Loved itit approaches these and other questions in a way that's very intelligent balanced well argued well researched it was an amazing book and I highly recommend it
A People's History of the French Revolution (2012)
Others: Positive "The assault on the Bastille, the Reign of Terror, Danton mocking his executioner, Robespierre dispensing a fearful justice, and the archetypal gadfly Marat -- the events and figures of the French Revolution have exercised a hold on the historical imagination for more than 200 years. It has been a template for heroic insurrection and, to more conservative minds, a cautionary tale. In the hands of Eric Hazan, author of The Invention of Paris, the revolution becomes a rational and pure struggle for emancipation. In this new history, the first significant account of the French Revolution in over twenty years, Hazan maintains that it fundamentally changed the Western world -- for the better. Looking at history from the bottom up, providing an account of working people and peasants, Hazan asks, how did they see their opportunities? What were they fighting for? What was the Terror and could it be justified? And how was the revolution stopped in its tracks? The People's History of the French Revolution is a vivid retelling of events, bringing them to life with a multitude of voices. Only in this way, by understanding the desires and demands of the lower classes, can the revolutionary bloodshed and the implacable will of a man such as Robespierre be truly understood." -- Publisher's description
- ISBN:
- 9781781685891
- Length:
- 432 pages
Lists: …
Similar books
1 of 6
A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens
1800 · 396 pages · 6 reviews
Others: Leaning positiveA Tale of Two Cities is a historical novel published in 1859 by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in the Bastille in Paris, and his release to live in London with his daughter Lucie whom he had never met. The story is set against the conditions that led up to the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror. In the Introduction to the Encyclopedia of Adventure Fiction, critic Don D'Ammassa argues that it is an adventure novel because the protagonists are in constant danger of being imprisoned or killed. As Dickens's best-known work of historical fiction, A Tale of Two Cities is said to be one of the best-selling novels of all time. In 2003, the novel was ranked 63rd on the BBC's The Big Read poll. The novel has been adapted for film, television, radio, and the stage, and has continued to influence popular culture.
The War of the Worlds
H. G. Wells
1898 · 213 pages · 8 reviews
Others: Overwhelmingly positiveThe ultimate science fiction classic: for more than one hundred years, this compelling tale of the Martian invasion of Earth has enthralled readers with a combination of imagination and incisive commentary on the imbalance of power that continues to be relevant today. The style is revolutionary for its era, employing a sophisticated first and third person account of the events which is both personal and focused on the holistic downfall of Earth's society. The Martians, as evil, mechanical and unknown a threat they are, remain daunting in today's society, where, despite technology's mammoth advances, humanity's hegemony over Earth is yet to be called into question. In Well's introduction to the book, where the character discusses with the later deceased Ogilvy about astronomy and the possibility of alien life defeating the 'savage' (to them) nineteenth-century Britain, is he insinuating that this is the truth and fate of humanity? It's up to you to decide…
Why?
What made the match, strongest first
TheBookchemist loved both57%Similar descriptionsPersonalize your recommendations43%A Parisian affair and other stories
Guy de Maupassant
2004 · 322 pages · 1 review
Others: Positive"Set in the nouveau riche Paris of society women, prostitutes and playboys, in the Normandy countryside and on the French Riviera where Maupassant lived, the thirty-three contes in this new selection are among the most darkly humorous and brilliant short stories in French literature. They focus on the complexity of close relationships between lovers, as in the poignant fantasy 'A Parisian Affair' or the touchingly ironical 'The Jewels'; between siblings, as in 'At Sea'; and between former partners, as in 'Encounter'. They reveal two sides of human nature: its grace and generosity and also, as in 'Boule de Suif', its greed and hypocrisy. Piquant and varied, Maupassant's stories lay humanity bare with deft wit and devastating honesty." "Sian Miles's translation is accompanied by an introduction discussing Maupassant's stories as a reflection of the rapidly changing values and beliefs of his society. This new selection also contains a chronology, notes and suggestions for further reading."--Jacket.
Why?
What made the match, strongest first
TheBookchemist loved both61%Similar descriptionsPersonalize your recommendations39%Tell the wind and fire
Sarah Rees Brennan
2016 · 368 pages · 1 review
Others: NegativeIn this near-future retelling of the Dickens classic "A Tale of Two Cities," a deadly revolution breaks out in a New York City divided by light and dark magic.
Ragtime
E.L. Doctorow
1974 · 270 pages · 1 review
Others: PositivePublished in 1975, Ragtime changed our very concept of what a novel could be. An extraordinary tapestry, Ragtime captures the spirit of America in the era between the turn of the century & the First World War. The story opens in 1906 in New Rochelle, NY, at the home of an affluent American family. One lazy Sunday afternoon, the famous escape artist Harry Houdini swerves his car into a telephone pole outside their house. Almost magically, the line between fantasy & historical fact, between real & imaginary characters, disappears. Henry Ford, Emma Goldman, J.P. Morgan, Evelyn Nesbit, Sigmund Freud & Emiliano Zapata slip in & out of the tale, crossing paths with Doctorow's imagined family & other fictional characters, including an immigrant peddler & a ragtime musician from Harlem whose insistence on a point of justice drives him to revolutionary violence.
Why?
What made the match, strongest first
TheBookchemist loved both64%Similar descriptionsPersonalize your recommendations36%A Brief History of Seven Killings
Marlon James
2014 · 696 pages · 4 reviews
Others: Overwhelmingly positive"From the acclaimed writer of The Book of Night Women comes a masterful novel framed as a fictional oral history that explores the events and characters surrounding the attempted assassination of Bob Marley during the political turmoil on Jamaica in the late 1970s"--
Why?
What made the match, strongest first
TheBookchemist loved both65%Similar descriptionsPersonalize your recommendations35%
Loved it