The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B.
by Sandra Gulland
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Book Summary Information
Author: Sandra GullandEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Published)
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 1999-08-03
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 448
Publisher: Touchstone
Book Reviews of The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B.
Book Review: Wonderful
Summary: 5 Stars
I just stayed up until the wee hours of the morning last night to finish this book, and it was worth every minute! Gulland makes Josephine Bonaparte's diary so intimate, so immediate, that readers are drawn in from the very beginning. The story begins with Josephine in Martinico, the island on which she spent her childhood. We follow her through her first love, her marriage and her children, see her friends and go through a (VERY poignant) time with her in prison during the Revolution, and then see her meet and marry Bonaparte.
Through it all, Josephine is portrayed sympathetically- by the end of the book, I truly =loved= her. She is so kind to her friends, tries so hard to help those around her, and forgives. And forgives. And forgives. It is impossible =not= to like her, and so it is easy to see why she was so popular in France, and how Bonaparte was captivated by her.
I was thoroughly enthralled by this book and look forward to reading the other two books in the series as well- I hope they will be up to par with this one.
Summary of The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B.
In this first of three books inspired by the life of Josephine Bonaparte, Sandra Gulland has created a novel of immense and magical proportions. We meet Josephine in the exotic and lush Martinico, where an old island woman predicts that one day she will be queen. The journey from the remote village of her birth to the height of European elegance is long, but Josephine's fortune proves to be true. By way of fictionalized diary entries, we traverse her early years as she marries her one true love, bears his children, and is left betrayed, widowed, and penniless. It is Josephine's extraordinary charm, cunning, and will to survive that catapults her to the heart of society, where she meets Napoleon, whose destiny will prove to be irrevocably intertwined with hers.Since completing high school history, few of us have managed to keep straight the details of the French Revolution. Beyond suggestions of eating cake and the effectiveness of the guillotine, this sordid time period has remained--for many--somewhat obscure. Now, through the novel The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B., not only do we learn of the many differences between Robespierre and Rousseau, but we gain insight into the marriage of one of history's greatest political couples: Napoleon and Josephine.
Standing beside the charismatic Napoleon, Josephine's own importance and fascinating history have often been overshadowed. In a fictionalized account of Josephine's diaries and her correspondence, author Sandra Gulland has shed light on Josephine's pre-Napoleon life. This, the first of three books about Josephine, covers her childhood in Martinique, her first marriage, the birth of her children, her life during the revolution, and her marriage to Napoleon.
A poor Creole outsider as well as a rising socialite, Josephine experienced both the horrors of imprisonment and the privilege of connections. Utilizing these different perspectives, Gulland takes special care to bring forth the reality of life in late 18th-century France. Though she can only theorize on Josephine's emotions and desires, Gulland's talented writing and the restrained use of footnotes keep the reader properly informed on pertinent details, whether they be obscure political events or voodoo beliefs. While professional historians may bristle at the artistic license Gulland employs, most readers will find her novel a satisfying and engaging introduction to this dramatic period. --Nancy R.E. O'Brien
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