Perhaps she believes being a historical novelist means holding historical opinions.
It rather seems like it sometimes. Or perhaps she *is* jealous. It's a bit hard to say how Éléonore really looked based on portraits, but I certainly think that if Mantel was looking at the one in my icon, she's rather exaggerated her plainness. (As far as we know, we don't have any written testimony regarding Éléonore's looks, except that ridiculous Thermidorian pamphlet which confirms that she had dark hair - not that I would believe it, necessarily, if not for the portraits, considering the source.)

Saying - as PoGS seems to imply - that no Robespierre was not a genocidal, friend killing, blood drinking maniac but only because he was too stupid/naive to know what he was doing is not much of a defence.
I'm not sure which is worse, her view or Zizek's: that all those things are true, but good!

Sadly, I've come to realise that the turpentine I loved was not the one Éléonore would have worked with as I was working with the cheap mineral substitute.
Pity. Still, your explanation of how he could have come to like the scent is truly Gallo-worthy.