Bluebird, or the Invention of Happiness

by Sheila Kohler

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 dairy farm in the Hudson Valley, she discovers a new life-and her true self.

Genres: Historical Fiction, France, Fiction, 18th Century, French Revolution, Historical, Book Club

384 pages, Paperback

First published April 17, 2007

About the author

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 girls, she moved to the USA in 1981, and did an MFA in writing at Columbia.

In the summer of 1987, her first published story, “The Mountain,” came out in “The Quarterly” and received an O’Henry prize and was published in the O’Henry Prize Stories of 1988. It also became the first chapter in her first novel, "The Perfect Place," which was published by Knopf the next year.

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 also found it to be rather depressing and certain events were paraphrased, in my opinion, into short one or two page chapters. Overall, I wanted a lot more from this book, and came away feeling relieved to be finished the book but also wishing it had been something else.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 Louis the 16th, an age to rival the Other Boelyn Girl. (which also shows how corrupt court life was among Henry the 8th). I think the author does spend way too much time on their farm in America and not enough on their return to France, which I would have found way too interesting as French society went through major upheavals with their government changing several times up to the defeat of Napoleon. Lucy does change but you would be surprised at how little the character is really developed. Otherwise, fun and exciting to see what happens to them.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

2020 reading challenge category: A book with a bird on the cover

Basically a fictionalized biography; nice, but there's a LOT going on in the background here that I feel like could have actually made the book a lot more interesting if it had been more fully incorporated instead of just having it as background at the beginning of each chapter. I studied the French Revolution in school (and actually wrote my thesis on it) so I think I had a lot more context as to what was happening and why it was interesting and important and affected these people so intensely.

Also there was a lot time spent on the ship, more proportionally than it was important to the story, I think.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the first 300 pages of this book. The story of the Terror in France, French court and the journey to America were captivating. The final 70 pages of the book fell flat. They were a superficial grazing through topics that lacked depth and any development. It was like the author realized that it was time to wrap up the book but still had a list if things she wanted to cover. Very disappointed with the lack of attention the last part received.

[Belinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 "Bluebird" is a good representation of why storylines and character development is more art than formula. I caught a few glimpses of deeper reckoning on the part of the heroine, Lucy, but then they were blotted out by heavyhanded plot development.

And then there's the awkward "hinting" -- when a tertiary character stares your heroine down to ask her "if your husband were to cheat on you with your friend..." We get it. He cheats. They all cheat. Lucy knows that. What she does about it says more about her character -- or, if the author lets the implication limp off with no definition from our heroine, we get that the literary editor missed a huge opportunity to have the author shore up her character.

I won't spoil the ending for you, but I will say that the character of Lucy simply imploded for me by the end. Are those really the choices a woman of her "backbone" would make?

It's readable, but don't bother. Re-read the Chevalier.

[Kimm · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 uninteresting bits. Lucy’s childhood in France and her observations of the French court seemed a little tiring. Her escape from France perked me up a bit more and her accounts of life in America highlighted the story for me (something I wish had been more developed in the book).

Without a doubt, I was completely annoyed by the change in narrative throughout the book. First person versus Third person…decide on one point of view and stick with it!! Completely irritating. Does anyone else find this tactic bothersome? I can take it in small doses, but the change up permeated the story and went a little too far for my tastes.

Lovers of French fiction may be able to overlook the issues I found exception with—also, there are some nice descriptions of life in 18th century France.

[Hawley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was nothing like the description on the back. It jumped back and forth in time too much and the constant change of timeline had no connection to what was happening on the most recent page. It just wasn't at all interesting after the first couple of pages and at one point I found myself thinking in depth about the most recent episode of Grey's Anatomy I had just watched even though I was reading at the same time. I think this book would have been more enjoyable if it had of started in France and then followed the characters as they escaped and made their way to North America as the passage to their new home was the most interesting part of the book. I'm sorry for the negative review but I always feel than an explanation in warranted if I have left a low rating.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 inventive, if rather created mostly for the pages of this book. So, I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone, but I wouldn't snatch it from someone's hands to keep him from reading it, either.

[Korene · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 beat the British, and it was the funds Louis XVI gave America that helped bring the Royals down.
We owe France a great amount of gratitude for our free country!

[Joni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucy Dillon is a semi orphan child coming of age and marriage at the beginning of the French Revolution. She grows up amid the splendor of Versailles and Marie Antoinette's court. When the revolution comes, a struggle for life and the survival of her aristocratic family falls upon her petite shoulders. A daring escape to America follows. Gritty, realistic and an interesting view of what befell many rich families during the period known as "the terror."

[Wendy Richmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Jennifer Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bluebird, or The Invention of Happiness, is the fictionalized account of real-life French aristocrat Henriette Lucy Dillon. The story follows her, her husband, and her two young children as they flee the Terror and escape to Upstate New York. Through flashbacks, we learn of Lucy's privileged yet ultimately loveless childhood, her semi-arranged marriage to a military officer and Count who is very educated, yet lacking in common sense.

I felt the book was a bit of a slow burn; although the recounting of her life at court is interesting, I was much more intrigued by her escape to America and her experiences establishing a farm near Albany and hobnobbing with the Schuylers and VanRensselaers. I also don't think that Lucy was a fully drawn character; there was a lot of admiring her "luminescent" quality throughout the book, but she doesn't seem worthy of the awe she inspires (especially in men) until after her aristocratic life comes crashing down.

[Nichole Heady · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably more like a 3.5-star read. Definitely a great book. I am quite partial to the French Revolution and Marie Antoinette and have read a lot of non-fiction about the two. That knowledge and background helped me to enjoy this book much more than the average person might, just because a lot of background of the politics was not fully explained. The character development was well-done for the main character Lucy, but it seemed be lacking for others. Especially her husband Frederic. It was interesting to read a fictional account of actually escaping France during such a tumultuous time in the country’s history. This perspective was well written.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

""A sweeping historical novel, Bluebird, or the Invention of Happiness is based on the life 0f 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 dairy farm in the Hudson River Valley, she discovers a new life -- and her true self."
~~back cover

I'm not sure why I acquired this book -- I'm not especially interested in French history, which is mostly what the book is about. I did finish the book but I'm surprised that I did, given that I waded through the last 3/4s of it.

[Tara Gray · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm 52% through the book on my Kindle, and I give up. I like historical fiction. I simply cannot get past all of the typos. Additionally, commas are frequently where they do not belong. These kinds of mistakes ruin a story for me, and I'm calling it quits.

[Jane Mendelblatt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just OK

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novel of the French Revolution told from the perspective of a noblewoman who must prevail against all the odds society has set against her.

[Leslie]

I loved that this book is based on the memoirs of a real person-Mme. de la Tour du Pin. Interesting history of the French revolution and the lives of aristocrats at that time.

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bumpy writing
Did make me more interested in the French Revolution

[Sreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining and interesting, set in the French Revolution.

[Gigi Sandoval · Rating 2 out of 5]

My review of Bluebird, Or The Invention of Happiness by Sheila Kohler

Read from 6/9 - 7/11/25

OVERALL RATING: 2 out of 5 stars
- Writing: 3 out of 5 stars
- Characters: 2 out of 5 stars
- Story/Idea: 1 out of 5 stars

Tags and keywords: Historical Fiction, France, French Revolution

SUMMARY:
A historical novel based on the life of Lucy Dillon, an 18th-century French aristocrat who survives the Reign of Terror and finds a new, meaningful life in America.

REVIEW:


WHAT I LIKED: This historical fiction book was one thoroughly researched. I feel like I learned more about the beginnings of the French Revolution, as well as its ripple effects on France’s people both in and out of the royal court, than I did in history class. I found it interesting, and at times successful, to have a not-so-loud character as the main character. Lucy’s observations about what happens in and out of the royal court give a more honest look at France’s situation before and after the revolution occurs. She depicts Marie Antoinette as unlikeable yet respectable, showing her for what she more accurately was instead of the mythical legend she became.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: Lucy being a not-so-loud character also had its flaws. For one thing, I didn’t particularly care about her. I don’t mean to say that I disliked her; on the contrary, I did like her…if I can remember her at all. There was no reason for me to see why we needed to see this story through her eyes because there wasn’t anything particularly special about her. The chapters were also too short, making the narrative appear choppy and out of pace, and there were countless descriptions of mundane activities that contributed nothing to the story, while more important scenes (such as the birth of the child she desperately wanted) are skipped over entirely. There was a constant shift of the story being told in the past and then interrupted with the character’s present-day commentary written in italics, which was a major distraction for me because this literally happened throughout the entire book. I kept forcing myself to focus, finding myself rereading the same paragraph over and over again because I wasn’t fully engaged.

This was NOT a bad book, it just wasn’t a good book for me.


***BOOK 21 OF MY 2025 READING CHALLENGE***

Memorable Quotes:

– She feels light, free, unencumbered by her tresses, her useless vanity, her illusions.

[Mallory · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 family manage to catch a ship leaving for America and flee the Terror, we can see just what this woman is made of. She truly is born to be an American. The young country suits her and she embraces it. Her new world mentality is contrasted with that of her husband Frederic, who feels uprooted and longs for the day when he can return to France, his country, despite the horror they left behind. I enjoyed the story, but the ending left me cold. I did not feel it fit, considering the journey that had been taken.

Favorite quotes: “You think when you are very young that you will do something that will last forever. Lasting is what is important. But if you step back and look up at the stars you realize that nothing, nothing will last much longer than a small cake of butter, perfectly made.” – Lucy Dillon Seraphin

[Sunshine · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I read the beginning for the story, it was interesting because it gave insight into the corrupted French aristocrat from the point-of-view of a young girl. However, the rest of the book was just a disappointment. I couldn’t connect to the main character Lucy Dillon. Even though she had moments of being a strong-willed woman, her character overall was dry.

This novel was boring with moments of brief excitement sprinkled throughout the book. However, I find that there's no big climax in the plot line. Towards the ending of the book, it was extremely boring because it took up a couple of chapters to describe her farming life in America. What surprised me the most was that throughout the book, I had thought that it would’ve been great if a great chunk of the story wasn’t about her life in France. But the few chapters on her life in America was so boring that I no longer mind the flashbacks to France.

At the end of the book, she and her family returned to France because her
husband couldn’t thrive in America. The description of her life back at France was extremely short which would've been more interesting if it were extended. Overall, I couldn't wait to finish the book because I didn't enjoy it. I just wanted to finish what I started. I wouldn't reread this book nor recommend it.

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 liked about the story was how the nature of the girl-cum-woman shaped her life.

There was enough story to keep me reading but in the end I felt empty, a bit cheated. Sigh.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is loosely based on the life of Lucy Dillon. The Irishwoman raised in France, who escaped the terror by fleeing to New York's Hudson Valley, only to follow her husband back to France and back to a life of heartache. The flipping from third to first person was slightly irritating as it was often done mid-scene. That is how my mind works when I'm writing, but this has proven to me why I must adjust and get back to a single POV. Overall her story, though beautifully told, was depressing. Such a sad life to commemorate. I hope she found peace in her end.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Mallory · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written book that follows a historically-based, but fictionalized account of Lucy Dillon. I did not like how the book moved between pre- and post-revolutionary France. Otherwise, the book was an entertaining and interesting read about one French aristocrats experience in and around court and how she lived through and after the Terror.

[April · Rating 1 out of 5]

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.

[Sherrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.