The Académie

Oct 14, 2012 April rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review, ya, historical-fiction, ereader, netgalley

Sigh. Sometimes when you read a book’s summary, you think WOW it sounds like this book and I are MEANT TO BE. And then you read the book and have a deep soul connection. Other times, you read the book and unfortunately end up disappointed. Friends, I did not experience a deep soul connection with The Académie by Susanne Dunlap.

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Feb 13, 2012 Stephanie Bedell rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review was first available at
Bottom Line Book Reviews

Summary
The year is 1799 and Eliza Monroe has just been unceremoniously deposited by her mother at a prestigious boarding school in France. Instead of the Parisian holiday she expected, Eliza must now undertake the difficult task of befriending members of the young French upper class, including Caroline Bonaparte, sister to the great Napoleon, and Hortense de Beauharnais, the daughter of Josephine Bonaparte, Napoleon’s wife. Eliza was hop...more This review was first available at
Bottom Line Book Reviews

Summary
The year is 1799 and Eliza Monroe has just been unceremoniously deposited by her mother at a prestigious boarding school in France. Instead of the Parisian holiday she expected, Eliza must now undertake the difficult task of befriending members of the young French upper class, including Caroline Bonaparte, sister to the great Napoleon, and Hortense de Beauharnais, the daughter of Josephine Bonaparte, Napoleon’s wife. Eliza was hoping for adventure and romance in Paris, will she find it while trying to deal with the intrigues and manipulations of Caroline and Hortense?

Hortense is growing fatigued by Caroline’s attempts to ruin her family and reputation. She wants to fall in love, to be caught up in a great romance, and the son of her music teacher just might do the trick. Can Hortense find love on her own terms or will she be forever bowing to her controlling mother’s will?

Madeleine wants to be rescued from her life as the serving girl to her mother, an abusive, narcissistic actress. Madeleine’s lover, Eugene de Beauharnais, has promised to take her away and marry her. Will he fulfill his vow or leave her to fend for herself with a mother who grows more unhinged by the day?

Review
I had mixed feelings about this title. As a whole, this was a decent read set in a very interesting period in French history. The years following the French Revolution were uncertain and fraught with potential conflict, particularly for members of the upper class. One of the main reasons I enjoyed this title is because the author captured the precarious atmosphere of this period so well. This aspect of the book was fascinating.

The Academie switches narration between Eliza, Hortense and Madeleine which builds suspense in some instances but in others only serves to unnecessarily replay particular scenes. I really enjoyed the character of Hortense. I actually wish the entire story would have been about her life before the events of this book. She must have had a fascinating upbringing which would have made for a better story than the one here. The character of Eliza seemed a little inconsistent. She did grow throughout the events of the book, but her development seemed forced. The character of Madeleine was simply a wasted opportunity. As an aspiring singer and actress, she could have been extremely interesting. In the end, she did little more than move the action forward which again, made for another inconsistent character.

I have to say, I wish this book had been better. I enjoyed it for the first half simply because the time period was represented so well and the characters held my interest. In the second half the story became tedious and the characters began to feel very underdeveloped and capricious. If you enjoy historical fiction, you may like this one, but the ending will probably disappoint most readers. For better spins on this genre, try The Luxe by Anna Godberson and for the French Revolution with a supernatural twist try The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner.

The Publisher provided me with an advanced copy, through netgalley, for this review. The Academie will be released on April 10, 2012(less)

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Apr 09, 2012 Yearning To Read rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: love-the-cover, 13-and-up, 2012-read, arc, fiction, historical, huh, netgalley-read, young-adult, reviewed, such-ze-disappointment

The Academie by Susanne Dunlap
Pages: 368
Release Date: February 28th, 2012
Date Read: 2012, March 4th-11th
Received: ARC via NetGalley
Rating: 3/5 stars
Recommended to: +12

SUMMARY -
Eliza Monroe - daughter of America, innocent and young, desiring romance and handsome generals, wanting to be accepted.
Hortense de Beauharnais - daughter of Josephine Bonaparte, beautiful young woman, one who loves deeply, one who has a secret she cannot deny, but must try to escape from.
Madeleine - actress in the Comedie...more

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Jul 14, 2012 Reading Vacation rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Académie took me to a place of intrigue and beauty at a boarding school for the rich and famous of Paris. The story revolves around future first daughter Eliza Monroe, who upon enrolling in a boarding school in France is dragged into a complex series of relationships. Eliza can be a bit hard to like; she comes off as a sort of snobbish rich girl who doesn’t know how good she has it. Most of the drama at her school involves Hortense and Caroline, both relations of the famous Bonaparte and mor...more

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Mar 17, 2012 Jaylia3 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Four teenage girls in post-revolutionary France have personal plans for their own liberty, happiness and love. Eliza Monroe, the daughter of a future US president, Hortense de Beauharnais, the daughter of Josephine and step-daughter of Napoleon, Caroline Bonaparte, the sister of the future emperor, and Madeleine, the daughter of a beautiful but deranged former slave, are living in a era of great transition. King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette have been deposed and beheaded, aristocratic ti...more Four teenage girls in post-revolutionary France have personal plans for their own liberty, happiness and love. Eliza Monroe, the daughter of a future US president, Hortense de Beauharnais, the daughter of Josephine and step-daughter of Napoleon, Caroline Bonaparte, the sister of the future emperor, and Madeleine, the daughter of a beautiful but deranged former slave, are living in a era of great transition. King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette have been deposed and beheaded, aristocratic titles are officially meaningless, the citizenry is just recovering from the horrors of the Reign of Terror, and military leader Napoleon Bonaparte is rising in power.

When the book opens Eliza is somewhat self-involved and superficial. She’s very happy to be in Paris, still a world center of fashion, parties, culture and style, and she’s miffed that her mother is sending her off to a boarding school in Saint-Germaine-en-Laye where she’s sure she’ll be far from all the interesting action. Her attitude changes when she finds out that the very well-connected Hortense and Caroline are fellow students. It takes longer to discover what Madeleine’s story is, and she’s the only one of the four characters who didn’t actually exist.

The narrative is told in rotating first person ruminations of Eliza, Hortense and Madeleine. While all four girls attempt to orchestrate dramatic shifts in their circumstances and love lives, it is Eliza that changes the most. Her family owns slaves back in Virginia, and she begins the book with an unquestioning acceptance of that practice and a firm belief in inherent racial differences. By the end of the book, especially after getting to know Madeleine, Eliza is rethinking many of her assumptions. While the changing points of view make The Acadamie sometimes a little difficult to follow, it’s a fun book set in a historically fascinating time. Reading it was a dream come true for me; when I toured the Virginia home of James Monroe the guide told us about the friendship between Monroe’s daughter Eliza and Napoleon’s step-daughter Hortense and their relationship has intrigued and interested me ever since.
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Mar 11, 2012 Danica rated it 3 of 5 stars

**I received a copy of this novel from Netgalley**

I was really excited to read this novel because a) I love historical fiction and b) I love learning about Josephine Bonaparte and her life. I think she was fascinating, so reading a novel about her daughter Hortense and the friendship she had with Eliza Monroe was a must. I enjoyed the novel...for the most part. I liked that the novel was narrated by different characters, but I could have done with less narration from Caroline, and I definitely d...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Miss Amby rated it 2 of 5 stars

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book didn't impress me as much as I was hoping it would. The descriptions of the setting were fantastic, and I couldn't help but feel that I was in Enlightenment Era France. The plot was decent, and the pacing was quick moving for the first half, but the last half dragged a bit. The characters, on the other hand, were not so great.

The character of Eliza, who was one of the three narrators, was extremely an...more I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book didn't impress me as much as I was hoping it would. The descriptions of the setting were fantastic, and I couldn't help but feel that I was in Enlightenment Era France. The plot was decent, and the pacing was quick moving for the first half, but the last half dragged a bit. The characters, on the other hand, were not so great.

The character of Eliza, who was one of the three narrators, was extremely annoying. I felt like I was reading a narration from the Kibbles N Bits puppy. I don't know if any of you remember that commercial, but there's this little puppy who jumps around following this older dog, basically hero-worshiping the older dog. He's all overly excited and yelling about Kibbles N Bits. Anyway, Eliza reminded me of that. There were so many exclamation points that I wanted to remove that key from Dunlap's keyboard. Seriously, I didn't know they had crack in 1799, but apparently Eliza had smoked some. Bad stuff.

Hortense and Madeleine weren't as annoying, and I personally wish that Hortense had narrated the entire thing. It would have been a much more enjoyable story had it all been told from her perspective. Madeleine didn't stand out to me or fall short. She simply was there. Hortense shined, though. She was an extremely interesting character, and I would have liked more of her and less of Eliza. Much, much less of Eliza.

The switch in narration didn't do much for the story. It just made me feel scattered and gave me a break from Eliza's overly-excited rambling. It didn't drive the plot in any way, and as far as I could see, it didn't even aid in the plot that much. Madeleine served to move the action forward a bit, but other than that, the three narrators weren't needed. I'm pretty sure the action could have been moved forward without having Madeleine as a narrator. I'm not sure why Dunlap decided to have three narrators. It really didn't work for this story, though.

The ending was a big disappointment for me. The last half of the book really dragged along. The first half of the book flew by because it was focused on describing the time period. The second half, when all of the exciting stuff was supposed to take place, just fell flat. I didn't feel any suspense, and the characters didn't grow that much in the end. I prefer a lot of character development in the novels I read.

Overall, I'd recommend checking this book out from the library before buying it. Historical fiction buffs will probably eat this one up. I'm a big character person, though, so I'm not 100% sold on this book.

Check out other reviews, giveaways, and contests at http://falln2books.blogspot.com (less)

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Jun 13, 2012 Kris added it

Shelves: for-review, ya-books

The Academie starts with a good historical premise. Three girls, all related to powerful historical figures, thrown together at a school for young women? It makes you wonder what will happen, especially as the events of the novel take place soon after the French Revolution and right around the time that Napoleon Bonaparte plotted to overthrow the Directoire. Big changes are brewing in France at the same time that the girls play a game of politics with one another, each girl acting with her best...more The Academie starts with a good historical premise. Three girls, all related to powerful historical figures, thrown together at a school for young women? It makes you wonder what will happen, especially as the events of the novel take place soon after the French Revolution and right around the time that Napoleon Bonaparte plotted to overthrow the Directoire. Big changes are brewing in France at the same time that the girls play a game of politics with one another, each girl acting with her best interests in mind and guessing at the other girls' motives. It was interesting seeing events take place through the eyes of three very different girls: Eliza and Hortense in addition to Madeleine, the daughter of an actress who will get entangled in the politics of the aristocrats. This has promising potential; however, the novel's set up makes it hard to get into the plot.

The first-person narrative as told through three different perspective makes it hard to follow events clearly and even more so to relate to the characters. Each girl has her own thoughts and observations, and they see the same people in different lights. They also believe that they know what's best for other characters and will act for other people's "best interests" when their actions really end up hurting them. Just when I thought I had formed my opinion on a character, the narrative would switch to another girl and I would see the aforementioned character in another light. Because the narrative switches perspectives so often, I didn't get to know the girls as well as I would have liked, and sometimes the narrative would replay an event from another person's perspective, which felt redundant despite the new angle the present narrator offered.

I was very much interested in the politics of the aristocratic world. Initially, Hortense and Caroline exihibit much distaste for one another, something that is no big secret; yet, they must act in a certain manner with each other in public. The novel could have easily explored much more of the intricacies of the nobility. However, rather than focusing on the intrigue and politics of the girls' worlds, the story spends much of its time exploring the girls' romantic interests. The promise of romance is the girls' primary motivation factor. Eliza is interested in Hortense's brother, who loves the actress Madeleine. At the same time, Hortense develops feelings for the musician Michel, and Caroline wishes to marry the general Murat. Love drives the girls to do lose reason and do silly things like dress up as soldiers to go to where they know something big will happen, but not what exactly.

The plot is slow to unfold. A quarter into the novel, I considered dropping it because it didn't seem like anything was going to happen, though I finally finished the book because I read the last couple pages and wanted to see what happened in between. Not much ended ended up happening. As I mentioned earlier, much of the book is about the girls falling in love, with each girl finding a different resolution. There is joy, there is resignation, and there is tragedy. There is a fair amount of fiction in this novel, but there is also realness in the characters' humanity. While this is far from the best historical fiction that I've read, it is rather light-hearted for the topic that it addresses and may interest readers looking for a light summer read with romance and scandal but nothing a parent wouldn't let a middle-grade student read.

Review at Imaginary Reads (less)

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Mar 04, 2012 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley

I love the cover (how much do I want that dress?!?!), but it didn't immediately say historical fiction to me. My first thought was high class school, only modern. Further study revealed the old-fashioned necklace and the sleeves on the dress. Either way, pretty! Given how much I am drawn to book covers, I was, of course, super excited to read this book, because, obviously, I judge solely by appearances.

The story is told from the perspectives of three different girls, Eliza, Hortense, and Madelei...more

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Mar 26, 2012 Katie Tuccelli rated it 4 of 5 stars

(Note: Due to GoodReads rating system, I rounded up to 4 stars, but my true rating is 3.5 stars.)

Eliza Monroe, a native of Virginia, has been sent to Paris for a year to attend Saint Germaine, a prestigious boarding school for well-to-do young ladies. There, she is expected to study and learn the fashion and character attributes of the French. She is a bit put-out by her parents' decision until she learns that she is to be associated with Hortense de Beauharnais, daughter of Josephine Bonaparte,...more

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Mar 19, 2012 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, fiction, netgalley, read-2012, young-adult

Posted on Book Chelle.

Susan Dunlap’s The Académie is a historical tale that takes place after the French Revolution. While Dunlap has taken creative license to the events that take place, The Académie has many similarities to reality. Set in 1779 France, Dunlap writes about lives of four young women – Eliza Monroe, the daughter of soon-to-be President Monroe, Hortense de Beauharnais, daughter of Josephine de Beauharnais, Caroline Bonaparte, sister to Napoleon Bonaparte, and Madeline, a daughter...more

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Mar 08, 2012 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, historical-fiction, history, racism, young-adult

I suppose I should start off with the fact that this is fiction based VERY loosely on historical figures and events; the story is made up, but the names are real. Considering how frequently I air my (occasionally annoying) thoughts pertaining to accuracy in details as they apply to persons, places, and events that were real, it will probably come as a surprise that - though Dunlap played fast and loose with her fiction and fact - it didn't really bother me. (Are you shocked? I was.) Maybe it is...more I suppose I should start off with the fact that this is fiction based VERY loosely on historical figures and events; the story is made up, but the names are real. Considering how frequently I air my (occasionally annoying) thoughts pertaining to accuracy in details as they apply to persons, places, and events that were real, it will probably come as a surprise that - though Dunlap played fast and loose with her fiction and fact - it didn't really bother me. (Are you shocked? I was.) Maybe it is because her primary characters were people that I knew of but little about. She keeps the external historical details fairly accurate while making the events most intimate to the characters primarily fiction. That seemed to make it somehow okay. I was able to read the entire novel without feeling the need to flip to the back of the book or pull up google to fact-check, which is a testament to just how engrossing I found The Académie.

Dunlap's characters captured me and wouldn't let me go. The four young women central to the plot were all very honest, believable portrayals of young ladies of their time and in their positions. They were exceptionally well developed - vibrant and vital - and capable of creating strong emotions. Sadly, my primary emotions were dislike, disdain, and less frequently sympathy. I think it another testament to Dunlap's talent that the latter was even possible. Every time I would start to like a character, or think perhaps I had been too hard on them, they would do something so self-serving or cruel that I was right back at square one.

The Académie is written in a very intimate first person style that feels almost like diary entries, and alternates perspective between three of the four main characters. While reading their alternating views of events, I was constantly reminded of something a teacher once said, 'rarely does someone think they are the villain in their own story.' We switch between seeing the excuses for and the effects of each girl's actions, and it is enlightening in a horrifying sort of way. To see how cruelly something can be felt by someone, followed by what the other actually intended to happen was fascinating. Which is why, even though I really didn't like these girls, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about them. This pulling closer to and pushing away from each of the characters with the change of narration also gave the girls' characters added depth that I didn't at first suspect. I don't think they would feel so terrible if they were not so real. Each time I was with a character, I sympathized with them, and could understand their actions if not condone them. (And to be truthful, Madeleine and Hortense weren't actually that bad until later in the book. I am also thankful that Dunlap never gave Caroline control of the narration - that is one head I do not want to be in.)

Overall I actually really liked The Académie, and thought it was very well done. I will definitely read other books by Dunlap, and think she is a skilled author. However, I do have one problem with The Académie - and it is a rather large one. Dunlap (per her Author's Note) purposely attempted to explore 18th century racism and the issue of slavery. She attempted to display it in all its ugliness, and then show how circumstances could change people's opinions, allowing 'shaded feelings' on the issues. She particularly tried to show this in the character of Eliza. While I greatly appreciate the attempt, I think she was unfortunately so successful in the first part of her aim that she utterly failed in the second. I did not get 'shaded feelings' from Eliza. Her behavior to the French servants early in the book was so cruel (and her thoughts about both the servants in France and the slaves at home so dismissive) that her turnabout toward African-American slaves at the end felt contrived and inauthentic to her character. Eliza's behavior with Madeleine felt believable insofar as she had already invested in Madeleine's humanity, and could not take it back. It has been repeatedly documented throughout history that exceptionally racist people can be adept at compartmentalizing those feelings - suspending them when confronted with a single individual they come to know while still maintaining them against a race as a whole. Nothing ever makes me think this is not the case with Eliza and Madeleine. (Nor does the actual life story of Eliza Monroe - as seen in a few hours of googling - ever betray hints of these conflicted feelings.)

Perhaps it is only a product of my own privilege (that of having education and experiences which allow me to not be racist) but I find the book's implications to be both insulting and patronizing. I strongly resent the idea that it takes being thrown into close proximity to or intimacy with an individual of another race (or sexual orientation, or sex, or gender, or (dis)ability, or religion, etc.) to recognize their humanity. (Or, conversely, that racism, sexism, etc. arise from a lack of experience with people who are different.) I call BS. Over and over again we see people who were 'products' of the very same times, situations and circumstances as racist individuals who, unlike their less open-minded peers, were instead quite aware of the inherent humanity of people different from themselves. (In counterpoint to Eliza - white, southern, and/or wealthy people who were abolitionists and members of the Underground Railroad.) There are people out there who can recognize the basic common humanity of us all - no matter in which society, time, or income class they lived. I think it sells humanity as a whole short to say that we must all be taught or forced to recognize this. Yes, a person who is merely self-absorbed may be made to see that they have been unintentionally or unknowingly cruel or racist, and will then change. (Oskar Schindler as he was portrayed in Schindler's List comes to mind.) However, people who are truly racist (sexist, homophobic, etc.) are rarely going to shed those beliefs that simply. I willingly admit I could be wrong, and would welcome thoughts on the topic.(less)

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Apr 26, 2012 Jen (Almost Grown-up) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley, historical-fiction

Posted to Almost Grown-up:

In the aftermath of the French Revolution, The Academie draws children of influential people across the world, including Eliza Monroe, the daughter of the future president, Hortense de Beauharnais, stepdaughter of Napoleon Bonaparte, and Caroline Bonaparte, sister of the very same– the original short man with short man syndrome.

On the fringes of society, Madeline, a Creole actress at the Comedie Francaise, lives abused by her mother and head-over-heels in love with Hort...more Posted to Almost Grown-up:

In the aftermath of the French Revolution, The Academie draws children of influential people across the world, including Eliza Monroe, the daughter of the future president, Hortense de Beauharnais, stepdaughter of Napoleon Bonaparte, and Caroline Bonaparte, sister of the very same– the original short man with short man syndrome.

On the fringes of society, Madeline, a Creole actress at the Comedie Francaise, lives abused by her mother and head-over-heels in love with Hortense’s brother, Eugene.

I was prepared to be a little obsessed with this book because, well, of three reasons mostly:
1) BOARDING SCHOOL
2) Historical fiction (and thus INTRIGUE POTENTIAL)
3) FRANCE. Oh, frenchy french France.
But, alors, I cannot say “J’adore.”

The Academie is written from 3 points of view: Eliza, Hortense, and Madeline. Despite occasionally revelations of their different maturity levels and obviously different situations, all three girls sound relatively the same, which didn’t really fit for me since they’re from completely different walks of life. As I was getting introduced to them, I didn’t always keep track of which point of view I was reading, since I wasn’t familiar enough with their situations.

As things went on and I understood them separately, each girl had the potential to win me over completely. Eliza kind of made me want to pat her on the head, Hortense had my respect, and Madeline my sympathy.

Different areas of the plot held my attention more than others. I read most avidly during Napoleon’s overthrow of the standing government (that totally doesn’t count as a spoiler, guys, it’s HISTORY). But a great deal of the novel felt rushed. Each girl had a love interest (or two) and with 3 points of view it was overwhelming.

I loved the inclusion of historic details. I really did, but sometimes it felt like some details, while interesting, simply took away from the plot that Susanne Dunlap was trying to weave in The Academie.

And the ending– well, it totally threw me off. I was so sure I knew what was going to happen, but I was wrong. Sometimes that’s cool, but in this case I don’t think it would have been a bad thing if I was right. The ending left me unfortunately unsatisfied.

Overall rating: 3/5. The Academie was more of a guilty pleasure historical fiction novel than anything else, but kind of all over the place.(less)

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Jun 15, 2013 Clarity rated it 4 of 5 stars

Originally at: www.book-babble-101.blogspot.com

Review

Something that you should all know about me is that I practically always judge a book by its cover and I absolutely love the cover for this book so that's why I chose to read it. It's very loosely based around events surrounding Napoleon, but I didn't even bother to read the blurb before getting this book so I had no idea what it was about. I assumed that it was a modern book set in the 21st century about three girls who attended a boarding sc...more Originally at: www.book-babble-101.blogspot.com

Review

Something that you should all know about me is that I practically always judge a book by its cover and I absolutely love the cover for this book so that's why I chose to read it. It's very loosely based around events surrounding Napoleon, but I didn't even bother to read the blurb before getting this book so I had no idea what it was about. I assumed that it was a modern book set in the 21st century about three girls who attended a boarding school together.

This book was told from the points of view of three different girls; Eliza, Hortense and Madeline. I would have liked it if there was a fourth point of view from the character Caroline's perspective as she was very involved involved in the storyline (probably more than the other three characters at some points) and I would have liked to know more about her and her incentives. The only character who I actually enjoyed reading about was Hortense, she just seemed more real than the other two characters. Both Madeline and Eliza seemed to be slightly inconsistent and they changed somewhat too much throughout the storyline. I disliked Eliza especially because she was self centered, not very aware of the world around her and so obviously just a young naive fourteen year old.

I found this book very hard to get into as it started off quite slowly and it actually took me a few days to get through the first fifty pages. At one point I even considered giving up on it completely, but I'm glad I didn't because it did get better and I really enjoyed the ending and the way everything came together.

Title and Cover Discussion

The cover is very elegant and nice and it goes well with the title, but I feel like they could relate the cover back a bit more to the fact that this book is a historical novel. I have no idea how they could do that, but I'm not the professional. Other then that it is another very nice cover and obviously a book I chose by just looking at the cover.

I really like how the title hinted at the fact that this book was set in France and at the same time made it sound that little bit more sophisticated. I think the little line above the 'e' (I have no idea what it's called) really contributed to the fancyness too.(less)

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Mar 14, 2012 Coranne (The Best Books Ever) rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Cover: I was immediately drawn to how pretty this cover is. I actually put it in a Waiting on Wednesday post months ago because I loved the cover so much. I love that it is very.... coquettish. I will leave it at that because I think that it the perfect word to describe it.

The Characters: Bland. I really struggled liking any of the characters (except perhaps Madeline at the end of the story). I never really got to know any of the characters really well. I learned more from the author's note...more

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Mar 12, 2012 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, read-in-2012, netgalley

The Academie was an interesting book. I'm somewhat of a Francophile in that I love Paris, French cooking and the history of France. I'm a general lover of history, too, which meant that I was all over this title when it was released on NetGalley.

All in all, I thought this book was good. Better than okay, but I won't go all the way to great. I kept waiting for a huge thing to happen, and when the climax happened, I ultimately felt it was, well, anticlimactic.

Academie tells the story of four you...more The Academie was an interesting book. I'm somewhat of a Francophile in that I love Paris, French cooking and the history of France. I'm a general lover of history, too, which meant that I was all over this title when it was released on NetGalley.

All in all, I thought this book was good. Better than okay, but I won't go all the way to great. I kept waiting for a huge thing to happen, and when the climax happened, I ultimately felt it was, well, anticlimactic.

Academie tells the story of four young girls in France in 1799. Eliza Monroe, daughter of not yet President Monroe, Caroline Bonaparte, sister to Napoleon himself, Hortense, daughter of Josephine and step daughter to Napoleon, and finally, Madeleine, daughter of a stage actress.

I have a hard time with characters who are overly stuck up and snotty. I love character growth and development, and understand that we need to see where characters start before we see how they end up. That being said, all of the main characters at one time or another really grated on my nerves. Caroline was petty and rude. Hortense played the martyr one too many times. Eliza didn't treat people right. And Madeleine used people to get what she wanted, just like her mother. In the end, it all worked out, and everyone grew up.

The French history lesson was so fascinating. I honestly had to go back and look up some of the people mentioned so I could remember their roles in the French government. I also had to re-read some of what had been written about some of the people involved- mainly Josephine. I had honestly forgotten the animosity between her in-laws and herself. The author did a fantastic job with research; I'm not sure that I ever knew what problems she had with her teeth. The level of detail that the author managed to put into the novel was quite impressive.

The Academie was a good book for anyone who loves French history or boarding school drama. An interesting read, one that I enjoyed.

I received an e-galley courtesy of Bloomsbury USA and NetGalley. This in no way impacted my review of the book. (less)

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Apr 07, 2012 Cassi aka Snow White Haggard rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: galleys, read-in-2012, yay-history

The Académie is a historical novel set in Paris right after the French Revolution. It's a re-imagined history, intentionally fudging dates and ages, to put Hortense de Beauharnais (daughter of Josephine), Carolyn Bonaparte (sister of Napoleon) and Eliza Monroe (daughter of James Monroe) at L'Académie Nationale a SaintGermain at the same time. It's a fun little book set against the backdrop of a struggling France.

Eliza is naive and young, but it's more endearing than obnoxious. Carolyn is cunning...more

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Feb 11, 2012 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc

I love reading historical fiction, and this book didn't disappoint me. I started reading it and I couldn't stop. It's not full of action and drama, but it was interesting to me. I learned more from this book than I did in my grade 11 history class (my teacher did pretty much nothing). It's a good look into how an all girls school might have been in that era.

The story is told from three points of view. There is Eliza, the American; Hortense, Josephine's daughter; and Madeline, the daughter of an...more I love reading historical fiction, and this book didn't disappoint me. I started reading it and I couldn't stop. It's not full of action and drama, but it was interesting to me. I learned more from this book than I did in my grade 11 history class (my teacher did pretty much nothing). It's a good look into how an all girls school might have been in that era.

The story is told from three points of view. There is Eliza, the American; Hortense, Josephine's daughter; and Madeline, the daughter of an actress. I'm normally not a huge fan of using multiple character's PoV, but Susanne Dunlap makes it work.

Eliza, the youngest of the three, starts out as more of a child, but she is from America and wasn't around for all the events that caused the others to grow up faster. As the story progresses, she slowly learns more about the real world, and is no longer as sheltered. She falls in love, learns that not everyone can always be trusted, and learns more about friendship. By the end, she has grown up quite a bit, even if it hasn't been a whole lot of time that's passed. Eliza is probably my favorite of the characters because she changes the most.

Hortense on the other hand, is one of the most famous girls in Paris, her stepfather is Napoleon Bonaparte after all. At first I truly felt sorry for her, she has some real horror in her past. But, as the story goes on, I kept switching back and forth between liking her and not liking her. Sometimes something would happen to make me feel bad for her, but then other times what she was doing was just selfish. I kind of feel bad with how things end up for her in the end, but she knew it was how things would turn out for her in the end.

Madeline is a character that I felt bad for the whole time. Her mother was awful to her, just completely awful. So when she falls in love, all she can do is think about when she'll finally get away from her mother. Things look up for her for awhile, and you learn that she really has some talent with her singing, but then you get to the end and you're back to pitying her.

I can't forget Caroline! She doesn't narrate at all, but she does play a major role. I probably disliked her the most. As selfish as Hortense seemed at times, Caroline was always selfish, and it got her everything she wanted in the end. But she uses Eliza and Hortense along the way, which makes me dislike her.

So the story was a little slow in a couple of place, but it read fast overall. I would start reading and an hour later would realize I had read 100 pages and was shocked because it didn't feel like I had read that long or much. So the book does flow along pretty good. I would recommend this book to those of you who really enjoy historical fiction and don't mind a story that has a little less action. There were a few points where I would get confused as to who was narrating, but I quickly found out in a line or two, I'm going to blame that on my mommy brain. Overall, this was a nice, enjoyable read for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy!

For more reviews visit Owl Read It.(less)

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Mar 19, 2012 ephrielle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Young and full of her own importance, Eliza Monroe finds herself in an academy for young ladies. Although, Her mother hopes she will make some influential connections, it isn't long before she has embroiled herself in a tangled mess. Everyone has a secret, and for some, their secrets could be disastrous.
Don't you love this green dress? I think she looks very secretive. It turns out that the lives of the people in this book are nowhere near as pretty as the cover.
The idea for this story was take...more Young and full of her own importance, Eliza Monroe finds herself in an academy for young ladies. Although, Her mother hopes she will make some influential connections, it isn't long before she has embroiled herself in a tangled mess. Everyone has a secret, and for some, their secrets could be disastrous.
Don't you love this green dress? I think she looks very secretive. It turns out that the lives of the people in this book are nowhere near as pretty as the cover.
The idea for this story was taken from the interaction between three families. The Monroe's, Beauharnais', and Bonaparte's. It isn't long after the end of the French Revolution as Bonaparte rises in power. The remaining members of the aristocracy are in tatters but desperate to restore their past lives. Eliza shows up at the academy for ladies to make important connections and get some French polish. She is only fourteen but used to getting her way. Only this time the playing field is something she is unfamiliar with. Hortense Beauharnais and Caroline Bonaparte are not only more knowledgeable but highly connected. Caroline is the queen bee and will use anyone to get what she wants. She also despises Hortense and torments her. Eliza ends up in the background to all the drama and gets mixed up in some dangerous situations.
The characters were really hard to like. Caroline is a mean girl who cares about no one but herself and her family. I disliked her schemes and her ability to twist others around her finger. Hortense was a shock since she is the beauty that lacks self-importance. She is humble but at the same time almost annoyingly naive. Eliza is whiny and a gossip monger.
The pace of the story is painful to begin with. I attribute it to the characters being unlikable. One hundred pages into the story things begin to happen. It is much more entertaining to watch the characters react to situations then to listen to them bicker. The entrance into the trio of a fourth girl ends up being the catalyst to a sad ending. Especially for my favorite character Eugene. I feel so sorry for all of the younger generation. They are victims of their parents' obsession and inability to let go of the past and move on. You would think the adult survivors of the terreur would have disliked having no choice in their systematic executions and would be more lenient in the future. The ending was also left open for more. As Eliza departs, she mentally states that she will see them again. It doesn't seem well founded in some instances after I discovered the basis for the story.
I would recommend The Academie for those more interested in learning about society during this point in history. Keep in mind it is seen through the eyes of a fourteen year old, so take much of it in stride. Expect nothing near a happy ending and you will be poised for the best way to enjoy this book.(less)

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Jun 01, 2012 Patricia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen-fiction-historical

Interesting premise, based on historical research by the author, who discovered that three girls, relatives of very famous historical figures, all attended a famous private school in Franch during 1799- Napoleon's younger sister Caroline, Hortense, daughter of his wife Josephine, and Eliza, daughter of future U.S. president James Monroe. However, if you are not very familiar with French history from that turbulent revolutionary period, you might find this story confusing. It is a bit difficult t...more

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Feb 28, 2012 Merin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley, read-in-2012

Thank you to Bloomsbury Children's Books (via NetGalley) for the e-galley of The Académie.

It's hard to really describe what this book is about. The story takes place in France in the Fall of 1799, right before Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the French Directory, who was ruling France after the French Revolution. The author used the setting of an all girls school in Saint-Germain called The Academie to tell what was happening in France during this time period through the eyes of three young girls....more Thank you to Bloomsbury Children's Books (via NetGalley) for the e-galley of The Académie.

It's hard to really describe what this book is about. The story takes place in France in the Fall of 1799, right before Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the French Directory, who was ruling France after the French Revolution. The author used the setting of an all girls school in Saint-Germain called The Academie to tell what was happening in France during this time period through the eyes of three young girls. The story is told via three different point of views: Eliza Monroe, daughter of the future President of the United States, Hortense de Beauharnais, step-daughter of Napoleon Bonaparte, and Madeleine de Pourat, a fictitious daughter of a fictitious Creole actress at the Comedie Francaise. Eliza, Hortense, and Caroline Bonaparte (Napoleon's sister) all attend the school together, and set out on many adventures, several of which don't achieve the hoped-for outcome. Madeleine is involved simply because she is in love with Hortense's brother, but she doesn't meet either Eliza or Hortense until almost 70% through the book.

I am sort of mixed in my opinion of this book. I felt like the first half was really slow-moving, as the author tried to introduce the characters and let the reader know how they were all connected. I felt sorry for Hortense from the first; Caroline is openly vindictive and treats her terribly, simply because she doesn't like Hortense's mother. Eliza's narration is suitably young - she is only 14 - but I found her incredibly grating. She's selfish, arrogant and easily manipulated by Caroline, and I found her constant cataloging of what was happening as being good fodder for letters to her mother quite annoying. I felt horribly sad for Madeleine, who has the worst time of it by far than any of the other characters, and enjoyed reading her chapters the most.

And then, the second half of the book happens. It definitely picked up, and you could see the plot lines coming to a head. At times I was almost breathless with what was going on. But the feeling the book left me with was sort of one of disappointment. It wasn't that I thought that these couples (aside from Caroline) were going to be able to stay together or whatever - I know my history, thanks to Wikipedia (LOL) - but I wasn't expecting everything to end in the manner it did. I was quite shocked with the climax.

And while we're talking about couples, let me just say that all of this "love at first sight" stuff that was going on was a little ridiculous. (view spoiler) Also, I was really unhappy with Hortense at the end; I mentioned that I felt bad for her above, but by the end of the book found her to be just as selfish in her own way as all the others. Her actions left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

All in all, this was an okay book. It's an interesting snapshot in French history, and I enjoyed parts of it immensely and others much less so. But it definitely wasn't a favorite.(less)

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Jan 13, 2012 Katy marked it as probably-not-finishing

I halfway through - starting chapter 26, and I think I'm setting this book aside. I'm always in the mood for historical fiction, but this book just wasn't for me.

I'm having a hard time keeping interest because the pace is so slow. There's a bit of family tension, but the drama is kind of boring, and nothing really exciting has happened yet.

There are FOUR points of view (I later find out how Madeleine is connected with the rest of the story), and there are all these mysterious men. I was looking...more

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Sep 01, 2012 Rachel Sharpe rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: royalty, romance, fantasy, ya

It takes a talented author to make me despise a character within the first three sentences, but that's exactly what happened.

I wanted so badly to like this book. I love France; I love historical fiction, but I hate this book.

I found the dialogue to be unrealistic and stilted, and the characters seemed like annoying, popular bratty kids of today than historical characters. In fact, I spent most of the book picturing them as valley girls. After all, the book starts out, "Paris! Oh, Paris!" Far too...more

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Mar 11, 2012 Mrs. S rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-books, read-in-2012

**This is a book I got for free, in advance through Netgalley.**

I didn't realize while I was reading this that the eponymous school was a real one, and that these three young ladies were real historical figures who all attended it in real life (although not all together.) I definitely enjoyed the historical setting, and the multiple point-of-view narration. A few things pulled me out of the story a little--occasionally when things had to be explained, or when characters stopped to really belabor...more

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Apr 12, 2012 Kelli (I'd So Rather Be Reading) rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a really neat book. I loved the glimpse into the lives of three prominent young women during Napolean Bonaparte's rise to power. I didn't think I would like the book at first, and in fact almost gave up on it, but in the end I decided to keep going and I'm glad I did.

The Academie was slow to start, but once I figured how who everyone was and got their family members straight, I really got into the story. I liked how each chapter was narrated by a different character, and how all four m...more

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Jun 30, 2012 Rebekah H. rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: good-cover-bad-book, market-research

I read this for market research only-otherwise I wouldn't have made it past the first two chapters. This was, perhaps, one of the stiffest, most boring books I have ever read. The history surrounding it is interesting, so this is a shame. On a technical note, the writing was flat and dry. Characters were inconsistent and mostly obnoxious. Despite the setting in a pivotal time in French history, nothing really happened until the end, and that felt rushed. Finally, the writing style and execution...more

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Apr 12, 2012 Jac (For Love and Books) rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was so excited for this book, a historical boarding school? In Paris? Yes please!!

In the end? I loved Dunap’s writing, it is simply amazing. And I would love to read more by her, but this book? It just wasn’t my thing. I didn’t find a connect with the characters, and one specific (Madeline) just got really uncomfortable for me. The ending didn’t jive well with me either – I was just left with a really awkward feeling, like I was standing on the outside of a social circle, hearing every word o...more

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Mar 13, 2012 Anna (AnnaReads.com) rated it 3 of 5 stars

I haven't read historical fiction in ages, and this was just the book to remind me to read it more often.

I know little to nothing about France under Napoleon's reign, but discovering it through the eyes of these characters was fascinating. There's mystery, romance, politics, intrigue...everything you'd want in a good piece of historical fiction.

Only snag for me was the different points of view -- I would have preferred maybe just Eliza and Hortense to narrate, just to cut down on some of the co...more

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Aug 13, 2012 Mara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-to-buy, 2012-reads, historical-fiction, romance

Cover Blurb: While I love the color scheme - soft, blushing pink and emerald-green dress - and the title’s font, I don’t like the girl. Her position and emphasis on the lips screams GIRL READ! The cover doesn’t like - this is a girl read, but it also isn’t as bad of one as the cover may indicate. If it was on a paperback, I would almost assume that it’s one of those cheap romances that little old ladies are always reading (except the girl does have her clothes on).

What I Liked: The setup - a pos...more Cover Blurb: While I love the color scheme - soft, blushing pink and emerald-green dress - and the title’s font, I don’t like the girl. Her position and emphasis on the lips screams GIRL READ! The cover doesn’t like - this is a girl read, but it also isn’t as bad of one as the cover may indicate. If it was on a paperback, I would almost assume that it’s one of those cheap romances that little old ladies are always reading (except the girl does have her clothes on).

What I Liked: The setup - a posh boarding-school in Paris - was interesting. I love historical fiction boarding-school stories. The mix of different characters added a lot to the story. I did not, at first, much care for Eliza. She seemed pretty dense; why in the world would you trust someone like Caroline? She is so obviously a conniving little jerk. Her like for Hortense, but refusal to stand up for her, bothered me a lot. However, by the end of the story, Eliza seemed to have learned a lesson, and for that I liked her. Armand, her other love interest, begins as a minor character, but then plays some fairly big roles as the story progresses, and he struck me as being the only sensible male in the group, along with Eugene.

What I Disliked: While it’s true I grew to like Eliza once I realized she’d learned a lesson, I spent the majority of the book not really caring for her. Caroline is a mean, selfish, bratty little thing, and Madeleine goes a bit insane and doesn’t treat Eliza or Hortense the way she ought, considering they save her life. I liked Hortense at first, but her crush on her stepfather, Napoleon, is more than a little disturbing, and in the end, she falls under the category of scheming female, right along with all the other females in the book.

Believability: The Author admits that while her three main female characters - Hortense, Caroline, and Eliza - are real, went to the same boarding-school, and Hortense was Eliza’s good friend, she made up the situation. Eliza never went to the boarding-school in the year that the story takes place. Madeleine didn’t exist. And there’s no evidence Hortense loved her music teacher’s son. Even so, the Author has done research into the era, and the fact that she was able to make her story convincing - when the majority of it was fictional - shows that she knew what she was writing about.

Writing Style: Present-tense; urg. I didn’t like it for this story. Each chapter alternates between three narrators: Hortense, Eliza, and Madeleine. I did like this; I’ve always been a fan of that technique. And the Author manages to give each girl a distinctive narrative voice, so it doesn’t get confusing.

Content: Nothing! Madeleine’s mother maintains a string of lovers, but we never get any details beyond that. I’m glad that this book doesn’t follow along the lines of Anastasia’s Secret, and it could have easily done that.

Conclusion: Exciting. And unexpected. I really was not expecting the bittersweet note that it ends on. The Author may have fabricated the majority of the circumstances, but her characters still meet the same fates they did in real life. After I got over my initial surprise at the lack of “happily ever after,” I found that I liked the ending. It somehow suited.

Recommended Audience: This is definitely a girl read. Historical fiction romance fans will like it, especially romance fans who get tired of reading romance books that are full of content. (less)

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Jun 16, 2012 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

I can’t quite wrap my mind around why I am so pleasantly surprised when I’m engrossed in (and enjoy) historical fiction but I always am. Maybe it’s because I don’t read a great deal in this particular genre or perhaps I tend to forget that history itself is so interesting and therefore fictionalized situations and characters surrounding such events become compelling as well.

Such is the case with Susanne Dunlap’s The Academie. Set in Napoleonic France during Revolutionary times the story follows...more

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