Betsy and the Emperor - Hardcover

Rabin, Staton

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0689858809 ISBN 13: 9780689858802

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry, 2004

Synopsis

When the British capture the great French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte he is exiled to the bleak island of St. Helena, where the only bright spot in Napoleon's life is the presence of the brave, headstrong, and intriguing young Betsy Balcombe.

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Reviews

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
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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

Edition details

• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0689858809
• ISBN 13: 9780689858802
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304