“Tell the emperor that Madame Bonaparte is ambitious and demands her rights as a member of the imperial family.”
As a clever girl in stodgy, mercantile Baltimore, Betsy Patterson dreams of a marriage that will transport her to cultured Europe. When she falls in love with and marries Jerome Bonaparte, she believes her dream has come true — until Jerome’s older brother Napoleon becomes an … an implacable enemy.
Based on a true story, The Ambitious Madame Bonaparte is a historical novel that portrays this woman’s tumultuous life. Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte, known to history as Betsy Bonaparte, scandalized Washington with her daring French fashions; visited Niagara Falls when it was an unsettled wilderness; survived a shipwreck and run-ins with British and French warships; dined with presidents and danced with dukes; and lived through the 1814 Battle of Baltimore. Yet through it all, Betsy never lost sight of her primary goal — to win recognition of her marriage.
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Late 1700’s, early 1800’s, Elizabeth Patterson, the main character, is the eldest daughter of a wealthy Baltimore merchant. As a young girl, she was told of a premonition that she would be treated as royalty. This prophecy drove Elizabeth, aka Betsy, Eliza, her whole life. She ultimately marries Jerome Bonaparte, youngest brother of Napoleon …
I picked this book up thinking it was the story of the American woman who married Bonaparte’s brother—the brother who would rather live in exile than give up love for his brother’s ambition. Oops! Wrong brother! Madame Bonaparte was the unfortunate girl who married Bonaparte’s charming, dissolute, inconstant brother—the other one—then spent the …
Very good read, but the main character is so obsessed that she never lets go of anything. She seems to go in circles, constantly repeating her feelings, beliefs, desires, goals, plans, angers. Betsy manages to charm and aggravate at the same time. After a lifetime of planning and posturing on behalf of her son fathered by the brother of Napoleon …
I found the story intriguing and thought provoking. Well written and entertaining.
Very entertaining
Interesting and well written. Kept me wondering what was going to happen n next.
I like the Bonaparte Family History
This historical novel, set between the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, chronicles the life of Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte, the daughter of a wealthy New England merchant who married the younger brother of Napoleon.
Quick read. Interesting history.
book not care for story line or characters. Hard for me to finish and I always
finish a book.
Interesting glimpse of history
Made me want to jump into the pages of this story and knock some sense into both of them! Great read, now I know why Napoleon was so despised.
Interesting book about a woman who makes choices baded on her dreams of granduer.
This read more like a historical chronology rather than a novel, especially after the first one hundred pages. The characters were not particularly likeable and minor characters were not developed at all. The book could have been shortened by at least half and definitely coul have used a good editing. At about half way through, I began skimming …
I really enjoyed this book. The author tells an interesting story that is full of historical facts. Betsy was brought to life by the author, leaving me marveling at how well written Ambitious Madame Bonaparte was.
I enjoy historical fiction, and this one gave a thorough picture of someone I had never heard of before. What an interesting, and often troubled, life. Sometimes it dragged a bit, but the book did ring true, and it made me want to learn more about the people and the period.
Historical
Good read. Really enjoyed images of what life was like in early America. What the politics were like. Sometimes the details didn’t add to the story and became cumbersome.
I enjoyed this book about ambition, selfish motives, and disappointment. This account of a time that we can only imagine was well researched.
A take on history that makes it interesting.