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THE MANY LIVES AND
SECRET SORROWS OF
JOSEPHINE B.
Author:
Sandra Gulland
Publisher:
Scribner Paperback Fiction, 1999
Website:
http://www.simonsays.com/
Available in:
Paperback, 448 pages. $14.00 (ISBN 0-684-85606-9)
Genre:
Historical Fiction
Summary
This is a
dramatic tale of romance, heartbreak, and political intrigue set
during the tumultuous times of the French Revolution. Combining
meticulously researched history and superb storytelling, the author
provides an intimate look into the lives of the men and women behind
the revolution and relates Josephine Bonaparte’s marvelous, perilous
rise from an innocent girl to one of the most sophisticated and
powerful women in history. Through her fictionalized diary entries,
readers learn of the birth of her two children and the dissolution
of her marriage due to her husband’s indiscretions. She tells of her
days of imprisonment during the bloody French Revolution and of the
fall of the French monarchy. Finally, she writes of her husband’s
execution and of her fateful meeting with Napoleon Bonaparte with
whom she will fulfill her destiny as Empress Josephine.
Recommended by:
Quill and Quire
“A
fascinating read from beginning to end.”
Author Biography
Sandra
Gulland
was raised
in the turmoil of the ’60s in Berkeley, California. After
emigrating to Canada in 1970, she taught school in a remote Inuit
village before she began working in book publishing. She has been
working on the Josephine novels for many years, traveling
extensively to the places Josephine lived, learning to read French
and corresponding with period scholars. She lives near Killlaloe,
Ontario, with her husband and two children.
Topics to Consider
1
What are
the benefits and/or drawbacks of telling a historical story in diary
form? What techniques does the author use to make us believe in the
authenticity of the diary?
2
How does
destiny play a role in the lives of the different characters? What
effect does knowing her fate ahead of time have on Josephine? What
effect do the predictions have on you, the reader?
3
In her
diary, Josephine often mentions the corset. How does the corset
function as a metaphor for the role of women in this society before
and after the revolution? What does it say about society as a whole?
4
What
exactly is different after the revolution? Who is better off after
the revolution and why? What has been gained, what has been lost?
5
What role
did women play in Josephine’s pre-Revolutionary France, and how did
they change during the revolution? What did society value about
women during this era?
6
How do
Josephine's ideas about marriage change over the course of the
story? Why does Josephine marry Bonaparte?
7
What kind
of man is Alexandre? Is he a hypocrite or an honorable man? Is he
arrogant or selfless? Give examples to back up your thinking. How do
you reconcile Alexandre’s heroic deeds in the revolution with his
deceit in marriage? Can you think of any similar situations in
today’s world?
8
In what way
does Josephine grow and change over the course of the story? In what
ways does she stay the same?
9
Bonaparte
tells Rose, “You think the woman I love does not exist. You don’t
believe in Josephine.” Discuss how and why a name could have the
power to change one’s life.
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