Citizens

Reviews

“Lively descriptions of major events, colorful cameos of leading characters (and obscure ones too), bring them to life here as no other general work has done…Above all, Mr. Schama tells a story, and he tells it well…A delight to read.”

“We are in the hands of a master storyteller…Vivid, dramatic, thought-provoking…Schama’s portrait of the revolution is often surprising…His splendid recounting convinces us that much of what we thought we knew is wrong.”

“A fresh and elegant narrative…A brilliantly readable and beautifully illustrated account.”

“Dazzling…Stimulating…This is no ordinary book…Schama does not merely write brilliantly about people, about events, about the abuse of rhetoric, and about festivals and executions…A stunningly virtuoso performance.”

“Entertainment and erudition work hand in hand…Schama brings to life the excitement—and harrowing terror—of an epochal human event.”

“[A] sprawling, provocative, sometimes infuriating chronicle that stands much conventional wisdom on its head.”

“The appearance of this book is certain to be one of the main publishing events of the bicentennial year of the French Revolution. It blends gritty details about everyday life with an old-fashioned, dramatic narrative form…Schama’s book will please scholars and a wide general readership.”

“Well-written, thoroughly documented…Schama presents Talleyrand, Lafayette, and others with more understanding than they are given in most histories, setting them amidst a web of violence of their own making. This book speaks to today’s world, as nations strive to move from despotism to democracy.”

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