Reviews

Mme de Stael-writer, salonniere, feminist, and sometimes revolutionary-led an astounding life, as Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Gray (Them: A Memoir of Parents; At Home with the Marquis de Sade) skillfully depicts. Gray covers de Stael's entire life, from childhood to her death at 51, accurately portraying her social and political milieus. Like her mother before her, de Stael hosted salons in both Paris and Switzerland that many people prominent in French history frequented. Gray describes de Stael's numerous lovers, including Benjamin Constant and the excommunicated bishop Talleyrand, while also detailing her political beliefs, boldness, and idealism. She even criticized Napoleon Bonaparte, who frequently exiled her and also labeled her "an ugly whore." A supporter of the Enlightenment and romanticism, de Stael made a significant contribution to the literary movements of the 19th century with such works as Corinne. Gray's absorbing work joins only a handful of biographies dedicated to the life of this remarkable woman. Highly recommended for all libraries that support French history and literature collections.-Erica Swenson Danowitz, Delaware Cty. Community Coll. Lib., Media, PA Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

Novelist, philosopher, salonniere and a woman whose political genius was "worthy of the wiliest D.C. lobbyist": Germaine de Stael (1766-1817) lived many lives during the chaotic years of French history from the Revolution through the machinations of Napoleon. NBCC Award-winning author Gray (Them: A Memoir of Parents) chronicles her subject's combination of charisma and historical circumstance, manifest in de Stael's celebrated salons, impassioned literary tracts and iconoclastic personality. More than the quintessential cosmopolitan, de Stael saved lives during the Terror and launched careers. Yet before marrying her inept husband, she said, "I regret that I have not joined my fate to that of a great man; it is the only possible glory for a woman." Despite repeated exile from Napoleon's France, de Stael was as linked to the political workings of Parisian society as any of her male contemporaries. Faithful to de Stael's incessant energy, Gray follows her movements at a forceful pace, masterfully commanding a wide cast of characters while streamlining the frantic narrative of her subject's life. The reader trusts Gray completely, but wants more of the peerless de Stael. (Oct.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.