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A review by rmarcelita08
Betsy and the Emperor by Staton Rabin
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!