Betsy and the Emperor

This is an unusual book by Staton Rabin. It is set on the island of St Helena, where Napolean Bonaparte was exiled in the last years of his life, and is centred on the friendship between Bonaparte and fourteen-year-old local girl Betsy Balcombe. The book is loosely based on real events.

The cover of this book is rather unfortunate, as it looks very much like a trashy romance novel of the Barbara Cartland variety and this nearly put me off reading it. I certainly wouldn't have chosen it off the shelf myself. Needless to say, you'd be doing well to get any red-blooded boy to pick it up!

The setting was interesting and quite well-evoked in places but I found Betsy, who is supposed to be spirited and rebellious, a bit of pain. Some of the events in the book are "real" and others fictional (the author explains this in an historical note). Parts of the book aren't very convincing (for example, the plot to escape by balloon borders on the ludicrous). The relationship between Bonaparte and Betsy seems very unlikely to me but is apparently based on historical research by the author.

Although this book is not strictly a romance, I think it might appeal to lower secondary girls who like romance/historical fiction. The relationship between Betsy and Bonaparte is presented as a friendship between kindred spirits. He admires the traits in Betsy that others try to discourage and she feels she can be herself with him and this might be appealing to teenage readers. Betsy is a fiesty character who defies the restrictive conventions imposed upon girls at that time and while I found her a bit irritating, younger readers might warm to her.