Wendy H. (donkeycheese) - , reviewed on 6/28/2013 + 1255 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

I've read Michelle Moran's previous novels, Nefertiti, The Heretic Queen and Cleopatra's Daughter and quite enjoyed them all. However, in Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution, Ms. Moran takes us into a different world, a different pace, and in my opinion, outdoes her previous works by leaps and bounds.

Madame Tussaud is a wax sculptor. She pays fine attention to details and is an expert at her craft. So when the King and Queen visit her museum to see their likenesses, she is anxious. The King's sister, Princess Elisabeth is quite taken with her work and beseeches her to come live at the palace as a royal tutor and teach her the craft.

Although she doesn't want to leave her salon, she knows it is an opportunity to rich to resist. There, she enters a world she is unprepared for; the richness of the royals and their behavior, as well as the politics.

Ms. Moran has weaved a beautiful tapestry spanning five years of the French Revolution with characters so rich in detail and so vibrant, they blossom right before your eyes. Her storytelling is masterful, with seamless writing taking you from page to page. She has definitely well-researched the era and creates emotion from her words. You can feel the terror during The Reign of Terror, the helplessness of the hungry and poor, the blossom of romance in the air as she falls in love. A masterful work that is sure to find a home in many libraries - an absolute keeper!

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