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Chargement... The Game of Hope (édition 2018)par Sandra Gulland (Auteur)
Information sur l'oeuvreThe Game of Hope par Sandra Gulland
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Inscrivez-vous à LibraryThing pour découvrir si vous aimerez ce livre Actuellement, il n'y a pas de discussions au sujet de ce livre. I was rather disappointed in this book. I was hoping it would cover her entire life, or at least until the fall of Napoleon. But it did not even reach the point of her marriage. And the way it ended left no hope of it being the first part of a trilogy [as the Josephine B. books had]. I understand it was intended for a juvenile reader, but many YA historical fiction are still able to hold the interest of older readers, whereas this one could not. Cette critique a été écrite dans le cadre des Critiques en avant-première de LibraryThing. The Game of Hope is a fictional account of the teenage years of Hortense de Beauharnais, Napoleon Bonaparte's step-daughter. Sandra Gulland does a nice job weaving historical fact with fiction allowing readers to get to know Hortense. In 'The Game of Hope' Hortense takes that final step from childhood to adulthood, something most readers can relate to, regardless of their year of birth! While the book is nicely written and Gulland's plot line flows well, Hortense is a very proper young lady who almost borders on the boring. At times the book seems to plod along, missing some of the excitement Gulland had in her earlier Josephine Bonaparte trilogy. What I absolutely loved about the book was the use of terms common in the late 1700's. It added to the authenticity of the book and was interesting to see, even at a glimpse, how issues such as suicide, ones ethnicity, and 'feminine issues' were viewed. Well worth the read. Hortense de Beauharnais grew up during the unfortunate time of the French Revolution. During this time many members of the aristocracy were woken in the middle of the night, dragged away and then imprisoned or killed. Hortense's father was one of the many executed by guillotine and Hortense's mother, Josephine was one of the many imprisoned. Josephine is now married to Napoleon, who is rising to power. While Napoleon is fighting, Hortense attends The Institute, a boarding school for young women. Hortense is a good student, especially in the arts. Hortense prayis for the protection of her brother Eugene, while fighting with Napoleon's troops. She is also secretly pining for Christophe, a fellow officer with Eugene and dealing with Caroline, Napoleon's troublesome little sister. Hortense has many painful memories of the past and her future is quickly changing as Napoleon gains power. The Game of Hope is the story of Hortense de Beauharnais' coming of age. Hortense would go on to become the Queen Consort of Holland; however, the events of her childhood help mold the adult she will become. Focusing on the years of 1798-1800, we get to see a few years of Hortense's life as the Revolution was shaping France, it's people and Napoleon's rise to power. Throughout everything that was going on with her country and her personal life, I felt that Hortense was very much captured as a regular young woman. Written with much historical detail, I was fascinated to learn about the effects of the Revolution on those who survived as well as details of Hortense's private life. I was amazed to know that Hortense was a composer, and that I am able to listen to her pieces being performed today. While the focus of the story was on Hortense, I also had many glimpses into the rest of her fascinating family including the relationship between Napoleon and Josephine as well as fascinating Caroline. Overall, an engrossing historical biography of an amazing woman in history that is filled with hope and strength. This book was received for free in return for an honest review. aucune critique | ajouter une critique
In 1798, fifteen-year-old Hortense de Beauharnais, Napoleon Bonaparte's stepdaughter, attends an exclusive boarding school, dreaming of her brother's fellow officer Christophe, unaware of the role she is fated to play. Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
Critiques des anciens de LibraryThing en avant-premièreLe livre The Game of Hope de Sandra Gulland était disponible sur LibraryThing Early Reviewers. Discussion en coursAucunCouvertures populaires
Google Books — Chargement... GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyClassification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne:
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From this book I learnt a lot about the period of history straight after the French Revolution and I didn't mind that is was being told from the perspective of more of a side character. However I found the ending disappointing, especially how it relates to the title word of 'hope'. I looked up the history of the real person Hortense and there really wasn't a lot of things to be hopeful or happy about in her future. I wish the book had included an epilogue explaining how the characters lives continued. In the end if felt like this book covered the first hill of Hortense's life while the mountain ranges of moral complexities in her future were just ignored. ( )