The French Revolution in Fiction

Treasury of Regrets by Susanne Alleyn
Set in post-Revolutionary France, police investigator Aristide Ravel comes to the aid of Jeannette Moineau, an illiterate servant girl accused of poisoning the master of the house, but his case is complicated by a household brimming with suspects and motives.

Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier
After a tragic death in the family, the Kellaways are persuaded by a traveling circus owner to move to London, where they discover that they live next door to the famous William Blake: printer, poet and political radical. A streetwise girl named Maggie befriends the youngest boy, Jem, and their coming-of-age adventures eventually provide material for Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience. In addition, the French Revolution has made everyone jittery, and the family is soon caught up in the excitement and uncertainty of political unrest; they also face economic hardship, struggling daily to earn enough to stay together.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...." So begins this ageless tale of heroism, love and adventure in the terrible and hopeful days of the French Revolution. With its unforgettable characters – valiant Sydney Carton, antic Jerry Cruncher, brave Lucie Manette – and the grit and grandeur of two great cities, Paris and London, in an era of momentous change.

Napoleon’s Pyramids by William Dietrich
Swashbuckling hero American Ethan Gage, who's living in Paris during the waning days of the French Revolution and was once apprenticed to Benjamin Franklin, wins a curious Egyptian medallion in a card game. Soon after, he's set upon by thieves, chased by the police, attacked by bandits, befriended by Gypsies, saved by a British spy and then packed off to join Napoleon's army as it embarks on its ill-fated Egyptian campaign. Once in Egypt, Gage finds himself beset by evildoers bent on stealing the mysterious medallion.

Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette by Carolly Erickson
Awaiting her execution, Marie Antoinette writes the story of her life, describing her privileged childhood as an Austrian archduchess, years as the glamorous mistress of Versailles, and imprisonment during the French Revolution.

Almost a Bride by Jane Feather
Seeking revenge from Frederick Lacey, the man who betrayed his aristocratic sister to the French revolutionaries, Jack Fortescu wins Lacey’s fortune from him in a card game. He then sets his sights on Lacey’s sister. Headstrong Arabella Lacey is stunned when her brother loses the family mansion and her hand in marriage to Fortescu and sets out to teach the winner a lesson in love.

Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. by Sandra Gulland
The diary of a Creole beauty from Martinique who became Napoleon's wife. It traces her adjustment to French high society, her love affairs in order to survive the revolution – her husband is guillotined – and her romance with Napoleon. First volume in a trilogy.

Abundance: a novel of Marie Antoinette by Sena Jeter Naslund
A fictional tale of the life of Marie Antoinette presents the story of a teenage empress's daughter who is forced to leave her family home to marry the future king of France and who rebels against the formality and rigid protocol of court life.

The Eight by Katherine Neville
A young novice during the French Revolution risks her life to keep a jeweled chess set that Moors gave Charlemagne, and in the 20th century, a computer expert and a chess master try to solve its mystery.

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baronness Emmuska Orczy
An irresistible blend of romance, intrigue and suspense, this timeless historical adventure recalls the terror following the French Revolution, when mobs ruled the streets of Paris and hundreds of royals were condemned to face the guillotine daily. The only hope of many was a courageous leader who spirited aristocrats across the Channel to England and safety.

Dish Taken Cold by Anne Perry
Just days before the French Revolution, Celie’s baby dies when her friend leaves the baby alone to meet her lover. Later, amidst the Prussian invasion of Paris and the height of the bloody terror, Celie learns the true meaning of revenge.

City of Darkness, City of Light by Marge Piercy
Depicting the experiences of three brave women – Clair, an actress; Manon, wife of a bureaucrat with her own mind for politics; and Pauline, owner of a chocolate shop – Piercy explores the human reality of the French Revolution, bringing to life the immense role women played in bringing down the monarchy. Their three stories are deftly braided with the lives of three men – the incorruptible Robespierre, the opportunistic Danton and Nicolas Caritat, an academician trying to walk the high wire between old and new.

Mystic Guardian by Patricia Rice
On the eve of the French Revolution, the country's commoners are suffering, and one small, starving seacoast village has a final chance for hope: a golden god foreseen by local girl Mariel St. Just's deceased mother. Mariel, using special powers, sets out to find the god and steal a chalice to sell for money to save her village. She meets the mysterious Tristan, who eventually comes looking for what Mariel steals.