Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution

An exceptionally well-written an accurate history. Schama's incredibly deep knowledge and understanding of the events and key figures of the French Revolution is translated into a colorful and enlightening epic. One gets the feeling that the author's insights have led you to a balanced understanding of the reasons for how and why those tumultuous events unfolded the way they did. Although the Terror has traditionally been portrayed as mob violence, Citizens gives a more insightful perspective, taking into account the treason of the French monarchy, the impending threat of invasion by the monarchies of other countries, and the royalist uprisings outside of Paris intended to thwart the rise of liberty in France. It was not surprising that desperate and ruthless measures were taken to protect that which the people had fought so hard to achieve.
A wonderfully enjoyable read.

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Wow! Schama is quite a writer, and the French Revolution gives him a lot of good material to work with. Schama's thesis is that brutal violence was not just an unfortunate aspect of the Revolution but lay at its very heart. With the caveat that Schama sometimes addresses adult themes (like, in this book, the sexual slanders made against Marie-Antoinette), I give his work an enthusiastic recommendation. ( )

I bought this book when it came out in 1988 for the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution. It has patiently sat on my shelves all these years and it was worth the wait. It sad to think that I may never get to read some of the books I've bought this year. ( )

A lot of the book is a lead-up to the Revolution proper, which Schama argues had major continuities with rationalizing reforms attempted but not fully carried out beforehand. Reading it now, my main takeaway was how fluid the situation was; it wasn’t clear what would stick and what would fail, and people could rise and fall and rise again, in ways that seem a little too much like the present situation for my comfort. ( )

ספר ענק - אבל יותר במובן הפיזי מאשר במובן המטה פיזי. למעשה ספר כמעט אינסופי, לקח לי יותר משנה לסיים אותו , כאשר באותו זמן אני מסיים ספרים רבים אחרים. הבעיה של הספר זה לא רק האורך שלו, אם כי הו תורם לבעיה, כי אם הגישה האנקדותית שלו. לשמה יש תאוריה שהוא רוצה להוכיח, אבל בשביל להוכיח אותה הוא מספר אינסוף אנקדותות על אינסוף אנשים שאת שמם שכחת כבר לפני חודשים. אין בספר מבט על ואין בו שום מפה לאן הכל הולך. זה אולי ספר היסטוריה עבור אנשים שמכירים את ההיסטוריה בעל פה אבל לא עבור אלה שרוצים ללמוד ולהכיר אותה. עם זאת בתוך הג'ונגל הזה יש הרבה סיפורים מאלפים ומענגים - חבל שאין יד מרסנת. ( )