Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
Amazon Prime includes:
Fast, FREE Delivery is available to Prime members. To join, select "Try Amazon Prime and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery" below the Add to Cart button.
Amazon Prime members enjoy:- Cardmembers earn 5% Back at Amazon.com with a Prime Credit Card.
- Unlimited Free Two-Day Delivery
- Streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with limited ads on Prime Video.
- A Kindle book to borrow for free each month - with no due dates
- Listen to over 2 million songs and hundreds of playlists
- Unlimited photo storage with anywhere access
Important: Your credit card will NOT be charged when you start your free trial or if you cancel during the trial period. If you're happy with Amazon Prime, do nothing. At the end of the free trial, your membership will automatically upgrade to a monthly membership.
-15% $19.49$19.49
Ships from: Amazon.com Sold by: Amazon.com
$12.90$12.90
Ships from: Amazon Sold by: Kuleli Books
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Follow the authors
OK
Fatal Purity: Robespierre and the French Revolution Paperback – April 17, 2007
Purchase options and add-ons
"Judicious, balanced, and admirably clear at every point. This is quite the calmest and least abusive history of the Revolution you will ever read." ―Hilary Mantel, London Review of Books
Since his execution by guillotine in July 1794, Maximilien Robespierre has been contested terrain for historians. Was he a bloodthirsty charlatan or the only true defender of revolutionary ideals? The first modern dictator or the earliest democrat? Was his extreme moralism a heroic virtue or a ruinous flaw?
Against the dramatic backdrop of the French Revolution, historian Ruth Scurr tracks Robespierre's evolution from provincial lawyer to devastatingly efficient revolutionary leader, righteous and paranoid in equal measure. She explores his reformist zeal, his role in the fall of the monarchy, his passionate attempts to design a modern republic, even his extraordinary effort to found a perfect religion. And she follows him into the Terror, as the former death- penalty opponent makes summary execution the order of the day, himself falling victim to the violence at the age of thirty-six.
Written with epic sweep, full of nuance and insight, Fatal Purity is a fascinating portrait of a man who identified with the Revolution to the point of madness, and in so doing changed the course of history.
- Print length448 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateApril 17, 2007
- Dimensions5.5 x 0.99 x 8.5 inches
- ISBN-100805082611
- ISBN-13978-0805082616
Frequently bought together
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Editorial Reviews
Review
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Holt Paperbacks; First Edition (April 17, 2007)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 448 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0805082611
- ISBN-13 : 978-0805082616
- Item Weight : 13.6 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.99 x 8.5 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #443,151 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #192 in Historical France Biographies
- #659 in French History (Books)
- #2,430 in Political Leader Biographies
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
Ruth Scurr is an historian, biographer and literary critic. She teaches history and politics at Cambridge University, where she is a Lecturer and Fellow of Gonville & Caius College. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Her first book, Fatal Purity: Robespierre and the French Revolution won the Franco-British Society Literary Prize in 2006 and was listed among the 100 Best Books of the Decade in The Times in 2009. Her second book, John Aubrey: My Own Life, was shortlisted for the Costa Biography Prize and James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 2015. She reviews regularly for the Times Literary Supplement, The Spectator, the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal. She was a Booker Judge in 2007, a Samuel Johnson Prize Judge in 2014 and is a member of the Folio Prize Academy.
Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the research quality deep, detailed, and thorough. They also describe the writing style as precise, fluent, and easy to read. Readers describe the book as a compelling, enjoyable, and enthralling read.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book deeply researched, well-presented, and informative. They say it offers a detailed analysis of the social and political climate leading up to the French Revolution. Readers also appreciate the comprehensive and well-rounded understanding of the French revolution. They mention the book offers readers a fresh and insightful perspective on an enigmatic figure.
"...She offers a detailed analysis of the social and political climate leading up to the revolution and carefully examines how Robespierre's beliefs and..." Read more
"...Nonetheless it is comprehensive and well done...." Read more
"I found this book to be one of the most interesting books I have read on the French Revolution and Robespierre...." Read more
"...Few biographies are as convincing or as enthralling as this one. It is to be recommended without reservation." Read more
Customers find the writing style precise, fluent, and readable. They also say the book is easy to read, personal, and never dull. Readers also mention the author is fair to Robespierre and writes in a fast-moving style.
"...Scurr's writing style is engaging and accessible, capturing the complexity of the French Revolution and the many layers of Robespierre's character...." Read more
"...The style of writing is very easy to read and personal so the reader feels like they are present at the events...." Read more
"...This book made it more understandable. The author is not apologizing for Robespierre...." Read more
"...Her prose is precise, fluent, and readable, and only rarely does she seem to stray from the strand of her narrative...." Read more
Customers find the book compelling, enjoyable, and enthralling. They say it's well-written and brilliant. Readers also say it is a good debut book.
"...Fatal Purity: Robespierre and the French Revolution is a captivating and deeply researched account of one of history's most controversial figures...." Read more
"...understanding Robespierre and despite the fawning praise it is well worth the read." Read more
"I thought this was well written and a pleasure to read...." Read more
"Definitely enjoyable and going well thru the motions of the "Incorruptible"'s life, with copious excerpts of his writings, if a little short..." Read more
Customers find the picture quality of the book well-balanced and comprehensive. They also say the book is clean, crisp, and looks brand new.
"...I felt Scurr did a good job of keeping a balanced view and presenting both "sides" of the story - as she says in her introduction, Robbespierre is..." Read more
"Scurr provides a well balanced picture os Robespierre. I had read Hilary Mantel's A Place of Greater Safety and Robespierre seemed interesting...." Read more
"The packaging was great. This book was clean, crisp and looked brand new. I couldn’t be happier with this seller...." Read more
"While this book presents a comprehensive portrait that satisfied my curiosity, I always felt that I was seeing Robespiere from behind a veil or..." Read more
-
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
One of the most compelling aspects of Scurr's approach is her meticulous research. She leaves no stone unturned as she delves into Robespierre's personal life, early years, political career, and his rise to power during the revolution. The book is meticulously researched, drawing from a wide range of sources including letters, diaries, and historical accounts, providing a comprehensive and well-rounded understanding of the man and his times.
Scurr's writing style is engaging and accessible, capturing the complexity of the French Revolution and the many layers of Robespierre's character. She avoids presenting a black-and-white portrait of Robespierre, instead painting him as a multifaceted individual whose ideology and actions were shaped by the tumultuous events of his time. This nuanced approach to the subject matter adds depth and richness to the narrative and keeps readers invested in Robespierre's story.
Furthermore, Scurr does an excellent job of contextualizing Robespierre within the broader historical and political landscape of the French Revolution. She offers a detailed analysis of the social and political climate leading up to the revolution and carefully examines how Robespierre's beliefs and ideologies intertwined with the larger revolutionary movement.
One of the strengths of this book is its exploration of the contradictions and complexities of Robespierre's character. Scurr explores his reputation as both the "Incorruptible" and the "Tyrant," allowing readers to understand the internal tensions and contradictions that shaped his life and decisions. This nuanced portrayal of Robespierre as a man driven by idealism and revolutionary zeal, yet plagued by paranoia and a growing thirst for power, is both thought-provoking and haunting.
If there is one minor criticism to be made about Fatal Purity, it is that at times the narrative becomes dense and bogged down by excessive detail. While the meticulous research is commendable, there are moments where the abundance of information can overwhelm readers and detract from the overall flow of the book. Nonetheless, this is a minor flaw in an otherwise outstanding piece of historical writing.
In conclusion, Fatal Purity: Robespierre and the French Revolution is a captivating and deeply researched account of one of history's most controversial figures. Ruth Scurr's comprehensive examination of Robespierre's life and role during the French Revolution offers valuable insights into the complex forces that shaped this pivotal moment in history. It is a must-read for anyone interested in the French Revolution, political ideology, and the complexities of human nature.
There is also another fascinating facet to Robespierre not mentioned in the book. Robespierre was of the steadfast opinion that Marie Antoinette must be executed for the good of the revolution. After his execution his room was searched and underneath his bed in a box they found the meager belongings she left behind at the Conciergerie prison. Included in these belongings was a final poignant letter that was to be sent to her sister-in-law asking her to look after her children. Studies show that serial killers often keep trinkets from their victims. Interesting!?
Top reviews from other countries
Or take p.25. There Mrs Scurr writes that at the Louis le Grand, the school Robespierre went to, 'the curriculum still centered, as it had done for decades. on the classic literatures of Greece and Rome'. For decades? Mrs. Scurr, it had centered on the ancients not for decades, but for centuries.
These are not little mistakes. They make clear that Mrs Scurr has insufficient grounding in her topic. She should read more, and write less.
I found this a fascinating account of the French Revolution and of Robespierre, the development of his character from someone opposed to the death penalty through to the implementation ‘The Terror’. What I found interesting was how someone with a real social conscience, concern for the people and passionate advocate of democracy and followers of the ideas of Rousseau, could turn on his friends and erstwhile supporters, Desmoulins and Danton and send them to the guillotine. The contradiction between love of and belief in ‘the people’ in the abstract and the utterly ruthless suppression of not only his enemies but close friends and co-revolutionaries was chilling and I’m my mind verging on psychopathy and yet he appears to have had genuine empathy for the poor and oppressed, empathy being an emotion lacking in psychopaths. I did not know that at the beginning of the revolution in 1789, the intention was not to overthrow the monarchy but to establish a constitutional monarchy, or thatApart from overthrowing the monarchy, or that Robespierre tried to establish a new, non-Christian religion, worshiping a Supreme Being and a new calendar and ten day week was introduced, reminding me of the Khmer Rouge’s Year Zero. The concept of thought crime and the phrase and concept of the ‘Enemy of the People’ was also born. Ruth Scurr’s book is dense with detail but very readable if you are interested in history and the history of ideas.
And still, the Revolution became mired in not just gore but a mind- numbing bureaucracy that ensured only that the factions consumed each other and the system of rank exploitation endured.