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La Esposa del Mago
Brian Moore is best known for his mysteries of faith and fanaticism. The Statement focuses on a murderously uncontrite Vichy collaborator whom the French Catholic church has long sheltered. And in The Color of Blood (1987)--set in an unnamed Iron Curtain country--a cardinal wonders if people aren't using religion "as a sort of politics." Religion and politics again feature in The Magician's Wife, but this time they are accompanied by their long-time companion, illusion. Once again, France is the setting--Second Empire France, though, along with its prospective colony, Algeria.
Moore opens the novel with a bizarre detail. It is 1856 and Emmeline Lambert watches a mechanical gatekeeper salute a departing dignitary. This nuts-and-bolts major-domo is the creation of her autocratic husband, Henri, formerly France's greatest magician, retired and hard at work on such minor contrivances. "Now he was an inventor, a scientist," Emmeline thinks. "But would a real scientist spend his days making mechanical marionettes?" Her impatience with his compulsive tinkering is only one part of a troubled marriage, which seems to consist largely of fossilized accommodations and painful discretion.
According to their visiting dignitary, however, the prestidigitator's country needs him. Colonel Deniau, head of Arab affairs and in many ways the real magician of the tale--or the magician's enchanter--has a mysterious project in mind. The plan is to flatter Henri into creating a series of mind-blowing tricks. According to the colonel, an Algerian marabout, or living saint, is "said to possess miraculous powers" and might call for a holy war. If Henri outperforms the Algerian, he will seem the greater marabout" and convince them that God is not on their side but France's."
The Magician's Wife is a condemnation of colonialism, of which illusion is always a key ingredient. Moore's novel, however, is far from a tract: he infuses his drama of the past with our present anxiety. He also creates, quite literally, a magical narrative. Though the Algerians may consider Henri the devil incarnate, and his wife may slight his legerdemain, you will be awed by his fantastic skills and the apparent effortlessness with which the author relates them.
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First published January 1, 1965
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About the author
Brian Moore
166 books170 followersBrian Moore (1921–1999) was born into a large, devoutly Catholic family in Belfast, Northern Ireland. His father was a surgeon and lecturer, and his mother had been a nurse. Moore left Ireland during World War II and in 1948 moved to Canada, where he worked for the Montreal Gazette, married his first wife, and began to write potboilers under various pen names, as he would continue to do throughout the 1950s.
The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1955, now available as an NYRB Classic), said to have been rejected by a dozen publishers, was the first book Moore published under his own name, and it was followed by nineteen subsequent novels written in a broad range of modes and styles, from the realistic to the historical to the quasi-fantastical, including The Luck of Ginger Coffey, An Answer from Limbo, The Emperor of Ice Cream, I Am Mary Dunne, Catholics, Black Robe, and The Statement. Three novels—Lies of Silence, The Colour of Blood, and The Magician’s Wife—were short-listed for the Booker Prize, and The Great Victorian Collection won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize.
After adapting The Luck of Ginger Coffey for film in 1964, Moore moved to California to work on the script for Alfred Hitchcock’s Torn Curtain. He remained in Malibu for the rest of his life, remarrying there and teaching at UCLA for some fifteen years. Shortly before his death, Moore wrote, “There are those stateless wanderers who, finding the larger world into which they have stumbled vast, varied and exciting, become confused in their loyalties and lose their sense of home. I am one of those wanderers.”
The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1955, now available as an NYRB Classic), said to have been rejected by a dozen publishers, was the first book Moore published under his own name, and it was followed by nineteen subsequent novels written in a broad range of modes and styles, from the realistic to the historical to the quasi-fantastical, including The Luck of Ginger Coffey, An Answer from Limbo, The Emperor of Ice Cream, I Am Mary Dunne, Catholics, Black Robe, and The Statement. Three novels—Lies of Silence, The Colour of Blood, and The Magician’s Wife—were short-listed for the Booker Prize, and The Great Victorian Collection won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize.
After adapting The Luck of Ginger Coffey for film in 1964, Moore moved to California to work on the script for Alfred Hitchcock’s Torn Curtain. He remained in Malibu for the rest of his life, remarrying there and teaching at UCLA for some fifteen years. Shortly before his death, Moore wrote, “There are those stateless wanderers who, finding the larger world into which they have stumbled vast, varied and exciting, become confused in their loyalties and lose their sense of home. I am one of those wanderers.”
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews
abandoned-forever
November 23, 2013I can't take it any more. This is such a disappointment - especially from the other Brian Moores I've read, Black Robe and The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, both of which are brilliant.
It's amateurishly told with a main character, the titular wife, who is some weird combination of a bored 1950s soap opera housewife and a 14-year-old teen with no self-esteem who cares only for hair, make-up and clothes. And this is supposed to take place in 1856 (post-Revolution) Paris and Algiers? As convincingly rendered as ... oh fuck it, I can't even bother coming up with a simile.
It's amateurishly told with a main character, the titular wife, who is some weird combination of a bored 1950s soap opera housewife and a 14-year-old teen with no self-esteem who cares only for hair, make-up and clothes. And this is supposed to take place in 1856 (post-Revolution) Paris and Algiers? As convincingly rendered as ... oh fuck it, I can't even bother coming up with a simile.
February 1, 2025
Brian Moore is an exceptional writer (I've used so many other superlatives so often for other writers that now I don't know how to emphasise how highly I think of Mr. Moore) and this novel, like many of his novels, is short, powerful, completely engaging and stays with you so that you end up thinking about it for a long, long time. All the more amazing because so much of it is based on true events, true people and the true circumstances and events during Napoleon III's somewhat gimcrack empire (though to be fair I am pretty sue Mr. Moore has made liberal use of Gustav Flaubert's writings here). Amongst other wonders is Moore's brilliant portrayal of what a weekend at the emperor's palace at Compegiene was like. I have read many histories of the Second French empire and none of them capture the sheer awful vulgarity of what it must have been like. It is like the swirling vacuity of the tons of machine made ornament at the Palais Garnier coming to life and having to move amongst and interact with it - a nightmare of drowning in the inconsequential.
Also Moore manages in a few deft scenes to puncture any illusions you might have that there was a moral imperative behind the lust for empire. That anyone, anywhere, swallowed the fiction that Algeria was ever part of France or 'French', except through conquest and usurpation and suppression of its people is absurd and Moore lets you see this without ever preaching or indulging in didactic rhetoric.
A wonderful book - if you haven't already discovered Brian Moore search him out.
Also Moore manages in a few deft scenes to puncture any illusions you might have that there was a moral imperative behind the lust for empire. That anyone, anywhere, swallowed the fiction that Algeria was ever part of France or 'French', except through conquest and usurpation and suppression of its people is absurd and Moore lets you see this without ever preaching or indulging in didactic rhetoric.
A wonderful book - if you haven't already discovered Brian Moore search him out.
May 31, 2021
Pārsteidzoši autentisks un niansēts vēsturiskais romāns, kurā netrūkst ne krinolīnu, ne arī pārdomu par dzīvi, nāvi, ticību, mazticību un to, ko mūsdienās sauktu par eirocentrismu
May 17, 2014
Quite a few scenes in this book captured me, including the serie with Napoleon III and Lambert's critical performance. I found Emmeline interesting as the character through whom the story unfolds. Her sense of unfairness and injustice ring true, and her act of rebellion later in the story feels meaningful. I wonder if other colonial people in Algiers had similar views of dissent amidst the militaristic fervor.
Moore's prose is good, though I do wish he included the other senses with his colorful visuals. At times, this book read like a film in prose, leaving a vacuum that needed descriptions of touch and scent. Without the latter, it felt like Emmeline experienced little in the way of surprise or shock while visiting another country so different from her own.
After finishing this book, I looked it up and discovered that Moore did, indeed, base this story on a French magician who was, in fact, asked by Napoleon III to demonstrate his talents in North Africa so as to quell unrest. How I love crazy history!
Moore's prose is good, though I do wish he included the other senses with his colorful visuals. At times, this book read like a film in prose, leaving a vacuum that needed descriptions of touch and scent. Without the latter, it felt like Emmeline experienced little in the way of surprise or shock while visiting another country so different from her own.
After finishing this book, I looked it up and discovered that Moore did, indeed, base this story on a French magician who was, in fact, asked by Napoleon III to demonstrate his talents in North Africa so as to quell unrest. How I love crazy history!
December 8, 2021
The Magician's Wife is historical fiction, set in 1856 France and Algeria. This is the final read for #BrianMoore100, a year of reading his novel's in what would been the Northern Irish novelist's 100th year.
This year, I managed to read Lies of Silence, The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, The Doctor's Wife and now The Magician's Wife. I enjoyed all of them and plan to continue reading more of his work in the year ahead.
The Magician's Wife, being historical fiction, is one of those books that I often put down to go and look up the historical characters, such as Napoleon III (the nephew and step-grandson of Napoleon Bonaparte - he was the son of Josephine Bonaparte's daughter Hortense de Beauharnais) and his wife, the Empress Eugénie de Montijo.
The first part of the novel takes place when the the Magician, Henri Lambert (inspired by France's most celebrated illusionist Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin) and his wife are visited by a Colonel and then invited by the Emperor to the autumn residence, the Château de Compiègne, for a week of events and festivities. It becomes clear, that this particular série or group of invitées, mostly bankers, foreigners and the like, are people whose influence might be required, to assist the ruler in his campaigns.
Because the narrative is seen through the eyes of his wife Emmeline, it is a mystery as to what use the magician might be to the Emperor, but both the Colonel and Napoleon III attempt to bring her close, in order to help persuade her husband of the mission they have in mind for him.
Ultimately, they want the Magician and his wife to go to Algeria, for him to perform his tricks of illusion, posing as a superior French version of their own mystical marabouts (a kind of spiritual leader/healer/wise man), in order to inculcate fear of their power and to diminish their faith in their own spiritual leadership, to prepare the way for the French armies to continue their conquest and colonisation of Algeria.
It is a fascinating story and all the more interesting because Moore chooses to view events and see those involved in this 'act of illusion' through the eyes of the accompanying wife, who is never quite in support of any of the events she is dragged along to participate in, despite how they promise to elevate her and her husband in society.
The Colonel warns her that a visit to Algeria will change her, and this perhaps is the only truth he speaks, for she has a kind of awakening herself, though not in a way that necessarily benefits the mission they are on.
The turning point for her comes, when their servant Jules falls sick and she is the only one to comfort him. What she learns about him in this little time they spend together, awakens her to certain realities about their lives and the impact of what they are doing there. She becomes the only voice of conscience against this duplicitous mission, and is moved by the words of the spiritual leader.
I haven't yet discovered what drew Moore to write about this intriguing piece of history, given he was an Irish author living in exile in America, writing about French political activities in Algeria, but it was an insightful and sympathetic reading journey, to read about it, from an alternative perspective, as in an outsider, through the eyes of another Moore protagonist, a viewpoint he favoured, that of a woman.
This year, I managed to read Lies of Silence, The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, The Doctor's Wife and now The Magician's Wife. I enjoyed all of them and plan to continue reading more of his work in the year ahead.
The Magician's Wife, being historical fiction, is one of those books that I often put down to go and look up the historical characters, such as Napoleon III (the nephew and step-grandson of Napoleon Bonaparte - he was the son of Josephine Bonaparte's daughter Hortense de Beauharnais) and his wife, the Empress Eugénie de Montijo.
The first part of the novel takes place when the the Magician, Henri Lambert (inspired by France's most celebrated illusionist Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin) and his wife are visited by a Colonel and then invited by the Emperor to the autumn residence, the Château de Compiègne, for a week of events and festivities. It becomes clear, that this particular série or group of invitées, mostly bankers, foreigners and the like, are people whose influence might be required, to assist the ruler in his campaigns.
Because the narrative is seen through the eyes of his wife Emmeline, it is a mystery as to what use the magician might be to the Emperor, but both the Colonel and Napoleon III attempt to bring her close, in order to help persuade her husband of the mission they have in mind for him.
Ultimately, they want the Magician and his wife to go to Algeria, for him to perform his tricks of illusion, posing as a superior French version of their own mystical marabouts (a kind of spiritual leader/healer/wise man), in order to inculcate fear of their power and to diminish their faith in their own spiritual leadership, to prepare the way for the French armies to continue their conquest and colonisation of Algeria.
It is a fascinating story and all the more interesting because Moore chooses to view events and see those involved in this 'act of illusion' through the eyes of the accompanying wife, who is never quite in support of any of the events she is dragged along to participate in, despite how they promise to elevate her and her husband in society.
The Colonel warns her that a visit to Algeria will change her, and this perhaps is the only truth he speaks, for she has a kind of awakening herself, though not in a way that necessarily benefits the mission they are on.
The turning point for her comes, when their servant Jules falls sick and she is the only one to comfort him. What she learns about him in this little time they spend together, awakens her to certain realities about their lives and the impact of what they are doing there. She becomes the only voice of conscience against this duplicitous mission, and is moved by the words of the spiritual leader.
She thought of Bou-Aziz, of his grave, dignified speech, of his resolve to pray for God's guidance. And in that moment in the courtyard of a French fort surrounded by illimitable desert she remembered the Emperor's study in Compiègne, the Emperor with his waxed moustaches and his lecher's smile, puffing on his long cigar. 'I have great plans for Algeria. In the spring, I will bring our armies to Africa, subdue the Kabylia region and complete our conquest of the entire country.' But this conquest that the Emperor desired would not 'civilise' these people as he promised but instead bring more forts, more soldiers, more roads, more French colonists to profit from Algeria's trade and crops. And more mahdis, more jihads, more repression.
I haven't yet discovered what drew Moore to write about this intriguing piece of history, given he was an Irish author living in exile in America, writing about French political activities in Algeria, but it was an insightful and sympathetic reading journey, to read about it, from an alternative perspective, as in an outsider, through the eyes of another Moore protagonist, a viewpoint he favoured, that of a woman.
February 5, 2008
This book bothered me. All Emmeline ever does is whine, all Lambert ever does is pose, and all Deniau ever does is plot. I do not recommend it unless you enjoy a whole lot of buildup to an utter let-down of an ending.
August 2, 2024
Impressive and engaging work of historical fiction.
I agree with the cover blurbs which state that this shortish novel feels like a much larger work.
I agree with the cover blurbs which state that this shortish novel feels like a much larger work.
May 3, 2008
Emmeline Lambert is the quietly unhappy wife of an almost hermetic magician; her husband suddenly becomes ambitious again when invited by the emperor and his wife to spend a week among royalty. Henri, the magician, is asked to go to Algeria to perform his magic in an attempt to awe the natives, and Emmeline accompanies him but gradually breaks out of her shell in the foreign country.
Interesting story, slightly predictable with somewhat stilted characters, but well-written enough to hold attention. Unique story. Recommended as a different type of novel, but not with too much enthusiasm.
Interesting story, slightly predictable with somewhat stilted characters, but well-written enough to hold attention. Unique story. Recommended as a different type of novel, but not with too much enthusiasm.
March 19, 2017
Set in the mid 1800's, this is the story of a magician's patriotic trip to Africa to "perform" for the good of his country, (France then ruled by Napoleon III). We see the setup from his young, beautiful wife's point of view.
Parts of the books dragged, but the last 75 pages were very exciting.
Parts of the books dragged, but the last 75 pages were very exciting.
August 30, 2018
Although not my usual fare, ended up a very good read. This was History in France and Algiers, in the late 1800's with interesting characters. It was a slow start, but peaked my interest when Emmalene and her husband are sent to Africa on a mission to help the Emporer of France. I was glad to see a post script telling me what actually happen in history.
May 29, 2019
Excellent story, vivid descriptions of place and diverse characters' personality and motivation. Beautiful and emotional.
August 2, 2018
This was an interesting read. Not the psychologically suspenseful story it promised. The story takes place in 1856 in Algiers, Africa a year prior to France invading the Arab country. Napoleon has sent Henri Lambert, a magician, master illusionist, to perform a miracle to show the rebellious Bedouins the might of the powerful French. The story is told by Emmeline the magician's wife.
July 21, 2011
Hocus pocus...historical fiction is magically transformed into a desert political thriller...a thoughtful morality fable...and even a Flaubertian tale of romantic-realism. The literary talents of the underrated Northern Irish/Canadian novelist are on display in this sleight of hand novel about Henri Lambert, master illusionist, and his much younger and beautiful provincial wife, Emmeline, who is the true charmer in this tale of mid-19th-century France and Algeria at the moment of colonial conflict and conquest. Moore skillfully tracks the magician's enchantment of his naive, but intelligent, future wife, their invitation to join a select group of visitors to spend a week with Emperor Napoleon III, Henri's imperial mission to Algeria, and the intriques of dashing Colonel Deniau with Emmeline and against the anticolonial Muslim opposition to French suzerainty. This is an exotic and mysterious story worthy of Graham Greene with whom Moore shared not only a rich coterie of iconoclastic characters, vivid and alluring landscapes, and fascinating plotlines,
but also a strong moral perspective based on his Catholicism (in which loss of faith was, like Green, a key component). In this volume (most appropriately now), the forces of Islam and Christianity compete in a battle of wills as Muslim marabouts (holy men with spiritual and magical powers) challenge a Western conjurer over their land and souls.
Moore's story is based on an actual event when Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin (1805-71), a French illusionist and inventor, was summoned by Napoleon III to display his"miracles" before Muslim religious leaders in Algeria in 1856. His tricks, including a "light and heavy" box (utilizing his knowledge of electromagnetism) and safely catching a bullet fired at him on stage, were deemed a success for French colonial policy and helped to quell a rebellion and to quiet local marabouts. However, Moore offers us more than a historical tidbit. He reflects on the perspectives of young Emmeline, who emerges as the true heroic figure in this book. Beginning by fending off the lecherous advances of the emperor and subsequently comprehending the more romantic (but clearly political) efforts of Colonel Deniau, she commences to see the evils of the French colonial program (which has already resulted in the largely unmourned death of Henri's faithful servant Jules) and endangers the independence of the Algerian people. Emmeline notes that the Algerians pose no threat and have a strong set of beliefs that seem less jaded and self-serving than those of her France. In a sense, Emmeline's arrival in Algeria is her coming of age...her period of isolation from country and friends allows her to ruminate over her status vis-a-vis her husband, her potential lover, her nation, and even her God. Meeting one revered marabout and his daughter, she questions her earlier beliefs and speculates that "their faith was not more spiritual than Christianity, but it was stronger, frightening in its intensity, with a certitude [that] Christianity no longer possessed." For all of her initial Flaubert-like traits, once she sets foot in Algeria, Emmeline is not like Emma Bovary; her epiphanies are more reminiscent of Lucy in Foresters's A ROOM WITH A VIEW or various characters in A PASSAGE TO INDIA.
In spite of my comments, this is not a study of religious thought, but a fascinating and insightful tale spun by master storyteller who can bewitch us with ideas, events, and descriptions that are skillfully contrived using only the illusions that literary artists possess. Although those who have read THE LONELY PASSION OF JUDITH HEARNE, with which this shares some thematic similarities, will miss the more complete character development that characterize that volume, there is more wizardry here than Harry Potter et al. can conjure up for all their admirers.
but also a strong moral perspective based on his Catholicism (in which loss of faith was, like Green, a key component). In this volume (most appropriately now), the forces of Islam and Christianity compete in a battle of wills as Muslim marabouts (holy men with spiritual and magical powers) challenge a Western conjurer over their land and souls.
Moore's story is based on an actual event when Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin (1805-71), a French illusionist and inventor, was summoned by Napoleon III to display his"miracles" before Muslim religious leaders in Algeria in 1856. His tricks, including a "light and heavy" box (utilizing his knowledge of electromagnetism) and safely catching a bullet fired at him on stage, were deemed a success for French colonial policy and helped to quell a rebellion and to quiet local marabouts. However, Moore offers us more than a historical tidbit. He reflects on the perspectives of young Emmeline, who emerges as the true heroic figure in this book. Beginning by fending off the lecherous advances of the emperor and subsequently comprehending the more romantic (but clearly political) efforts of Colonel Deniau, she commences to see the evils of the French colonial program (which has already resulted in the largely unmourned death of Henri's faithful servant Jules) and endangers the independence of the Algerian people. Emmeline notes that the Algerians pose no threat and have a strong set of beliefs that seem less jaded and self-serving than those of her France. In a sense, Emmeline's arrival in Algeria is her coming of age...her period of isolation from country and friends allows her to ruminate over her status vis-a-vis her husband, her potential lover, her nation, and even her God. Meeting one revered marabout and his daughter, she questions her earlier beliefs and speculates that "their faith was not more spiritual than Christianity, but it was stronger, frightening in its intensity, with a certitude [that] Christianity no longer possessed." For all of her initial Flaubert-like traits, once she sets foot in Algeria, Emmeline is not like Emma Bovary; her epiphanies are more reminiscent of Lucy in Foresters's A ROOM WITH A VIEW or various characters in A PASSAGE TO INDIA.
In spite of my comments, this is not a study of religious thought, but a fascinating and insightful tale spun by master storyteller who can bewitch us with ideas, events, and descriptions that are skillfully contrived using only the illusions that literary artists possess. Although those who have read THE LONELY PASSION OF JUDITH HEARNE, with which this shares some thematic similarities, will miss the more complete character development that characterize that volume, there is more wizardry here than Harry Potter et al. can conjure up for all their admirers.
August 15, 2016
In some ways, a fairly ordinary adventure with a bit of romance, acted in Orientalist drag, though Brian Moore is a fine writer.
Set in the mid-19th century as France is completing its domination of Algeria, the central character is an apparently strikingly beautiful but provincial young women married to an older stage magician who is famous across the Continent. He is deputized by Napoleon III to go astonish the natives and convince them of France's superior power. His wife first has to adjust to socializing with the rich and famous at some retreat of Napoleon's, and then finds herself in Algeria being wooed by a colonial official eager for her cooperation in her husband's mission. He has gone slightly native (sits on the floor and eats local food) but fundamentally is in favor of the colonial mission, whereas she romanticizes the Arabs and their way of life and right to sovereignty in a way that doesn't feel 100% realistic of a person of her place and time. There's enough drama for a satisfying plot finish.
Set in the mid-19th century as France is completing its domination of Algeria, the central character is an apparently strikingly beautiful but provincial young women married to an older stage magician who is famous across the Continent. He is deputized by Napoleon III to go astonish the natives and convince them of France's superior power. His wife first has to adjust to socializing with the rich and famous at some retreat of Napoleon's, and then finds herself in Algeria being wooed by a colonial official eager for her cooperation in her husband's mission. He has gone slightly native (sits on the floor and eats local food) but fundamentally is in favor of the colonial mission, whereas she romanticizes the Arabs and their way of life and right to sovereignty in a way that doesn't feel 100% realistic of a person of her place and time. There's enough drama for a satisfying plot finish.
August 22, 2014
Rather disappointed by this book. Bestseller my ass. It was boring and I didn't find myself identifying with any of the characters.
April 20, 2013
A magician's wife travels with him in the 1800's to Africa. Waste of my time....
March 17, 2016
Magician is sent to Algeria to intimidate the native peoples with his illusions. This guy was nominated for the Booker three times???
August 1, 2025
The Magician's Wife by Brian Moore a historical novel set in 19th century France and Algeria, is inspired by the true story of the famous French magician and illusionist, Robert Houdin. It unfolds through the perspective of Emmeline Lambert, the wife of Henri Lambert, the character based on Robert Houdin.
Henri and Emmeline are invited to the rural estate of Emperor Napoleon III to solicit their help in advancing France’s interest in colonizing Algeria. Henri is commanded to perform magic tricks in front of the Arab rulers in Algeria to deceive them into believing his power of performing “miracles” comes from God and that God is on the side of the French. The goal is to subdue the Arabs into submission and to delay their inevitable resistance to French colonial rule until Napoleon has had time to amass his army to invade Algeria.
Unlike her husband, Emmeline approaches the whole enterprise with moral skepticism. Her doubts about the moral efficacy of their efforts only increase when she arrives in Algeria and witnesses the profound faith and humility of the indigenous population. Henri has no such qualms. Under the direction of Colonel Deniau, he performs his illusions and convinces his Arab audience he has been given special powers by God. Meanwhile, much to Emmeline’s dismay, the French ridicule the Arabs for their superstitions and gullibility. The French eagerly anticipate the arrival of their forces to colonize the country. Emmeline’s conscience prompts her to reveal the truth about her husband’s trickery to the potential Mahdi, a prominent Muslim cleric, in the hope of empowering him to expose the French plans for conquest.
Moore deftly mingles historical figures with fictitious ones. Emmeline is the focus of the story. She discloses the challenges in her marriage, her boredom with life in the French provinces, and her husband’s unremitting focus on his work. She is initially excited at being the object of Colonel Deniau’s obvious flirtation until she realizes that, like her husband, she is being manipulated. Her epiphany is gradual. She concludes Muslims are more pious than the conquering Christians whom, she claims, pay only lip service to their faith. She regrets the part she and her husband played in facilitating French colonialists’ aim to exploit Algeria’s resources and trade routes.
The settings are skillfully drawn. Through Emmeline’s eyes, we witness the pomposity and affectation of Napoleon’s rural estate. And through her eyes, we are immersed in the sights, sounds, smells, and texture of life in Algeria. The seeds of Emmeline’s anti-imperial sympathies are evident in France and come to fruition in Algeria. Moore’s portrayal of her is convincing. Moore also generates sympathy for her husband who believes in his assigned mission and shows courage by a willingness to risk his life for it.
My book reviews are also available at www.tamaraaghajaffar.com
Henri and Emmeline are invited to the rural estate of Emperor Napoleon III to solicit their help in advancing France’s interest in colonizing Algeria. Henri is commanded to perform magic tricks in front of the Arab rulers in Algeria to deceive them into believing his power of performing “miracles” comes from God and that God is on the side of the French. The goal is to subdue the Arabs into submission and to delay their inevitable resistance to French colonial rule until Napoleon has had time to amass his army to invade Algeria.
Unlike her husband, Emmeline approaches the whole enterprise with moral skepticism. Her doubts about the moral efficacy of their efforts only increase when she arrives in Algeria and witnesses the profound faith and humility of the indigenous population. Henri has no such qualms. Under the direction of Colonel Deniau, he performs his illusions and convinces his Arab audience he has been given special powers by God. Meanwhile, much to Emmeline’s dismay, the French ridicule the Arabs for their superstitions and gullibility. The French eagerly anticipate the arrival of their forces to colonize the country. Emmeline’s conscience prompts her to reveal the truth about her husband’s trickery to the potential Mahdi, a prominent Muslim cleric, in the hope of empowering him to expose the French plans for conquest.
Moore deftly mingles historical figures with fictitious ones. Emmeline is the focus of the story. She discloses the challenges in her marriage, her boredom with life in the French provinces, and her husband’s unremitting focus on his work. She is initially excited at being the object of Colonel Deniau’s obvious flirtation until she realizes that, like her husband, she is being manipulated. Her epiphany is gradual. She concludes Muslims are more pious than the conquering Christians whom, she claims, pay only lip service to their faith. She regrets the part she and her husband played in facilitating French colonialists’ aim to exploit Algeria’s resources and trade routes.
The settings are skillfully drawn. Through Emmeline’s eyes, we witness the pomposity and affectation of Napoleon’s rural estate. And through her eyes, we are immersed in the sights, sounds, smells, and texture of life in Algeria. The seeds of Emmeline’s anti-imperial sympathies are evident in France and come to fruition in Algeria. Moore’s portrayal of her is convincing. Moore also generates sympathy for her husband who believes in his assigned mission and shows courage by a willingness to risk his life for it.
My book reviews are also available at www.tamaraaghajaffar.com
August 19, 2022
A while back, I swore off books with "wife" in the title a while back. That includes the French Lieutenant's Woman. I won't go to restaurants called "Jack's Wife Freda". I just find it more than a little insulting in this day and age that a woman is defined by some man she's married to. Yes, it's sort of the plot in this book, but it is not improved by it.
Overall, it's a vapid little book with an inane premise. I was hoping it wouldn't carry on with the premise for the entire book, but it did. In case you don't know, the plot is that Napoleon III enlists a stage magician--you know, a Siegfried & Roy type of guy--to go to Algeria and to wow the natives with his magic tricks so that they give up trying to fight a colonial war. Did that not make any sense to you? I didn't think so. It didn't make any sense to me, either.
Before we get to the stage show, we have to suffer lots of finery. Literally, there are French tailors, a reception at the royal court, then a tour of the Maghreb with camels and veils and sands and all that faff. The titular lady, Emmeline, is a bit dull. She develops a conscience at the end of the book and puts an end to the beads-and-mirrors machinations of her husband and the people who pull the strings in the background, but overall, it is all just too insulting. It's insulting because the woman has very little going for her as a character, and it's insulting because, well, you know--the idiotic premise of their mission. If I were an Algerian reading this, I'd throw it across the room.
Overall, it's a vapid little book with an inane premise. I was hoping it wouldn't carry on with the premise for the entire book, but it did. In case you don't know, the plot is that Napoleon III enlists a stage magician--you know, a Siegfried & Roy type of guy--to go to Algeria and to wow the natives with his magic tricks so that they give up trying to fight a colonial war. Did that not make any sense to you? I didn't think so. It didn't make any sense to me, either.
Before we get to the stage show, we have to suffer lots of finery. Literally, there are French tailors, a reception at the royal court, then a tour of the Maghreb with camels and veils and sands and all that faff. The titular lady, Emmeline, is a bit dull. She develops a conscience at the end of the book and puts an end to the beads-and-mirrors machinations of her husband and the people who pull the strings in the background, but overall, it is all just too insulting. It's insulting because the woman has very little going for her as a character, and it's insulting because, well, you know--the idiotic premise of their mission. If I were an Algerian reading this, I'd throw it across the room.
February 6, 2022
A very thought provoking little book. I say little because it is a mere 230 pages, easily read in a short amount of time. Descriptions of this book: "intelligent thriller", "moral questions/dilemma", "cultures in conflict"...all are apt. The setting is France/Algeria, the years covered here 1856-1857. It is a time of French colonial conquest. Issues and questions: -where does one's loyalty lie? -is it to one's country at all cost? -is it more 'moral' to allow the beliefs/practices of another culture even if they differ greatly from your own 'home base'?
Based on true historical events, this book draws the reader into the personal journey of Emmeline, the wife of a famous magician. Henri Lambert is used to proclaim the superiority of the conquering French forces present in Algeria. Emmeline as wife, is swept into a conflict leading to her self-discovery, examining her own life, reordering her own priorities.
Although the events occur some 160 years in the past, here is another example of how historical fiction puts a pinprick into our conscience, questioning us today how do we deal with diversity, moral issues, peaceful relations to other nations. I thought this to be a little gem of a book.
Based on true historical events, this book draws the reader into the personal journey of Emmeline, the wife of a famous magician. Henri Lambert is used to proclaim the superiority of the conquering French forces present in Algeria. Emmeline as wife, is swept into a conflict leading to her self-discovery, examining her own life, reordering her own priorities.
Although the events occur some 160 years in the past, here is another example of how historical fiction puts a pinprick into our conscience, questioning us today how do we deal with diversity, moral issues, peaceful relations to other nations. I thought this to be a little gem of a book.
January 17, 2022
I read 8 pages of this before I abandoned it so maybe it gets better later but I was just done. First, I think I'm done forever with books that are called Cool Job's Wife. Like - if the wife doesn't HAVE the cool job, I'm not into it. Maybe this lady becomes the magician later - like, the magician husband dies and she has to pretend to be the magician and so becomes the magician herself or whatever. That's a possibly cool thing that could happen. I don't know, obviously, because I only read 8 pages but I bought the book imagining some cool turn of events like that. But I realize now, if it's called something like Interesting Man's Wife, it's probably going to piss me off eventually. (The Time Traveller's Wife being the POSSIBLE exception.)
Mostly I gave up because this lady, the titular wife, was just the classic stereotype of the no fun, drag of a wife. She's like the classic lady who doesn't want her husband to go on the bank heist, or the sailor to go on his voyage or whatever because it's too dangerous, only in this case, she doesn't want to go meet the Emperor because she has nothing to wear. So she's both a dumb stereotype AND a shallow ditz. Sorry buddy. I'm out.
Mostly I gave up because this lady, the titular wife, was just the classic stereotype of the no fun, drag of a wife. She's like the classic lady who doesn't want her husband to go on the bank heist, or the sailor to go on his voyage or whatever because it's too dangerous, only in this case, she doesn't want to go meet the Emperor because she has nothing to wear. So she's both a dumb stereotype AND a shallow ditz. Sorry buddy. I'm out.
May 16, 2025
الرواية مختلفة جدا عن نوع الروايات الي افضل اقراها ، هذي الرواية سياسية دينية و توقعت انها تكون ممله بالنسبة لي
لكن المفاجئة انها شدت انتباهي لأقصى درجة
الرواية تتكلم عن استعمار فرنسا للجزائر و في سنة 1856 تحديدا و خطط نابليون الرابع في فتح الجزائر بالكامل و ضمها الى فرنسا
والخطة هي ارسال افضل ساحر و ممارس لخفة اليد و حيل الوهم للجزائر حتى يريهم معجزاته التي منحها له الرب لأنه افضل من المرابطين المسلمين
بداية الرواية كانت اسهاب كامل في شرح الحفلات السخيفة التي يقوم بها الإمبراطور و زوجته ، مما اعطاني احساس بالتملل لعدم وجود احداث تذكر
لكن مع التعمق في الرواية فهمت ان هذي الحفلات كانت مهمة جدا لشرح شخصية الساحر و زوجته و الكولونيل دانيو
السير في حارات و شوارع الجزائر العاصمة كما كانت تلقب في ذاك الوقت كانت كركوب آلة الزمن
ما احلى حاراتها و شوارعها و منازلها القديمة و اسواقها الشعبية و صحرائها
مشيت معهم ، سمعت ضحكاتهم ، رأيت ثيابهم ، شممت رائحة طعامهم و غفيت على وسائدهم
تجربة رائعة مليئة بالتفاصيل الدقيقة التي تعزز من روعتها ، لتُحاكي فيها الحقيقة الخيال و الإيمان الوهم
وضح لكم اشكثر كنت مستمتعة فيها لو بعد ؟؟
لكن المفاجئة انها شدت انتباهي لأقصى درجة
الرواية تتكلم عن استعمار فرنسا للجزائر و في سنة 1856 تحديدا و خطط نابليون الرابع في فتح الجزائر بالكامل و ضمها الى فرنسا
والخطة هي ارسال افضل ساحر و ممارس لخفة اليد و حيل الوهم للجزائر حتى يريهم معجزاته التي منحها له الرب لأنه افضل من المرابطين المسلمين
بداية الرواية كانت اسهاب كامل في شرح الحفلات السخيفة التي يقوم بها الإمبراطور و زوجته ، مما اعطاني احساس بالتملل لعدم وجود احداث تذكر
لكن مع التعمق في الرواية فهمت ان هذي الحفلات كانت مهمة جدا لشرح شخصية الساحر و زوجته و الكولونيل دانيو
السير في حارات و شوارع الجزائر العاصمة كما كانت تلقب في ذاك الوقت كانت كركوب آلة الزمن
ما احلى حاراتها و شوارعها و منازلها القديمة و اسواقها الشعبية و صحرائها
مشيت معهم ، سمعت ضحكاتهم ، رأيت ثيابهم ، شممت رائحة طعامهم و غفيت على وسائدهم
تجربة رائعة مليئة بالتفاصيل الدقيقة التي تعزز من روعتها ، لتُحاكي فيها الحقيقة الخيال و الإيمان الوهم
وضح لكم اشكثر كنت مستمتعة فيها لو بعد ؟؟
March 15, 2024
"For she knew that while she was acting out of a sense of shame and anger, she was not doing this solely to right an injustice, but also in some way settling scores: with Henri for his callousness in the matter of Jules's death and with Deniau for the arrogance of treating her like his puppet. But now it seemed possible that this morning's action, at once the bravest and the most shocking thing she had done in her life, might not bring the anger and retribution she had been prepared to accept. Now if she hid the truth from Henri, whatever decision the marabout would make might never be blamed on her.
But was the marabout to be trusted? It was true that in his presence she had felt that mysterious sense of sainthood, but what did she really know of these people and their beliefs? Their faith was not more spiritual than Christianity, but it was stronger, frightening in its intensity, with a certitude Christianity no longer possessed" (211-212).
But was the marabout to be trusted? It was true that in his presence she had felt that mysterious sense of sainthood, but what did she really know of these people and their beliefs? Their faith was not more spiritual than Christianity, but it was stronger, frightening in its intensity, with a certitude Christianity no longer possessed" (211-212).
July 30, 2017
This is my first reading by Brian Moore and though it took a few chapters to get me hooked, once I set aside expectations and points of view of Emmeline and her early filters on how she saw things I began to be more intrigued. I appreciated the descriptions of clothing and the distinctions of rank and favor and how the political scene was working with its secret agendas. I was able to hear and visualize the horses and gun salutes, uniform dress once the novel moved to Algiers. As her character began to see the truth of both her husband and Colonel Deniau and some of the intrigue vanished her heart began to open to the people of the land and she realized she wanted no part in a scheme to alter ways of being and the way of life of these people or to share part in the holy war to come. Her evolution was fun to share. It was a fast and enjoyable read.
December 12, 2022
A mid-19th century celebrity illusionist is recruited by the French government on a mission of dubious diplomatic value. In an attempt to dissuade the North African population from rising up against the French, his performance is supposed to convince the natives that God is on the side of the French. I enjoyed this unique story line and setting. I appreciated the ethical questions that were raised. But the writing lacked the dynamism I have come to expect from this author. The dialogue was stilted. The characters felt like literary creations, not vibrant living people. Elaborate scenes of French court and Arab towns came across as attempts to educate the reader rather than to tell a story.
August 21, 2023
This was an interesting historical fiction by an author who was not known to me. The government of France brings a renowned magician to North Africa to assist the local governor to prove that the French have more “power” than the local tribal leaders. These local leaders naturally oppose the French occupation of their country. The magician is hired to perform some magic tricks which will, if the plot goes according to plan, convince the local leader of their greater power. The magician has a wife, and she becomes deeply disillusioned with the perfidy of her country. Her husband feels his must do his duty as a citizen of France. A nice statement of moral ambiguity.
October 25, 2025
An engaging, well plotted historical fiction novel set in 1850s Algeria about illusionist Henri Lambert and his much younger wife, Emmeline. Lambert receives a commission to use his magic to impress local muslin leaders in Algeria, hopefully dampening the air of rebellion in the country. The story follows Emmeline’s gradual disillusionment with her husband and French colonialism. Lambert is an ambitious magician who is willing to go to extreme lengths to gain approval of the Emperor, and to become even more famous.
A novel with good plot momentum and interesting characters.
This book was first published in 1997.
A novel with good plot momentum and interesting characters.
This book was first published in 1997.
February 6, 2021
Set in 1856 France and Algeria, this is a vivid, historically interesting novel of magician, Henri Lambert and his young wife, Emmeline, summoned to the superbly described court of Napoleon III, then sent to Algeria as the centre-piece of a diplomatic mission to prove the superiority of European “miracles” over that of a potential local Mahdi. Emmeline’s obsessive and self-involved husband, her potential Army lover eventually shown to be just using her, plus diverting minor characters and the landscape provide a great read.
September 18, 2022
This is a historical novel set in 1850s France and Algeria. Emmeline Lambert is the wife of Henri Lambert, the most celebrated magician in France. He is sent to Algiers to put on a performance that will convince the Algiers of the superiority of European magic that the French hope will avert a holy war. Emmeline comes to see her husband's failings and her nation's perfidy. She comes to see Arabs' faith in God, a stark contrast to the feigned piety and trickery of the French. A great morality tale.
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