If Max Gallo seemed in a hurry to come out d`en the heart of events and process a little faster the first time the reign of Louis XVI and taking the party to adopt the view angle of it, allowing us to follow her daily, its perpetual hesitations along his real personality, while fairly little to say about Marie Antoinette and little tender with it (but it is true that I was staying on an excellent "Marie Antoinette: The crushed rose" Gerard Messadié, which had enchanted me), then I think the novel quickly removed and very good. We follow the events with bated breath, suffering with the characters, trembling before the unleashing of human cruelty and savagery that are accelerating the pages in a frenzied pace.
After the episode Turgot, which we would have loved that he can go through his visionary action, which would certainly have avoided so much palaver and steps back from his successors, there gradually to setting bankruptcy of the State, a process that strangely recalls the current situation of our finances. Then, with the beginning of the revolution, already we can see the defects of democracy, how the people can be bribed to direct the votes in a particular direction, and especially how to escape the power of decision to the deputies, threatened and forced to always go in the direction of the people, not even managing to disavow violence. When the revolution becomes uncontrollable. Worrying.
Democracy, containing within it the seeds of the totalitarian drift? Theme that is dear to me. Here dictatorship of the people, which is more sensitive to emotions without control (see "Group Psychology" by Gustave Le Bon), leading straight to destruction, the opposite of what he sought, and which is contrary to its own interests, creating shortages everywhere, unemployment, uncontrolled drift, destruction, death. Now classic, alas.
And the obscure role of the infamous characters such Robespierre which even today some people call for, to make you shudder, going against the yet saving martial law, which could "stifle freedom "or Marat establishing a genuine apology for riots, without qualms justifying the violence, murders, massacres and injustices committed in the name again of a very strange conception of freedom for up to claim "delete 260,000 men" by "measure of humanity."
A very well written novel, which tells both facts while doing live tirelessly the events as if you were there. A relentless narrative, where the ambient savage and uncontrolled passions foretell the Terror. And bloody years also announce very clearly the premises of the Communist Revolution of 1917, which can only be inspired. A real nightmare. Another way to see the Revolution, indeed, the syrupy version that can have at school.
(Note that I received as a gift with my Amazon order, an interesting little extra booklet on "100 faces of the Revolution", very useful and good synthesis tool after reading the main structure)