Customer Reviews

The Josephine Bonaparte Collection: The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B., Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe, and The Last Great Dance on Earth

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As other reviewers point out, this trilogy is exceedingly readable. In my opinion, Gulland deserves more than the usual accolades for this accomplishment. The style in which she writes is very difficult to use successfully. Because the entire text is in the format of Rose/Josephine's journal entries, Gulland limits the tools that she can use to tell the story of her heroine. First, everything is necessarily written in first person. The only time the reader gets a glimpse of the points of view of other characters is through the conversations that Josephine reports. Additionally, everything is strictly in time order - no flash back or foreshadowing. Finally, Gulland does not permit herself to use omniscience in the form of a character or narrator. We must be fully satisfied by hearing about Josephine's life in Josephine's words. What a feat!

Within the confines set for herself, Gulland creates a wonderful work of fiction and of history. The characters are big and real and riveting. The pain felt today and the tension felt about the future are palpable. The many facets of each individual are described in glorious detail. The story line is terrifying because it is one woman's harrowing life, and it is one nation's journey through unspeakable trial. I was left wondering if Josephine had been in another time, in safer environs, would her beauty have shown so brightly? She is clearly a pearl before and amongst the swine of her era and situation. I definitely want to read more about her!

Other nice touches provided by Gulland include family trees for Rose/Josephine and Napoleone's families, a glossary of characters and a historical time line of events. These details help the reader to stay grounded in the reality of history. My only, very small, criticism is that the language and context seem very modern. Perhaps there are striking similarities between now and then, but it seemed a bit jarring when I began reading the first novel.

I highly recommend these books to anyone who is interested in the lives of women whether or not you are a true history buff. They also provide a great primer of the French Revolution.

The trilogy consists of these novels:

1. The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B.: Here we are introduced to Rose Tascher. She lives at a sugar plantation with her family at Martinico. Soon she is chosen to move to France and marry Alexandre Beauharnais. Rose and her family experience the French Revolution/Terror, the death of friends, and the change of life as they know it. At the end of this novel, which covers many years, Rose meets and marries Napoleon Bonaparte, and she soon must change her name to Josephine.

2. Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe: Josephine is witness to futher battles and scandal of the Revolution. Napoleon is victorious in his wars, and is elevated in popularity. Soon, after more scandal, the Directors of the Revolution are overcome and Josephine and Napoleon are the new leaders of France. This novel ends with the couple moving in to the palace.

3. The Last Great Dance on Earth: Josephine and Napoleon have been married for several years. Josephine is unable to produce an heir and rumors say that Napoleon will take another wife. Meanwhile, the Bonaparte clan would do anything to get rid of Josephine. In a few years, Napoleon does indeed divorce Josephine, and it takes a great toll on both. He is losing wars and France is falling into the enemy's hands. This is unfortunately the end of this wonderful story.

When I first began to read the trilogy, I was confused on my opinion of it because I hadn't read many novels that were like this. Yet, as I read on, I was to the point where I couldn't stop! Sandra Gulland is a great author, and I am eagerly awaiting any future novels written by her.

After seeing the painting by J.L. David, "The Coronation of Napoleon and Josephine", I wanted to learn more about the woman who was kneeling at the foot of the altar--Josephine. I was looking for something that would be enjoyable to read and would give me information. These 3 books were perfect! They were not hard to read at all, because I'm 13 years old and I undertstood them(of course, you can't exactly go by my judgement; I read Hamlet and understood it). I liked how they were written in a diary format. It's like you are reading Josephine's inner thoughts. Even though they are fiction, they are packed with historical facts. If you want to know more about this amazing woman, enjoy history, or just want a good read, these are the books for you!!

These books are like a window into another world--Josephine's life becomes like that of a real person. It sparks the imagination; I have found myself searching the internet all the time for information about clothing, art, and architecture of the time period. Josephine is portrayed in a very good light in these books, as is Napoleon--who knows how things were in real life. These books were incredibly captivating; I couldn't put them down. They are full of love and fun stories as well as fascinating history. I recommend them!

I was (happily) surprised when, after reading the first few pages, I was hooked into this book. Ms. Gulland does a fine job of intertwining fact & fiction to create a compulsively readable story. The characters are clearly & fully drawn without sacrificing important historical facts. As a French Revolution buff, I was hesitant to see what liberties the author had taken with the "real story," so I was pleased to see that this fictional journal could almost pass for the real thing.

I look forward to reading the other two books in the trilogy!

The Trilogy was a very sympathetic account of Josephine's life written in a very smooth and readable style. The thee books read like one book. The style had a very feminine feel as it emphasized the emotions of the events that took place. I enjoyed the books tremendously.

I expected very little from these books except a good beach read and I was SO pleasantly surprised at how well-written, readable and informative they were. I knew very little about this time in history and now want to know more (plus, I want to read more by Sandra Gulland!). These were SO GOOD! I went through the trilogy within a month's time and was so happy that I had #2 and #3 ready to read once I finished the previous books! I highly recommend these books.

This is probably the best set of books I have read in a long time. I was so amazed that there could be an entire book about this woman and it was only at the end where she meets Napoleone. It was wondering what the first book could possibly be about that made me purchase it and I LOVED it! I could not wait to read the others and was so sad when the trilogy finally ended. The descriptions of a woman's life, and Josephine's life in particular, at this time period was fascinating. I really, really loved them. I have given the series as gifts to several women of various ages and they have all enjoyed them. Definitely one to recommend!

Pre and post-revolutionary France are brought to life through the eyes of Josephine Bonaparte. Sandra Galland has presented the reader with a series of three books that span the life of Josephine from her youth through adulthood. The unlikely rise to Empress of France for the daughter of a middle class landowner in Martinique is brought to life through the literary devise of a fictional diary.

By the use of this literary devise Sandra Galland has created a series of books that are virtually impossible to put down. History comes to life in a most compelling fashion because it is described through the eyes of a woman experiencing the events as they unfold.

The books refrains from offering any deep analysis or criticism of the events with the exception of Josephine decrying the impact on daily life of dictums brought forward by the Revolutionary councils.

Whilst my knowledge of the French Revolution was scant prior to reading the books. The author managed to pique my interest to such an extent that I spent the entire summer reading non-fiction books on the topic of the French Revolution.

I venture to suggest that anyone who has a mild interest in history will be kept spell bound by Sandra Galland's magnificent collection.

This is a captivating and tactile series. Ms. Gulland obviously put an enormous amount of research into the books, and they are a great primer for the events surrounding the French revolution. The history, however, is a subtle bonus; the facts and historical figures are woven effortlessly into a rich narrative as told from Josephine's point of view.

A friend passed this gem on to me, and everyone I know who has read it since ended up reading late into the night, entranced by the story. I can't wait to see what this author comes up with next.