Scan barcode
geneticginger's review against another edition
3.0
I would give this about a 3.5. I would have given it a four, but much of the story was made up by the author which made me a bit mad. Betsy never tried to free the emperor. She was his friend, but probably not to the extent the book portrayed it. However, I really enjoyed the story and the writing, and I think of Napoleon in a different light now.
ra042312's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
pugluver11's review against another edition
5.0
Well I wasn't expecting much from this book, but I was very pleasantly surprised. The friendship between Betsy and the emporer is really adorable. It was so sad when Betsy and her family had to leave St. Helena. I was expecting a happily ever after story, but that didn't happen. Overall, amazing book.
femmerien's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book when I was 12 and have been deeply fascinated with Napoleon and his exile to St. Helena ever since.
This is a very touching work of historical fiction. Based on true events documented by [a:Lucia Elizabeth Balcombe Abell|439081|Lucia Elizabeth Balcombe Abell|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] herself in [b:Recollections of the Emperor Napoleon, during the first three years of his captivity on the island of St. Helena: including the time of his residence at her father's house, The Briars,|11441831|Recollections of the Emperor Napoleon, during the first three years of his captivity on the island of St. Helena including the time of his residence at her father's house, The Briars,|Lucia Elizabeth Balcombe Abell|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|16375569].
I love how the emperor is portrayed in this book and how Betsy gave him a last chance at true companionship.
This is a very touching work of historical fiction. Based on true events documented by [a:Lucia Elizabeth Balcombe Abell|439081|Lucia Elizabeth Balcombe Abell|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] herself in [b:Recollections of the Emperor Napoleon, during the first three years of his captivity on the island of St. Helena: including the time of his residence at her father's house, The Briars,|11441831|Recollections of the Emperor Napoleon, during the first three years of his captivity on the island of St. Helena including the time of his residence at her father's house, The Briars,|Lucia Elizabeth Balcombe Abell|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|16375569].
I love how the emperor is portrayed in this book and how Betsy gave him a last chance at true companionship.
rmarcelita08's review against another edition
4.0
In 1815, after being defeated by the British in Waterloo, former French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was banished to the forsaken island of St. Helena. Fallen from grace, Bonaparte soon finds refuge in the form of fourteen-year-old Betsy Balcombe. Betsy, whose family reluctantly houses Bonaparte, also finds herself intrigued by the emperor. Their unlikely friendship inspires Betsy to hatch a dangerous plan to help the emperor escape.
To be honest, when a friend of mine suggested this book to me, I was not sure that I would read it. The plot sounded inviting, sure, but the whole package of the book discouraged me from picking it up. I guess that's the truest definition of "don't judge the book by its cover", because once I started reading the first several pages, I was immediately hooked.
Everyone has heard of the great emperor slash general Napoleon Bonaparte. He was, and is, a legend. He appears in history books and must be one of the most famous person from history the world has ever known. But how many people have ever heard of rebellious, brave and adventurous Betsy Balcombe? I had never heard of Betsy before this book. I was not even sure that Betsy really existed. But after a few researches, I found out that Betsy was a real person, and that her friendship with Bonaparte was not at all fictitious.
Well, this book depicts Betsy as a true heroine. A fearless, brave soul who was trapped in the prison-like island of St. Helena. She was a free and wild spirit, and is fun to read. She attracts attention, and that's exactly what kept me reading. The plot is also very brilliant and mindblowing. I learned a side of Napoleon Bonaparte that I didn't even know before. My resentment towards him grew into sympathy. The characters of Betsy and Bonaparte are described in such a way that not only do we fall in love with them, we root for them.
The pace of the story, though, is confusing to me. Some parts are described in close details, such as Betsy's first encounters with Bonaparte. While others, such as Betsy's last moments with the emperor on St. Helena, went by in a blur. I believe that the pace is wrongly placed in a few parts of the book. Adding a little more detail, a little more description on Betsy's thoughts or feelings would help. I was especially disappointed with Betsy's narration in the wake of Huff's death. She had a close relationship with Huff; she liked him, she looked up to him. Now he died, partly because of her fault. She was a fourteen-year-old girl. Fearless, yes, but she was still fourteen years old. How would a fourteen year old handle the death of a close friend, with the knowledge that she was partly to blame? I think Betsy handled Huff's death too lightly; or, at least, her grief was not clearly exposed, like I believe it should be. It was not only Betsy's daring actions that made us fall in love with her, but also her thoughts and characters. They are what makes Betsy Betsy.
Another criticism I have for this book, is the excessive use of the exclamation mark. There were parts where the exclamation mark was not necessary, and although they were placed to make an emphasis, it just didn't feel fit for me.
All in all, this book is great, and I regret for not reading it earlier. This book reminds me all over again why I love historical fiction. Bravo, Staton Rabin!
To be honest, when a friend of mine suggested this book to me, I was not sure that I would read it. The plot sounded inviting, sure, but the whole package of the book discouraged me from picking it up. I guess that's the truest definition of "don't judge the book by its cover", because once I started reading the first several pages, I was immediately hooked.
Everyone has heard of the great emperor slash general Napoleon Bonaparte. He was, and is, a legend. He appears in history books and must be one of the most famous person from history the world has ever known. But how many people have ever heard of rebellious, brave and adventurous Betsy Balcombe? I had never heard of Betsy before this book. I was not even sure that Betsy really existed. But after a few researches, I found out that Betsy was a real person, and that her friendship with Bonaparte was not at all fictitious.
Well, this book depicts Betsy as a true heroine. A fearless, brave soul who was trapped in the prison-like island of St. Helena. She was a free and wild spirit, and is fun to read. She attracts attention, and that's exactly what kept me reading. The plot is also very brilliant and mindblowing. I learned a side of Napoleon Bonaparte that I didn't even know before. My resentment towards him grew into sympathy. The characters of Betsy and Bonaparte are described in such a way that not only do we fall in love with them, we root for them.
The pace of the story, though, is confusing to me. Some parts are described in close details, such as Betsy's first encounters with Bonaparte. While others, such as Betsy's last moments with the emperor on St. Helena, went by in a blur. I believe that the pace is wrongly placed in a few parts of the book. Adding a little more detail, a little more description on Betsy's thoughts or feelings would help. I was especially disappointed with Betsy's narration in the wake of Huff's death. She had a close relationship with Huff; she liked him, she looked up to him. Now he died, partly because of her fault. She was a fourteen-year-old girl. Fearless, yes, but she was still fourteen years old. How would a fourteen year old handle the death of a close friend, with the knowledge that she was partly to blame? I think Betsy handled Huff's death too lightly; or, at least, her grief was not clearly exposed, like I believe it should be. It was not only Betsy's daring actions that made us fall in love with her, but also her thoughts and characters. They are what makes Betsy Betsy.
Another criticism I have for this book, is the excessive use of the exclamation mark. There were parts where the exclamation mark was not necessary, and although they were placed to make an emphasis, it just didn't feel fit for me.
All in all, this book is great, and I regret for not reading it earlier. This book reminds me all over again why I love historical fiction. Bravo, Staton Rabin!
celevstial's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
jselliot's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
madamereads captured my thoughts on this historical YA pretty well!:
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/9d26243f-ea7a-4129-92b2-a5d9b328a4ff
.
SO. MANY. FEELINGS. This is a spectacular story, one of the best historical fiction books I've ever read.
I started out with no expectations. I plucked it from the shelf at my local recycled bookstore and thought "Hey, this looks interesting," and went from there. Oh my sweet Mother Mary am I glad I did!
First of all, I love Betsy. She is a likable, headstrong heroine, but doesn't come off as your run of the mill "oh, I'm an independent, stubborn heroine that doesn't every want to fall in lo- OH MY WORD A BOY". She struggles with the confines of her gloomy home and family relationships.
Speaking of relationships, I completely adore how the author portrays Napoleon, and his friendship with Betsy. In this story the reader sees a completely different, kinder side to the Emperor that is rarely shown in any books or movies about him. He and Betsy have one of the sweetest, most wonderful friendships I have ever read in my life. They clearly grow to care very much about each other and it shows as the book goes along. Later the reader sees Napoleon's love for Betsy is a little more than merely platonic, but I think it makes there relationship that much sweeter.
In the end, I think the epilogue was the perfect touch to complete the story. I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't elaborate, but again I say, it was perfect.
oceanweeks's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
amarrymeinbostonacademic's review against another edition
5.0
It's been a long time since I've read a book in one sitting but that's what I did with Betsy and The Emperor . I've actually been excited for this book for a while and I'm glad that I've finally been able to read this. I am a bit of a history buff and for some reason or another, I've always loved Napoleon Bonaparte so I may be a little biased when it comes to rating this book high.
The story itself was beautifully crafted from start to finish. It made me feel almost as though I were Betsy. Clearly you understood how important and deep their friendship was. Napoleon's character is strange and loveable. There was constant action but it never distracted from the plot. This story makes me want to read the real Betsy's accounts of her life on St. Helena as Napoleon's friend.
I would recommend this book to anyone, history-lovers or not. It is such a wonderfully written story.
The story itself was beautifully crafted from start to finish. It made me feel almost as though I were Betsy. Clearly you understood how important and deep their friendship was. Napoleon's character is strange and loveable. There was constant action but it never distracted from the plot. This story makes me want to read the real Betsy's accounts of her life on St. Helena as Napoleon's friend.
I would recommend this book to anyone, history-lovers or not. It is such a wonderfully written story.
madamereads's review against another edition
5.0
SO. MANY. FEELINGS. This is a spectacular story, one of the best historical fiction books I've ever read.
I started out with no expectations. I plucked it from the shelf at my local recycled bookstore and thought "Hey, this looks interesting," and went from there. Oh my sweet Mother Mary am I glad I did!
First of all, I love Betsy. She is a likable, headstrong heroine, but doesn't come off as your run of the mill "oh, I'm an independent, stubborn heroine that doesn't every want to fall in lo- OH MY WORD A BOY". She struggles with the confines of her gloomy home and family relationships.
Speaking of relationships, I completely adore how the author portrays Napoleon, and his friendship with Betsy. In this story the reader sees a completely different, kinder side to the Emperor that is rarely shown in any books or movies about him. He and Betsy have one of the sweetest, most wonderful friendships I have ever read in my life. They clearly grow to care very much about each other and it shows as the book goes along. Later the reader sees Napoleon's love for Betsy is a little more than merely platonic, but I think it makes there relationship that much sweeter.
In the end, I think the epilogue was the perfect touch to complete the story. I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't elaborate, but again I say, it was perfect.
I started out with no expectations. I plucked it from the shelf at my local recycled bookstore and thought "Hey, this looks interesting," and went from there. Oh my sweet Mother Mary am I glad I did!
First of all, I love Betsy. She is a likable, headstrong heroine, but doesn't come off as your run of the mill "oh, I'm an independent, stubborn heroine that doesn't every want to fall in lo- OH MY WORD A BOY". She struggles with the confines of her gloomy home and family relationships.
Speaking of relationships, I completely adore how the author portrays Napoleon, and his friendship with Betsy. In this story the reader sees a completely different, kinder side to the Emperor that is rarely shown in any books or movies about him. He and Betsy have one of the sweetest, most wonderful friendships I have ever read in my life. They clearly grow to care very much about each other and it shows as the book goes along. Later the reader sees Napoleon's love for Betsy is a little more than merely platonic, but I think it makes there relationship that much sweeter.
In the end, I think the epilogue was the perfect touch to complete the story. I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't elaborate, but again I say, it was perfect.