Book Review Marilyn Yalom was, from 1984 to 1985, the senior scholar at the Clayman Institute for Gender Research at Stanford University. Needless to say, she had extensive knowledge about the roles women played throughout history. Her book, titled Blood Sisters: The French Revolution in Women’s Memory, lets you see the impact that women had in the French Revolution. Published in 1993 by BasicBooks, Blood Sisters is a compilation and analysis of nearly one hundred memoirs, all written by women. The book focuses on giving a different perspective to the French Revolution. Because men wrote most memoirs at that time, the women featured share their side of the Revolution. The women in this book very from chapter to chapter, some are royalists who are willing to do anything to protect the king and queen, others were advocates of a strong constitutional monarchy. Some women came from the highest classes; their families were some of the wealthiest in Europe. Others tended to cattle in western France or served the upper classes as maids. There are a few
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191). At the time of the French Revolution, the area had many undeveloped roads and more livestock than people (pg. 191). Many Vendean peasants, along with Parisian nobles, were counterrevolutionary, and fought to prevent the king’s execution (pg. 192). Many women tell the stories of the lives of many family members that were lost in the battles between the royalists and the republicans. The gruesome tales provide an insight to the extent to which the Vendean people fought to for absolute monarchy. This chapter was actually quite horrifying. The women spoke of murdering babies with spears and tens of thousands of people being killed by drowning or firing squad. I understand that this event is important to French history, but the author goes into great, unnecessary detail to describe the horrific ways in which the Vendean people were
191). At the time of the French Revolution, the area had many undeveloped roads and more livestock than people (pg. 191). Many Vendean peasants, along with Parisian nobles, were counterrevolutionary, and fought to prevent the king’s execution (pg. 192). Many women tell the stories of the lives of many family members that were lost in the battles between the royalists and the republicans. The gruesome tales provide an insight to the extent to which the Vendean people fought to for absolute monarchy. This chapter was actually quite horrifying. The women spoke of murdering babies with spears and tens of thousands of people being killed by drowning or firing squad. I understand that this event is important to French history, but the author goes into great, unnecessary detail to describe the horrific ways in which the Vendean people were