A Family of Brigands in 1793 Paperback

What a fantastic book this is! I can’t believe it took me this long to ever hear about it. I lost sleep over it, went to bed too late because I couldn’t stop reading. It’s a lovely, easy and pleasant read. However, there are some really hard situations and denouements in the book. From the beginning you know there’s an impending doom and you’re dreading it. And yet there is so much inspiring holiness and so many heroic acts! I couldn’t help thinking that if things got truly bad in the world (even worse I mean) this would be a good read. To be inspired of people that were running to their deaths to defend King and Country, and also their love of the one true Catholic faith. I’ve been an avid reader of solid good literature, both secular and religious for over two decades and I can easily say this is one of the bese books I’ve ever read. One I’ll never forget!

This memoir of the War of the Vendee is as easy to read as a novel. It does not come across to me as sad, as others have said. While it is hard to read about the atrocities of the French Revolution, there is so much heroic sanctity that all wrongs seem to be righted. The book is full of courage, forgiveness, and unexpected conversions. The writer's sister Genevieve is clearly a saint - which shows how much goodness one pure soul can diffuse to others. They are now all in the Kingdom of God, where every tear is wiped away.

Another reviewer said this is a fictionalized account of true events written by Rev. Fr. Jean Charruau, S.J. I truly hope this is a real manuscript, and that Fr. Jean only claimed this is fictional to protect the true identity of the author and her family.

I devoured the book in two days. I read it during a silent retreat, and I could not put it down. It was heartbreaking and so spiritually enriching and I did not bother to contain my tears (they flowed unrestrained for the better part of an hour). Halfway through the book, it began to feel like the de Sérant family was my own family, and I mourned for each one of them and for a century when Faith still burned brightly in the hearts of men, despite the godlessness that threatened it. I profited from Marquise de Sérant’s advice, Genevieve’s goodness, Arthur’s and Jacque’s courage, Justine’s devotion, the Marquis’ paternal love, Tonio’s gratitude, and the staunch Faith the Vendeans demonstrated when faced with demonic forces of chaos and tyranny. Of course, Marie de Sainte-Hermine reminds me so much of myself that I didn’t like her at first but then I found myself commiserating with the pathetic figure of suffering she’d been reduced to. Even when it seemed she would get her happy ending, she continued to endure trials that only fortified her faith in God.

I’ve been reading widely about the French Revolution, and I don’t understand why anyone would dare support ideals watered with innocent blood, the blood of martyrs. The Revolution was demonic, plain and simple — it unleashed the excesses from the depths of Hades. It was a revolt not only against the Old Regime but against Christ and His Church. Sadly, the Revolution never left us; it has convulsed down through the ages and engendered the Communist Revolution of 1917. Though there are practicing Catholics in France, it never truly regained the Faith of her ancestors. Even today, France is committing crimes against Divinity (such as enshrining abortion in its constitution, which was inspired by the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen).

Ironically, the Vendeans had achieved the symbiosis the Revolutionaries “tried” to bring about: nobles and peasants working together in perfect harmony.

Overall, I found Marie’s memoir historically accurate, engaging, poignant, and unforgettable! As the reviewer below me said, if she is real, I hope to meet her, along with the rest of the de Sérant family and the brave Vendeans, in Heaven.

Vendean martyrs, pray for us!

The narrative is overall sad, but the story is just so unforgettable and I couldn't hardly put the book down.

What an amazing life and so well-told!