Napoleon's Last Island
A Novel
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3.8 • 6 Ratings
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- $1.99
Publisher Description
The bestselling author of Schindler’s List and The Daughters of Mars returns with an “insightful and nimble...consistently fresh and engaging” (The New York Times Book Review) novel about the remarkable friendship between a quick-witted young woman and one of history’s most intriguing figures, Napoleon Bonaparte, during the final years of his life in exile on St. Helena.
In October 1815, after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon Bonaparte was sent to live the remainder of his life in exile on the remote Southern Atlantic island of St. Helena. There, on what he called “the cursed rock,” with no chance of escape, he found an unexpected ally: a spirited British teenager named Betsy Balcombe who lived on the island with her family. While Napoleon waited for his own accommodations to be made livable, the Balcombe family played host to the infamous exile, a decision that would have far-reaching consequences for them all.
In Napoleon’s Last Island, based on a true story, acclaimed author Thomas Keneally re-creates Betsy’s powerful and complex friendship with the man dubbed The Great Ogre, her clashes and alliances with his remaining courtiers, and her uneasy journey to adulthood as she begins to see the imperfections and weaknesses of human nature. As he brings a fascinating period vividly to life, Keneally shines a fresh light on one of history’s most enigmatic, charismatic figures. “The book is a complex and mesmerizing success,” raves the Christian Science Monitor, hailing it as “a masterpiece in miniature…unfailingly great reading [and] testimony to the fact that Keneally is our greatest living practitioner of historical fiction.”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Australian author Keneally (The Daughters of Mars) once again uses fiction to illuminate a little-known aspect of history. In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte is exiled to the English-governed island of St. Helena. His residence not yet ready, he and his retinue are taken in by William Balcombe, a representative of the East India Company, who has two daughters, Betsy and Jane. The Balcombes, as well as everyone else on the island, find Napoleon to be a charming houseguest, instead of the Great Ogre. But 13-year-old Betsy, smart and independent-minded, is not so easily won over, and her relationship with the former emperor is initially fractious. Eventually, though, their friendship becomes the talk of the island. Then, a new governor to St. Helena, Sir Hudson Lowe, cracks down on Napoleon's life in exile, cutting his household budget and staff and confiscating Christmas gifts, and even the Balcombes are made to suffer. Ultimately, a shocking scene forces Betsy to reevaluate everything she thinks she knows about her parents, her neighbors, and her new friend. Narrated by Betsy, Keneally's book gives readers a persuasive account of this precocious teenager's view of the world's most infamous man. He makes Betsy an engaging and witty presence, and he charts her destiny into her post St. Helena existence, where the short general's long shadow continues to affect her life. Like the late E.L. Doctorow, Keneally adapts his style to suit his subject matter, and here the high formality of 19th-century journal-keeping helps bring alive the bittersweet last days of Napoleon.
Customer Reviews
I can’t pick out a huge stopgap in the novel, only to say it read as if it had two different purpose
I was intrigued, never having seen much about Napoleon’s time on St. Helena (admittedly I haven’t researched it much) and curious how the story would spin. Keneally uses the daughter of the island’s provedore, Betsy Balcombe, as the central figure ..
A bit of a mixed bag for me, there were large moments of background and explanation given to provide the reader with necessary information, but these moments, while needed did seem to drag the pace. Where the book shines is with Betsy and Napoleon and their interactions. It is easy to see the camaraderie, his appreciation of the fresh perspectives and innocence that she brings, and the general genial treatment from her family. Betsy is a lamb in a pack of wolves, however, and the political machinations and struggles for supremacy and relevance in this milieu often find her shuffled like a pawn, unwitting and unwilling. With the emigration of the Balcombes to Australia, a mix of self-preservation and new start, the story again gives a view of a new world with its own challenges, political pitfalls and social consequences.
Overall this book was more than a bit uneven as a read, moments that show research often contrast greatly with the more imagined bits from Betsy’s perspective, and her lightness and near carefree childish approach to the world around her are bright and shiny in the mix. Still, I can’t pick out a huge stopgap in the novel, only to say it read as if it had two different purposes: Betsy’s story and then the politics of the day. With great attention to detail and description, plenty of moments with Betsy that bring a smile, this is a read a bit then let it simmer sort of title.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.