Although the backdrop for the book is the French Revolution, the real story is about the siblings making the journey from the world that was, through revolution and life, each in their own way, into the new world order. A young couple, devoted to each other, understand their world and their place in it as they raise their five children. They are comfortable in their lives until revolution comes to France, until their country and their family begin to unravel.

The oldest son dreams of becoming a member of the new aristocracy, only to lose everything he has again and again, without learning any lessons, without valuing the great gifts he has already been given, always wanting more.

The second son breezes through life without building much for the future, but he wants to help his fellow man. He finds his niches that give him temporary satisfaction but pays no attention to building a lasting life and legacy. His dreams are destroyed by the ongoing unrest as well as his inability to plan ahead.

The third son, who has been neglected and discounted, eagerly dives into the revolution, only to find that overturning the old regime does not lead to lasting wealth and the recognition that he craves. There is only continuing destruction and a newfound willingness to engage in behavior that would have previously been unthinkable, earning his family's disdain.

The younger daughter's determination to secure a marriage with an older man who will guarantee her future financial security does not lead to that, only to her contempt and abandonment of him after he has lost everything materially, the only reason she had married him. She rediscovers her devotion to her family and returns to care for her siblings.

The infants that die, siblings and the children of the narrating older daughter, could be the stillborn hopes and dreams of both the old regime and the new one. Life goes on and the narrator makes concessions enough to survive and finish with a satisfactory, if not perfect life. The parts about glass making were interesting and I recognized the turning points and major events in the French Revolution, but this is no more about the French Revolution than Rebecca was about a housefire. This allegory could be a story of any time and place, before or after this historical event, a story of men and women on a journey throughout history. ( )

Primarily set during the French revolution, this historical fiction story focuses on a family of glass makers, loosely based on Daphne du Maurier's heritage. It is much different than many novels by du Maurier, missing the gothic elements & romantic intrigue. I found the chapters focused on the glass making foundry the most interesting. Though informative, the political drama dragged on.
Rating: Soft pick @ 3.5 stars ( )

Using her own family history as inspiration, Du Maurier gives us the aging Sophie Duval, who has promised her nephew that she will tell the story of their family, starting with her mother marrying into the local community of glass blowers.

The story starts with Sophie's mother getting married in the 1770s in rural France, where the glass blowers are situated beside the forests that provide the fuel for the furnaces.

Sophie herself gets married in 1788 in a joint wedding with her younger sister. It's not long before the issues building up in Paris spills out into the countryside. The storming of the Bastille and other important events is told via gossip and second hand scare mongering as panic spreads across the land, and thieves and brigands are seen in every shadow, ready to burn crops and steal wood.

Over the next few years, we see how the revolution happening in the bigger towns and cities filters down into the countryside, where neighbour can turn against neighbour and family fortunes can be made and lost by a word in the wrong place.

Sophie's family is directly affected where one brother, who gambles with his money and reputation, emigrates to England having been declared bankrupt too many times, and stakes his living (badly) with the other french emigres.

Pierre becomes a notary, Edme works first with Pierre and then Michel as local leaders in the revolution. Both men die in their old age, tired and worn out, and Edme is left to continue her fight for a revolution that has long lost it's spark. Sophie lives into her old age where her nephew (Michel's son) has become the mayor of the local town and we're back to where the story started.

The book is sub-400 pages long in this edition, so this is not an in depth detailed look at the French Revolution. du Maurier has chosen some set pieces to highlight on and there is much that is told briefly (or not at all). Therefore this is not a book for someone looking for a non-fictionalised account of the Revolution, should be seen more as a lead-in story.

This is another example of du Maurier's skill is telling historical fiction, and should be much better known than it is.


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Too political. ( )

Set in 18th and 19th century France following Du maurier's ancestors family as glass blowers and how her generation came to live in England and what happened to the families during the French revolution. Well told, with interesting insights into the politics of the time. ( )