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the_book_eater's review
4.0
I was very fascinated by this work, an interesting mix of fact and fiction. Sandra Gulland has made me a Josephine B. fan and now I have added her recommended reading to my TBR list.
I felt a little overwhelmed by the size of the book; what if it was boring? Well, it was anything but boring, from the beginning, the author draws you in gently and hooks you by the brain. I had to take this eveywhere with me just in case I had an opportunity to squeeze in a page or paragraph. She created just the right amount of mystery at the beginning to keep my attention without dragging it out so long I lost interest. Even knowing the outcome of Josephine's life did not deter me from reading this book, I couldn't wait to find out what was happening next.
This is not a boring book that accounts the details and daily happenings of life during the French Revolution. This book is driven by existing letters and documentation. Ms. Gulland fleshed out her research with a fascinating fictional account of Josephine's struggles, triumphs and losses.
As a side note, I found it very interesting to read the entire trilogy together. I enjoyed observing the progression and evolution of Ms. Gulland's writing, not an improvement or decline just a change that gave me a glimpse into her growth as a writer.
I felt a little overwhelmed by the size of the book; what if it was boring? Well, it was anything but boring, from the beginning, the author draws you in gently and hooks you by the brain. I had to take this eveywhere with me just in case I had an opportunity to squeeze in a page or paragraph. She created just the right amount of mystery at the beginning to keep my attention without dragging it out so long I lost interest. Even knowing the outcome of Josephine's life did not deter me from reading this book, I couldn't wait to find out what was happening next.
This is not a boring book that accounts the details and daily happenings of life during the French Revolution. This book is driven by existing letters and documentation. Ms. Gulland fleshed out her research with a fascinating fictional account of Josephine's struggles, triumphs and losses.
As a side note, I found it very interesting to read the entire trilogy together. I enjoyed observing the progression and evolution of Ms. Gulland's writing, not an improvement or decline just a change that gave me a glimpse into her growth as a writer.
eweidl's review
5.0
One of my favourite books of all time. Although it is about a thousand pages long, it is not nearly long enough. I have lent this out to many people who have in turn lent it out to others before returning it to me. My copy is battered and falling apart. This book began my obsession with Napoleon and the French Revolution in general.
velocitygirl14's review
I stayed up late to read this entire trilogy and yes, it was worth it. I didn't know much about Josephine other than she had been Napoleon's wife and had been the love of his life, more or less. So to have an intimate portrait with many other footnotes explaining things that you don't usually get in a history was great also. Loved the use of a diary to tell the stories and I liked the fact that Gulland researched so much and came up with a fleshed out portrait of a woman who often didn't get the chance to have that in posterity.
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