# The Bonfire of Destiny (2019)

> Three women in 1897 Paris navigate betrayal, deception and romantic turmoil in the aftermath of a devastating fire.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/79302

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 8
- Episode runtime: 52 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, history
- Created by: Karine Spreuzkouski, Catherine Ramberg
- Network: TF1
- Cast: Audrey Fleurot, Camille Lou, Josiane Balasko, Julie de Bona, Gilbert Melki, Antoine Duléry, François-David Cardonnel, Stéphane Guillon
- TMDB rating: 7.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9050352/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: mild
- Tone: melodramatic, lush, suspenseful, intimate

## What critics say

Viewers broadly praise the richly developed, suspenseful storylines, lavish period scenery and costumes, and a well-chosen cast, with the first season judged captivating and binge-worthy.

## Synopsis

The Bonfire of Destiny (2019) is a French national-television historical drama miniseries created by Karine Spreuzkouski and Catherine Ramberg for TF1. Across eight hour-long episodes, it follows three women whose lives are upended after a devastating fire in 1897 Paris. Adrienne de Lenverpré (Audrey Fleurot), Alice de Jeansin (Camille Lou) and Rose Rivière (Julie de Bona) each pursue their own ambitions, romances and secrets, while Madame Huchon (Josiane Balasko) and Marc-Antoine de Lenverpré (Gilbert Melki) appear among the principal figures tangled in the fallout. The engine of the story is a web of betrayals, forged alliances and romantic turmoil, with each episode closing on a cliffhanger that pulls the storylines together and apart. The series moves between aristocratic salons and working-class streets, a single limited run that gives its intrigue a tight, complete shape. Its register is lush and melodramatic, with sumptuous costumes, handsome backdrops and a steady undercurrent of suspense. Viewers who enjoy Downton Abbey, The Gilded Age and Les Misérables will find the same appetite for sweeping period scandal and interlocking lives.

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