Book Review: THE SECRET LIFE OF JOSEPHINE by Carolly Erickson

Far away lands, lost and found loves, conquests and defeats, and leaving a lingering dream of a lost paradise. Historical entertainment would not even begin to scratch the surface of this richly exotic story. Saucey Josephine was born on the Caribbean island of Martinique a colony of France, complete with plantations and sugar cane fields. A creole seductress with a heart of gold. It was for seen by the local oracle, her future lay across the water, she must go to find her destiny. For me the most enjoyable aspect was the profound depiction of historical events, it made the book very enticing. From Josephine's fight for survival during the bloody french revolution to Napoleons rise, to become ultimately emperor and Josephine empress. To Italy, Egypt, Russia, and many more places. Josephine seeks her destiny, being led by her unbiased heart. She crossed many invisible lines society laid down. She loved openly, being saucey, and smart had many advantages & disadvantages. A very exotic lovable realist who never lost her mind sight of her fight to survive. Motivated as she was to get what she needed she used men and at times was considered a scandal. I could not help but love her. She had a kind heart who always meant good but not all things ended up good and when it got bad it got really bad. This absolutely goes on my "to buy list" since I devoured every dramatic and climactic second. Unlike my last book this was a filling book through to the end.

"The bestselling author of The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette and The Last Wife of Henry VIII returns with an enchanting novel about the ambitious, amoral, vulnerable woman who became the first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. Fashion icon, leader of France’s society in the turbulent years of the guillotine and the bloody Napoleonic Wars, the alluring Josephine was a tough survivor—yet she also had a gentle, haunting quality that made her irresistible to her contemporaries, especially to the mysterious, compelling stranger from Martinique who captured her heart."