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Bluebird, or The Invention of Happiness
Acclaimed author Sheila Kohler's sweeping historical novel, Bluebird, or the Invention of Happiness, is based on the life of Lucy Dillon, an eighteenth-century French aristocrat. Wrenched from the court of Marie Antoinette by the Reign of Terror, the brave and resilient Lucy escapes with her family to the freedom and hardships of a newly independent America where, on a dai...more
Paperback, 384 pages
Published
March 4th 2008
by Berkley Trade
(first published April 17th 2007)
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Nov 29, 2009
Jenny
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
history,
historical-based-fiction
This book is based on Henriette, a noble french woman who escaped the Terror in France. This book really shows the conditions of the nobility in France, how extravagant they were, fashion, reliance on looks and wealth, also favor of King and Queen, and corruption in Church. It is told from a women's perspective so it is light on the political happenings. I liked it for its plot, style, and entertaining format. I warn others that there is some sexuality since the book is based on the Court of Lou...more
It took a little while for this story to get going; I had to get to know the characters somewhat before I could really enjoy the book and lose myself in it. Seeing the French Revolution from an aristocrat’s perspective and the needless terror and death it brought was fascinating. Lucy Seraphin’s life was also intriguing; her journey from neglected child to woman of the Court giving a glimpse of the sumptuousness of the time that lived side by side with poverty and wretchedness. When Lucy and her...more
Henriette Lucy Dillon had the misfortune of being born into the aristocracy of France just in time to come of age during the French Revolution. This narration is drawn from historical accounts and the journals which she kept. Through her eyes the Days of Terror sweep past the reader, for she manages to keep more or less to the margins.
This book provides an introduction to these events from the point of view of one of the privileged class, but no real depth for the wanna-be-history-buff. What I l...more
This book provides an introduction to these events from the point of view of one of the privileged class, but no real depth for the wanna-be-history-buff. What I l...more
This may be a fictionalized account of a real person. The book was great and you'll find yourself wanting to learn more information on The French Revolution or The Terror.
The book is well written and catches you from the begining.
I am now on to reading nonfiction accounts of "The Terror" to be followed by a biography on LaFayette, then Napoleon, back to Marie Antoinette, then Ben Franklin. :)
It is amazing to learn that America was a free country before France. Without France we could not have...more
The book is well written and catches you from the begining.
I am now on to reading nonfiction accounts of "The Terror" to be followed by a biography on LaFayette, then Napoleon, back to Marie Antoinette, then Ben Franklin. :)
It is amazing to learn that America was a free country before France. Without France we could not have...more
I came across this book while I was passing some time in my small local bookstore. It sat on a low shelf of marked down items, tucked in amongst a mass of random titles. The cover appealed to me and before I gave it any more thought, I picked it up as a purchase. I didn’t read the back of the book at that time—giving me little to go on when I finally started to read the book.
It was okay….I can’t really rave about it, yet I can’t trash it. I found the book to have interesting moments and a lot of...more
It was okay….I can’t really rave about it, yet I can’t trash it. I found the book to have interesting moments and a lot of...more
I had been warned when I cracked the cover: "It's not her best work," said my friend. "Her good stuff isn't selling, so this is her attempt at mass-market fiction."
And what author wouldn't be tempted? With the success of "The Other Boleyn Girl" as well as Rutherfurd, Gabaldon, Penman, and Chevalier, you would think a good writer could take an established storyline (aka, history), embellish it with enticing characters, and voila! We have fiction.
Well, there's just more to it than that, and "Blueb...more
And what author wouldn't be tempted? With the success of "The Other Boleyn Girl" as well as Rutherfurd, Gabaldon, Penman, and Chevalier, you would think a good writer could take an established storyline (aka, history), embellish it with enticing characters, and voila! We have fiction.
Well, there's just more to it than that, and "Blueb...more
Sheila Kohler captured the beauty and pain of this chaotic and brutal time in history. Lucy's vivid descriptions transport the reader into Lucy's life, where we feel her sorrow, fear, joy, and understand her loyalty. A beautiful story, sometimes a little slow for me, especially when describing life at court, but I truly enjoyed the book.
Sep 08, 2012
Heather
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
18th-century
This book was a tough read for me. The first 150 pages did not really endear to any characters and I found the writing rather odd. It was very vague in some aspects and no personal connection was established with the main character, Lucy Dillon. Honestly, I love this time period and am very rarely disappointed in the historical fiction or biographies I read about people from this era. However, this book just dragged. I forced myself to finish it after taking a hiatus from it for over a month. I...more
This could have been so good. It's such an interesting story, based on the true story, of an aristocratic woman and her family who flee revolutionary France for America. It was so full of sexual situations that I had to put it down. They were thrown in there and were a distraction from the main story. Completely unnecessary.
very evocative and realistic descrption of court life at versailles and the aristocracy before and during the terror. It got a bit rushed towards the end and I felt like the author kind of crammed two books into one...Still, some amazing lyrical passages.
It was ok. Not as good as I hoped it would be. It kind of dragged and then the due date it had to be back to the library neared. I decided to not finish it and not put it on hold. So, I guess that's saying something.
Disappointed in this book. I thought more of it would be about her time in America but it wasn't. I ended up skipping sections. Guess I can't be too annoyed about not liking the ending, it was based on her real life.
The French revolution told through the eyes of a young noble woman nicknamed Bluebird. I enjoyed reading this book and it was made even more interesting because of the Kubrik movie "Barry Lyndon" which I watched from the Battelle Films series just after finishing. A combination I would recommend to anyone.
Aug 26, 2007
Emily
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
history fans, those who don't mind disorganization
Shelves:
booksofthepast
The allure of this book was its tie to actual history for me. Who doesn't find the French Revolution interesting? Well, bad question. Anyway, it's the story of a French aristocrat who has to escape the Terror with her useless husband and small children. It's not very well organized and has some cheesy moments, as well as some useless parts, but it's still intersting in some way. The protagonist herself, an actual historical figure whose letters are the basis for the story, seems strong and inven...more
I loved the book. Lucy's life was fascinating. I started reading Dancing on the Precipice by Caroline Moorehead because I wanted to know more about that time period.
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11626361
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11626361
Strange to be reading this account of the French Revolution right before election time here in the US. Grateful for a peaceful exchange of power.
a little superficial but makes me want to read a real biography of the main character;felt the story went too fast at times
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I enjoyed it as I usually do all historical novels.
Just so-so.
Aug 29, 2008
Barbara
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Fans of historical fiction...also great adventure reading.
Recommended to Barbara by:
Green Apple Books in SF
I don't often read historical fiction, so I've got little basis to compare this to. I bought this in early summer and found the receipt in the back. I'd plowed through everything else I'd purchased that day. I kept picking it up and putting it down. After struggling with the first few chapters I was hooked. Anything I can say at this point would be a "spoiler". Great beach read.
Jan 20, 2008
Jenny Jeffries
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
periodromancedramaadventure
It's reading okay so far - slightly disconcerted by it being written in the present tense, but otherwise I'm hooked
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Emigre' | 1 | 4 | 31. August, 14:50 Uhr |
Sheila Kohler was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, the younger of two girls. Upon matriculation at 17 from Saint Andrews, with a distinction in history (1958), she left the country for Europe. She lived for 15 years in Paris, where she married, did her undergraduate degree in literature at the Sorbonne, and a graduate degree in psychology at the Institut Catholique. After raising her three girl...more
More about Sheila Kohler...
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