Having read a review of Hilary Mantel' most recent book, The Assasination of Margaret Thatcher, which praised both her work and ability to undergo such thorough research for each novel, I decided to give one of Mantel's books a try.
Even so, buying A Place of Greater Safety was still a bit of a whim, as I didn't have much time in which to choose, but was still desperate to be exposed to Mantel's writing. Being very interested in history, particularly the French Revolution (in which the novel is set), the book turned out to be the perfect choice for me, as Mantle's ability to seamlessly interweave fact with fiction proved to be excellent.
Mantel uses the leaders of the Revolution – Danton, Robespierre and Camille Desmouslins – as the pivotal characters, which, of course, they were, but also manages to use their characters and positions to give information about lesser known characters, such as Lucille Desmoulins, without whom the revolution may not have run in the same way.
It is interesting that Mantel chose not to focus on Marat, the sickly revolutionary leader who was famously stabbed to death in his bathtub, but instead his contemporaries, about whom there is less knowledge, particularly surrounding their private lives. In my opinion this was a clever take on the typical historical novel, which focuses mainly on well known characters.
I found the book enthralling, and at times it was difficult to put down. Mantel's ability to infer information about the leaders is very intuitive, and this is the quality which really makes this historical novel great. The only slight downside to the book, but bear in mind this is completely down to personal taste, was that at times I felt that as a reader, one had to pay very close attention to Mantel's writing to fully understand her inferences, making it a book best read when fully awake, and not, perhaps the best choice for a relaxing evening read.
Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop.
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