Tallien

by Frederic Tuten, Oscar Hijuelos (Introduction)

Tallien begins as the story of an estranged father and son. The relationship is strained over the years by the father's efforts to organize restaurant workers during the Depression. After 30 years of separation, the son visits his father’s deathbed and offers the story of Jean Lambert Tallien, leader of the French Revolution. The book skillfully slips from the present day story of father and son to the story of Tallien's rise and fall. His role and position in the French Revolution is jeopardized when he meets and falls in love with Terese de Fontenay, the widow of a recently beheaded nobleman. Eventually, Tallien’s passion for Terese sways him into joining Napolean’s forces.

150 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1988

About the author

Frederic Tuten is the author of Tintin in the New World, The Green Hour, and Self Portraits, among other fiction. He has received a Guggenheim fellowship and an American Academy of Arts and Letters Award for Distinguished Writing. He lives in New York City."

Reviews

[Rachel Harber · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up after reading an interview in Bomb Magazine with the author Frederic Tuten. And I will say I enjoyed reading his interview much more than the book. The book felt rushed to me. It was hard to really care about any of the characters as you don't really get to know them very well. The book is a quick read and at the end I really got nothing out of it, which is odd for me when reading a book. Even books I don't enjoy I get something from, but not with Tallien. As far as an interesting look at the French Revolution it was an alright read, but overall not very descriptive.