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Summary: Wonderful reading!
Review: This is the most mesmerizing account of Josephine to date. Raises the controversial subject: Did she, or didn't she?'Reminiscent of "Memories of a Geisha".
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Summary: One of the best books of the decade..
Review: A reader in Walnut Creek, California 8/15/99 It is commonly said that a good book takes the reader swiftly to another time and place. If this is true, then Sandra Gulland has written one of the best books of the decade!
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Summary: An exquisite novel based on the life of Josephine Bonaparte
Review: In this first of three books inspired by the life of JosephineBonaparte, Sandra Gulland has created a novel of immense and magicalproportions. We meet Josephine (nee Rose Tascher) in the lush island of Martinico, where her devoted slave Mimi predicts that she will one day be queen. And at this point in the young Josephine's life, this prediction is as farfetched as anything! By way of fictionalized diary entries, however, we discover how this fortune fulfills itself, first meeting the Josephine that history often glosses over-a woman who marries her one true love, bears his children, yet is left betrayed, widowed, and penniless. Barely surviving the Terror, she reaches the heights of French society through an extraordinary combination of charm, cunning, and indomitable will. There, she meets an ambitious general named Napoleon, whose destiny will prove to be irrevocably intertwined with her own. This is historical fiction as good as it gets. In fact, I recently met with Ms. Gulland, who was being taped in New York City for a four-hour PBS special on Napoleon. As a testament to her meticulous research and remarkable skill in illuminating Josephine's psyche, she was the sole novelist invited to appear among a group of celebrated biographers and noted French historians. Indeed, one of them suggested that Ms. Gulland the novelist was actually Josephine's best "biographer" to date. And what a font of information she is. With pitch perfect writing, Ms. Gulland recreates time and place, scenery and language, mores and customs, writing what is sure to be the definitive novel on one of the most remarkable women in history. Be sure not to miss the Reading Group Guide, found at the back of the book, which presents intelligent points for fruitful and fascinating discussion. And fear not: the rich, magical story of Josephine Bonaparte continues. The second volume of Ms. Gulland's Josephine trilogy-TALES OF PASSION, TALES OF WOE-is coming in November '99, to be followed in Autumn 2000 by THE LAST GREAT DANCE ON EARTH, the heartbreaking and breathtaking finale. Some of the best writers in historical fiction have already praised THE MANY LIVES & SECRET SORROWS OF JOSEPHINE B.: "It is easy to escape into Josephine's world and not want to return." -Margaret George, author of THE MEMOIRS OF CLEOPATRA "I was immediately captivated. Here is a novel beautifully visualized, which takes the reader from the world of the voodoo queens of the Caribbean to the prisons of the French terror, following the determined rise of a woman who refuses to be crushed beneath fate, society, or poverty. A delicious historical treat." -Judith Merkle Riley, author of THE ORACLE GLASS "What a joy! Historical fiction with equal measures heart, soul and intellect. With complete authority and searing intimacy, Ms. Gulland has captured and delivered to us one of history's most fascinating women...Thoroughly compulsive reading. Bring on part two!" -Robin Maxwell, author of THE SECRET DIARY OF ANNE BOLEYN and THE QUEEN'S BASTARD
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Summary: an extraordinary book
Review: I think The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. is an amazing novel. I read it twice, in awe. It has moved me like no other book I have read. I am recommending it to my family and friends.
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Summary: Great Woman - Great Book
Review: Sandra Gulland has done something amazing here, she has shown Josephine B. as a completely human woman - neither perfectly virtuous or particularly glamorous - who had the power to tame history. Gulland doesn't explain how ... she just makes it happen before your eyes. She makes you believe in magic. And the utterly convincing historical detail adds to the spell ... Caribbean flames, storms at sea, Parisian hights and depths. You really experience the human condition in first- class historical novels like this one.
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Summary: Why Josephine?
Review: One question I am often asked is, "Why Josephine?" Over twenty years ago, as part of my work as a book editor, I read a short biography about her. It was one of those memorable reading experiences, still vivid in my memory: I can remember the pattern of the Madras cotton bedspread, the feeling of the wood floor on my bare feet. I sat up clutching this little book. I was, simply, overcome. Why? I had never been interested in historyÑin fact, I had always viewed history as a perfect cure for insomnia. I think, looking back, that because Josephine was someone I could identify withÑan ordinary womanÑI was able to imaginatively step into her world. Through her, history became real to me. Years later, I had what I would call an epiphany, one of those "Ah ha!" moments. Throwing down hay for my horse, I realized that the moment was timeless, that this simple act of feeding my horse could happen in 1999, 1799 or 1499. The horse, his keeper, a field: what changed? Yes, the fabric of my dress, its cut and style; the way my horse was shod; my mind-set, to some extent; the hay itself, no doubt, the plastic twine that held it. But how important are these things, truly? Insignificant, all told, merely a constantly-changing surface over an elemental bedrock. I toss out the hay, the horse approaches, I stroke the horse's neckÑthe soul of the moment, the bedrock, was a constant, not much different from one millennium to the next. This realization has stayed with me, helped me to delve into the past, given me the confidence to put myself into the soul of my charactersÑthe soul of Josephine. But the question remains: Why Josephine? As a skeptic, I was intrigued by the evidence of destiny in her life. As a woman, I was charmed by both her strength and vulnerability. And too, I was overwhelmed by the amazing drama of her lifeÑthe romance of it! But most of all I was struck by her heart, her unwavering humanity, her intelligence, her grace, her courage. (At moments in my life when I was fearful, I would think, still do: "If Josephine could do it, I can do it.") The next day I went to the library and came home with three books about Josephine. (Today my personal library numbers several hundred volumes.) I knew I would write about Josephine É someday. I knew that I needed to learn a very great deal before I could begin. (I had no idea how much!) I knew I needed to learn how to write. (Again: a decade of apprenticeship instead of the projected one year.) These understandings came, went, and then came back to me again, years laterÑdecades! It took a dream to remind me of this quest. I'd just finished a novel, collapsed into bed in the early hours, only to be jolted awake in a cold-sweat terror. The dream was about Josephine. I knew as I returned to the conscious world that my next novel would be about her. Even so, I resisted the past. For one year I worked on a contemporary novel about an elderly eccentric possessed by the spirit of Josephine. I wrote in my journal at the time, "The spirit is taking over this novel!" I felt I had to get Josephine out of my system, so I set aside one month to write a short biography of her lifeÑto consolidate my research, I told myself. A decade later, I am still writing. The spirit did, in fact, take over. With the publication of this first book in my trilogy, I contemplated including a note: Caution: this subject can be addictive. Reader, consider yourself forewarned.
Rating: 
Summary: Fluff
Review: I was disappointed in this book. There wasn't any depth to the novel; too much light commentary. I felt like I was just skipping on the surface of her life- there wasn't any 'meat' to her diary entries. I would love to see Margaret George write a 'novelized' bio of Josephine.
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Summary: I loved this book!
Review: I went through this book in one day and loved it - my only regret is that I have to wait until Part 2 comes out! I wish other bioggraphical novels were written in this manner - it was was easy and exicting to read and I learned a lot. The only comparable one (in style) has been the diary of Anne Boleyn, which I expect is not as factually correct. I would love to see Margerat George write about her as well!
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Summary: "A great read" am recommending it to all readers I know.
Review: Sandra Gulland's book, written in the style of diary entries, has the ability to acquaint the reader with the Revolution in France at an intimate level which makes for a very satisfying read. The often terse endings of the entries - i.e. after a half page description of an ocean crossing, the last line "I will never set foot on a sailing ship again", says it all. She manages to engage your interest and your emotions without ever being slow paced or ponderous. I loved the book!
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Summary: A portrayal of a wise woman in turbulent times.
Review: Sandra Gulland's story reveals the harsh reality of the life of a strong woman in turbulent France. The main character, though born into a colonial life less than rich, finds herself in some of the plushest salons in France, surrounded by wealth and oppulance. But only after she has spent months in a squalid prison, while her homeland is transformed into a new republic. Rose has maternal compassion that runs deep and far, enveloping her own children and the lives of friends and their friends. She warms reader's hearts with her acts of generosity, putting her own life at risk helping others, even after the death of her own husband. Readers will see two Frances. One of excess and one of extreme poverty. Rose, in her wisdom, survives both because of her faith and friends. This is not a fast read, but rather a 450 page story chock full of emotion. You will follow the characters into affairs, and heart ache, death and pain, love and friendship, politics and victory, and fulfillment. In particular, Rose will go on to fulfill a prophesy foretold in Tarot cards in her youth. I recommend this to those with an interest in the French revolution, because I believe the vivid descriptions depict the true atrosities that occured during this time. I recommend this also to readers who like stories featuring strong female characters, and those who take pleasure in sharing exciting lives of extraordinary people.
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