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Toward the Brink, 1785-1787 (Chronicles of the French Revolution, Vol 4)
Toward the Brink 17851787 - Chronicles of the French Revolution, Vol 4 Author:Claude Manceron, Nancy Amphoux (Translator) In Toward the Brink, 1785-1787, Claude Manceron powerfully re-creates a France where Louis XVI plays cards at Versailles while artisans riot and deadly epidemics spread among destitute peasants. Amid rumors of lesbianism, Marie Antoinette is trapped in a scandal that enmeshes the chief cardinal of France, his mistress, and the most expe... more »nsive necklace in the world. While Mozart triumphs with the premier of his opera The Marriage of Figaro, the Marquis de Sade rots in the Bastille, writing One Hundred and Twenty Days of Sodom. Benjamin Franklin leaves France at last, determined to die on his own soil. As bankruptcy overtakes rich and poor alike, this doomed society is drawn inexorably toward the historic Fourteenth of July.
Monumental, yet vivid a a novel, Toward the Brink chronicles the era in bold pattern and intimate detail. Contemporary figures -- famous, infamous, and obscure -- cross paths in interwoven vignettes that illuminate political, social, cultural, and personal concerns. Authentic public and private papers plus illustrations complete the experience. Toward the Brink adds a brilliant dimension to our understanding of the age.« less