The Warble
The Official Blog of Karen Ullo
Discussion Questions for To Crown with Liberty
If you’re planning to read To Crown with Liberty with your book club, class, etc., here are a few questions to help you get the discussion started. I’m offering this content free to anyone. You’re welcome to copy/ paste these into a Word doc or other file for printing and distribution.
To Crown with Liberty by Karen Ullo
Discussion Questions
Memorable Scene
What was the most memorable scene in your opinion? Why? What emotions did it evoke for you?
New Orleans
Have you ever been to New Orleans? Was there anything about the presentation of the city in 1795 that surprised you? Anything that felt familiar?
Paris
Have you ever been to Paris? Was there anything about the presentation of the city that surprised you? Anything that felt familiar?
Did you know that the Champs de Mars, the site of both the Fête de la Fédération to celebrate the anniversary of the fall of the Bastille and the Champs de Mars massacre, is better known in our century as the site of the Eiffel Tower? Does that change anything about how you look at one of the most famous landmarks in the world?
Liberty
Why do you think the book is called To Crown with Liberty? According to the book, what do you think true liberty is, and who bestows its “crown?”
Religious Persecution
Describe the changes that led from a society ruled by a Catholic monarchy to one that actively persecuted the Church. Was the persecution justified? Why or why not? Was there anything that resonated with your experiences of modern society?
Martyrdom
The book is dedicated the Holy September Martyrs, one hundred and ninety-one men like Father Pontus who were killed for refusing to pledge an oath that effectively idolized the government, placing it above God. Do you think they were they right to refuse? Why or why not? What do you think about other priests, like Father Barrière in Saint-Martin, who chose to flee instead of being killed? (Both Father Pontus and Father Barrière were real people.)
Historical Figures
Which historical figures in the book did you recognize? Did you learn anything new about them? Was there anything that surprised you about the way they were portrayed?
Slavery
In the book, Alix wonders how it is possible that the Catholic Church has not condemned slavery when even the Jacobins took steps to outlaw it. In fact, many popes condemned slavery dating back to the 15th century, yet it remained a common practice not only among individual Catholics but even Catholic institutions in the New World. Alix’s question is based on the evidence of her experience, since she has no access to papal records. Why do you think this happened? Are there any moral teachings of the Church that you see faithful Catholics today violating on a widespread, everyday basis?
Pre-Order Sale on To Crown with Liberty
After nearly seven years of hard work, To Crown with Liberty is almost here! It releases May 1 from Chrism Press, and until then, you can pre-order it for 15% off. Just click here and use code TCWL15 at checkout. It’s good on both paperback and ebook orders.
You can also pre-order on Amazon, but without the discount.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
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:
“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
Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt Stop 19
Welcome to the Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt! If you’ve just discovered the hunt, be sure to start at Stop #1, and collect the clues through all the stops, in order, so you can enter to win one of our top 5 grand prizes! The hunt BEGINS on 3/14 at noon MST with Stop #1. Hunt through our loop using Chrome or Firefox as your browser (not Explorer). There is NO RUSH to complete the hunt—you have all weekend (until Sunday, 3/17 at midnight MST)! So take your time, reading the unique posts along the way; our hope is that you discover new authors/new books and learn new things about them.
Submit your entry for the grand prizes by collecting the CLUE on each author’s scavenger hunt post and submitting your answer in the Rafflecopter form at the final stop, back on Lisa’s site. Many authors are offering additional prizes along the way!
Hi! I’m Karen Ullo, award-winning author of three novels in three different genres (gothic horror, fairytale/ fantasy, and historical fiction). I’m also the editorial director of Chrism Press (part of Roseanna White’s company, WhiteFire Publishing), a screenwriter, and a classically trained soprano. My historical fiction novel To Crown with Liberty releases May 1.
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).
The French Revolution intrigues me because of the dissonance between what it claimed to stand for—Liberty, Equality, Fraternity—and what really happened during the Reign of Terror. How could the pursuit of such noble goals have such horrific results?
If we look at the question through the eyes of faith, the answer is simple. The French Revolution turned reason and rights into idols. This culminated in two state-sponsored cults, the Cult of Reason in 1792-93, and the Cult of the Supreme Being in 1794. Both sought to eliminate the practice of Christianity by turning the religious allegiance of the French people toward the Nation.
The last remaining artifact of the Cult of the Supreme Being at Saint-Sulpice Church
In To Crown with Liberty, Alix experiences the events that twisted the pursuit of liberty and equality into the Terror—events that resonate today, as we too live in an age that often values human reason above the will of God. But not even the Terror could purge the Light of Christ from the world, or from Alix’s heart and life.
I hope you’re intrigued! You can enter to win a paperback copy of To Crown with Liberty by signing up for my newsletter, or comment on this post if you’re already a subscriber. (International entries will be substituted for an ebook.) The winner will be announced March 22. You can also pre-order it here.
And now for your scavenger hunt clue.
This is Stop #19.
Your clue is every Spring.
Thank you for stopping by, and happy reading! Your next stop is with Tricia Goyer here.
The Holy September Martyrs
“This wall against which a great number of priests were killed, and still stained with the blood of the martyrs, has been transported here to be offered for the veneration of the faithful.”
I’m on the Chrism Press blog today talking about the Holy September Martyrs, to whom my forthcoming novel To Crown with Liberty is dedicated.
Like most of my saint friends, the Holy September Martyrs found me, rather than the other way around. When I started work on a novel set during the French Revolution, I had never heard of them. I had heard of the more famous Carmelites of Compiègne, whose martyrdom is often credited with ending the Reign of Terror, and I considered writing the book to somehow include or culminate in their martyrdom on the guillotine. But as I did my research, another group of martyrs nudged me and said, “No. Not the end of the Terror. The beginning.”
You can read the full article here.
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