Something of an Eye Opener - Rated 
There must have been something lacking in the history lessons which I received at school, since I found Schama's Citizens something of a revelation. I had always imagined, in my simple way, that the French were starving as a result of oppression by Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, that the latter and their court at Versailles simply couldn't care less about their plight, and so the French revolution happened in order to put all this right. Aristocrats supported the King and his oppressive ways, and so they got themselves guillotined.
If one accepts that Schama's account is accurate (and it is certainly hard to doubt such immaculate and in-depth research and writing), then the whole business was a great deal more complicated than I had ever imagined, and I found the author's detailed exposee of what actually happened both fascinating and in some ways harrowing too. The extent to which the revolution went 'off the rails', and the frequency with which it did so in various different directions, are brilliantly described, and I would recommend this book to anyone who is seriously interested, as I was, in having simple preconceptions dispelled with clarity and precision.
Factually excellent, but like reading treacle! - Rated 
I bought this book because of the number of glowing reviews on the cover. However a number of these reviews are from other historians of this period and Schama's quoting of these authors in his book makes it seem like self-interested back-slapping ..."you praise my book and I'll praise yours!"
This book is probably excellent if you are already familiar with the FR, but if, like me, your knowledge is scanty (which is why you need a book)then this might not be the one.
Schama's knowledge of the period is undoubtedly impressive; however, he is not a good story teller. He has managed to turn an electrifying period of history into a processional drudge of facts.
Personally I like Schama when he is on TV; as this medium forces him to be succinct and highly focused, and this is when he is at his best. In print, it is almost as if he wants to demonstrate just how much he knows. If he cut this book from 700 odd pages to say 3-400 it would be vastly improved; even then, I'm not sure if he has the descriptive powers to make this highly readable.
So, 5 stars for content but just 1 for readability. Hence 3 stars.
Lacking - Rated 
Schama believes that the Revolution ended with the end of the Terror. This is simply not true and a marker for the sort of angle he has taken on the matter. Whilst undeniably well written, Schama offers little or no explanation for why events took place. How he manages to get away with this is a miracle, given the wealth of debate on the matter. Engaging primary anecdotes aside, that do indeed 'bring characters to life', there is little here of worth.
Anger an historian you know by gushing about how you love his lyrical prose, but don't use this to write an essay. There are works which go much deeper in markedly fewer pages. William Doyle's 'Oxford History of the French Revolution' makes up for what it lacks in style with significant benefits of analytical reasoning. Doyle is the historian's guide to the revolution.
I'm no historian but..... - Rated
.......I really enjoyed this book. I didn't know anything about the French revolution either and feel I have a much better undestanding - although in no great detail.
If you like your reading a bit more serious and factual every now and again this should be a sreious contender for your next read. Just don't get annoyed by some of the awful and often repeated grammatical errors.
Not a holiday read... - Rated
I'm an avid devourer of history when on vacation, and bought Schama's Citizens looking forward to a book along the lines of Beevor's excellent Stalingrad or Johnson's History of the American People. I would not say I was disappointed - Schama takes an iconoclastic and interesting line on the various phases of the revolution - but this is not an easy read, not is it unputdownable. I'm sure those factors were not top of Schama's list (!) but buy it if you want a serious and readable version of the events of 1795-1803, but don't expect to be gripped by it. One minor gripe - does not cover Napoleon at all!
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