The Whirlwind

Ren, Chevalier de Massac, insists upon marrying Virginie Durand --though she is not of noble birth-- gives up his position at the court at Versailles, and throws himself heart and soul into the cause of the people. This book tells the eventful story of De Massac's part in the Revolution and the equally dangerous and courageous part played by his wife. De Massac, who is a friend of Danton and Robespierre, takes part in the capture of the Bastille, the storming of the Tuileries, and the battle of Wattignies, and with difficulty saves his own children from an attack by the peasants.
The author's aim has been to picture life as it really was lived in and around Paris during the Revolution. He shows with historical truth the French Court with all its glitter and its rottenness, and the life of the people in the homes and streets of Paris and in the little villages outside. Many famous characters appear in the story --Louis XVI and his Queen, Danton, St. Just, Mirabeau, and Robespierre-- and the book is alive with the conflicting passions of the time.
At the time of original publication in 1929, William Stearns Davis was Professor of Ancient History, University of Minnesota.