pampered her and given her everything she wants, she knows she does not fit in, amongst her white siblings or the slaves that they own. It is an existence she feels she must accept--until the rebellion started by Vincent Ogé, a Creole aristocrat, ends in his ghastly execution, one that her elder brother insists she sees. The man is put upon the wheel and broken, and it is this act that wakes the revolutionary hidden in Sylvie's heart.
The masters thought it would end the rebellion to kill the voice of it--they thought wrong. As Saint-Domingue burns, plantation after plantation taken over by slaves, Sylvie and her brother escape, fleeing to France in the hopes of peace. But France is in the middle of its own revolution, headed by the icy Maximilien Robespierre. Here, Sylvie will find education as a rebel of France, and fall into a soul-consuming love, not only for Robespierre, but for his mistress, Cornélie Duplay. And as we know, history is not kind to revolutionaries.
I loved this book, and some of that is the amazing writing, the time-period, etc., but most of it is because of the protagonist, who starts off as being almost unlikeable but always understandable, and develops so well over the book into a woman who is not afraid to challenge the status quo. Sivak does something that is so hard as a writer--lets her character be full of faults, and slowly, so slowly we hardly notice it, lets her develop into someone we want to succeed over everything, and love. Revolutionary France comes to vivid life in Mademoiselle Revolution, and I loved every one of the little details that were put in, so obviously well-researched! And of course, loved seeing so many historical figures: Danton! Napoleon and Josephine! Marat and his killer, Charlotte Corday!
This book is a contender for one of my favorites of the year, and I can't wait for everyone to get their hands on it and experience Sylvie de Rosiers--revolutionary, woman, sister, and Rhea Silvia!
For more reviews visit my blog!
September 15, 2022
Original: I imagine that I will add more to this review, but I just finished and I have to say just how much I loved this book. I checked out a copy from my local library because I was intrigued by the story taking place during the French Revolution. As a child, I watched a History Channel documentary on the subject which blossomed into a lifelong interest. This book did not disappoint. Once I started reading I could not put the book down. Silvie was such a dynamic character that I became invested in her story and the personal journey that she was on. Sivak wrote a beautiful story and integrated the fictitious storyline with historical events so well that it was everything I love about the genre.
Addition: I finished this book a week ago and I still cannot stop thinking about the story. The book was written so well that I can still picture events that happened in the book in great detail. I really felt as I was reading that I could not only see what Silvie was going through but feel a part of what she felt as events unfolded around her. I also enjoyed the love story that unfolded throughout the book. At first, I was a bit confused about the love triangle that developed and why Silvie was interested in engaging with it and I realize that this was likely due to the great writing because Silvie seemed to not be entirely sure of the dynamics herself at the outset. As the reader, I felt I grew in the relationships with her. How the love story blossomed was so intriguing it was hard not to become so emotionally invested in the outcome.
Addition: I finished this book a week ago and I still cannot stop thinking about the story. The book was written so well that I can still picture events that happened in the book in great detail. I really felt as I was reading that I could not only see what Silvie was going through but feel a part of what she felt as events unfolded around her. I also enjoyed the love story that unfolded throughout the book. At first, I was a bit confused about the love triangle that developed and why Silvie was interested in engaging with it and I realize that this was likely due to the great writing because Silvie seemed to not be entirely sure of the dynamics herself at the outset. As the reader, I felt I grew in the relationships with her. How the love story blossomed was so intriguing it was hard not to become so emotionally invested in the outcome.
December 21, 2022
Diversity challenge: Caribbean mc
Sylvie is the daughter of a slave and her master, but she is raised as a free woman, rich and privileged. The book starts with the slave uprising in what's now Haiti, before we follow Sylvie and her brother to Paris and the French Revolution, where they become friends with Robespierre and his allies.
Sylvie is the daughter of a slave and her master, but she is raised as a free woman, rich and privileged. The book starts with the slave uprising in what's now Haiti, before we follow Sylvie and her brother to Paris and the French Revolution, where they become friends with Robespierre and his allies.
February 13, 2023
This was an engrossing novel that I could not put down. Sivak handles not one but two revolutions, no easy feat, and doesn't hand her story over to the men who so often dominate revolutions. A fantastic piece of historical fiction.
August 30, 2022
I was delightfully entertained with this period drama during the French Revolution. I’m always intrigued to see POC experiences during significant periods of time. In Mademoiselle Revolution, we are given a glimpse into Sylvie’s life, where she is the daughter of a slave owner and one of his slaves. Blessed with treatment as a precious only daughter, she is also resented as an “other” by those who strive to own her in one way of another. She struggles to find her place as woman of aristocracy and of mixed races in tumultuous France while revolution rages. I’m really happy to have found this book.
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August 23, 2022
March 23, 2023
3.5✨
A challenging book for sure, but still very worth the read. The romance, story and characterization had me in a grip!
A challenging book for sure, but still very worth the read. The romance, story and characterization had me in a grip!
August 9, 2022
Sylvie de Rosiers, the daughter of a wealthy landowner and enslaved woman, has never been fully accepted into 1790s Saint-Domingue society. When the Haitian Revolution begins, Sylvie and her brother escape the violence by fleeing to Paris. But little does Sylvie know, she’s inserted herself into another world-changing revolution — and a love triangle with Maximilien Robespierre and his mistress.
YES YES YES to more queer, diverse historical fiction!!! This was a great balance of real history, daring adventure, and steamy romance. I loved getting a glimpse into past events through Sylvie's eyes. Can't wait to read more books from Zoe Sivak in the future!
YES YES YES to more queer, diverse historical fiction!!! This was a great balance of real history, daring adventure, and steamy romance. I loved getting a glimpse into past events through Sylvie's eyes. Can't wait to read more books from Zoe Sivak in the future!
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