Why Napoleon? Read on to discover how this unlikely man—who’s both revered and reviled—defined an era. But you won’t learn much about battles here. I’m interested in Napoleon himself, in the people around him, and in the culture of his era. St. Helena Island in the remote South Atlantic, where Napoleon spent the last five years of his life in exile (and which I visited in 2011), is a particular fascination of mine.
My novel, FINDING NAPOLEON—with its adaptation of Napoleon Bonaparte’s real attempt to write a novel—offers a fresh take on Europe’s most powerful man after he’s lost everything. A forgotten woman of history, the audacious Albine de Montholon, narrates their tale of intrigue, love, and betrayal.
I’ll never sell your information or overload you with frequent emails.
After Napoleon’s burial on May 9, 1821, his French entourage left St Helena within days. Longwood House itself fell into neglect, reverting into an agricultural property. Napoleon’s own rooms were used to store farm equipment, while termites demolished much of the rest of the structure. Hearing of its sorry state in 1854, Napoleon III (our […]
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In some ways, St Helena seems a lot like other islands I’ve visited: cinderblock homes, lush greenery along potholed roads, and a limited selection in the grocery store, but this place has surprised me. With just three Napoleonic sites and nine days to spend, I thought I’d be reading novels, reorganizing my laptop filing system,
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While looking through St Helena’s official archives, I found the record of Napoleon’s death and burial in May, 1821. In the middle of the page is the entry, “Napoleon Bonaparte, late Emperor of France, he died on the 5th Instant at the old House at Longwood, and was interred on Mr Richard Torbett’s Estate.” Click
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At first glance on a sunny day, Longwood House seems like a pleasant place to be exiled. The garden, in particular, presents a cheery face, with daisies, day lilies, and the native ebony bush in flower. In 1819, three years into his exile, Napoleon corralled his small entourage into planting a lush garden, much like
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To get the lay of the land, I decided to see St Helena’s historical sites first as a pure tourist, joining a group of my fellow shipmates for the Napoleonic tour in a modified 1929 Chevrolet. The engine whined as the car clung to steep hillsides on twisty one-lane roads, the driver honking at each
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After five relaxing days on calm seas, we rose early to capture a true Napoleonic experience: our first sight of the island’s dark cliffs at dawn. Although my camera couldn’t do it justice, St Helena’s forbidding silhouette didn’t disappoint me. The barren rock faces do indeed rise out of the sea like prison walls. Napoleon’s
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The RMS St Helena proved more pleasant than I had expected from a dual-purpose passenger and cargo ship. Our cabin was roomy, the food good without being exceptional, and the service friendly. The crew tried hard to provide amusements—shuffleboard, trivia contests, movies—throughout each day. Mostly, I read on deck or talked with other travelers. I
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Today my husband Bert and I board the RMS St Helena for the five-day voyage to the island. Since the ship doesn’t offer internet to its passengers, this is my final blog until we disembark on May 16th. No internet for five days might feel like a hardship, but I expect our cruise will be
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. . . to the king on land! South Africa is full of wonderful sights and experiences. We’re on safari today and tomorrow, then back to Cape Town for one day sightseeing before boarding the RMS St Helena.
From the King of the Ocean . . . Read More »
