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Madame Tussaud: A Life in Wax
Millions have visited the museums that bear her name, yet few know much about Madame Tussaud. A celebrated artist, she had both a ringside seat at and a cameo role in the French Revolution. This intelligent, pragmatic businesswoman has also had an extraordinary impact on contemporary culture, planting the seed of our obsession with celebrity. In "Madame Tussaud" Kate Berri...more
Hardcover
Published
July 25th 2006
by William Morrow & Company
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he record of Madame Tussaud's early years in France, other than the dubious one of her own hand, is scant to non-existant. In this absence, the author documents what is known with an analysis of popular "entertainments" of the time and the role of the Curtius waxworks in it. The theme of popular culture carries through to Madame Tussaud's time in England, although at this time there would have been more biographical record to draw upon. In short, while in part a biography, this book is more the...more
This book is well written. It is a little dry at times. However, I enjoy that the author gives accounts of what is happening politically, socially & personally around the madame. The best part is that she gives incite to other people that affected her life as well. Backgrounds of individuals that would influence her later in life or political unrest & turmoil that would affect how her "art" would progress. Another great point is that the author tackles some of the myths that surrounded t...more
Berridge seems strangely to dislike her subject--she is certainly very condescending about her. For example, she constantly plays up Tussaud's falsification of her relationships with the famous as an example of ego. But, it could just as easily be said that it was the effort of a woman trying to succeed on her own to make promote herself as a businesswoman and make herself more respectable.
It is also odd how little the waxworks turn up. She doesn't at all discuss the kind of work (or artistry) t...more
It is also odd how little the waxworks turn up. She doesn't at all discuss the kind of work (or artistry) t...more
Man erfährt viel über die Zeit der französichen Revolution, die verschiedenen Modeströmungen, den Untergang der Monarchie und frühe Werbestrategien. Von diesem Standpunkt aus ist das Buch sehr interessant.
Über Madame Tussaud selber erfäht man aber eher wenig, da sie wenig Privates der Öffentlichkeit preisgegeben hat und somit nicht viel von ihr persönlich (Gedanken, Gefühle, Reaktion auf Schicksalschläge) überliefert ist.
Über Madame Tussaud selber erfäht man aber eher wenig, da sie wenig Privates der Öffentlichkeit preisgegeben hat und somit nicht viel von ihr persönlich (Gedanken, Gefühle, Reaktion auf Schicksalschläge) überliefert ist.
I enjoyed this book as a follow-up to Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution, the recent fictionalized account. The nonfiction book did a nice job of reviewing what sources are available for information about Madame Tussaud and places where Ms. Tussaud's own memoirs probably exaggerated her place in the royal court and other such personal history.
The book could be a little dry at points, but it gave solid information about both Tussaud's life and the different time periods surrounding...more
The book could be a little dry at points, but it gave solid information about both Tussaud's life and the different time periods surrounding...more
Read this thinking it was a different novel (historical fiction) and was very disappointed. This book reads like someone's really dry thesis paper. This is a factual account of Madame Tussaud's life and is very much like reading a textbook. Not what I was looking for!
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Apr 05, 2011
Lauren
is currently reading it
Love, love, love. This book is converting me to a history fan! Fascinating look at pre-revolutionary France...
Read for pay.
Interesting subject, but not a sterling stylist. I quit when I had enough to work with.
Interesting subject, but not a sterling stylist. I quit when I had enough to work with.
Too much history and not enough about her.
I bought this book after hearing an interview with the author on the Diane Rheam Show. Before reading this, all I knew about Madame Tussaud was that she started a wax museum. Although Kate Berridge isn't as fun to read as Claire Berlinski, I found this book informative and interesting. The contextual history throughout the book helps the reader to understand the world in which Marie lived. Her society was eerily similar to ours today, which I think Berridge intentionally emphasized. This book is...more
Pretty dry and British. She drains the fun out of a very interesting story.
Not usually a fan of Historical Novels, but this one was a compelling and interesting look into a strong woman and the French Revolution.
Apr 26, 2013
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