The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B
by Sandra Gulland (Goodreads author!)
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 719)
Read in December, 2007
Along with its two successors, this book is a work of historical fiction that truly kept my attention. Based on the actual diaries of Josephine Bonaparte, The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. is a very interesting and captivating book. It begins during Josephine's childhood on the island of Martinico, and continues through her first marriage, the birth of her two children, and ends with her marriage to Bonaparte. The second two books carry through the rest of her life, up u...more
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Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
fans of historical fiction
"The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B." by Sandra Gulland is an historical fiction novel with (for me) a bit of a twist. It is written in diary form. At first I wasn't sure about reading a 'journal'. I thought it would feel disjointed, I was wrong. The journal hits all of the highs and lows. The feel is even more 'real' given that Ms. Gulland uses not just the dates and places where the entries were written, but also times of day in some cases and partial/entire letters w...more
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Read in February, 2008
I would have never chosen this book on my own. My boss recommended it and I started reading slowly at first. This week I've stayed up every night until at least 2:00 a.m. reading it. It's not an easy read since it's in diary form (I find that more challenging for some reason) and some words are in French (names/locations and slang mostly). I took two years of French in high school but I don't recall much at all.
It's a historical fiction, of which I haven't read many. I loved it though....more
It's a historical fiction, of which I haven't read many. I loved it though....more
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Read in September, 2007
For some reason the second and third books don't come up on Goodreads.
Book 1 The Many lives & secret sorrows of Josephine b
Book 2 Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe
Book 3 The Last Great Dance on Earth
The series is about Rose/Josephine. It follows her growing up as a child were a vodoo prietess tell her She will Married. She will be a Widow. She will be Queen. She lives through the revelution and meets the Great Nepoleon. It's written as diary and I'm finding the whole thing amazin...more
Book 1 The Many lives & secret sorrows of Josephine b
Book 2 Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe
Book 3 The Last Great Dance on Earth
The series is about Rose/Josephine. It follows her growing up as a child were a vodoo prietess tell her She will Married. She will be a Widow. She will be Queen. She lives through the revelution and meets the Great Nepoleon. It's written as diary and I'm finding the whole thing amazin...more
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Read in May, 2008
This book was good. I learned of her life before Napolean.
It was interesting to the aspect of getting to know her and her previous loves. The time line was a nice parallel w/American history I was able to enjoy it a bit more BUT would've liked them to mention the King and Queens name at some poit. They only ever touched on what was happening to them never used thier full names.
Some things were skimmed over and I would've liked a bit more historical and charater development in certain areas ...more
It was interesting to the aspect of getting to know her and her previous loves. The time line was a nice parallel w/American history I was able to enjoy it a bit more BUT would've liked them to mention the King and Queens name at some poit. They only ever touched on what was happening to them never used thier full names.
Some things were skimmed over and I would've liked a bit more historical and charater development in certain areas ...more
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Read in December, 2007
This was not a book I was expecting to enjoy so much since I thought it would be too romanticized. I had purchased the trilogy for mother on the recommendation of a friend. My mother loved all of the books and said they were quick reads.
Besides being a quick, fun read, what impressed me about the Josephine books was how well researched they are. This is obviously a work of fiction but fiction based on a strong foundation of fact. The fiction just serves to enhance the history, making it ...more
Besides being a quick, fun read, what impressed me about the Josephine books was how well researched they are. This is obviously a work of fiction but fiction based on a strong foundation of fact. The fiction just serves to enhance the history, making it ...more
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Read in January, 2006
recommends it for:
Anyone is loikes historical fiction or those interested in the French revolution.
Inspired by the actual diaries of Josephine Boneparte, I learned more about the French Revolution in this book than all of my history classes. It was so well researched that the book contained footnotes referring to places and events that took place during that period. These were there instead of description written into the narration so the flow and suspense of the story wouldn't be interrupted. Such an engaging book, I can't wait to read the last two books to the series.
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Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
Elena
I picked this up at the book share at my local Curves; it was buried among dozens of copies of Danielle Steel and John Grisham. Although there was nothing amazing about this book, I did learn a thing or two about a person of whom I only knew a name. It did showcase the horror of the French Revolution, humanity at its most vicious and vindictive. I should read the remainder of the trilogy, but haven't been motivated enough to search the books out.
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Read in April, 2007
I already have read this book a few times, and therefore can guarantee it is a good read as long as you enjoy stories involved with history. Despite the debate about the accuracy of the series (two more follow this book) I can credit the book with being part of what threw me into my love for Napoleonic history, and the life of Josephine Bonaparte.
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Read in May, 2007
I really enjoyed this book. As with a lot of historical fiction, it is hard to know sometimes what is embellished, and what is accurate, but I was totally into this story. I am reading the second one and having a wonderful time with it. Some of the descriptive elements of the book were it was difficult to read but it was part of that time they liven in... I am sure glad that I didn't live during the French Revelution.
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Read in April, 2008
I love historical fiction, and this was one of the best I've read. It makes me want to go do extensive research on the French Revolution. I feel that I would have been more able to relate to the characters, particularly Rose, had I known a little bit more about what was going on during this time in France. I like the format of the book, though, because it makes her life so real and tangible. A great, fast read!
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This was a beautifully crafted book. Written in the voice of Josephine after nearly a decade of research by the author, it is intensely captivating and is one of my all time favorite books- along with the two that follow it in the trilogy. If you're a sucker for historical fiction it is an absolute MUST read.
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This book was hard to read at first since it is written in diary form. Each paragrpah was preceded by the date and time which distracted me until I got at least half way through, then I just ignored them. I didn't feel it got really interesting until the last 75 pages or so when Josephine finally met Bonaparte. Then I realized this is a trilogy.....now I want to find the other books and read them!
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Another biography? Check! Another French person? Check! This is the first in a series of three books. Its another work-of-fiction-based-on-history, but so detailed its hard to tell the difference. I would liken it to "Braveheart", in as much as reading it makes you want to know more about that period of history. I found it enjoyable enough to want to start reading the sequels.
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Read in June, 2008
An enjoyable fictional treatment of the early life of Josephine Bonaparte, Napoleon's consort. I thought the author did a good job of portraying the horror and chaos of the French Revolution. The book ends just as Josephine accepts the marriage proposal of a very short soldier named Napoleon. Will have to scour the shelves of my favorite used bookstore for volumes two and three.
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Read in April, 2008
recommended to Allison by:
Elise
It was a full three chapters before I truly began to appreciate this one... and from them on it was a marathon to finish, scooping up each kernel of Rose's thoughts, psyche, days, deaths as one possessed, enamoured.
The Reign of Terror as I had not yet understood it. In technicolor, as seen from the gilded windows of the prisons themselves.
Well worth it.
The Reign of Terror as I had not yet understood it. In technicolor, as seen from the gilded windows of the prisons themselves.
Well worth it.
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Read in March, 2007
Fictionalized diary of the woman who became Napoleon's Josephine. Throughout the entire book, I was wishing I knew more about the French revolution. I also expected Napoleon to enter the picture a lot earlier. Not bad, and pretty readable, but I probably won't pick up the rest of the books in the trilogy. Sometimes the diary format just doesn't quite work.
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This is the first in a trilogy of biographical novels written about Josephine, the wife of Napoleon. It starts with her birth on the island of Martinique and continues well into her marriage to Napoleon. You learn a lot about the era and other historical figures as you go. It's a fascinating book and someday I intend to read the other two in the series.
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Read in August, 2008
Gulland makes you feel as if Josephine is confiding in you personally. You come out of this trilogy personally knowing her and her very wide circle. These books are wonderfully amusing and extremely entertaining. Josephine is fasinating and modern even in todays standards. If I could meet any historical figure she would be at the top of the list.
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Read in July, 2007
This was such a good book! I'm sure I would have benefited more from the story if I had some background knowledge (or any knowledge, for that matter) about Josephine's life and French history, but this way the story was "just" an interesting history lesson and story of one woman's survival against very many odds.
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book data (includes all editions)
avg rating (all editions): 4.14 (504 ratings) avg rating (this edition): 3.69 (13 ratings) number of reviews: 95
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