The Sage of Waterloo: A Tale

by Leona Francombe

The extraordinary debut of a classical pianist turned novelist, The Sage of Waterloo is a playful retelling of a key turning point in human history and a slyly profound reflection on our place in the world. William is a white rabbit living at Hougoumont, the historic farm on the site of the Battle of Waterloo. Under the tutelage of his grandmother Old Lavender, William attunes himself to the echoes and ghosts of the battle, and through a series of adventures he comes to recognize how deeply what happened at Waterloo two hundred years before continues to reverberate. Nature, as Old Lavender says, never truly recovers from human cataclysms. Brimming with the wonder and narrative power of Andrea Barrett or Anthony Doerr and full of vivid insights about Napoleon, Wellington, and the battle itself, The Sage of Waterloo is a beguiling tale of fate, human folly, and the wisdom of the natural world."

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Literary Fiction, Animals, Belgium, Nature

224 pages, Hardcover

First published May 8, 2015

About the author

Leona Francombe is an author, pianist and composer living in Belgium. Her novels include: The Heron Legacy (Merle Books Brussels, 2024); The Universe in 3/4 Time: A Novel of Old Europe (Merle Books Brussels, 2021, shortlisted for the Eric Hoffer Award Grand Prize); The Sage of Waterloo (W.W. Norton, 2015); Madame Ernestine und die Entdeckung der Liebe (Random House Germany, 2014). She is also the author of many short stories and essays. Her work is inspired by, among other things: European history and atmosphere, music, ancient mysteries, Nature, and the otherworldly. The Heron Legacy came to life after the discovery of a medieval ruin in a remote part of the Ardennes forest. An encounter with an abandoned piano on a Brussels street one winter’s night was the catalyst for The Universe in 3/4 time.

Reviews

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A first novel that holds its own special magic to it. I can see why many people may pick up this book and think the concept preposterous, although a real reader will take on the challenge, engage their imagination and stay open to this precious little story that holds lots of big life and death questions. Charming and insightful.

[LadyRose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has so many sayings that are so wise and deep that are fit for rabbits as well as humans it makes you smile and have to reread them a few times...then you get out your notebook of fave quotations to add them into it. It has a great ending and leaves you feeling fully satisfied about both stories that are told in the book, the white rabbit William's tale of growing up in the hutch and being sold to a family as their only pet rabbit and his thoughts through it all including finding friendship with a crow, and the battle of waterloo and all its players and actions and consequences including the mystery of the drummer boy and the first white rabbits of the area.

I loved how the rabbits all had their favorite stories of minute details in the battle of waterloo, whether it was the big ball or just the tale of mystery surrounding the little french drummer boy. This book pulls no punches however in that it does have some of the gruesomeness of the battle described in detail in order to give the reader the full horrible visage of the battle as it set up, began, happened, ended, and even a month later what was still visible. The book pulls you into the story where you want to find out what happens next. I did enjoy that it has plenty of chapters so I could read a few and find an easy stopping place to set it down, get on with life, and pick it back up where I left off easily.

The rabbits all have their favorite characters in the battle of waterloo, from Wellington to Napoleon to the drummer boy. You may find you have your favorite rabbits in this tale as well from little sweet Caillou to Grandmother to Jonas to Spode to our narrating William. I liked all the rabbits myself, though must admit I was a bit partial to spode and grandmother rabbit myself (spode because he reminded me of a historian who would of loved reading books if he could have and grandmother for all her wisdom and her ability to make the battle come to life with small rabbit details).

I give this book a 5 star, though it rests more firmly at about a 4.7-4.8. I couldn't see myself rereading this story every year, but it is a story that I will keep because in 8-10 years I know I will want to revisit this story with all the rabbits and the wise sayings again. Good enough book to give someone who enjoys battle or history tales with heart. The only drawback I found with this book was some of the big/unknown words of the english language and some small french used in it, it wasn't often and it did help me expand some of my own vocabulary but if like me you can't skip one word and just use context then you may need a dictionary handy (that is only for a few words). The book definitely left me with a good feeling after reading it.

This was a goodreads giveaway book I have reviewed.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The riffs on religion, life, and choice were interesting, but the character of William didn't really seem rabbity too me. It is a magic fable more than anything like a novel. Still some lovely writing and thought provoking passages.

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This could have been really twee or a hectoring diatribe about war and human nature. Fortunately it is neither, it deals primarily with rabbits and history, with humans kept at a distance.

Places can be repositories of memory, a shivery feeling of something--dread, fear or joy--can remain long after events have happened. Without getting too metaphysical Francombe describes the way nature absorbs memory generations after the events have passed.

William, the rabbit who narrates the story, tells how the story of the battle of Waterloo has been related from generation to generation of rabbits and other animals who witnessed the carnage. Every detail, of weather, wind, sound and smell are described in detail, as animals would perceive them. The humans are of interest too but except for a few key figures, have no real identity. Besides William, his grandmother Old Lavender is the other narrator of the story who offers a rather objective view of both sides. Even a military historian could learn a bit from Old Lavender.

[Patricia Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really fantastic book about the battle of Waterloo told by
a white rabbit and his grandmother. The tale was
written by an amazing new author who researched
the history of the battle in so much detail that she included
many not well known snippets of the battle, the soldiers, and
people who lived in the area. She included detailed aftermaths
of the war, even those that one does not normally think about.
Readers might even derive that the philosophy of the rabbits may be
worthy to ponder.

[Janet Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very clever and thought provoking, not only the bunny's musings on war and all its impacts, but on what it is to take risk, move forward, and also find beauty where at first glance there is none to be seen. Will definitely read again to more slowly savor certain thoughts. Also, now I have to read some accounts of the battle of Waterloo. Kudos to the author and publisher for taking a chance on what some would think would be a book that no one would want to read!

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

At first, I thought The Sage of Waterloo was one of those books that ought to have been a short story: too little pith awash in too much narrative, stretched out to novella length to please an editor or a publisher or a self-indulgent author. After finishing the book, I can safely say this is not so: The Sage of Waterloo should've been an essay on Waterloo, hold the rabbit and/or the sage.

There is no story in this book. Or rather, the story in this book is only about Waterloo, the battle and the slaughter and the loss and the impact on the surrounding countryside. The rabbit (who might also be the sage, though I suspect that role is meant for his grandmother) doesn't really add anything beyond the tale of Waterloo, itself.

Instead, he proses on and on about his younger days (learning about Waterloo) and his old home (at the ruins of the chateau near Waterloo) and leaving home (where he misses Waterloo) and the horrors of humanity (and what they did at Waterloo) and his family and other animals (and how they were impacted by Waterloo). Whenever his narrative brushes too close to anything approaching an actual story of his own, it skitters right back inside the story of Waterloo---just as a rabbit frightened of the unknown flees back to its hutch.

This entire book is an exercise in anticipation and disappointment as, over and over again, the story promises to appear only to dissipate once more into the never-ending drone about Waterloo.

There are moments of what might be considered wisdom, but the wisdom is so tired and specifically sized for rabbit consumption---"If something bad happens, William, chew through the problem methodically, as if it's a long, hard carrot"---that only the most untried or inexperienced or determined of readers would find it novel or helpful.

The book also contains something that could possibly be seen as a ghost story, but the rabbit spends so much of the book harping on his grandmother seeing things and animals learning to "read the air" and all the pointless, violent death at the battle that the final ghostly reveal feels expected and anticlimactic. There's nothing spooky about it, just something obvious that the rabbit could've shared to greater effect 200 pages earlier.

Francombe clearly has strong feelings about this battle and the lives lost and how we've written the history after the fact, but I would've appreciated reading her thoughts far more in a medium designed for just such a purpose. Encountering them through the underused and irrelevant mouthpiece of a rabbit renders the entire piece toothless and pedantic. I shrug at the tragedy of the battle instead of weeping at it.

[Darth Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wowee, boys and girls, what a charming little tale about history and humans and war and all their places in this world.

Don't really know how to describe this tale. The Battle of Waterloo retold by a rabbit, is what I'll go for. Except it's so much more than that, as tales with animal protagonists often are. Scoff if you will, but I point to others like Animal Farm and Watership Down. Obviously this tale did remind me a bit of Watership Down, in that both are told by rabbits. But this story had it's own, entirely unique story.

The research done on this book was insane and I learned a lot about Waterloo and the history surrounding it.

Probably the part I loved most about this book was the strong matriarchal presence felt throughout the book. The protagonist's grandmother, Old Lavender, fully carries this thread on her furry, mysterious shoulders. She is the Sage of Waterloo, and throughout the book she passes onto her grandson, William, her knowledge.

This story is also a ghost story. A very pastel colored ghost story. And I honestly thought the way this was done was perfect to the completion of this winding tale of a young rabbit who is tied through and through to the Battle of Waterloo (I just wanted to rhyme). Yes, some may label the ending a deus ex machina, and, I mean, it was, but it was also more than that. The book is trying to make you realize something about Waterloo; it is magical. And magic isn't always good, or is it? Thousands of people and creatures lost their lives on that bit of land. It was red, pure red by the end of it all. So many emotions felt. Why wouldn't that traumatize the land itself, make it remember, make it supernatural? Make it magic?

Really liked this one. I'll be thinking about it for a while.

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I finished the book and re-read the back cover summary, I couldn’t argue: that’s definitely what this book was about. But I never quite fell into step with the story. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but the “sage” part of the title is absolutely the operative word. The first half of the book was like an extended transcript of The Last Unicorn’s butterfly (if he were a history buff), and the end seemed to think that Now Is the Time to Make a Point (though of course, the maturation of the narrator’s philosophy could result in the same effect).

But even so, the narrator never seemed confident enough to commit to philosophizing. Just as the heart of an idea started to come into focus, he would often pull away to inject some inconsequential conversation, or action, or historical trivia. The plot circles back to those three outlets again and again (sometimes revisiting the same event), and about 80% of the book is spent being guided down loosely connected garden paths that let you observe, mistily and from afar, the ideas of remembering history, what a stupid waste war is, and connections between home, contentment, and personal growth, before you’re bustled off to the next thought.

It never grabbed me, and I didn’t feel there was space to stretch out and reflect on the ideas as presented, even when I agreed with them. Maybe the rambling approach will resonate with someone else, though.

Note: I received a copy of this book from a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you!

[Sharyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading a really good review in the LA Times, I went to my library and they had 2 copies! I don't know if it is going to be that popular of a book, because I must admit it is one of the weirder books I have ever read. It is not a book I could read right through, but I am glad I read it. It is beautifully written and quite philosophical. I wanted to read it because so many of the Regency's I read talk about Waterloo, and the soldiers who come home from the battle, and how they are psychologically harmed and don't want to discuss it. As an American, I knew very little about the whole war. So to get back to the book, it takes place in the present on a farm in Belgium near the Battlefield. The conceit of the book, told from the point of view of William, a white rabbit, is that animals have a collective conscience, and his Grandmother, Old Lavender tells the rabbits the story of Waterloo. Wer learn much about Wellington, Napoleon, and William himself.

[Gayle Slagle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sage of Waterloo by first time author Leona Francombe is a little gem of a tale. A synopsis of the book probably does not do it justice because on the surface it is a fantastical story told by a rabbit, William, who lives on a farm on the site of the Battle of Waterloo. Hmmm, a rabbit telling a story; I know it sounds a bit weird and something you might not be interested in, but somehow Francombe makes it work. There are several stories going on in this novel. First, William relates the story of what happened to Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo as told to him by his grandmother, Old Lavendar. Francombe has done her research and relates much interesting factual material about the battle. It is also the story of William and Old Lavender and what happens in their lives. Both stories are interesting and insightful and the book is full of little philosophical nuggets of wisdom about life. This is a book well worth your time and it is one I shall treasure.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Utterly charming and well worth the time to read. This is a unique and unusual take on the battle of Waterloo, as told from the point of view of rabbits. I really did enjoy it, it's a history lesson that you don't realize you're getting. I'm going to pass this book on to my 10 year old daughter because I'm sure she will love it too. It did remind me a bit of Watership Down, but just a little, this book is thoroughly in a class of its own. I'm not sure where the author got this idea, but I'm looking forward to what her creativity produces next. The author's note at the end was esecially eloquent and she also offers up a list of the publications she used for reference, which should provide any reader with a good jumping off point should they wish to read up further on Waterloo. (I was given a copy of this book by the publisher to review as part of a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.)

[Stacey D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really special story of the Siege of Waterloo as told by the unlikeliest of witnesses: a white rabbit named William. Actually, he tells the story of that momentous battle, as had been recounted to him by his very large, curmudgeonly but wise grandmother, Old Lavender. At its heart, the novel is about history and our place, sense, smells (!) and memories of the world. I was very glad I looked up the Battle of Waterloo before starting the novel, which occurred on June 18, 1815, so I was familiar with the history and players. I loved this book and the writing was lovely. I also loved Watership Down, although those bunnies had little love for us humankind, whereby these lagomorphs have compassion for, love and understand people.

One gripe - illustrations of bunnies and Hougoumont would have been appreciated.

[Uwe Hook · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd compare this book to mushed banana baby food in that there's a sweetness and while it's not bad, there's really nothing to particularly recommend it. Rather than present the Waterloo narrative in a few large, important scenes, the author drops it in here and there, and in such small doses, that there are multitudes of sharp jumps. Juxtaposed to the picturesque background, which is a beautifully painted pastoral, it's unnerving, leaving one with the impression of reading the writings of an obsessive soul. This repeated referencing lessens the impact of the event and leaves one going, "'Oh, here the rabbits are talking about Waterloo again".
The author clearly has talent but I wish she had either stuck with a narrative entirely within the world of the rabbits or written about something else.... Bunnies and Napoleon just don't mix.

[Kathy Piselli · Rating 4 out of 5]

My new favorite book nobody's ever heard of. I've never read anything like it - a rabbit's eye view of a famous 19th century battle in which time stands still somehow in a remarkable melding of real and fantastical. It's a tribute to my ignorance that I did not know Waterloo is in modern-day Belgium. Poor Belgium! The events recounted on the battlefield there with the mud would be little changed a hundred years later at Ypres. Life, death, supreme beings, this one rabbit contemplates many existential questions "crowding around like annoying relatives" while getting his information from his extra-perceptive senses and a wise grandmother. And the strange bipeds the rabbits share their world with - knowing of their impending deaths, would they not refuse to go to war? "There are sometimes no explanations," says the grandmother. "But there's always, always a way forward."

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Life cannot be lived secondhand William... No one can truly describe a dandelion, you must experience one yourself - even if it means taking a risk. And you can't say you've really lived until you've taken at least one risk. Can you?"

Easily one of the most quotable books I've read, I was graciously swept away by the quirky manners of the rabbits, their sense of the battle, and the sage advice given by Grandmother Lavender, who has quickly become one of my favorite characters of the year. Francombe is a gifted writer, beautifully interweaving simplified lessons of war with the more complicated effects that last lifetimes longer than ever imagined, surging the reader down, shall I say, a rabbit-hole of reflection.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comparisons to Watership Down will be inevitable, but this book has a very different approach. The simple description is that it is a rabbit's version of Waterloo, but it is so much more. Along with the history, in itself very interesting, there is a certain amount of philosophy, mythology, and rabbit lore. It is a short book, but not a quick read because it is so thought provoking. I really liked it and I know a reread is in my future.

Update: No change in my evaluation, just felt like an additional thought. Francombe's writing is very poetic. Why do such horrible events, be it is Flander's fields, the Crimean war, or Waterloo, inspire such beautiful writing?

[BJ Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think I would have enjoyed The Sage. . .nearly as much if William were a human narrator. A lagomorph's point of view makes possible the book's rich sensory detail as well as its central principle: memory persists in a place. In the end, no matter what William and Old Lavender before him have said, there is more than earth and sky. So much lies in-between if you but cultivate the gift of seeing it. As I closed the book, I thought seriously about going back to the beginning, so that I could really appreciate how each early anecdote locks together to to set up a surprising (but compelling) twist at the end.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to read something about Waterloo for the big anniversary, but no way was I going to wade through a 400-600 page serious history book. So this book tidily supplied exactly what I wanted in that respect.

Unfortunately, the storytelling style leaves something to be desired, although frankly, hearing the story of the Battle of Waterloo told from the perspective of a white rabbit was pretty ingenious as a plot device or what-have-you.

Overall, it isn't Watership Down meets Sharp's Rifles, but it's a nearer thing than anything else likely to come along. Worth reading.

[Jean-Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

With any luck, The Sage of Waterloo by Leona Francombe will find its way onto many book club tables at local stores. Worthy of both reading and discussion, its elegant and genteel (these two adjectives constantly came to mind as I read) exploration of the power of place in the natural world, history and the consequences of war is chock full of hooks for all interests. Like all good reads, it is so much more than a book about rabbits, despite is being really just a book about rabbits. For a more complete consideration, go to http://www.ironjean.com/2015/06/summe...

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are two kinds of people: those who read a NYT review of a book about the Battle of Waterloo narrated by rabbits and think that that sounds great and everyone else. If you are in the former camp (as I am), this is an interesting blend of natural history and Napoleonic history narrated by the rabbit William, whose grandmother, Old Lavender, was there; in poetic and wise words, she guides William into adulthood. While comparisons to "Watership Down" are inevitable, this novel stands on its own.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of two books I finished this past weekend. Both started out slowly, even sluggishly, and I was having challenges buying in to each book's "concept". I wanted to, but it was not flowing for either. They are short books so about 1/3 to 1/2 way through we "clicked" and I was captured.

Short review: Short, Subtle, Slow-Starting, Stick-with-it, Satisfying

Favorite quote:

"If it's true what she once said-that we live in relation to our memories every minute of the day-then surely, I thought, I might channel the power of my ancestral home to build some kind of future." p. 103

[wade · Rating 4 out of 5]

A unique fantasy about the history of a group of rabbits who have lived for centuries at the site of Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo. The central character, William, learns much from his grandmother Old Lavender who eavesdrops on two women that sit on a park bench and read histories about the battle that occurred there. William is a white rabbit and this spurs his interest to find the line of rabbits he descended from. Similar to Watership Down but with less drama.

[Susie Maclean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely book- the Battle of Waterloo as told by an erudite rabbit. It is full of insights about Napoleon and Wellington and the battle itself. And as the book jacket says- it is a slyly profound reflection . "Landscapes where great passion has been spilled resonate, said Old Lavender. Not loudly. But loud enough for most wild creatures to detect. Once set in motion, the vibrations continue forever."

[Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

My husband found this delightful book browsing in our local library. We are 18th & early 19th Century Living Historians, both of us very interested in Waterloo. How could he resist.

To me, it's not simply a tale told by a rabbit. It's philosophy, history and everything in between. Although it's a slight book (I read it in an evening), there's much to be learned from it.

[Bunnyhugger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Update: third or fourth reading. This beautiful novella has my heart. Sometimes I just like to read a paragraph and let it stay with me a while.
----------------------------------------

Simply wonderful! I am already rereading it.

[Barbara Kieffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful story -- I learned so much about the history of the Battle of Waterloo, told from the perspective of a family of rabbits at the Farm at Hougoumont. This book was a wonderful combination of my love of history and my love of animals.

[Phyllis · Rating 2 out of 5]

In an attempt to get close to my 2017 Goodreads Reading Challenge target, I selected a number of short books from the library that were between 100 and 200 pages. Some books, like "The Sage of Waterloo: A Tale" by Leona Francombe, caught my eye as I prowled around the fiction section.

After picking up the thin volume, TSOW's premise captured my attention. I know not to get too excited about comparisons to other beloved books, such as Richard Adams' "Watership Down." However, I figured that there was no harm in trying a new book that wouldn't take forever to read.

Due to holiday activities, I didn't make it through TSOW. Boo. Early in the book, I found myself disappointed despite low expectations. TSOW could have been a really neat little book. Instead, it drags on, which is hard to do in a few hundred pages (small pages, at that, so think of the time commitment to read this book as about 100 normal pages).

There isn't anything "rabbitty" about William and all of the other rabbits, other than Old Lavender. Of course, each author has a different take on the level of anthropromorphism, without which it would be difficult for a human to read a book written from an animal's point of view. However, every rabbit knows every detail about the Battle of Waterloo, including the ball the night before the battle, as well as every name and maneuver of both sides. While the idea of stories passed down from generation to generation would be a great way to both expand the characters of each rabbit and to world-build, neither is successful. I had to skim through the dull battle scenes in order not get through this short tome.

William also takes a journey, of sorts, and interacts with Arthur, a blackbird who frequents Williams' owner's yard after leaving Hougoumont. Arthur is probably the most interesting character in the book besides Old Lavendar. In fact, a book written from his perspective would have been more interesting given the range and number of characters he could talk to. William barely talks to his fellow rabbits and never seems to develop his gift, which must be more than simply having a white coat inherited from a rabbit taken by a young French boy and released into the forest near the battle.

Overall, I was sad that a book filled with so many interesting options took advantage of none of them.

[Aline Batista dos S. Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indicação Semanal = “A sábia de Waterloo"
🖋 PUBLICAÇÃO DE = Leona Francombe
📃 PÁGINAS = 240
Avaliação: 5.0 ⭐

A verdadeira imersão em uma das memoráveis conflagrações - E diga-se de passagem, mais simbólicas do globo - O livro dispõe de narração reflexiva e sensível, com revelações que acompanham minuciosas percepções dos que presenciaram as ocorrências sem que nelas se envolvessem, concedendo um propício espaço para memória de cada um dos personagens envolvidos sob as causas e consequências do fim da Era Napoleônica. Um recurso pedagógico excepcional para compreensão da ocasião que debandou Napoleão.

https://codinomeviesacademico.blogspo...

#AsábiadeWaterloo #LeonaFrancombe

[Sarah W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book felt vaguely reminiscent of Watership Down to me, likely due to the rabbit narrator. William is a rabbit at Hougoumont, an old farm near the site of the Battle of Waterloo. The battle and the myths surrounding it loom large in this book, as the rabbits thoroughly discuss and dissect the battle which so transformed their home. Overall, this was an odd read, but not bad. I just couldn't help but feeling something was missing from the story to pull the concepts together and drive the action.