Book review of The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner, an historical fiction novel set during the French Revolution.
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Synopsis
Yann Margoza’s life is turned upside-down when the small group of magicians he works with are invited to perform at the Chateau of the Marquis de Villeduval. One of the group recognises Count Kalliovski (murderer, blackmailer, and all round baddie) and is quickly murdered. Yann and his mentor Têtu, escape and Yann is sent to safety in England.
Three years later, Yann returns to France at the height of the Revolution on a mission to rescue Sido, the daughter of the Marquis de Villeduval. In the meantime, The Marquis has lost his mind and Count Kalliovski insists that Sido marry him in order to pay off her father’s debts.
Can Yann find and rescue Sido? Will she leave France without the Marquis? And how does Count Kalliovski fit into their pasts?
Review
The first time I read The Red Necklace, I was about 12 years old (it’s not targeted at young adults, but then again, my mother gave me Cross Stitch to read when I was only 15 – tells you something about my family). I remembered it having a lot of witty lines, so when I came across a copy at a second-hand book sale, I didn’t hesitate to buy it.
I liked Yann. He is charming, quick-witted, and brave – everything a hero should be. Sido wasn’t as likeable but I felt bad for her. She’s foolishly loyal to a father that hates her and doesn’t actually do anything other than being a damsel in distress for Yann to rescue.
On the other hand, I loved to hate Count/Citizen Kaliovski. He is merciless and evil, but not just plain evil – there are hints of his backstory throughout the book which gives him some depth and help us to understand him.
Sido looked completely broken, her face pale, her dress filthy. On seeing her, Kalliovski was in no doubt that she would be his, regardless of the Marquis’s objections. The game was all but won.
Only two women in his life had ever had the wit to resist him. One would have nothing to do with him, and the other … the other … had revealed in him a weakness that no true gambler can afford. Weakness was what he looked for in others; to detect it in himself was unforgiveable. His strength was to know that every man had a flaw, every soul its price. Just once he had been powerless against passion, defeated by the Queen of Hearts. Never again.
I also liked how many of the characters had traits that didn’t necessarily contribute to the story. For example, Têtu is a dwarf. There is no reason for Têtu to be a dwarf; he just is. It made it feel more authentic. After all, real people have physical characteristics that don’t hugely affect their lives.
In the middle of the book, the story jumped forward a couple of years. I found this sudden and jarring. It might have worked better if it had been separated into a part one and part two, rather than trying to flow straight through without pause.
The Red Necklace does a good job of showing how out of touch the rich were during this period. For the first half of the book, the upcoming revolution is very much present but kept in the background which makes their obvious terror in the second half more understandable.
Conclusion
Have you read The Red Necklace? What did you think? Do you agree with what I’ve said about it? Let me know in the comments.
If you haven’t, you can buy it at Book Depository (they have free international shipping!) or Waterstones (free delivery on UK orders over £25, will ship internationally).
