The Academie

The Academie by Susanne Dunlap
3/5 stars
Bloomsbury, 2012
354 pages
YA; Historical

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was taken with the cover for this book and requested it without even looking at the synopsis. It looked like French historical fiction and that sounded promising enough to me. After reading April at Good Books and Good Wine's review though, my enthusiasm waned. I had the sinking feeling that I would agree with her thoughts on the characters. 

But she was not wrong, in my case. I do adore books with multiple narrators but in this case I could not really connect with any of them. First is Eliza Monroe, daughter of future US president James Monroe, who is quite young and consequently a huge spoiled brat. Next is Hortense, step-daughter to Napoleon, then only the most eminent general in France. She was slightly more appealing. Last is Madeleine, a young mulatto actress who has found herself in love with Hortense's brother. The way their lives intersect in 1799 during a critical time in the history of the French Republic is the overarching story.

The tidbits we get into the lives of the powerful, particularly the dynamics between Napoleon and Josephine were fascinating. I also loved spoiled mean Caroline, sister of Napoleon and peer of Hortense and Eliza; although she is self-serving and often cruel, she was also dynamic and leapt off the page. But that is not the main story. Instead it was about the girls, none of whom I liked. They were bratty, boring, and overly dramatic at alternating points.

As for the historical details...this is not my time period so I can't really comment on accuracy. I did think the girls were allowed an extraordinary amount of freedom and liberties although that might just come with the time frame. It is post-revolution with a weak government at the head.

Then on the very first page of my e-ARC (something I hope was corrected for the finished copy) was a glaring error. Eliza Monroe is told this: "your father was first minister to France when Jefferson was president." Now it is true that James Monroe served in France, representing US interests but this book is set in 1799 before Jefferson had even been president yet. I believe Washington should be the president namechecked.

Overall: It really comes down to the characters, plain and simple. They didn't work for me and thus I did not enjoy the book.

Cover: This is what I first noticed so obviously it is eye-catching and appealing to the people who like covers with pretty dresses :)

In the Shadow of the Lamp

In the Shadow of the Lamp by Susanne Dunlap
Bloomsbury Books for Young Readers, 2011
293 pages
YA; Historical
3.5/5 stars

Source: Library

Light spoilers!

I didn't know much about the plot and the period of this book when I picked it up; quite frankly I wasn't even sure were Crimea was until I just googled it now.  But an inside look at Florence Nightingale and her nurses during the Crimean War sounded super promising.

And just like I thought, the historical setting and details were fantastic and fascinating!  I loved reading about the high hygienic standards established by Florence Nightingale, how much of their initial nursing was gruntwork just to set up the hospital, and the personality of main character Molly.  Although she's pretty innocent in the ways of the world, she's a hard-worker, practical, and eager to learn.  Nightingale is also an interesting character with more depth than I had known about previously, as she struggles and overcomes challenges.

But then there was the romance, which had some odd elements.  First Molly is somewhat drawn to Will, who supported her in her first position and then followed her to the war zone.  But in the meantime, she has become interested in a doctor with whom she shares a mysterious connection.  One of them ends up dying and she ends up marrying the survivor but their romance doesn't quite work because it seems like she may have actually loved the dead man more.

There is also a mystical aspect as Molly's intuition about nursing takes over and gives her knowledge that she couldn't possibly have known.  It was bizarre and occurred in three main places.  I thought this was a straightforward historical and couldn't understand the insertion of these instances.

Overall: A rich historical novel about the Crimean War.

Cover: I really like the cover-it's accurate and it caught my eye.