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Elysium
In 1815, after the battle of Waterloo, Napoleon Bonaparte and a few loyal followers are exiled to St. Helena.On this remote, volcanic island, Am lie Perrault, the daughter of Napoleon's head chef, struggles with her low station in life and a fascination with the fallen French emperor. When her beautiful singing voice catches Napoleon's attention, she is drawn into his clash with their British jailers, court intrigues, and a burgeoning sexual attraction.Napoleon is soured on love, yet this young woman's selfless devotion tugs at his heart. After political maneuvers fail to release him from the island, he desires freedom no matter the risk-but will he desert the only woman who has loved him for himself?Elysium, in Greek mythology, is where the gods are sent to die. Am lie suspects someone in their entourage is poisoning the emperor. Will she uncover the culprit in time and join in Napoleon's last great battle plan, a dangerous escape?
290 pages, Hardcover
First published April 4, 2011
16 people want to read
About the author
Diane Scott Lewis
26 books182 followersDiane Scott Lewis grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and joined the Navy at nineteen. She wrote book reviews for the Historical Novel Review magazine and was a historical editor for The Wild Rose Press. She'd been on editorial panels and a digital panel for the HNS. Her first novel was published in 2010. She's had numerous historical novels published since: adventure, romantic elements, and a time-travel. She also published a Revolutionary war novel told from the British side-Her Vanquished Land.
Her current release is a WWII romantic suspense, Bretagne, a forbidden affair.
Her current release is a WWII romantic suspense, Bretagne, a forbidden affair.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 19, 2021
A well-researched and well-plotted story!
Descriptions of everyday life as it was lived were seamlessly woven into the storyline without bogging it down with detail, detail, detail (even though the beauty was IN the detail!) The main character is Amelie, the daughter of defeated Emperor Napoleon's, loyal head chef. She reveres the emperor and accompanies her father and the tiny imperial court to their final exile on the island of St. Helena.
As the daughter of the head chef, she assists in the kitchen and is the keeper of the kitchen herb garden. Herbal lore and practice lace the storyline. Her love for the emperor though evolves into a love for the man. She attracts the attention of the emperor when he overhears her singing at her work in the garden. Starved for diversion, Napoleon undertakes her schooling in opera and presents her to the exiled company for their listening pleasure. Her close association drives her ambition to supplant the emperor's current mistress, the wife of one of the royal courtiers.For the reader, details of the fall of an emperor, the deprivations of life on St. Helena, his treatment at the hands of the British governor of the island, and the machinations of the members of the court exiled with him, help turn the monster Napoleon into a very human man with visionary ambitions rather than how he is historically portrayed. The suspense of unknown agendas of court members, the suspected poisonings, attacks, and murders all keep the reader turning pages. The underlying love of the man by the upstart kitchen servant keeps her motives and actions from becoming self-serving.
Ms. Lewis's tale was delightfully interesting and wonderfully fresh! I truly look forward to reading more by this author.
August 17, 2011
Originally posted at: http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.c...
Strong emotions in Elysium are bubbling near the surface all the time even though some of the characters work hard to keep them hidden.
Napoleon Bonaparte, defeated and a prisoner of the British, must reside on the harsh, end-of-the world Isle of St Helena. Many who serve in his household and a few courtiers who go with him suffer the same exile and miserable conditions of the island—far from the opulent court in Paris.
Nineteen-year-old Amelie, the head chef’s daughter, so naïve, innocent and loyal is one of the entourage. She feels she has a mission to protect “the emperor” that she loves from afar. Well-educated, talented, with lots of common-sense knowledge, she is an asset to this despondent group, but hers is a sad position even after she gains the attention of Napoleon.
Napoleon knows he has feelings for Amelie that he has no right to have. He talks of finding her a husband or sending her to study opera since she has a beautiful voice. However, she is the brightest spot in his life on the miserable island. The British isolate and put more and more restraints on him as the days go by and his courtiers contrive to use him for their own gain while pretending loyalty.
The clandestine planning, maneuvering, and back-stabbing create an atmosphere of discontent in his household while the British and the harsh climate demoralize everyone. However, among all this, Amelie “is like a caterpillar rustling in its cocoon”. She wants to become a free woman. Even though she feels that when she emerges, she will be more like a moth than a butterfly, she still feels she can soar just as high.
Once in Napoleon’s favor, she suffers household gossip and maliciousness, but she knows her heart and perseveres. Napoleon vows to love her more than himself, but admits to his egotism by saying he knows his capacity to love is flawed.
The sub-plots involving secondary characters keep “the emperor’s” household bubbling like a witch’s cauldron. Whispers of escape plans reach Amelie’s ears then visitors arrive from France.
Diana Scott Lewis does a magnificent job of immersing the reader into the setting as she graphically describes the island’s slime, damp, foreboding smells and the harsh winds that buffet Napoleon’s abode. The smelly, ever-present bugs and vermin make one shudder. Her use of metaphors makes Elysium hum with life and life’s daily struggles under stressful conditions. They touch the senses and make the reading enjoyable. I was so tempted to list a few of them. They are most revealing.
Elysium lags a little at times as some things occur again and again on the island, but this does reinforce the feeling of misery and tedium of life under the stern rules of the British and the unending harshness on the trade wind side of St. Helena. However, after the three visitors arrive, the story takes on a new tempo. Life changes dramatically for all.
When action moves off the island and out of chronological order of events, there is a moment of confusion but soon it all comes clear and the reader is transported to a new stage of Napoleon and Amelie’s lives. Their happy-every-after has some scary, appalling obstacles to overcome before it is realized.
Strong emotions in Elysium are bubbling near the surface all the time even though some of the characters work hard to keep them hidden.
Napoleon Bonaparte, defeated and a prisoner of the British, must reside on the harsh, end-of-the world Isle of St Helena. Many who serve in his household and a few courtiers who go with him suffer the same exile and miserable conditions of the island—far from the opulent court in Paris.
Nineteen-year-old Amelie, the head chef’s daughter, so naïve, innocent and loyal is one of the entourage. She feels she has a mission to protect “the emperor” that she loves from afar. Well-educated, talented, with lots of common-sense knowledge, she is an asset to this despondent group, but hers is a sad position even after she gains the attention of Napoleon.
Napoleon knows he has feelings for Amelie that he has no right to have. He talks of finding her a husband or sending her to study opera since she has a beautiful voice. However, she is the brightest spot in his life on the miserable island. The British isolate and put more and more restraints on him as the days go by and his courtiers contrive to use him for their own gain while pretending loyalty.
The clandestine planning, maneuvering, and back-stabbing create an atmosphere of discontent in his household while the British and the harsh climate demoralize everyone. However, among all this, Amelie “is like a caterpillar rustling in its cocoon”. She wants to become a free woman. Even though she feels that when she emerges, she will be more like a moth than a butterfly, she still feels she can soar just as high.
Once in Napoleon’s favor, she suffers household gossip and maliciousness, but she knows her heart and perseveres. Napoleon vows to love her more than himself, but admits to his egotism by saying he knows his capacity to love is flawed.
The sub-plots involving secondary characters keep “the emperor’s” household bubbling like a witch’s cauldron. Whispers of escape plans reach Amelie’s ears then visitors arrive from France.
Diana Scott Lewis does a magnificent job of immersing the reader into the setting as she graphically describes the island’s slime, damp, foreboding smells and the harsh winds that buffet Napoleon’s abode. The smelly, ever-present bugs and vermin make one shudder. Her use of metaphors makes Elysium hum with life and life’s daily struggles under stressful conditions. They touch the senses and make the reading enjoyable. I was so tempted to list a few of them. They are most revealing.
Elysium lags a little at times as some things occur again and again on the island, but this does reinforce the feeling of misery and tedium of life under the stern rules of the British and the unending harshness on the trade wind side of St. Helena. However, after the three visitors arrive, the story takes on a new tempo. Life changes dramatically for all.
When action moves off the island and out of chronological order of events, there is a moment of confusion but soon it all comes clear and the reader is transported to a new stage of Napoleon and Amelie’s lives. Their happy-every-after has some scary, appalling obstacles to overcome before it is realized.
April 20, 2011
A wonderful look into Napoleon's exile -- with a Twist! Ms Lewis knows how to tell a story!
August 9, 2011
Historical Novels Review says "Ms. Scott Lewis brings life to a piece of European history with her beautifully written and intricately detailed prose..."
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews