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The French Revolution
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Concise, convincing and exciting, this is Christopher Hibbert's brilliant account of the events that shook eighteenth-century Europe to its foundation. With a mixture of lucid storytelling and fascinating detail, he charts the French Revolution from its beginnings at an impromptu meeting on an indoor tennis court at Versailles in 1789, right through to the coup d'etat that brought Napoleon to power ten years later. In the process he explains the drama and complexities of this epoch-making era in the compelling and accessible manner he has made his trademark. Writing in The Times, Richard Holmes described the book as 'A spectacular replay of epic action ...' while The Good Book Guide called it, 'Unquestionably the best popular history of the French Revolution'.
Concise, convincing and exciting, this is Christopher Hibbert's brilliant account of the events that shook eighteenth-century Europe to its foundation. With a mixture of lucid storytelling and fascinating detail, he charts the French Revolution from its beginnings at an impromptu meeting on an indoor tennis court at Versailles in 1789, right through to the coup d'etat that brought Napoleon to power ten years later. In the process he explains the drama and complexities of this epoch-making era in the compelling and accessible manner he has made his trademark. Writing in The Times, Richard Holmes described the book as 'A spectacular replay of epic action ...' while The Good Book Guide called it, 'Unquestionably the best popular history of the French Revolution'.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
340 people are currently reading
3237 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Hibbert
109 books311 followersChristopher Hibbert, MC, FRSL, FRGS (5 March 1924 - 21 December 2008) was an English writer, historian and biographer. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the author of many books, including Disraeli, Edward VII, George IV, The Rise and Fall of the House of Medici, and Cavaliers and Roundheads.
Described by Professor Sir John Plumb as "a writer of the highest ability and in the New Statesman as "a pearl of biographers," he established himself as a leading popular historian/biographer whose works reflected meticulous scholarship.
Described by Professor Sir John Plumb as "a writer of the highest ability and in the New Statesman as "a pearl of biographers," he established himself as a leading popular historian/biographer whose works reflected meticulous scholarship.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 191 reviews
May 27, 2021
Excellent account but my God the French Revolution was total merde and completely exhausting. Frankly, it's one damned thing after another - each thing usually being more hacked about and with more bleeding orifices than the last one. Hard to figure out who was left alive in Paris after 1795, fully functioning necks being a rare luxury. There is the usual can't-see-the-wood-for-the-trees problem in this book as with most historiography - I would moan that the participants in this dizzy dance of death should be grasped more meaningfully than jargonny epithets like enrages, Septembrists, Dantonists, Montagnards, or Thermidoreans allow - but I can't deny that the whole thing rattles along faster than a tumbril en route to the Place de la Chop Your Head Off, and those tumbrils were fast.
MEMO
Invite to dinner : Danton. He was a laugh.
Not to invite to dinner: Robespierre. Unless you like lectures over the buttered trout.
MEMO
Invite to dinner : Danton. He was a laugh.
Not to invite to dinner: Robespierre. Unless you like lectures over the buttered trout.
September 30, 2025
Focusing on the Big Days
Christopher Hibbert wrote Days of the French Revolution in an attempt to make the saga accessible to the general reader. As such he has stated that he has focused on what he called the ‘big days’ of the revolution, such as the fall of the Bastille or the execution of Louis XVI. The problem is he has tried too hard to write a history of a complicated and long event which shook the world. He hones in on the famous characters and their personalities which in turn comes off track from the general narrative. For example, a lot of time is spent focusing on the diet of Louis XVI and the extra skin layer on his penis which had to be surgically removed before he could consummate his marriage to Marie Antoinette. He also wants to keep the interest of his intended audience going, which in turn leads him to allow ‘facts’ to penetrate his book, which cannot be proven to be true, such as dissidents drinking the blood of massacred aristocrats.
Hibbert’s book starts with the death of Louis XV in 1774 and then a description of the reign of his grandson Louis XVI. Hibbert has a favourable view of the king, he was a kind man who could also be cold. Hibbert has a way of showing all characters have good and bad qualities and these personalities influence the events they take part in. He aims to turn names into personalities, which allows the reader to identify with them. All of the main characters are here, Mirabeau, Danton, Marat and Robespierre alongside the story of the rise of one artillery officer, Napoleon Bonaparte. We being with an authoritarian monarchy and end with one. Hibbert’s revolution ends with Napoleon’s grab for power at the crossroads of the eighteenth and nineteenth century’s. What is clear you Napoleon and the revolution go hand in hand.
As a result of the points I have raised above, the reader unfortunately must take Days of the French Revolution with a pinch of salt. That being said, Hibbert for me is very readable. He has an easy flow about him, which in turn does deliver history to the masses, as thrilling as any fiction book. But beware, Hibbert tells the stripped down version of the event that changed the course of Western civilisation forever. The French Revolution cannot be understood by glossing over it quickly and then moving onto a different topic. I would suggest that other books are better and more accurate on the revolution, but this is not a bad book. Anyone who wants to get more people into reading must be applauded, and a slow burn, heavy, volumed history would not achieve that. Therefore, Days of the French Revolution could be a good place to begin and if you like it, go in for something better and deeper next.
Christopher Hibbert wrote Days of the French Revolution in an attempt to make the saga accessible to the general reader. As such he has stated that he has focused on what he called the ‘big days’ of the revolution, such as the fall of the Bastille or the execution of Louis XVI. The problem is he has tried too hard to write a history of a complicated and long event which shook the world. He hones in on the famous characters and their personalities which in turn comes off track from the general narrative. For example, a lot of time is spent focusing on the diet of Louis XVI and the extra skin layer on his penis which had to be surgically removed before he could consummate his marriage to Marie Antoinette. He also wants to keep the interest of his intended audience going, which in turn leads him to allow ‘facts’ to penetrate his book, which cannot be proven to be true, such as dissidents drinking the blood of massacred aristocrats.
Hibbert’s book starts with the death of Louis XV in 1774 and then a description of the reign of his grandson Louis XVI. Hibbert has a favourable view of the king, he was a kind man who could also be cold. Hibbert has a way of showing all characters have good and bad qualities and these personalities influence the events they take part in. He aims to turn names into personalities, which allows the reader to identify with them. All of the main characters are here, Mirabeau, Danton, Marat and Robespierre alongside the story of the rise of one artillery officer, Napoleon Bonaparte. We being with an authoritarian monarchy and end with one. Hibbert’s revolution ends with Napoleon’s grab for power at the crossroads of the eighteenth and nineteenth century’s. What is clear you Napoleon and the revolution go hand in hand.
As a result of the points I have raised above, the reader unfortunately must take Days of the French Revolution with a pinch of salt. That being said, Hibbert for me is very readable. He has an easy flow about him, which in turn does deliver history to the masses, as thrilling as any fiction book. But beware, Hibbert tells the stripped down version of the event that changed the course of Western civilisation forever. The French Revolution cannot be understood by glossing over it quickly and then moving onto a different topic. I would suggest that other books are better and more accurate on the revolution, but this is not a bad book. Anyone who wants to get more people into reading must be applauded, and a slow burn, heavy, volumed history would not achieve that. Therefore, Days of the French Revolution could be a good place to begin and if you like it, go in for something better and deeper next.
April 5, 2011
With an avalanche of names, French phrases not found in the glossary, selectively-chosen facts, and an artificial structure built upon ten distinct (but not chronological) time periods the author terms "days," The Days of the French Revolution by the late English historian and biographer Christopher Hibbert is an absolutely dreadful book that pretends to give an introductory overview of the French Revolution, but instead delivers a sneering, elitist condemnation of the common man and his desire for liberty, equality and fraternity.
There is no context whatsoever given for the revolutionary impulse. Instead, the hapless reader who mistakes this royalist apologia for objective history is treated to page after page (after gory page) of beheadings, dismemberments, graphic violence and bloody wounds. But nowhere in this book will one find the phrase "Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen," and certainly nowhere is it quoted. There are no descriptions of starvation and hardships amongst the peasants. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, about the massive income disparity of pre-revolutionary France, other than a listing of king's failed finance ministers and how they tried mightily to keep the tax burdens squarely on the peasants and off the backs of the aristocracy and clergy. As far as the corruption of the church, there is one sentence that implies the Inquisition may have been a bit excessive. Other than that, the author presents a France where everything was just hunky-dory until those dirty, ignorant, bloodthirty leftist peasants got their hands on the guillotine.
The author breaks out of his extremely dull, dry style two-thirds of the way into the book to give us an appropriately nasty description of Robespierre. So bitingly perfect is the condemnation that one can see an almost perfect reflection of that character type all the way into the 21st Century and in the person of a certain former governor of Alaska, right down to the dandified appearance and endless sentences that say nothing.
But, ultimately, the book is classist, sexist, homophobic, reactionary and unforgivably boring. I am reading it as the first book in a series of five about the French Revolution and I marvel at the misguided scholarship that placed it in the leading position. Merde! What a culotte-load it was.
There is no context whatsoever given for the revolutionary impulse. Instead, the hapless reader who mistakes this royalist apologia for objective history is treated to page after page (after gory page) of beheadings, dismemberments, graphic violence and bloody wounds. But nowhere in this book will one find the phrase "Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen," and certainly nowhere is it quoted. There are no descriptions of starvation and hardships amongst the peasants. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, about the massive income disparity of pre-revolutionary France, other than a listing of king's failed finance ministers and how they tried mightily to keep the tax burdens squarely on the peasants and off the backs of the aristocracy and clergy. As far as the corruption of the church, there is one sentence that implies the Inquisition may have been a bit excessive. Other than that, the author presents a France where everything was just hunky-dory until those dirty, ignorant, bloodthirty leftist peasants got their hands on the guillotine.
The author breaks out of his extremely dull, dry style two-thirds of the way into the book to give us an appropriately nasty description of Robespierre. So bitingly perfect is the condemnation that one can see an almost perfect reflection of that character type all the way into the 21st Century and in the person of a certain former governor of Alaska, right down to the dandified appearance and endless sentences that say nothing.
But, ultimately, the book is classist, sexist, homophobic, reactionary and unforgivably boring. I am reading it as the first book in a series of five about the French Revolution and I marvel at the misguided scholarship that placed it in the leading position. Merde! What a culotte-load it was.
July 5, 2017
Hibbert covers the French Revolution from the meeting of the Estates General to the emergence of Napoleon. This is roughly ten years of a country's journey from negotiable concern to rampant homicidal psychosis. Because the author chooses to concentrate exclusively on the character of the major players and the tenor of the events they wrought - eschewing ideals and philosophies - that madness is granted center stage. Remove the over-arching political, financial and cultural rationales (all intellect, in essence) from the revolutionary equation and what we're left with are men (and a very few women) struggling with the Oedipal dilemma writ large. I don't imagine for a moment this was Hibbert's intention - yet it is where the work takes us.
The narrative teases the reader into an analysis of the psychology of the uprising; the tremendous guilt and fear that accompanied the imprisonment of the father-figure of a monarch, and the manner in which this elicited massive, violent communal reactions of displacement and projection. The spasming emotional component of the mob (whom Hibbert refers to as the enrages) is tracked as it attempts first to assist the befuddled yet beneficent King, and then to supplant him entirely - taking on his function as lawgiver and disciplinarian. The full constellation of adolescent rage, resentment and despair is on display in the larger rebellions of the Bastille, the storming of the Tuileries, and the September Massacres. It is so much easier to see here, truly, how the guillotine was a civilizing measure and, in many ways, the reintroduction of a modifying element of compassion. That's how insane the times had become.
Always on the hunt for an evocative image, I found one here in the midst of the royal family's attempt to flee the country. Their carriage had been caught and surrounded at Varennes. Lafayette dispatched a contingent of National Guard to escort them back to Paris - a return made dreadful by the vast crowds who gathered to jeer and curse them all along the way. When they passed through Sainte-Menehould, the carriage was halted as its mayor made a speech "of admonition and rebuke."
Later, an old quixotic nobleman, who rode up with the cross of St. Louis on his breast to make the King an elaborate salute, was shot in the back as he rode away.
Tempts my every fascination, that ancient warrior does.
The narrative teases the reader into an analysis of the psychology of the uprising; the tremendous guilt and fear that accompanied the imprisonment of the father-figure of a monarch, and the manner in which this elicited massive, violent communal reactions of displacement and projection. The spasming emotional component of the mob (whom Hibbert refers to as the enrages) is tracked as it attempts first to assist the befuddled yet beneficent King, and then to supplant him entirely - taking on his function as lawgiver and disciplinarian. The full constellation of adolescent rage, resentment and despair is on display in the larger rebellions of the Bastille, the storming of the Tuileries, and the September Massacres. It is so much easier to see here, truly, how the guillotine was a civilizing measure and, in many ways, the reintroduction of a modifying element of compassion. That's how insane the times had become.
Always on the hunt for an evocative image, I found one here in the midst of the royal family's attempt to flee the country. Their carriage had been caught and surrounded at Varennes. Lafayette dispatched a contingent of National Guard to escort them back to Paris - a return made dreadful by the vast crowds who gathered to jeer and curse them all along the way. When they passed through Sainte-Menehould, the carriage was halted as its mayor made a speech "of admonition and rebuke."
Later, an old quixotic nobleman, who rode up with the cross of St. Louis on his breast to make the King an elaborate salute, was shot in the back as he rode away.
Tempts my every fascination, that ancient warrior does.
May 4, 2010
This is a popular history which covers the time from the meeting of the Estates General at Versailles in 1789 to the coup d'etat which brought Napoleon to power ten years later. It's concise and nowhere near as in depth as say, Simon Schama's massive Citizens, but it's vividly told and highly readable, offering an excellent overview of the events which changed the course of history. If you know a lot about the French Revolution, it likely won't tell you anything you don't already know, but it would be a very good place to start for those just beginning the subject.
June 16, 2018
A good introductory book on the subject of French Revolution, It could be better if the difficult french terms were followed by bracket meaning in English and its most of narrative is more a blood and gore less a revolutionary, nonetheless it is a simple and straightforward narrative history of important days of French Revolution hence its name days of French Revolution.
July 7, 2010
This book was disappointing -- I had expected more, given the positive reviews on Amazon.
Written for a general readership as an introduction, and promising only to present the events (and not an analysis) of the Revolution -- the author spends untold pages narrating the most trivial matters, describing tiny details of meetings and marches -- and then suddenly skips, in a clause, over the great issues of the day - it is disorienting and ultimately not very informative. Because the syntax and diction and even the punctuation are very British, the book doesn't read as quickly as something like this deserves --
On the plus side, the author presents a sympathetic (and plausible) account of the characters of Louis XVI and of Marie Antoinette -- as also of Danton, who here greatly resembles the magnificent portrait of Gérard Depardieu: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danton_(...
I suspect there are much better things out there -- even for an introductory book.
Written for a general readership as an introduction, and promising only to present the events (and not an analysis) of the Revolution -- the author spends untold pages narrating the most trivial matters, describing tiny details of meetings and marches -- and then suddenly skips, in a clause, over the great issues of the day - it is disorienting and ultimately not very informative. Because the syntax and diction and even the punctuation are very British, the book doesn't read as quickly as something like this deserves --
On the plus side, the author presents a sympathetic (and plausible) account of the characters of Louis XVI and of Marie Antoinette -- as also of Danton, who here greatly resembles the magnificent portrait of Gérard Depardieu: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danton_(...
I suspect there are much better things out there -- even for an introductory book.
August 11, 2023
Hibbert has provided the reader with a broad overview of the French Revolution from the meeting of the Estates General to the emergence of Napoleon, covering approximately 10 years of French history. Very bloody, messy and psychotic ten years. The main characters and events are described, with an accompanying time line at the back (thank you Hibbert!). A comprehensive, if somewhat exhausting (no fault of the author, just too many people doing crazy things), book.
To quote Tallyrand (man of many talents and positions): "Treason is merely a matter of dates".
To quote Tallyrand (man of many talents and positions): "Treason is merely a matter of dates".
August 23, 2025
The French Revolution is an era of history that I don't actually know that much about. This wonderful book by Christopher Hibbert filled in a lot of gaps for me.
Hibbert writes well and the pages fly past. The action moves fast but I never felt like I was losing the thread of events in the pace.
I found it fascinating how much the French Revolution resembled the Russian Revolution more than a century later. In both cases you had an out of touch, corrupt and selfish elite running the country into the ground. In both cases a few sensible compromises and concessions might have prevented the whole thing. In both cases the revolution turned in on itself and murdered it's own. In both cases the ordinary people weren't really any better off at the end of the thing.
This is an excellent introduction to an important historical event.
Hibbert writes well and the pages fly past. The action moves fast but I never felt like I was losing the thread of events in the pace.
I found it fascinating how much the French Revolution resembled the Russian Revolution more than a century later. In both cases you had an out of touch, corrupt and selfish elite running the country into the ground. In both cases a few sensible compromises and concessions might have prevented the whole thing. In both cases the revolution turned in on itself and murdered it's own. In both cases the ordinary people weren't really any better off at the end of the thing.
This is an excellent introduction to an important historical event.
June 16, 2019
The French Revolution was a time of great upheaval for France and its colonies. It started with the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789 and ended in the late 1790s with the ascension of Napoleon Bonaparte.
The Days of the French Revolution starts with a brief overview of the reign of Louis XVI and ends with the rise of Bonaparte. Pulling from many sources, Hibbert brings this tumultuous period alive. There is a lot of good information here, but the arrogance of the author was a bit off putting.
This book is a little dry and assumes you know French terms and the French government during this period. There is a glossary in the back that defines some of the terms but flipping back to the glossary made for a choppy read. If the French Revolution is something you know little about, which was the case for me, I would not recommend starting with this book.
The Days of the French Revolution starts with a brief overview of the reign of Louis XVI and ends with the rise of Bonaparte. Pulling from many sources, Hibbert brings this tumultuous period alive. There is a lot of good information here, but the arrogance of the author was a bit off putting.
This book is a little dry and assumes you know French terms and the French government during this period. There is a glossary in the back that defines some of the terms but flipping back to the glossary made for a choppy read. If the French Revolution is something you know little about, which was the case for me, I would not recommend starting with this book.
dnf
July 20, 2021Billed as an intro to the Revolution for those who know little to none about it, this was an extremely vague book in terms of context and there is zero narrative structure to make it seem more approachable. The lack of contextualizing events and the constant throwing around of names and terms (untranslated at that), combine with the obvious pro-royalty stance, and general lack of focus on what was also happening with the Third Estate peeps just made this boring to read and provided a complete lack of framing. The events were told, people were described, but I never got the feeling that any of these events were truly important or revolutionary. I was never sure who was one what side and why and why it was important in the first place.
While it was fortunately a quick read, that simultaneously was part of the problem, and I was retaining zero of the information I was reading.
I have gotten more from skimming the Wikipedia article on the Revolution than from this book, so it's sadly going in the dnf pile.
While it was fortunately a quick read, that simultaneously was part of the problem, and I was retaining zero of the information I was reading.
I have gotten more from skimming the Wikipedia article on the Revolution than from this book, so it's sadly going in the dnf pile.
June 18, 2018
A simple straightforward historical narrative of the events of 1789-1797, from the first rumblings of unrest through the Terror and finally the accession into power of Napoleon Bonaparte. It's more of the old guard account, no political angles, no original claims or blames, just the facts and basic biographical backgrounds of the major players. It's a great read for those simply wanting the narrative account or for those who want a great refresher.
Most accounts of this event aren't a mere 304 pages or focus more specialized on key figures (such as Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, Marat, Robespierre, or Bonaparte). No person is centralized, not even really Louis, and the many revolts, revolutions, executions, and movements feel organic, as they surely must have at the time. Recommended for those who for whom a simply straightforward and relatively brief account will do. The best narrative overview out there at this word count.
Most accounts of this event aren't a mere 304 pages or focus more specialized on key figures (such as Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, Marat, Robespierre, or Bonaparte). No person is centralized, not even really Louis, and the many revolts, revolutions, executions, and movements feel organic, as they surely must have at the time. Recommended for those who for whom a simply straightforward and relatively brief account will do. The best narrative overview out there at this word count.
June 25, 2024
Decent enough read I guess. The French Revolution is a long and bloody mess though, and felt like they were killing each other every other day.
June 6, 2022
It was informative - I didn't know much about the revolution before and I do a lot more now. But there were so many details it was easy to get lost which is probably more to do with my reading ability than the book : ))
September 14, 2025
"Почти 3000 екзекуции се извършиха в Париж; около 14000 – в провинциите. Хора без брой живяха в постоянен страх от смъртта и легнаха ужасени от мисълта за посреднощно почукване на вратата, когато се направяха повечето арести."
Радикализмът на Френската Революция не умира с Робеспиер, духът му обитава умовете на днешните крайнолеви, а те са готови да обезглавят всеки враг на Революцията дори за най-малкото провинение, както са правили техните идеологически прадеди преди 230 години.
Започнах книгата преди отново да стане ясно, че радикализмът ще превземе младите в САЩ и ще ги подтикне да извършват актове на тероризъм. В памет на Чарли Кърк (1993-2025), подобно на Луи XVI и Мари-Антоанет -- мъченик за вярата.
Радикализмът на Френската Революция не умира с Робеспиер, духът му обитава умовете на днешните крайнолеви, а те са готови да обезглавят всеки враг на Революцията дори за най-малкото провинение, както са правили техните идеологически прадеди преди 230 години.
Започнах книгата преди отново да стане ясно, че радикализмът ще превземе младите в САЩ и ще ги подтикне да извършват актове на тероризъм. В памет на Чарли Кърк (1993-2025), подобно на Луи XVI и Мари-Антоанет -- мъченик за вярата.
April 17, 2022
Don't know your Danton from your Marat? Having trouble distinguishing your Robespierre from your Lafayette? Wondering whether in your heart of hearts you're a bit more Jacobin than Girondin? Concerned as to whether the revolution is fulfilling its destiny with radical zeal or sliding remorseless into a reactionary coup d'etat? Then you might hope that Christopher Hibbert's brief history of The French Revolution might provide the answers. Sadly, after 350 pages of name dropping, bloodshed and more twists and turns than a Dan Brown novel you're likely to leave no more informed than when you started.
What you're given instead is an overwhelming and chaotic maelstrom of events, names and institutions. Hibbert is determined to tell you who lead such and such a journee (though not what a journee is) or which series of notables were President of the National Assembly or National Convention or Committee for this, that and the other. People come and go with head spinning rapidity (often in a single line), institutions and descriptors are plopped in with little or no attempt to explain who or what they are, what their objectives might be, or how they've become important to the overall historical narrative. Sans Culottes appear mid-paragraph out of nowhere, communes exist and then don't, clubs open, become power players, take the inevitable trip to the guillotine, and then disappear often to make a surprise reappearance a couple of chapters later. There is a National Guard and Sections and Departments and Tribunals and, and, and ...
Nothing is really given any context. The spiralling price of bread is mentioned with regularity as is the constant devaluation of assignats (unless in my confusion I've got those two things the wrong way round) but this gives little indication as to the economic and social turmoil that unleashed and propelled the events. Mostly we're offered an endless diet of dates and names and action and counter-action all washed down with wave after wave of gore, assassination and political genocide until eventually, and to everyone's relief, the name Bonaparte arrives and we can settle back into the normal historical narrative of kings and emperors and who won which battles.
What you're given instead is an overwhelming and chaotic maelstrom of events, names and institutions. Hibbert is determined to tell you who lead such and such a journee (though not what a journee is) or which series of notables were President of the National Assembly or National Convention or Committee for this, that and the other. People come and go with head spinning rapidity (often in a single line), institutions and descriptors are plopped in with little or no attempt to explain who or what they are, what their objectives might be, or how they've become important to the overall historical narrative. Sans Culottes appear mid-paragraph out of nowhere, communes exist and then don't, clubs open, become power players, take the inevitable trip to the guillotine, and then disappear often to make a surprise reappearance a couple of chapters later. There is a National Guard and Sections and Departments and Tribunals and, and, and ...
Nothing is really given any context. The spiralling price of bread is mentioned with regularity as is the constant devaluation of assignats (unless in my confusion I've got those two things the wrong way round) but this gives little indication as to the economic and social turmoil that unleashed and propelled the events. Mostly we're offered an endless diet of dates and names and action and counter-action all washed down with wave after wave of gore, assassination and political genocide until eventually, and to everyone's relief, the name Bonaparte arrives and we can settle back into the normal historical narrative of kings and emperors and who won which battles.
December 24, 2019
Christopher Hibbert claims to have here 'written for the general reader unfamiliar with the subject'. Well, this condensed history of the French Revolution is surely as simple a narrative as can be! The issue is, this approach is actually its weakness. Staying clear from historiographical quarrels allows for a better focus on the events; but, sadly, since such crucial events were first and foremost motivated by strong clashes of ideas, the lack of analysis and of any insight into the political, economical, and even religious background that drove them cannot but give no proper understanding of it all. If anything, we are left here with the appalling spectacle of various personalities murdering each others, in what seems like a chaotic and dog-eat-dog parade of regimes tumbling each others; whereas it was, obviously, more complicated than that... (although violent indeed).
I also confess having found the author's writing style quite tedious and dull. It feels like he wanted to give as much details as possible, but had to restreint himself to focus only on events which are, nevertheless, impossible to describe if not by providing the necessary background analysis he is shying away from all along... Confused? That's because it's confusing indeed! In fact, the confused reader can be excused for loosing track and/ or feel a bit dizzy trying to make sense of it all.
It was relatively nice to go through as a refresher, but, apart from that, there's not much to say... Not a very exciting book, then.
I also confess having found the author's writing style quite tedious and dull. It feels like he wanted to give as much details as possible, but had to restreint himself to focus only on events which are, nevertheless, impossible to describe if not by providing the necessary background analysis he is shying away from all along... Confused? That's because it's confusing indeed! In fact, the confused reader can be excused for loosing track and/ or feel a bit dizzy trying to make sense of it all.
It was relatively nice to go through as a refresher, but, apart from that, there's not much to say... Not a very exciting book, then.
December 28, 2009
This is an excellent general reader book describing the French Revolution. Hibbert's descriptions of the Bastille and the events leading to the execution of Louis XVI are as exciting as fiction. Most helpful are a 27 page prologue, a 13 page epilogue, a detailed index and an appendix showing significant events by date. The prologue provides information concerning the situations of the various classes on the eve of the revolution while the prologue describes the rise of Napoleon.
The revolution fed on itself. Danton was executed first and then Robespierre. The telling of these events is tedious, but Hibbert is not at fault. The matters are complex with much in fighting and require a detailed and long explanation.
If you want to obtain some knowledge about the French Revolution from a well written source, Hibbert should be your choice
The revolution fed on itself. Danton was executed first and then Robespierre. The telling of these events is tedious, but Hibbert is not at fault. The matters are complex with much in fighting and require a detailed and long explanation.
If you want to obtain some knowledge about the French Revolution from a well written source, Hibbert should be your choice
April 18, 2010
I thought I knew a little bit about the French revolution. It turns out I knew nothing. This book is a very good introduction to the bloody topic. Imagine George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John and Samuel Adams, all their colleagues, supporters and many more innocent people executed, and you will get a sense of the savagery of the times. Very few characters - and there are many - are presented in a sympathetic light. There are a few French phrases which remain untranslated, and there are so many names that it is difficult to remember the backgrounds of everyone. The book focuses on the events that occurred more so than the ideas behind them, and so it is fairly fast-paced.
May 9, 2013
Riveting, colourful, vivid and utterly horrifying overview of the Revolution. Hibbert masterfully weaves fascinating details into his breathless account of six years of turmoil, achieving surprisingly intimate portraits of the all-to-human participants. His accounts of Danton, and particularly of Robespierre, are well-condensed and shockingly pathos-laden drawings of two despicable men who, word by word, become all too familiar in their own quests to "save" France. As it is often said, the best villains are the ones who think themselves most righteous in their causes; Hibbert highlights this frailty and its disastrous effect when divorced from the roots of love and compassion.
December 6, 2011
This narrative history of the French Revolution is a page turner. While this is not a casual read, I was hooked from the beginning. The day by day account helped me grasp the confusion of events which composed the French Revolution. Although this is not a light weight book, I recommend it as a great introduction into this subject.
May 1, 2024
not at all sympathetic to the jacobins or to any other revolutionaries. Throws in a lot of attrocity porn too. His sympathies seem to lie mainly with the court. Not too strong on politics and ideas either. In extenuation, it is a rather lively read
October 12, 2023
Excellent concise history of a period whose story can easily be overwhelming.
January 30, 2021
I wanted to learn more about the French Revolution, and this was a very good book to do so. Very concise, and the author was very good at making the events and the characters come alive.
December 21, 2020
History
The names lost me,to much French, in sentence and the names. Couldn't remember the people involved. It was hard to read, not enjoyable.
The names lost me,to much French, in sentence and the names. Couldn't remember the people involved. It was hard to read, not enjoyable.
August 5, 2021
An excellent story of the French Revolution, but not much of a history of the French Revolution. Hibbert's work is primarily plot-driven, detailing at an almost breathtaking pace the people and events of those tumultuous times. However, I don't feel like he did enough work to explain the various factions, grievances, and people involved. The barrage of names honestly becomes exhausting, and I struggled to keep track of the major players. I feel like I understand the overarching question of "What happened during the French Revolution?" — but I'm looking to know a bit more about the Why.
February 15, 2025
"It was just a year ago that I was the means of instituting the Revolutionary Tribunal; may God and man forgive me for what I did then; but it was not that it might become the scourge of humanity"
A brief and intriguing look into the French Revolution. I enjoyed learning about the topic but would not recommend this book. It veers off into too many tangents that feel irrelevant, confusing the key elements, which makes it hard to follow.
That said, I’m still interested in learning more about this period.
A brief and intriguing look into the French Revolution. I enjoyed learning about the topic but would not recommend this book. It veers off into too many tangents that feel irrelevant, confusing the key elements, which makes it hard to follow.
That said, I’m still interested in learning more about this period.
May 22, 2020
Historically completely true, but hard and slow for reading, because of the choosen style for writing.
June 9, 2019
I really liked the descriptions of all the revolutionaries. Sometimes I lost track of what was happening. A knowledgable and readable account of the French Revolution.
October 6, 2025
In my efforts to better understand the French Revolution, it was incumbent upon yours truly to dive into what was, for many years, the goto and not especially intimidating single volume overview of the killing of the King, the storming of the Bastille, and so forth. The problem here is that I read Jeremy Popkin's A NEW WORLD BEGINS before Hibbert and found that Popkin was a far more dramatic and thorough historian than Hibbert. So this book felt more like a contractual obligation rather than a sprawling tapestry to get lost in and excited about. I think you'd be better off with Popkin than Hibbert, especially since the two books cover the same territory. Ironically enough, it was Popkin who inspired me to pick up several books on the French Revolution and finally fill in this pathetic hole in my knowledge.
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