Customer Reviews

The Last Great Dance on Earth

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Excellent book! Great series! I read this one in a night.

This third and final installment marked the final chapters in the life of Josephine, beginning with Napoleon's reign of power and ending with Josephine's death.

Each page is filled with stories of Napoleon's love, their mutual passion, and Josephine's strength in the face of adversity. It was inspiring to discover how much she endured. Despite the difference in time periods, I think many of Josephine's trials (infidelity, anger, sacrifice) are relevant today. This is an inspiring book to read if you're going through a difficult time.

I still can't believe how fast a read this is -- how compelling -- how interesting. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't put it down. This is surprising to me, as I've never seemed to gravitate to history books. This book, however, is one amazing exception.

This is the third book in Sandra Gulland's series about Josephine Bonaparte. It is best to read all three books. They are all quick reads, very hard to put down. I had anxiously awaited the publication of this third book and I was not disappointed. This book follows Josephine from the early years of Napoleon's era as First Consul of France, through their coronation as Emperor and Empress, their divorce and Jopsephine's final years. It paints a portrait of a fascinating woman. The reader finishes the book with an understanding of how little control even the most powerful people have over their own lives. These three books enlightened me to Jopsephine's world and also increased my appetite for more books about Napoleon and his family.

Sandra Gulland is amazing! Until I picked up the first of her Josephine books, my interest in (and knowledge of) Napoleon, Josephine, and French history was minimal. I'm now enthralled! This final book in her trilogy was anxiously awaited, and I could not have been more pleased (unless, of course, history had allowed Ms. Gulland and Josephine a happier ending). The diary-style writing makes it a quick page-turner, and it truly seems as if you are reading Josephine's thoughts. Ms. Gulland blends historical fact with passionate emotion to give the reader a wonderful, personal look at two of history's most intriguing individuals, as well as a "first-hand" tale of life during that tumultuous era in France. I can't stop telling everyone about these books and my new fascination with Josephine - and I'm giving the trilogy as Christmas gifts to several people this year!

The last in the trilogy based on the life of Josephine, wife of Napolean, humanizes this historical love affair. I actually found this volume before reading the others, but have now bought the trilogy, since the style and quality is so fluid and easy to read.

Josephine's point of view is certainly compassionate in regard to Bonaparte, as well as forgiving. The book consists of her journal entries describing the success and coronation of the couple as Emperor and Empress of France. What has begun as a "people's revolution", gradually takes the form of a benign monarchy as Napolean models his court after other royal courts, albeit Kings and Queens. The attendant corruption is not surprising, as the struggle for power changes hands with flattery and deceit.

In Napolean's mind "blood is all", and the extensive and greedy Napolean clan take full advantage, while Josephine is unable to bear a royal successor. There is unremitting intrigue in the court until Josephine agrees to step aside in order that Napolean may divorce her and re-marry, in hopes of fathering a son. While there is no question that this diary is written with a bias towards Josephine's defense, the scenes are well-written, dramatic and intense. I seldom read novels in a diary format, but found this engaging and informative.

I love these historical novels. Sandra Gulland has history and imagination and great writing skills going for her. I just finished this book and can say only a few things since I am still more with Josephine than with myself: She's really entered the mind and heart of another woman, another era. I completely lose myself in her words and the loss is all gain. By which I mean: I gain my own imagination back while reading of Josephine. And most of all, this is a writer you can TRUST.

Bravo, Bravo, Bravo!! Oh, how I hated to come to the end of this series. A caution to would-be readers: Do NOT shortchange yourself and skip either of the first two books (Many Lives/Secret Sorrows, and Tales of Passion) - they all flow together seamlessly and offer an indescribable wealth of passion and intellect. Wonderfully written, deeply researched - this trilogy by Ms. Gulland is truly a treasure.

Bravo, Bravo, Bravo!! Oh, how I hated to come to the end of this series. A caution to would-be readers: Do NOT shortchange yourself and skip either of the first two books (Many Lives/Secret Sorrows, and Tales of Passion) - they all flow together seamlessly and offer an indescribable wealth of passion and intellect. Wonderfully written, deeply researched - this trilogy by Ms. Gulland is truly a treasure.

I had to travel across Canada this summer in a car and will treasure it because I brought these three books by Sandra Gulland! I was riveted from the word go and did not stop until the last word in this final book of the trilogy. I was sad to say goodbye to the characters and was longing for another book in the series. Beautifully written, with style and grace. You must pass these books on to all the women you know, they must be shared.

Gulland achieves an amazing feat not always shared by her fellow historical novelists....she captures your heart, or I should say, her characters do. You may not always sympathize with them, but you walk in their shoes, and when they are in danger, or sad, or joyful, you are too. If all high-schoolers were assigned to read these 3 novels, they would have terrific discussions about literature, history and government....this novel above all drives home the fact of continuous betrayal and treachery when you are at the top. Politics is just so darned messy!! And yet Napoleon and Josephine both come across as extremely human characters who are sometimes humane, sometimes not. Gulland has created classics in the best sense.

"The Last Great Dance on Earth" captivated the insecurities and emotions of Josephine Bonaparte. As Sandra Gulland writes the voice of Josephine, she depicts her fears of Napoleon's military conquests as well as her inability to produce an heir to the French throne. This engrossing novel brings an insightful look into the reign of Napoleon Boaparte that could only be experienced through his wife. The Last Great Dance on Earth was captivating, most other historical fiction novels are very dry and slow. This story captured the reader in the beginnng and Josephine's experiences kept the interest level high. From the introduction of historical character to events that shaped this time period, Gulland shows the human side of history. She allows the reader to experience early nineteenth century France though the vivid description of the beautiful castles. "The light streaming in the brightly coloured windows, the enormous tapestries, the painted backdrops, pigeons swooping high above the glittering crowd." The language Gulland used captivated the reader's heart as she concluded the marriage between Napoleon and Josephine. The words she used in their divorce ceremony brought tears to my eyes. Napoleon's declaration began, "She has adorned fifteen years of my life. The memory of those years will be forever inscribed in my heart." These words brought tears to my eyes and Josephine concluded, "Everything I have comes from his kindness. The dissolution of my marriage will make no change in the feelings of my heart." This book will remain one of my favorites. A beautiful end to a beautiful trilogy, Gulland made this period of history a page turning suspense. Although not completely historically accurate, Josephine was known to have slight infidelities of her own, Last Dance captures the heart. This novel is directed towards women, however I think that it would be an enlightening look into the head of a woman for a man. Overall, this is a timeless tale of love, lust, triumph and loyalty.