Item: Napoleon's Last Island
Rating: 1.00
Author: eclecticreading

by Thomas Keneally

On the island of St Helena in the south Atlantic ocean, Napoleon spends his last years in exile. It is a hotbed of gossip and secret liaisons, where a blind eye is turned to relations between colonials and slaves.

The disgraced emperor is subjected to vicious and petty treatment by his captors, but he forges an unexpected ally: a rebellious British girl, Betsy, who lives on the island with her family and becomes his unlikely friend.

Based on fact, Napoleon's Last Island is the surprising story of one of history's most enigmatic figures and a British family who dared to associate with him. It is a tale of vengeance, duplicity and loyalty, and of a man whose charisma made him dangerous to the end.

I was provided an ARC of this book by the publishers in exchange for an honest review. This review was originally posted at eclectictales.com: http://www.eclectictales.com/blog/2016/10/03/review-napoleons-last-island/

I tried, you guys, I really did. The opening chapter didn’t quite grip me, but I read on in the hopes of the story picking up. Unfortunately it never did for me: I didn’t really feel for the story, the characters weren’t particularly compelling, and getting through the book was a chore that it was difficult to appreciate the themes of exile, social perception, and relationships. I suppose I did get a sense of place and setting in this book, how remote Saint Helena was from the wider world with all of its politics and happenings, but that was about it. I didn’t enjoy this historical fiction title, it didn’t capture my attention.

Napoleon's Last Island

by Thomas Keneally

Reviewed by Lianne on Aug 20, 2016

Reading updates