by Kate Quinn
First published 2019
Sophie de Grouchy champions democracy and women's rights in the salons of Paris, but her student Louise Audu cares more about bread than books. When revolution erupts, Louise leads the women's march to Versailles while Princess Elisabeth fights to save her royal family. The monarchy crumbles, yet new dangers emerge as radical newspapers fuel the Reign of Terror. Political writer Manon Roland wields her pen against the bloodshed while Pauline Leon takes up arms and Charlotte Corday chooses assassination. Each woman faces impossible choices as the guillotine threatens even those who started the revolution. Their fates converge around Emilie de Sainte-Amaranthe, who alone might influence the ruthless Robespierre. These six lives intersect across class lines, from aristocratic salons to Parisian streets, as women seize power in a world that denied them any voice.
Genres: historical-fiction, feminism, political-thriller, historical-drama
Vibes: emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: intersecting-storylines, strong-female-characters
Setting: Paris, Versailles
Period: French Revolution
656 pages · Paperback · William Morrow Large Print
Content warnings: death, violence