Ribbons of Scarlet: A Novel of the French Revolution by Kate Quinn, et al. ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

A breathtaking, epic novel illuminating the hopes, desires, and destinies of princesses and peasants, harlots and wives, fanatics and philosophers—seven unforgettable women whose paths cross during one of the most tumultuous and transformative events in history: the French Revolution.

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October 2019;  William Morrow; 978-0062952196
audio, ebook, print (560 pages); historical fiction

This new historical fiction novel is an interconnected group of short stories by six of the top historical fiction writers today.  It's about six different women and their part in the French Revolution.  I think that this is the first book that I've ever read about this time period and it was very informative.  Each author wrote about a woman who had a part in the revolution and they were all from different levels of society but they all had one thing in common - their goal to give women more freedom and a stronger part of the governing of France.

Each author wrote about a different woman and their part in the Revolution:

Part I, The Philosopher by Stephanie Dray

Sophie was an early feminist.  She felt that women should have the same rights as men and had no plans to get married and subjugate herself to her husband until she met a man who shared her views on women's rights.  She started a school to teach poor women to read and one of her students was Louise.

Part II, The Revolutionary by Heather Webb was Louise's story  

She was a poor woman who sold fruit and often didn't have enough to eat and we learn about the women of the lower classes and their resentment of the nobility.  She becomes very involved in the early violence of the Revolution.

Part III, The Princess by Sophie Perinot 

This part is about Elisabeth, the sister of the King.  Even though she is very religious and tries to help the poor, she totally believes that her brother is a fantastic leader of France.  It was interesting to view the escalating violence from her eyes.

Part IV, The Politician by Kate Quinn 

The wife of the Minister of the Interior is the focus of this part.  She is the strongest person in their marriage and strives to help women gain power through her written words instead of through violence.

Part V, The Assassin by E. Knight 

In this part, Charlotte travels to Paris to kill the man she thinks is responsible for the Revolution and doesn't think about the possible results if she is successful - either to France or to herself.

Part VI, The Beauty by Laura Kamoie 

This is Emilie's story.  Before the Revolution, she was considered to be the most beautiful woman in Paris.  She is no longer accepted by the leaders of the country and lives in fear along with her family.


The stories of all six of these women interconnect to the point that it seems to have all been written by one person.  The six authors did an excellent job of tying all of the characters together to make it one solid story about the French Revolution.

Ribbons of Scarlet is an excellent book about a time period in history that isn't talked about or even written about much. The authors presented a compelling story of six women who were on different sides of the conflict were interconnected by their goals to give more freedom to women - a fight that continues to the present day.

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Susan Roberts lives in North Carolina when she isn't traveling. She and her husband enjoy traveling, gardening and spending time with their family and friends. She reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction, and thrillers. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with Susan on Facebook, Goodreads, or Twitter. 

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