Finding Napoleon

This historical novel focuses on Napoleon's last years, awash in intrigue and poignant with loss. After the defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon is exiled to St. Helena in the South Atlantic, about as far away from France as possible. He comes with a small entourage, among them his faithful valet, Marchand; Albine, Countess de Montholon, and her husband, Charles; and Napoleon's childhood friend Francesco Cipriani. Napoleon's nemesis on the island is the governor, Gen. Sir Hudson Lowe, a petty and vindictive bureaucrat. The five years on St. Helena are filled with Napoleon's longings, chiefly that he will likely never again see his young son, "the Eaglet," who was spirited off to Vienna by his mother, Marie Louise. These are years of treachery--an underlying theme is Napoleon's lifelong realization that he can never completely trust anyone--and plots to escape or seek medical release that, as readers know, will come to naught. The narrative consists of those parts focusing on Napoleon, those sections related by Albine, and excerpts from the novella Clissonet Eug�nie that the former leader worked on his whole life. The novella is fleshed out by Rodenberg, who deserves kudos as a rigorous researcher and gifted writer. Two characters really stand out in this intricate tapestry: Napoleon (no surprise) and Albine. Napoleon comes across as imperious when need be but also kind and unpretentious, reflecting his humble beginnings on Corsica. And Albine is a true wonder. Good at heart, she is the classic survivor. She always has a crust of bread in her pocket--a very nice touch--and is not above petty thievery and the useful lie. She is also Napoleon's mistress and bears him a daughter, Jos�phine, who, alas, dies some months after Albine makes it back to Europe. And then there's Tobyson, the little boy who adores Napoleon and is a stand-in, in a way, for the Eaglet. The little acolyte brings out the best in the fallen emperor. An afterword helpfully separates fact from fiction. A well-written tale brings to life the twilight years of a captivating historical figure. (acknowledgements, author bio)

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