Book Review: Becoming Josephine by Heather Webb

Becoming Josephine

Becoming Josephine by Heather Webb
Published December 31, 2013; Plume
Genre: historical fiction

Becoming Josephine uses historical facts to weave a personal story about Rose Tascher of the island of Martinique who traveled to France, married, entered French society and later became the Empress Josephine, ruling France with Napoleon after he declared himself Emperor. I enjoyed the facts behind the imagined inner life of a girl who rises to undreamed of heights, at times a bit unwillingly.

The novel was easy to read presenting the facts of the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon from Josephine's point of view and imagining her feelings and personal reactions to the monumental changes around her.

The novel was informative and entertaining. I only wish it had finished the story about the future that Napoleon faced after Josephine, and not ended quite so abruptly, as I felt the novel at the end was almost as much about Napoleon as it was about the Empress.

I rated this excellent read 4 out of 5 stars.

Heather Webb is the author of historical novels BECOMING JOSEPHINE and the forthcoming RODIN’S LOVER (Plume/Penguin 2015).  A freelance editor and blogger, she spends oodles of time helping writers hone their skills—something she adores. You may find her twittering @msheatherwebb or contributing to her favorite award-winning sites Writer Unboxed and Romance University. In addition, she is a member of The Historical Novel Society.

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Thanks to TLC Book Tours and the publisher for a review copy of this book. Visit the tour schedule for more reviews.