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Madame Tussaud
Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution | Michelle Moran
The world knows Madame Tussaud as a wax artist extraordinaire . . . but who was this woman who became one of the most famous sculptresses of all time? In these pages, her tumultuous and amazing story comes to life as only Michelle Moran can tell it. The year is 1788, and a revolution is about to begin. Smart and ambitious, Marie Tussaud has learned the secrets of wax sculpting by working alongside her uncle in their celebrated wax museum, the Salon de Cire. From her popular model of the American ambassador, Thomas Jefferson, to her tableau of the royal family at dinner, Maries museum provides Parisians with the very latest news on fashion, gossip, and even politics. Her customers hail from every walk of life, yet her greatest dream is to attract the attention of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI; their stamp of approval on her work could catapult her and her museum to the fame and riches she desires. After months of anticipation, Marie learns that the royal family is willing to come and see their likenesses. When they finally arrive, the kings sister is so impressed that she requests Maries presence at Versailles as a royal tutor in wax sculpting. It is a request Marie knows she cannot refuseeven if it means time away from her beloved Salon and her increasingly dear friend, Henri Charles. As Marie gets to know her pupil, Princesse lisabeth, she also becomes acquainted with the king and queen, who introduce her to the glamorous life at court. From lavish parties with more delicacies than shes ever seen to rooms filled with candles lit only once before being discarded, Marie steps into a world entirely different from her home on the Boulevard du Temple, where people are selling their teeth in order to put food on the table. Meanwhile, many resent the vast separation between rich and poor. In salons and cafs across Paris, people like Camille Desmoulins, Jean-Paul Marat, and Maximilien Robespierre are lashing out against the monarchy. Soon, theres whispered talk of revolution. . . . Will Marie be able to hold on to both the love of her life and her friendship with the royal family as France approaches civil war? And more important, will she be able to fulfill the demands of powerful revolutionaries who ask that she make the death masks of beheaded aristocrats, some of whom she knows? Spanning five years, from the budding revolution to the Reign of Terror, Madame Tussaud brings us into the world of an incredible heroine whose talent for wax modeling saved her life and preserved the faces of a vanished kingdom. From the Hardcover edition.
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review
tokyoseg
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Pickpick

Fascinating and terrifying. I had no idea madam Tussaud‘s life story was so entwined with the French Revolution. The author did a great job knitting facts with fiction telling the evolution of the revolution starting with fight for equality and liberty, ending with bloodbath, mob lynching, anarchy and a reign of terror from Marie‘s point of view, alongside her work and personal losses. Definitely one of the books that sends you to Wiki for more...

Birdsong28 Read this next 6y
tokyoseg @Birdsong28 thanks, I checked on GR but it seems to be a fictionalized retelling of her life.... not sure I‘d enjoy that 🤔 6y
Birdsong28 @tokyoseg But the book you have just read is a fictionalised account!?!? But is it up to you 😘📚📖 6y
tokyoseg @Birdsong28 Lol I mean this one is not a retelling of her life story, just the French Revolution from her POV (and based on real events and her memoir) but from what I‘ve seen on GR the other one is complete fiction with exception of some things like her name and the wax work 😅 6y
Birdsong28 @tokyoseg It's been awhile since I have read this, so the details are a bit sketchy lol!! It's good that you want to keep to the original material as possible, I think that makes a historical novel so much better. 😘📚📖 6y
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Moray_Reads
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@jenniferw88 thanks so much for the Kindle book, I definitely wanted to read more about Marie Tussaud after Little. Looking forward to this one!

jenniferw88 😊 I really enjoyed both. I sent Little back to you last week - has it arrived yet? 6y
Moray_Reads @jenniferw88 it arrived on Friday, thanks, I'm looking forward to seeing the other comments! 6y
LeahBergen I miss you! 😩 6y
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BarbaraBB Hi Moray, just checking in since I‘ve been missing you on Litsy. Hope all is well 💕 6y
TrishB Hope all is well 💕 6y
vivastory I'm going to echo the other comments. I miss your brilliant reviews & wonderful posts. I hope you are absent because of good things happening in your life. 6y
Moray_Reads @LeahBergen @BarbaraBB @TrishB @vivastory Hello friends! I just wanted to let you know that I am alive and happy. I'm in my first relationship for a very long time and rather swept me of my feet. I've only read 56 books this year! I love you all and miss you and I'll be getting Litsy back into my routine soon xx 6y
vivastory I'm incredibly happy for you! I can't wait to hear about this person, I know it would have to be someone very special to interfere with reading time. I'm glad to hear that you are doing well. 6y
TrishB How lovely ❤️💕 6y
LeahBergen I‘m so happy for you!! 😍😍😍😍 6y
BarbaraBB So happy for you! The best excuse not to read is love, although 56 books is still an awful lot! ❤️😘 6y
Moray_Reads @vivastory @BarbaraBB @LeahBergen @TrishB Thanks everyone. He's very special and it's been a bit of a whirlwind but he works in our manuscripts department, is a Russian literature devotee and our birthdays are a day apart so it seems meant to be 😂 6y
batsy I just scrolled down and saw this about your absence. Lovely news and I'm happy for you 😍❤️ 6y
54 likes13 comments
review
jenniferw88
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Pickpick

😂 Shouldn't be laughing at this but it is pretty funny.

5 🌟

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jenniferw88
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July 14th, 1789 was a #blackdayinJuly for France!

Anyone who has read this book will be impressed that when I went to take this picture I managed to open it on July 13th, 1789! It's a #chunkster @Cinfhen

#timbittunes @TheKidUpstairs

JennyM 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 serendipity 😊 6y
Cinfhen How many pages????? 6y
jenniferw88 @Cinfhen ok, it might not be as big a #chunkster as I originally thought - 446 pages! 6y
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Cinfhen 446 is still chunky but not super chunky 😉I could probably handle it 6y
jenniferw88 @Cinfhen it's better than one of my other current reads (which is on my Kindle, luckily!) - 772 pages!!! 6y
Cinfhen Now that‘s a #chunkster 👆🏼 6y
AyaOfSiwa I liked that book. 6y
jenniferw88 @Cinfhen Goodreads page count lies!! It's 605 pages long!!! 6y
Cinfhen Oh wow!!! You were right!!!! 6y
115 likes9 comments
blurb
MaleficentBookDragon
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I be been wanting this one. #kindledailydeal

Slajaunie I love the French Revolution! One of my favorite time periods. 6y
BethM This book is so good! 6y
56 likes2 stack adds2 comments
review
Ingerella
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Pickpick

Goodreads let me know this was on sale today for Kindle. I've already read it and it was really good! It's historical fiction and tells the story of Madame Tussaud during the French Revolution, which to be honest, I wasn't sure would interest me. I ended up not being able to put this one down!

Silly cover aside, this was a great book and it's on sale!

Deblovestoread Thanks for the tip! 6y
50 likes1 comment
review
BethM
Pickpick

I love this book and did not anticipate that. If i'm reading historical fiction other than Phillipa Gregory I tend to struggle. This book was engaging and vibrant from beginning to end. You really cared about the characters and wanted to learn more.

ramyasbookshelf I am a fan of Michelle Moran's books. I find that she makes history accessible and keeps it interesting.. 8y
BethM @ramyasbookshelf I've never read anything else by her, by hearing that I'll take a look at her other work. 8y
ramyasbookshelf @BethM she has a series of Egyptian historical fiction books - Nefertiti, heretic queen etc. those are really good! 8y
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BethM @ramyasbookshelf that sounds excellent! 8y
BethM @ramyasbookshelf just looked them up and my TBR expanded by about 6! 8y
ramyasbookshelf @BethM haha!!! Always glad to help;) 8y
Smangela I'm so glad to know! I picked this one up at a library bag sale a year ago! 8y
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MaleficentBookDragon
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I've not read either of these authors, but I think I'll try Madame Tussaud. #authororcharacterthatsharesyourname #riotgrams

EvieBee Michelle Moran is a great historical fiction author. 8y
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BookishTrish
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I bought this book the day it was released in 2011 and it's been stuck on my TBR ever since. I'd love to hear from someone who has read it #Novemberland

Zelma I have no advice except that I have heard that Michelle Moran is generally pretty good. 8y
TrishB Have read her other stuff, which is good, not seen this before! 8y
Bakingbookworm I've read all of Michelle Moran's books. This one was good (as are her others - sold 4 stars) but my fav of hers are Nefertiti and Rebel Queen. My least fav book of hers is her latest - Mata Hari's Last Dance. Moran is one of my go-to Hist Fic authors. Hope this helps! :) 8y
LauraBrook Much like you, I won an ARC on Goodreads (first and only), plowed through about 80 pages...and it's five years later and that's as far as I've gotten. Hasn't stopped me from buying her other books, though! In fact, I should add this to my "stalled" shelf. 8y
45 likes3 stack adds4 comments
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britt_brooke
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#recommendsday Yes, as in the wax museum lady! I loved this historical fiction about a lesser-known figure of the French Revolution.

TheLondonBookworm I work right by Madame Tussauds but I never thought about the lady behind the name! 8y
britt_brooke I went to the Vegas museum about 10 years ago, but I never put much thought into it either. Her story is very interesting! @TheLondonBookworm 8y
36 likes5 stack adds2 comments
review
britt_brooke
Pickpick

I love all of Michelle Moran's books! She writes historical fiction about lesser-known figures and/or from an interesting perspective. Read her books!!

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