I am thrilled to welcome Michelle Moran to Diary of an Eccentric today. Michelle has been a guest on my blog several times, and her first three novels (Nefertiti, The Heretic Queen, and Cleopatra’s Daughter) have become favorites of mine. I will be reviewing her latest novel (released today), Madame Tussaud, soon. I must admit that Madame Tussaud is the one novel I’ve been dying to read this year.
Please give a warm welcome to Michelle Moran, who has stopped by to talk about Madame Tussaud:
MADAME TUSSAUD: The Woman
When most people hear the name Madame Tussaud, the first thing that comes to mind are the eerily lifelike waxworks which crowd her museums throughout the world. But who was the woman behind the name, and what was she like in the flesh?
Madame Tussaud’s story actually began in 18th century Paris. While most people know her from her famous museum in London, it was in France, on the humble Boulevard du Temple, where Marie first got her start as an apprentice in her uncle’s wax museum, the Salon de Cire. At the time, the Boulevard du Temple was crowded with exhibits of every kind. For just a few sous a passerby might attend the opera, watch a puppet show, or visit Henri Charles’ mystifying exhibition The Invisible Girl. The Boulevard was a difficult place to distinguish yourself as an artist, but as Marie’s talent grew for both sculpting and public relations, the Salon de Cire became one of the most popular attractions around. Suddenly, no one could compete with Marie or her uncle for ingenious publicity stunts, and when the royal family supposedly visited their museum, this only solidified what most showmen in Paris already knew — the Salon was an exhibition to watch out for.
But as the Salon’s popularity grew, so did the unusual requests. Noblemen came asking for wax sculptures of their mistresses, women wanted models of their newborn infants, and – most importantly – the king’s sister herself wanted Marie to come to Versailles to be her wax tutor. While this was, in many ways, a dream come true for Marie, it was also a dangerous time to be associated with the royal family. Men like Robespierre, Marat, and Desmoulins were meeting at Marie’s house to discuss the future of the monarchy, and when the Revolution began, Marie found herself in a precarious position. Ultimately, she was given a choice by France’s new leaders: to preserve the famous victims of Madame Guillotine in wax, or be guillotined herself.
Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution is the story of Marie’s life during one of the most tumultuous times in human history. Her survival was nothing less than astonishing, and how she survived makes for what I hope is a compelling read.
Thanks, Michelle! Madame Tussaud sounds fascinating, and I’m really looking forward to reading it.
Michelle would like to offer a signed, hardcover copy of Madame Tussaud and a pair of Marie Antoinette cupcake earrings to one lucky reader!
To enter, please leave a comment telling me why you want to read the book, and be sure to include your e-mail address. This is an international giveaway and will be open until 11:59 pm EST on Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011.
**Please note that this giveaway is now closed**
Disclosure: I am an Amazon associate.
© 2011 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
Please count me in as I would love to read this – the ear rings are a bonus!
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I think this sounds like a fantastic historical novel, and was hoping to get a copy. Please sign my up; the author sounds very talented.
bibliophilebythesea AT gmail DOT com
thanks so much Anna.
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This just sounds so fascinating. I can’t wait to read this one. No need to enter me since I have this book. But those cupcake earrings are cute.
Good luck to your entrants, and I posted this in my sidebar for you!
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Thanks, Serena! I really appreciate it.
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Right from when I was a child, I was intensely fascinated with Madame Tussaud. I didn’t know too much of her history but her name was legend. I would love to know more about the face behind my childhood obsession!
ReadingOnARainyDay at GMAIL dot COM
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The era of the French Revolution is interesting, exciting, and of course distressing. Reading of it through the eyes of Madame Tussaud sounds intriguing. Thanks for the giveaway.
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I can’t wait to read this book because I have read all of her other books and loved them.
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I love historical fiction and I have visited the museum in London and find it fascinating.
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Now with the addition of the ear-rings I believe it is for women only. I love the premise of this story very much.
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You could always give the earrings to someone as a gift. The book definitely is for everyone!
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I would love to read this book to learn more about Madame Tussuad. She was such an unusual , talented and intelligent woman. She rose to promience and have to save her own neck at the end. I really want to know all the details of this woman’s life.
CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com
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Thank you for featuring Michelle Moran on your blog, Anna! I’ve only read her book, Cleopatra and loved it I’m very interested in Madame Tussaud. I never realized that she was the person behind the Wax Museum here in NYC and in London, too. I thought it was just a name (yep, embarassing! ) So I am really looking forward to reading Michelle’s book especially as I know she puts so much research and hardwork into her books and writes then beautifully!
I love the little bit of info in this post, it whets my appetite to read Madame Tussaud’s story!
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I will admit that I know nothing about the French Revolution and also didn’t realize Madame Tussaud was an actual person. Just goes to show how much we really do learn from reading!
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I really want to read Madame Tussaud because of the time in which she lived. It is intriguing how she knew so many prominent people and yet her art saved her from becoming a victim during the French Revolution. (I’d like to give the earrings to my daughter as well as pass along the book after I read it.)
shetreadssoftly(at)gmail(dot)com
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I think this book sounds fascinating! I love reading historical fiction, and the time period and character in this one just sounds so interesting. I tried to win this on Goodreads, but no luck!
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Oh, my email is: jleigh_ar at hotmail dot com
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I olev her previous books and haven’t read much about French Revolution related. Please sign me in!
crimson_haze(at)hotmail(dot)com
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I hadn’t realized Madame Tussaud was a real women — I mean, I suppose I knew on some level — but Moran’s book has really brought home the woman she was. Don’t enter me in the contest — I’ve got this one already — but wanted to say thanks to both you and Michelle for the guest post!
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You’re very welcome! 🙂
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because I have been fascinated by Madame Tussaud’s since I visited as a child
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I love the background information on Madame Tussaud..this is why I adore historical fiction!!
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Me, too!
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I really enjoyed Michelle’s Nefertiti, so I would like to enter your giveaway.
Mary Simonsen, quailcreekpub@hotmail.com.
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Don’t enter me, I just got this book and really look forward to reading it. Love the earrings too. What a great idea!
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I would like to read this because I think it’ll be great to learn about the real woman behind the famous name.
lovemybabysquid@yahoo.com
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Madame Tussaud’s story sounds fascinating! I would love to read about her work, her life, and her survival techniques. 🙂
Wonderful guest post and giveaway, Anna.
suko95(at)gmail(dot)com
I will post this giveaway in my blog’s sidebar.
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Thanks, Suko! I really appreciate it.
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Madame Tussaud just sounds like a fascinating, strong, talented woman. And surviving the Revolution was probably amazing given her position.
carolsnotebook at yahoo dot com
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I am really fascinated with this historical period and I love wax museums. So creepy and fun!
Thanks for the giveaway.
darrowenator (at) gmail (dot) com
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Wow…this brief synopsis sounds so interesting. Madame Tussaud museum has become a legend in itself and I would surely like to know history behind it.
Please sign me in.
My email: r(dot)ruchi100(at)gmail(dot)com
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I want to read this because it sounds really good and I want to learn more about Madame Tussaud! I always enjoy Michelle’s books!
mittens0831 at aol dot com
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Sounds fantastic! I love a good historical. I have Nefertiti in my TBR pile.
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Thank you!
I have to sadly admit that she’s a favorite author of mine that I’ve never read…and I own three of her books. I know!! I think I need to take a holiday and read all her books.
I am so excited she is trying a new genre out. I love the French revolution and so reading about a character that I don’t know much about is always a fun time. Thanks!
Amanda
libraryofmyown at gmail dot com
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I want to win this because I’m a Michelle Moran fan. I love her books!
Ladytink_534(at)yahoo(dot)com
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I think that Madame Tussaud is extremely interesting and would love to learn more about her and her legacy. Plus, those earrings are adorable!
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I want to read this book because I think Madame Tussaud is a unique & interesting character to read about.
Thanks for the giveaway!
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Thank you fo rsuch an interesting review. Please count me in the giveaway.
Thank you,
Mervat.
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This contest is now closed. Thanks to all who entered and/or stopped by for the guest post. The winner will be chosen randomly and announced soon.
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How interesting to learn about someone who is so famous but about whom so little is known.
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