When Marie moves from her family's waxwork museum into the palace of Versailles, her whole life is set to change...When Marie Tussaud learns the exciting news the royal family will be visiting her famed wax museum, the Salon de Cire, she never dreams that the king's sister will request her presence at Versailles: as a royal tutor in wax sculpting. As Marie familiarizes herself with Princess Elisabeth and begins to know Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, she witnesses the glamorous life of court, a very different world from her home on the Boulevard du Temple of Paris where bread can only be had on the black market and men sell their teeth to put food on the their tables. The year is 1788 and men like Desmoulins, Marat, and Robespierre are meeting in the salons of Paris speaking against the monarchy; there's whispered talk of revolution. Spanning five years from budding revolution to the Reign of Terror, Madame Tussaud brings us into the world of an incredible heroine whose talent for wax moulding saved her life and preserved the faces of a vanished kingdom. (P)2011 WF Howes Ltd
It all started when I stumbled across Nefertiti in the library and was immediately captivated by the imaginative writing from Michelle Moran. Then through email I was able to meet her and was delighted by her as a person and continued to be excited as both The Heretic Queen and Cleopatra's Daughter hit the market. With each novel I swore that Michelle's stories were getting better and better. A portion of history that I faintly knew was being brought to life off the page and I was enamored. I love her Egyptian novels and I do hope that she'll continue to write some more.
As a student in high school my second life was my French class. When I heard that Michelle was going to write a novel based in the time period of the French Revolution I was very excited. Again it is a period and place that I know pretty well, but with her story telling the people are so real and off the page. Having had my only real experience with this time period being from Alexandre Dumas, it was a delight to find the same characters in a similar fashion with more story to tell.
I am very impatiently waiting for her 2012 release Empress Josephine's Crown about the young Austrian princess who was forced to become Napoleon's second wife (filling the very large shoes of Empress Josephine).
*Thanks to Michelle for providing a copy for review and keeps.* *wink*
Originally posted: http://creativemadnessmama.com/blog/2011/07/01/madame-tussaud-by-michelle-moran/
Reading updates
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Started reading
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17 June, 2011:
Finished reading
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17 June, 2011:
Reviewed