Mademoiselle Revolution

Last year, Zoe Sivak released her debut novel, Mademoiselle Revolution. I’ve been excited to read it, and now felt like the perfect time: June is both Pride Month and Read Caribbean Month, and this books fits both quite well! Set in the 1790s, it starts in Haiti and the dawn of the Haitian Revolution, then moves to France just as another revolution is emerging.

Summary

Sylvie de Rosiers is the biracial daughter of a white plantation owner and a Black enslaved woman. She never knew her mother and has grown up in a life of luxury, but as social unrest leads to a slave uprising and the Haitian Revolution, Sylvie must not only flee Haiti, she must come to terms with her identity. She and her brother relocate to Paris, hoping for safety, but instead finding themselves in another revolution. Combining politics, a love triangle, and Sylvie’s evolving sense of self, Mademoiselle Revolution highlights a new perspective on two major events in history.

Review

The first part of Mademoiselle Revolution takes place in Haiti in 1791. Sylvie has been raised with her two older half-brothers in a life of excess and ease. But as social unrest leads to a slave revolt, Sylvie must comes to terms with her identity as a biracial woman. Where does she fit in? How can she ignore the ancestry of her mother? This first part is, for me, the strongest part of the book. It shows Sylvie as a compelling young woman at a crossroads, and I was excited about where the story would lead.

Soon after, Sylvie and her closer brother flee to France, hoping for safety and peace. But if you know your history, you won’t be surprised that they soon find themselves in the dawn of the French Revolution. Moreover, both siblings are drawn into a circle of political thinkers and revolutionaries.

On the one hand, I liked the injection of political discourse here. Mademoiselle Revolution stars numerous real historical figures, such as Maximilien Robespierre. Even beyond debates and discussions, Sylvie becomes an active part of the revolution, for better or for worse. I love that, especially later on, Sylvie’s identity as a biracial woman is centered within the revolutionary scope.

During her time in Paris, Sylvie also engages in a years-long romance with Robespierre’s mistress, Cornélie. It’s a tumultuous love triangle with bisexual women and a man who’s always just out of reach.

While I was fascinated by the politics and enjoyed the chaotic romance, something about the Paris-set portion of Mademoiselle Revolution never fully congealed for me. It lost a bit of spark or intimacy and didn’t hold my interest as well. Even so, it’s a smart novel starring an adaptable woman with moxie and courage.

Audiobook

Imani Jade Powers does an excellent job of narrating Mademoiselle Revolution. She truly brings Sylvie’s character to life, infusing her with personality and attitude. I believe she elevated my experience of the novel with her engaging and precise narration.

Final Thoughts

Mademoiselle Revolution is a thought-provoking and well-written book. If you’re fascinated by historical revolutions, active politics, racial identity, and a bisexual love triangle, this is a novel worth reading. I look forward to Zoe Sivak’s next book!

Get the Book

You can buy Mademoiselle Revolution here – it’s available as a hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

Mademoiselle Revolution by Zoe Sivak
Audiobook Narrator	Imani Jade Powers
Audience	Adult
Genre	Historical Fiction
Setting	Haiti; France
Audio Length	14.33 hours
Format I Read	Audiobook
Original Publication Date	August 2, 2022

Official Summary

Sylvie de Rosiers, the biracial daughter of a rich planter in 1791 Saint-Domingue, is both a lady born to privilege and a damning reminder of her father’s infidelity with an enslaved woman. After a violent slave uprising begins the Haitian Revolution, Sylvie and her brother leave their parents and old lives behind to flee unwittingly into another uprising—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 guidance in free thought and a safe harbor. Sylvie battles with her past complicity in a slave society and her future within this new world order as she finds herself increasingly tugged between Robespierre’s ideology and Cornélie’s love.

When the Reign of Terror descends, she must decide whether to become an accomplice while another kingdom rises on the bones of innocents…or risk losing her head.