Where the Light Falls

May 1, 2017
The Pataki siblings' chronicle of the French Revolution charts the impact of the Terror on two Frenchmen of disparate backgrounds.This novel covers the period from 1792 to 1804, beginning just as the order is given to execute Louis XVI by guillotine. Two characters alternate points of view. Capt. Andre Valiere is a former aristocrat whose last name used to begin with de. (His father was guillotined in the prologue.) Only his army career has saved him from the rabble's wrath, particularly since his detachment, fighting under another ex-aristo, Gen. Kellermann, foiled an attempted invasion by Prussian and Austrian forces aimed at stopping the revolution. Soon, though, Gen. Kellermann is on trial for making remarks interpreted as pro-royalist. Jean-Luc is a young idealistic attorney who moved with his wife from a pleasant rural existence near Marseille to Paris, hoping to contribute to the revolution. Employed as an underpaid functionary in a ministry which inventories the confiscated possessions of the nobility, Jean-Luc has a chance to advance when Lazare, a powerful confidant of Robespierre, offers his patronage. However, Jean-Luc's conscience compels him to defend the rights of man, including free speech, by representing Kellermann at his trial, thus incurring the lasting enmity of Lazare, Kellermann's prosecutor. Andre, who has stepped up to testify as a character witness for Kellermann, is also in danger: it was Lazare who brought down Andre's father. Jean-Luc and Andre each have to decide whether to flee Paris or risk execution. Meticulously researched, with many extended discussions in cafes and back rooms--not to mention a couple of boudoirs--the book succeeds in forcefully illustrating the lessons of the French Revolution for today's democratic movements. However, sheer talkiness too often overpowers the narrative, and the swashbuckling close is too little, too late. A worthy but, finally, stultifying novel.

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May 1, 2017

The Pataki siblings (Allison is the best-selling author of The Traitor's Wife, The Accidental Empress, and Sisi) paint a vivid picture of Paris during the Reign of Terror (1793-94) through the stories of three protagonists. The lives of Jean-Luc St. Clair, an ambitious, idealistic lawyer from the south of France; Andre Valiere, former aristocrat and captain in the army of the new republic; and Sophie de Vincennes, a young widow under the protection of her uncle, Gen. Nicolai Murat, become entangled as they fall victim to the Terror's bloodthirsty rage for revenge in the form of Guillaume Lazare, lawyer extraordinaire for the new regime. Devotees of Alexandre Dumas and Victor Hugo will devour this tale of heroism, treachery, and adventure, but purists may balk at the occasional anachronistic language and dialog, the fictional guillotining of Gen. Christophe Kellermann, hero of Valmy, and other fictionalizations of real people despite explanations by the authors. VERDICT For larger historical fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, 11/21/16.]--Cynthia Johnson, formerly with Cary Memorial Lib., Lexington, MA

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2017

In her previous novels, Pataki (The Traitor's Wife; The Accidental Empress) combined an entertaining story with rich historical detail. For this collaboration with her brother Owen, the setting is revolutionary Paris three years after the storming of the Bastille, where a host of characters struggle to survive within a rapidly changing social order. (LJ 5/1/17)

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.