Customer Reviews

Betsy Bonaparte

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Helen Jean Burn was my Novels class instructor and the head of my Master's thesis committee at Towson University. So when I learned that her biography of Betsy Bonaparte was due for release, I eagerly pre-ordered it; she often spoke of her research on the topic in class. My eagerness was well rewarded.

"Betsy Bonaparte" reads like a well-crafted novel--I found it nearly impossible to put down. Yet it is clearly the product of extensive and exhaustive research (painstakingly documented with copious footnotes). The historical backdrop, both American and European, against which the events of the story take place conveys the enormity of Madame Bonaparte's problems. The depth and scope of what Ms. Burn has accomplished with 200-year-old information is breathtaking.

Gleaned largely from correspondence of all the principals, Betsy Bonaparte's saga of a brief but happy marriage to one of Napoleon's younger brothers followed by years and years of struggle to survive financially, to preserve her good name and that of her son, and to gain acceptance as a woman of intellect and education, unfolds blow by heartbreaking blow. I found myself constantly in awe of how this story was literally pieced together yet proceeded seamlessly, providing great insight into the character of each person involved.

Far from being "dry history," "Betsy Bonaparte" is a moving, engrossing story that any reader with an enthusiasm for matters of the heart and home will find immensely satisfying. Buy a copy for yourself and a copy to lend to your reading friends--you won't want to risk losing your own!

Melissa Leedom
Author, "To Forgive, Divine"

Burn's biography of Betsy Bonaparte is written quite conversationally with short chapters, which will make it easy for the layperson to read. It wasn't until the end of the book where she discusses other portrayals of Betsy that you learn she has taken a completely different view of her than most of her source material. Instead of a disobedient gold-digger who defied her father's wishes to pursue a royal husband, Jerome Bonaparte (Napoleon's brother), Burn presents an engaging and smart woman who knew who she wanted to be with and where she wanted to live. Unfortunately, due to Napoleon's interference, her marriage to Jerome was declared void and she spent the rest of her lifetime trying to establish legitimacy for her son, Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte, in hopes he could inherit and marry well. However, like his grandfather, her preferred America to Europe and chose an America wife that Betsy thought was beneath him. She eventually softened and approved the marriage but her daughter-in-law never got over her initial reaction and thus limited Betsy's influence over their son Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte, Jr. who eventually moved to France and became involved with politics there. Highly detailed but not burdensome, like listening to a good friend tell a compelling story, Burn's biography of Betsy Bonaparte paints a good picture of a complicated woman searching for her happiness and later moral redemption within the Bonaparte family.