Buy Betsy and the Emperor here, one of 531 Napoleon Bonaparte books offered for sale at discount prices here in the history books section at R bookshop. There are currently 62823 history books in our history books section, and over 1,000,000 books listed in our book store. We greatly appreciate your patronage at R bookshop and look forward to offering you a large selection of great books at discount prices now and in the future. Thank you for shopping at R Bookshop!
|
You Are Here: Home > History Books > Napoleon Bonaparte > Item 24
 |
Betsy and the Emperor
|
by Staton Rabin
Sales Rank: 325923
|
List Price: $5.99
$5.99
At Amazon
on 6-1-2008.
|
|
|
|
Features
Cover Type: Mass Market Paperback with 304 pages
Published by: Simon Pulse March 21, 2006
Written in: English
ISBN 10 Number: 141691336X
ISBN 13 Number: 978-1416913368
Book Dimensions:
6.8 x 4 x 0.6 inches
Weighs: 5.6 ounces
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-9–Betsy Balcombe has just returned to her remote island home of St. Helena from boarding school in London. At 14, she is a headstrong, adventure-seeking young lady. She gamely faces the challenge of playing host to Napoleon Bonaparte, who is exiled on the forbidding island after his capture at Waterloo. The only member of her family who is not timid around the former emperor of France, Betsy strikes up an unlikely friendship with "Boney" that surprises both of them. Rabin presents an interesting and intimate look at the life of one of history's most famous men. The relationship between Betsy and Napoleon is well captured and satisfying, and the historical details are well researched. However, some of the plot seems improbable, such as when Betsy watches her brothers' tutor die in a horrible accident that is partly her fault, only to be dancing and flirting at a ball a few days later. Still, this daredevil protagonist engages in many thrilling escapades, from a hot-air balloon flight to a horserace. An author's note fills in some of the details about the real Betsy Balcombe.–Anna M. Nelson, Seabrook Library, NH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Booklist
Gr. 6-9. Fourteen-year-old Betsy Balcombe feels as much a prisoner of remote, rocky St. Helena as Napoleon Bonaparte, who spends part of his island exile quartered in the Balcombe family's guesthouse. Napoleon instantly recognizes a kindred spirit in the restless Betsy, and soon the unlikely companions are racing horses, playing whist, and practicing waltz steps. All this is pure embroidery, right? Au contraire, says first-time novelist Rabin; the friendship is documented. Unfortunately, the story's invented dramatic center is far-fetched, and how and why the protagonists forged such an unusual bond, one that flew in the face of not only nationalistic inclinations but also nineteenth-century propriety (though Rabin pointedly keeps things platonic), never becomes clear. Readers will almost certainly find themselves trolling the library and the Internet for more information and seeking out Betsy's autobiography, which curiously Rabin says she did not read. Devotees of Ann Rinaldi's novels and series such as the Royal Diaries, which offer a similar mix of facts and girl-powered fiction, will find Betsy's brush with a historical leviathan especially appealing. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Reader Reviews
This review is from: Betsy and the Emperor (Hardcover)
It will appeal to young female teens but the historical setting and female perspective will alienate many teens, especially reluctant readers. Also I several issues with the story itself: first it was slow reading until the middle, second even though it is historical fiction I felt that too many "modern" ideas were inserted in Betsy and several of the other characters, some of those issues would not have been dealt with in that matter, especially the frankness of sex and premarital sex, at that, lastly the lack of historical accuracy when dealing with actual events and people always poses an issue with me. I feel that there should be some responsibility and accountability for truth even in fiction; particularly when Betsy attempts to help "Boney" escape even at the cost of another's life, the author even admits that there is no evidence for this.
Comment | |
(Report this)
Back To Top
|
Betsy and the Emperor
Available from Amazon
Price: $5.99
Updated on 6-1-2008.
|
NOTICE: All prices, availability, and specifications
are subject to verification by their respective retailers.
| We offer Betsy and the Emperor and other related Napoleon Bonaparte Books here at Rbookshop.com. To view more books about Napoleon Bonaparte please use the previous and next buttons near the top of this page.
|
|
Search for books at
