Catherine
Delors
EN
FR

Mistress of the Revolution

This memoir, spanning ten years of the life of an impoverished noblewoman before and during the French Revolution, recounts Gabrielle de Monserrat's journey through hardships and betrayals by three men in her life, before she reaches at last for an impossible happiness.

Gabrielle is only fifteen when she meets her true love, a young physician. But her brother forbids their union, forcing her to marry an aging, wealthy relative. A widow and a mother at seventeen, cursed with startling beauty, she arrives at the opulent, decadent, turbulent court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Resolute and inquisitive, she survives in the midst of the gathering storm, maintaining her humanity and sense of decency.

As a new order rises, she glimpses her first love, Pierre-André Coffinhal, as he ascends from obscure patriot to one of the most merciless architects of the new order. 

"Definitely a contender for one of the best reads of the year." -Associated Press

"Most impressive... outstanding novel of the French Revolution." -Historical Novels Review (Editors' Choice Title)

"Delors shines in her portrayal of the late 18th-century women's world." -Publishers Weekly

"An admirable job of depicting the tension, confusion and volatility of an era." -Booklist

By the same author

Blanche et la bonne étoile

French version of For the King

1800, Paris under the Consulate. Everything separates the young lovers. She, Blanche, is one of the queens of high society. He, chief inspector Roch Miquel, comes from a very modest background. What does it matter, they don't care about conventions. On Christmas Eve, an attack on Bonaparte claims dozens of victims. While the conspirators are in ambush in the shadows, Roch leads the investigation, wary of many traps and plots. But between his passion for the sublime Blanche, the shenanigans of his colleagues and the redoubtable Fouché, he can only count on himself.

Gabrielle ou les infortunes de la vertu

New French version of Mistress of the Revolution.

A flamboyant fresco, Gabrielle ou les infortunes de la vertu is the novel of the apprenticeship of a young aristocrat determined to defend her dignity scorned by men. Her fight for independence meets that of the people overthrowing privilege and oppression.

For the King

In English.

For The King takes readers through the dark alleys and glittering salons of post-revolutionary Paris. It is a romantic thriller, a tale of love, betrayal and redemption.