The Ambitious Madame Bonaparte

by Ruth Hull Chatlien

Overview

Gold Medal Winner, Historical Fiction Personage, 2014 Readers' Favorite Awards
First Place Winner, Turn of the 19th Century, 2014 Chaucer Awards for Historical Fiction

Tell the emperor that Madame Bonaparte is ambitious and demands her rights as a member of the imperial family.

As a clever girl in stodgy, mercantile Baltimore, Betsy Patterson dreams of a marriage that will transport her to cultured Europe. When she falls in love with and marries Jerome Bonaparte, she believes her dream has come true-until Jerome's older brother Napoleon becomes an implacable enemy.

Based on a true story, The Ambitious Madame Bonaparte is a historical novel that portrays this woman's tumultuous life. Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte, known to history as Betsy Bonaparte, scandalized Washington with her daring French fashions; visited Niagara Falls when it was an unsettled wilderness; survived a shipwreck and run-ins with British and French warships; dined with presidents and danced with dukes; and lived through the 1814 Battle of Baltimore. Yet through it all, Betsy never lost sight of her primary goal-to win recognition of her marriage.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781937484163
Publisher:	Amika Press
Publication date:	12/02/2013
Pages:	496
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Ruth Hull Chatlien has been a writer and editor of educational materials for nearly thirty years, specializing in U.S. and world history. She is the author of Modern American Indian Leaders for middle-grade readers. Her award-winning first novel, The Ambitious Madame Bonaparte, portrays the tumultuous life of Elizabeth "Betsy" Patterson Bonaparte. Her second novel is Blood Moon: A Captive's Tale.



KIRKUS REVIEWS, kirkusreviews.com


Chatlien's debut historical fiction celebrates the drive and desires of the real-life Betsy Patterson, a Baltimore merchant's daughter who married a Bonaparte.



As a child and young woman, Betsy Patterson was precocious, lovely, dismissive of America and not terribly eager to sit around and do what she was told. Of her American suitors, she laments, "Marriage to any one of them would sentence me to a life...bearing child after child until my mind is rusted from disuse." When a European lieutenant comes to Baltimore, Betsy finds love and opportunity-the lieutenant is, after all, Jerome Bonaparte, Napoleon's youngest brother. The two wed, but when Napoleon refuses to acknowledge the marriage, which may hinder the potential for political alliances, the newly minted Madame Bonaparte discovers that a court life is not so easily attainable for an American girl. Her ambition doesn't subside, however. Instead, it underlies her new mission to receive recognition of her union, which means pitting herself against the most powerful man in the world. "Napoleon dismissed me as expendable because I am American and a woman," she says. "Someday I will make him see that he was wrong on both counts." Betsy is a captivating heroine whose independence and intelligence are given their proper due in Chatlien's novel. Against the backdrop of world events, such as the battle at Waterloo and the War of 1812, Betsy fights her own, smaller battles, ignoring censure from her stern father and other compatriots who criticize her tenacity and her scandalous French fashions. Her story has suspense, a rapidly moving plot and rich details of 19th-century life, from quotidian tasks to grand parties with Dolley and James Madison at the Presidential Mansion....It undoubtedly offers compelling insights into the minds of real, deeply engrossing individuals.



A fascinating account of one woman's fight to defiantly stray from her predetermined path.

Editorial Reviews

★ 05/26/2014
When young Betsy Patterson marries dashing but irresponsible Jerome Bonaparte—the brother of Napoleon—she dreams of an exciting new life at the French court. Instead, her brother-in-law's hostility leads to her bitter struggle to legitimize herself as a Bonaparte. Meticulously researched, engrossing in detail, and full of the customs, values, and prejudices of the era, Chatlien's novel brings to life crucial moments in history alongside Betsy's quest for recognition. The chaos of Napoleon's reign and maritime hostilities engross without overshadowing Madame Bonaparte's heartaches and small triumphs. Chatlien doesn't flinch from exposing our hunger for wealth and power, and confronts difficult themes such as slavery and domestic inequality. A solid example of its genre, this account of one woman's stubborn determination will appeal to romance aficionados and historical devotees alike.

Publishers Weekly

2014-02-14
Chatlien's debut historical fiction celebrates the drive and desires of the real-life Betsy Patterson, a Baltimore merchant's daughter who married a Bonaparte. As a child and young woman, Betsy Patterson was precocious, lovely, dismissive of America and not terribly eager to sit around and do what she was told. Of her American suitors, she laments, "Marriage to any one of them would sentence me to a life...bearing child after child until my mind is rusted from disuse." When a European lieutenant comes to Baltimore, Betsy finds love and opportunity—the lieutenant is, after all, Jerome Bonaparte, Napoleon's youngest brother. The two wed, but when Napoleon refuses to acknowledge the marriage, which may hinder the potential for political alliances, the newly minted Madame Bonaparte discovers that a court life is not so easily attainable for an American girl. Her ambition doesn't subside, however. Instead, it underlies her new mission to receive recognition of her union, which means pitting herself against the most powerful man in the world. "Napoleon dismissed me as expendable because I am American and a woman," she says. "Someday I will make him see that he was wrong on both counts." Betsy is a captivating heroine whose independence and intelligence are given their proper due in Chatlien's novel. Against the backdrop of world events, such as the battle at Waterloo and the War of 1812, Betsy fights her own, smaller battles, ignoring censure from her stern father and other compatriots who criticize her tenacity and her scandalous French fashions. Her story has suspense, a rapidly moving plot and rich details of 19th-century life, from quotidian tasks to grand parties with Dolley and James Madison at the Presidential Mansion. The novel is so vivid, in fact, that its fictional nature can seem dubious at times. Still, it undoubtedly offers compelling insights into the minds of real, deeply engrossing individuals. A fascinating account of one woman's fight to defiantly stray from her predetermined path.

Kirkus Reviews