This novel by a New York Times-bestselling author follows three
"bold, courageous, and entertaining" women through the tumult of the
French Revolution (Booklist).
For Claire Lacombe and Pauline Leon, two poor women of
eighteenth-century France, the lofty ideals of the coming revolution
could not seem more abstract. But when Claire sees the gaping disparity
between the poverty she has known and the lavish lives of aristocrats as
her theater group performs in their homes, and Pauline witnesses the
execution of local bread riot leaders, both are driven to join the
uprising. They, along with upper-class women like Madame Manon Roland,
who ghostwrites speeches for her politician husband and runs a Parisian
salon where revolutionaries gather, will play critical roles in the
French people's bloody battle for liberty and equality.
Based on a true story, author Marge Piercy's thrilling and scrupulously
researched account shines with emotional depth and strikingly animated
action. By interweaving their tales with the exploits of men whose names
have become synonymous with the revolution, like Robespierre and Danton,
Piercy reveals how the contributions of these courageous women may be
lesser known, but no less important. Rich in detail and broad in scope,
City of Darkness, City of Light is a riveting portrayal of an
extraordinary era and the women who helped shape an important chapter in
history.
