This book was recommended to me by one of our investors, and also my first conscious foray into historical fiction. Apparently, this genre is much more popular than I previously realized, and as a result of curiously crosschecking facts, which makes me feel like an investigator, it has ended up being one of my favorite genres to read.

In short, this is a depiction of events from the perspective of Josephine Bonaparte, starting as a young girl. Napoleon is not the focal point of this book; he only arrives in the later half.

• Perspective matters. In a similar vein to the saying “History is Always Written by The Victors”, it’s rare that we get a chance to view major historical events from a side lens.
• The French Revolution was complicated. I’m not a history buff, so maybe it’s just me here, but I left the book having more questions about the period of time than I did going into it. The book is by no means meant to be an account of the French Revolution, but it obviously is the driving force behind many outcomes.
• The last location I expected this book to be set in was on a beach. I’m oversimplifying it here, but only as the first few chapters moved along was I able to fully connect the dots.