Spirit of Lost Angels: Gripping story of the French Revolution Women (The Bone Angel)

I recommend this book to adult lovers of historical fiction. The book is a work of fiction set in an historical period in France shortly before, during and after the French Revolution. The author tells the story of a young, French provincial girl who experiences hardship, heartbreak, and joy during her lifetime. Through the main character's life, I was led to places in the heart that I did not really want to visit. In hindsight, I thank the author for making me take the journey. Life in France in the latter part of the 18th century was not easy. The rights of man and common decency were not practiced. Look at Les Miserables airing on PBS for a mental picture of how the poor, the wealthy, and the pious lived. In this book, look for two errors in the first fifty pages of the book. Look for the story of the potato. Finally, read the story of the volcano. Readers should find the storming of the Bastille interesting, but I liked the potato and volcano stories better. Before I forget, the two errors I mentioned are just about the only disturbing errors in the entire book.Thank you, Ms. Perrat, for a good read.

This debut novel from author Liza Perrat marks the beginning of what I think wil be a glowing career as a writer. I honestly feel that the quality of the writing will put the author up in the ranks of historical fiction nobility. Yes, that's how good I think this book is! I was so sad when it ended. I need more!Victoire is the book's main character and life presents trials and tribulations for her family - the Charpentiers. Their homestead is destroyed by fire. Mother is the villages midwife and herbalist. Father is a carpenter whose work becomes more difficult to find and who travels to find work. While he is away working he is crushed by the wheel's of a noblemen's carriage and barely makes it home before he dies of his injuries. Losing her father inculcates a hatred for the nobility on the mind of young Victoire. As a way to rise above their poverty Victoire's mother teaches her how to read and write - hoping that knowledge will be her salvation and her escape from their small, impoverished, village way of life.Victoire's mother deeply mourns the loss of her husband and vows publicly that "God does not exist" and that she will never enter a church after the funeral for her husband. It is at this time that Victoire begins her education in the ways and uses of herbal medicine and midwifery. The villagers, however, believe that a woman who refuses to enter a church is surely in league with the devil and that her use of herbal medicine is the work of the dark one. As a result Victorie's mother is drowned on the village's riverbank - the banks of the Vionne river. Before she is murdered she manages to pass her pendant of an angel to Victoire - and leaves her daughter to unlock the meaning of the pendant and the significance of the angel.As an orphan, the care of Victoire falls to the village priest who finds employment for her in Paris as a maid in the house of a noble family. In short order the Baron, the master of the house, takes Victoire as his mistress and - as things happen- Victoire finds herself pregnant by her despised employer. Her daughter, Rubie, is birthed with the help of the cook of the household, Claudine. Feeling that she has no other option, Victoire leaves Rubie on the steps of a church to become a foundling rather than to have them both thrown out of the house by the Baron. Victoire leaves the angel pendant and a letter with her daughter in the hopes that it will be kept for the little girl - so that Rubie will know that her mother did love her but felt she had no choice but to leave her in the hopes of providing her with a better life that she could offer her by herself.Upon the death of his wife, a fellow villager, Armond, marries Victoire to help care for his children, one of which is Victoire's childhood flame, Leon. Their early relationship becomes a secret as together Victoire and Armond build a prospering business as inn keepers. They have children, a beautiful set of twins. The fates again cast their hands and within several years Armond is dead and Victorie lapses into a severe depression, just as her mother had when her husband died. Her twins drown in the Vionne River as Victoire dozes near the river bank - they is nothing that she can do to save them and she has no memory of the event.Her severe depression causes the village to believe that Victoire is possessed and she is sent to the infamous Salpetriere asylum in Paris. This a place from which few people who walk in ever walk out. A place of unspeakable filth and depravation. Since she is considered a child murderer her life is especially bad inside the walls of this awful place. It is here, however, that she is befriended but a wealthy patron. They both craft an escape and Victoire finds herself, implausibly, financially well off thanks to the woman's generosity.As Victorie rebuilds her life she discovers the meaning of the "lost angels", has a surprising reconciliation, finds her Rubie and some modicum of ease. This is a story of strife, loss, neglect, pain, sorrow, suffering and remorse, but it is more than that. It is also a story of love, triomphe, healing and recovery. It's a story of redemption and second chances and it is about the good that can occur even in the bleakest of lives.I can't help but think that this will be the first in a long line of huge success' for Liza Perrat. She weaves this tale with consumate skill and finesse and her characters are all very well developed and they are believable people. It's a book that will leave wishing it had been so much longer! From the first page to the last it rivets your attention.I can't recommend this book more highly! If the review seems filled with hyperbole it's because I truly was amazed at what an outstanding read this was. You won't regret reading this book - it's mich more that it's modest price!Partial disclaimer:I was offered a free copy of this book for review by the author but I opted to pay for it myself instead. It's a modest price for such an incredible read.

I loved this book and highly recommend it to those who wish a glimpse of the poorer classes on the eve of France's revolution. It is a passionate and well-told story of survival and of overcoming obstacles faced by every day French women in the late 18th century. But it is much more - it vividly depicts Paris during that period, with a keen knowledge of the city's geography and of the injustices which saw the classes pitted against one another. It is also a mystery - where the main character's integrity comes under question. And last, it is a triumphant affirmation of the bond between women and of the power some women can have to better the lives of their sisters - a theme not often explored.The main character is Victoire, a young woman from the country, who suffers tragic losses, mistreatment, betrayal, imprisonment, and as a mother, the worse tortures of the mind. Perhaps it was the author's background in nursing but I felt that the passages depicting Victoire's growing emotional instability during a difficult period in her life, were believable and evocative. I enjoyed the medical attention to detail around Victoire's ordeal and her dramatic passage into the very darkness of Paris.Without spoiling it for readers, I want to say how much I enjoyed the entertaining and saucy intrigue which begins with the appearance of Jeanne de Valois-Saint-Rémy in the story. Though I had read about l'Affaire du Collier and the scandal it created around Marie-Antoinette, I ignored much about Jeanne. The adventuress can be credited for much of the spice and reversal of fortune injected into this wonderful tale. I love when authors take daring approaches to speculative history and this was perhaps my favorite passage in the book.One detail that stood out for me is the author's sensitive attention to nature, a considerate touch given the main character's country origin. Nature's presence is pervasive in this novel, not only through weather and its effects on crops and the socio-economic upheavals of the time, but also through what the main character glimpses from her surroundings as these reflect her mood and consciousness.Victoire's touching letters to her daughter Lucie, her beautiful and enterprising relationship with her husband, Armand - who was my favorite character - gave much heart to this novel. The love of a mother shines in many passages.In all, a well-researched and highly enjoyable read.

4.5*Spirit of Lost Angels is the story of Victoire Charpentier. Born in the village of Lucie-sur-Vionne in rural 18th century France during the years leading up to the French Revolution, she lives with her parents and siblings. Madam Charpentier is a healer and the local midwife, her husband a carpenter travelling from town to town plying his trade. A fierce storm when Victoire was six years old brought about a terrible tragedy and the family’s fortunes are about to take a devastating turn for the worst. Victoire is forced to take a domestic position in Paris, with a letter of recommendation from the village priest.Victoire’s troubles are only just beginning. She is now at the mercy of her employer, the Marquis de Barberon. Her belief in the cruelty and indifference of the aristocracy to the common people, born when her father was killed, only intensified and chafed. It was wholly due to the help of Claudine, the cook, she survived the Marquis’ visits and the eventual outcome.Victoire’s life is filled with tragedy, loss, betrayal and horror. She also experiences happiness and joy, especially when she is in Lucie at L’Auberge des Anges, the inn she and her husband, Armand, began together. But nothing lasts and Victoire is soon again in the direst of circumstances.After Victoire’s meeting in the dreaded La Salpêtrière Asylum, and subsequent friendship, with the notorious Jeanne de Valois, her resolve to raise awareness of the plight of women only grew. I enjoyed Victoire’s exchanges of letters with Jeanne and Mary Wollstonecraft, both of whom are not fictional, as another way to convey their thoughts on the state of affairs.Liza Perrat brings the history (obviously researched in depth), the sights, sounds and vast differences between the rich and poor of pre revolution France to life skilfully. Along with village life and Parisian society, there are wonderfully drawn and fascinating characters, realistic dialogue and some shocking scenes. Beautifully written and vividly described, the volatility of the political climate and the plight of women are shown to great effect.Spirit of Lost Angels in the first in The Bone Angel trilogy, following the women of the Charpentier family, named for the bone angel protective talisman given to Victoire by her mother and passed down through the generations.I chose to read and review Spirit of Lost Angels for Rosie Amber’s book review team, based on a digital copy from the author.

Tracy Chevalier meets Kate Summerscale, with a dose of Joanne Harris and Sarah Waters thrown in. Historical fiction is not really my bag, but when it's as good as this ... I'll take seconds.The subject of the book is the French Revolution, but from an unusual perspective. Victoire Charpentier is a peasant girl, whose mother is an angel-maker. The story of Victoire's loves, losses and triumphs is gripping in itself, but the period and location add something remarkable to this epic tale. This is a master class in weaving in historical detail so that the reader understands the gritty detail of what living in 18th century France, as a peasant woman, really meant.Perrat's other outstanding skill is her descriptive language. She appeals to all the senses, employing scents, sounds, textures and tastes, enveloping the reader in a hypnotic atmosphere. Whether narrating a summer festival in the fields or the horrors of Salpêtrière prison, this is a writer who can create the most beautiful word pictures.This is a startling insight into a terrifying time, an emotionally powerful story, beautifully told and raises many thought-provoking ideas. So much to discess, it's perfect for book clubs.

The Spirit of Lost Angels is set around the time of the French revolution. This is a very familiar period, but Liza Perrat shines a fresh light on it by showing it through the eyes of peasant girl, Victoire Charpentier.Victoire's life is as full of turmoil and tragedy as the times she lives through, but it also has its share of triumphs and the story is ultimately optimistic.As the novel, begins young Victoire expects to remain in her village home forever. Although her family is poor, their life in Lucie-sur-Vionne is in many ways idyllic. When that life is shattered, Victoire is forced to travel to Paris.Victoire is a wonderful heroine: resourceful, intelligent and brave and the author organises her adventures very cleverly to allow her to witness, and even take part in, some of the major events of the time. Neither this nor her meetings with some real historical figures ever feels forced.But what makes Spirit of Lost Angels special is the way Liza Perrat brings the times and the places Victoire experiences to vibrant life.

We follow Victoire Charpentier on her journey through life, from her impoverished childhood in the village of Lucie to her life as a successful playwright in revolutionary Paris. We suffer with her the vicissitudes of fortune, her trials and triumphs, her joys and her sorrows. Victoire suffers many sorrows and hardships, from loss of family to imprisonment, but throughout it all she remains resolute.This is definitely a book to savour. The language is rich and voluptuous, from the descriptions of the natural world to the sights and sounds of eighteenth century France. While by no means a textbook history of the Terror, Spirit of Lost Angels does not shrink from showing us the horrors of that time and exploring what life was like for women and for those considered mad.Spirit of Lost Angels is the first to be published of the L'Auberge des Anges series. The next is  Wolfsangel , a compelling story set in France at the time of the Second World War. Wolfsangel

Beautifully written. The descriptive talent of this author left me with goose-bumps on more than one occasion. I found myself wrinkling my nose when following the main character thorough squalid Paris streets or felt my skin crawl in the dank, infested cells in the Salpêtrière prison. I felt the sting and the threat of tears when loves were lost, and the jaw-jutting satisfaction at revenge exacted.It's the late 1700s. Victoire Charpentier is a peasant girl from the small village of Lucie-sur-Vionne in France. The story follows Victoire from her humble and tragic village life onto the capital, where she makes some loyal friends. However her time in Paris is not a happy one and as the consequences unfold, you get a wretched insight into the injustice and corruption of the time.However Victoire is a feisty and determined young lady who vows to rise above her poor beginnings. She takes life by the throat and makes her own luck. For someone so young to have endured what Victoire has to live through, it makes me feel a bit sheepish that my biggest catastrophe today was that I forgot my brolly. You root for Victoire, you pray for her to find what she craves and to overcome the discrimination and cruelty she suffers.From peasant girl, to successful playwright, to revolutionist and more. I couldn't put it down and finished it in two sittings. So the family didn't get dinner, but hey, they know where the cooker is! Thank you Ms Perrat. Loved it. Want more.