Mademoiselle Revolution
Book Feature - Mademoiselle Revolution by Zoe Sivak
HBL Note: I am here for historical fiction books telling the stories of the historically under-represented communities. Zoe Sivak tells the story of a biracial, bisexual fictional protagonist named Sylvie de Rosiers who was born to a white slave master and a Black slave amidst a slave uprising in the 1700s. This is a debut novel (we LOVE debuts around here) from an under-30-years-old author who, like her protagonist, identifies as both Black and bisexual. This is a historical fiction novel unlike any you’ve read before. Scroll down to read what other HBL authors have to say about this provocative debut.
“A bold and daring look at identity, sexuality, rebellion, and racism as told through the eyes of a remarkable woman…. Zoe Sivak has brilliantly woven her exquisite writing together with her meticulous level of research to create a masterful and highly relevant novel.” —Renée Rosen, USA Today bestselling author of The Social Graces
“The Haitian Revolution of the 1790s kicks off an adventurous journey…. Sivak creates riveting characters and infuses historical figures in[to] a compelling novel about a self-centered girl who grows into a strong-minded woman in a triumphant tale.” —Denny S. Bryce, author of In the Face of the Sun
Book Feature - Mademoiselle Revolution by Zoe Sivak
Book Feature - Mademoiselle Revolution by Zoe Sivak
From the publisher:
Sylvie de Rosiers, as the daughter of a rich planter and an enslaved woman, enjoys the comforts of a lady in 1791 Saint-Domingue society. But while she was born to privilege, she was never fully accepted by island elites. After a violent rebellion begins the Haitian Revolution, Sylvie and her brother leave their family and old lives behind to flee unwittingly into another uprising—in austere and radical Paris. Sylvie quickly becomes enamored with the aims of the Revolution, as well as with the revolutionaries themselves—most notably Maximilien Robespierre and his mistress, Cornélie Duplay.
As a rising leader and abolitionist, Robespierre sees an opportunity to exploit Sylvie’s race and abandonment of her aristocratic roots as an example of his ideals, while the strong-willed Cornélie offers Sylvie safe harbor and guidance in free thought. Sylvie battles with her past complicity in a slave society and her future within this new world order as she finds herself increasingly torn between Robespierre's ideology and Cornélie's love.
When the Reign of Terror descends, Sylvie must decide whether to become an accomplice while a new empire rises on the bones of innocents…or risk losing her head.
