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popthebutterfly 's review for:

Finding Napoleon by Margaret Rodenberg
3.0
hopeful informative slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Finding Napoleon

Author: Margaret Rodenburg

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3/5

Recommended For...: historical fiction

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publication Date: April 6, 2021

Publisher: She Writes Press

Pages: 374

Recommended Age: can't recommend, DNFed

Synopsis: With its delightful adaptation of Napoleon Bonaparte's real attempt to write a novel, Finding Napoleon offers a fresh take on Europe's most powerful man after he's lost everything. A forgotten woman of history--Napoleon's last love, the audacious Albine de Montholon--narrates their tale of intrigue, passion, and betrayal.

After the defeated Emperor Napoleon goes into exile on tiny St. Helena Island in the remote South Atlantic, he and his lover, Albine de Montholon, plot to escape and rescue his young son. Banding together African slaves, British sympathizers, a Jewish merchant, a Corsican rogue, and French followers, they confront British opposition--as well as treachery within their own ranks--with sometimes subtle, sometimes bold, but always desperate action.
When Napoleon and Albine break faith with one another, ambition and Albine's husband threaten their reconciliation. To succeed, Napoleon must learn whom to trust. To survive, Albine must decide whom to betray.

Two hundred years after Napoleon's death, this elegant, richly researched novel reveals a relationship history conceals.

Review: I had to DNF after 112 pages. While I thought the book was good and I loved the historical aspects of it, I felt like it was too slow for me and it focused too much on the characters rather than the history.

Verdict: It's good just not for me.