New Orleans, 1795. In the wake of the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror, Alix de Morainville Carpentier—a former lady-in-waiting to Marie Antoinette, now married to her gardener—seeks peace and security in the Spanish colony of Louisiana. But her journey into the man-eating swamp called Attakapas reopens the wounds of her old life in France. Alix is forced to reckon with the choices that saved her life at the cost of her honor—and perhaps her soul.
In revolutionary France, the Old World is dying; the quest for liberty, equality, and fraternity has become a nightmare where the price of dissent is blood. In the wilderness of Spanish Louisiana, a new civilization is beginning to emerge—but in this budding New World, the slave trade perpetuates the systems of oppression that sparked the revolution. Caught between old and new, scarred by trauma and grief, will Alix ever find a home where she can truly be free?
To Crown with Liberty is a historical novel based on riveting legends from George Washington Cable’s Strange True Stories of Louisiana (1888).
Praise for To Crown with Liberty
“An epic tale spanning two continents, To Crown with Liberty navigates the chasms and complexities of 18th-century colonial Louisiana and revolutionary France. Alix de Morainville Carpentier is a heroine to cheer for as she forges a new existence in a world crafted by an author who knows her history well. Bien joué!”
—Laura Frantz, Christy Award-winning author of The Seamstress of Acadie
“Ullo brings us a deep and compelling look into tragedy and triumph, loss and love, desperation and determination that showcases the most beautiful and horrible facets of humanity. Never have I seen the French Revolution, and the spirit of those who went on to build a new world for themselves, as fully as in these pages. This is what historical fiction is meant to be!”
—Roseanna M. White, bestselling, Christy-Award winning author of the Codebreakers series
“Historical fiction provides readers with a means to relive history in a creative and imaginative manner. Karen Ullo’s novel about the French Revolution and its aftermath splendidly achieves this goal, offering an enticing look at this incredibly complex era in French history.”
—Rev. Ronald D. Witherup, P.S.S., former Superior General of the Society of the Priests of Saint-Sulpice
“In stepping into the pages of To Crown with Liberty the reader steps into revolutionary France and colonial Louisiana. We find ourselves living among those who are fighting for their lives and struggling with conscience-seducing temptation in times of terror. Ultimately, we find ourselves led into the dark on a quest for light and life.”
—Joseph Pearce, author of Catholic Literary Giants
“A tour de force! Weaving together fact and fiction with characteristic imagination and exquisite prose, Ullo presents a spellbinding account of radical politics, mob violence, and personal trauma. To Crown with Liberty leaves a lasting impact.”
—Eleanor Bourg Nicholson, author of A Bloody Habit and Brother Wolf
“Karen Ullo’s To Crown With Liberty skillfully weaves together formative events from the French Revolution with the early history of Louisiana, crafting an engaging tale that speaks to enthusiasts of both early American and early modern European history alike. A great story in its own right, it could also serve as an historical fiction addendum to a period history course.”
—Phillip Campbell, author of Story of Civilization
My review:
To Crown with Liberty is a well-written split-time historical novel rich with detail. Set in France during the Revolution’s Reign of Terror and the undeveloped swamps and budding farms of Spanish Louisiana, both timelines follow former lady-in-waiting to Marie Antoinette, the noble Alix de Morainville Carpentier, who must make peace with the violence of the revolution and the harshness of life in Attakpas swamp and how she has fulfilled her obligations as a daughter, wife, friend, citizen, and faithful Catholic.
Karen Ullo’s writing is always a pleasure to read, and the story is personal and compelling, which brings life to the history in a way that is not only memorable and understandable, but relatable to present struggles involving liberty, loyalty, principles, and fidelity to God.
Having re-read the classic Gone with the Wind back-to-back with To Crown with Liberty, I was surprised at the similarities – not in character but in theme. Both portray a way of life erased by violent revolution or war, and the difficult choices made by those caught in its midst. Characters must choose between honor and capitulation, often a life-and-death decision.
To Crown with Liberty, while not the saga of Gone with the Wind, succeeds in a way that the American Civil War novel lacks, and that is in the role of personal faith. Many of the characters of To Crown with Liberty demonstrate courage and conviction that is lacking in nearly every character in Gone with the Wind.
Both novels also provide much for the reader to contemplate about personal freedom and human dignity, each depicting human slavery and contrasting it with cultures that give lip-service to freedom yet, in practice, dehumanize.
To Crown with Liberty also includes elements of romance, suspense, betrayal, and familial and fraternal love and friendship. There’s a lot there for the reader to enjoy.
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