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Josephine's Garden
A captivating story of love, nature and identity in Napoleon's France
'Stephanie Parkyn is one very talented storyteller.' -Mrs B's Book Reviews
France, 1794. In the aftermath of the bloody end to the French Revolution, Rose de Beauharnais stumbles from prison on the day she is to be guillotined. Within a decade, she'll transform into the scandalous socialite who marries Napoleon Bonaparte, become Empress Josephine of France and build a garden of wonders with plants and animals she gathers from across the globe.
But she must give Bonaparte an heir or she risks losing everything.
Two other women from very different spheres are tied to the fate of the Empress Josephine - Marthe Desfriches and Anne Serreaux. Their lives are put at risk as they each face confronting obstacles in their relationships and in their desire to become mothers.
From the author of Into the World comes a richly imagined historical novel about obsession, courage, love and marriage.
'Enthralling novel, rich in historical detail … Highly recommended.' -Good Reading on Into the World
'Stephanie Parkyn is one very talented storyteller.' -Mrs B's Book Reviews
France, 1794. In the aftermath of the bloody end to the French Revolution, Rose de Beauharnais stumbles from prison on the day she is to be guillotined. Within a decade, she'll transform into the scandalous socialite who marries Napoleon Bonaparte, become Empress Josephine of France and build a garden of wonders with plants and animals she gathers from across the globe.
But she must give Bonaparte an heir or she risks losing everything.
Two other women from very different spheres are tied to the fate of the Empress Josephine - Marthe Desfriches and Anne Serreaux. Their lives are put at risk as they each face confronting obstacles in their relationships and in their desire to become mothers.
From the author of Into the World comes a richly imagined historical novel about obsession, courage, love and marriage.
'Enthralling novel, rich in historical detail … Highly recommended.' -Good Reading on Into the World
480 pages, Paperback
First published December 3, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
January 3, 2020
Rose is saved from the guillotine and goes on to become a socialite, before she marries Napoleon Bonaparte and later becomes Empress. Bonaparte not only takes on Rose but also her two children Eugene and Hortense. It is Bonaparte who renames Rose, Josephine.
It took me three attempts before I finally settled with this one. It is rich in detail and that was part of the problem. I could have done with less detail about the debauchery and depravity of French behaviour. I knew some people had said it got better in the second half. So I persevered. Once it started to focus more on the creation of the garden at Malmaison and also hearing about the gardens of Versailles, I found the botanical detail interesting. Anne and Marthe, two other women with botanist husbands interconnect eventually with Rose.
Never having studied history at school my knowledge of the French revolution and events after was pretty sketchy. This story certainly highlights, whether rich or poor, how little rights women had and how they were treated as objects to be used and cast aside. Bonaparte and other men at the time are appalling in their behaviour and treatment of women. Although aspects of the novel and the historical detail were interesting I did find it hard to connect to any of the character, even though I felt sympathy for some of the women like Anne and Marthe and the situations they were in. Josephine’s daughter, Hortense I felt extremely sorry for. This novel is one about power, self-interest, motherhood, loss and choices.
I admit I started to read another novel at the same time, something I rarely do. But for times when I just felt I needed a break from the decadence of France. Then I ended up finishing it before returning to this one. Although I can appreciate the tremendous amount of research that went into this story and the wealth of detail included, I was never wholeheartedly involved. I liked it, but did not love it. Having said that, I am sure a lot of people will respond more positively to this book than I did.
Love the beautiful rich cover on this book.My thanks to Allen & Unwin for my copy to read and review.
It took me three attempts before I finally settled with this one. It is rich in detail and that was part of the problem. I could have done with less detail about the debauchery and depravity of French behaviour. I knew some people had said it got better in the second half. So I persevered. Once it started to focus more on the creation of the garden at Malmaison and also hearing about the gardens of Versailles, I found the botanical detail interesting. Anne and Marthe, two other women with botanist husbands interconnect eventually with Rose.
Never having studied history at school my knowledge of the French revolution and events after was pretty sketchy. This story certainly highlights, whether rich or poor, how little rights women had and how they were treated as objects to be used and cast aside. Bonaparte and other men at the time are appalling in their behaviour and treatment of women. Although aspects of the novel and the historical detail were interesting I did find it hard to connect to any of the character, even though I felt sympathy for some of the women like Anne and Marthe and the situations they were in. Josephine’s daughter, Hortense I felt extremely sorry for. This novel is one about power, self-interest, motherhood, loss and choices.
I admit I started to read another novel at the same time, something I rarely do. But for times when I just felt I needed a break from the decadence of France. Then I ended up finishing it before returning to this one. Although I can appreciate the tremendous amount of research that went into this story and the wealth of detail included, I was never wholeheartedly involved. I liked it, but did not love it. Having said that, I am sure a lot of people will respond more positively to this book than I did.
Love the beautiful rich cover on this book.My thanks to Allen & Unwin for my copy to read and review.
April 20, 2020
Strong start that unfortunately fizzled out towards the end.
It's hard to pinpoint what exactly this book is about, which in itself is troubling. The star is Josephine, wife of Napoleon, but it's also about her garden, other gardeners and botanists, Napoleon and his leadership, his mistresses, Josephine's inability to conceive, and two other couples whose lives come into Josephine's orbit. It felt messy, with a lot of symbolism but no clear point.
I'm rather fascinated by French history, particularly around this time period, so it was a bit of a disappointment to me to be so uninspired reading about it. I really enjoyed the first section about their union and how they came together, but then the history disappears into a focus on the flowers and plants which can get a little tiresome. Then the focus jumps to marriage and children and it just becomes a bit of a pointless story, where we're just observing rather than hoping for any particular outcome or conclusion.
I never particularly warmed to Josephine, who seemed cruel yet frivolous to me. I understand her fixation on power, status and public opinion is rather true to this time period but I never really felt a lot of sympathy for her, which added to the story falling flat for me.
On the other hand, I really enjoyed reading about Anne and Felix, because they seemed more practical, normal sort of people. I liked that they were so devoted to one another as it was a spark of warmth in an otherwise icy cold story.
There is a lot about motherhood and children and the duties of a wife etc which, again, became really tiresome for me. At the same time, while a large point of this story was Josephine's inability to produce an heir, there was no real mention of any lengths she went to to increase her chances. I don't know if it was her or the story that wasn't really trying, but I never really got the sense that she was trying to do anything about it. Instead she simply gets weepy or pained when other children/pregnancies are mentioned and beyond that it's all childlike exuberance over her garden.
The historical aspect, too, is underwhelming because other than brief mentions of where Napoleon is, there's not a lot of exciting detail given. The general tone is that this was a pretty dull slice of French history, because while Napoleon is off doing military things, Josephine is obsessing over plants and flowers fromAustralia New Holland. Who cares about a couple of wars in other countries, right? Nothing exciting happening there. Sure, he decided to just be Emperor that one time, which was weird, but no big, really. *eyeroll*
I did really enjoy the early days of the novel but by about 300 pages in I was getting bored and it made the rest of the novel a chore to finish. Perhaps botanists, gardeners and the like will get more enjoyment out of it, as might mothers and those obsessed with motherhood, but for a novel set during the reign of Napoleon, it's not particularly enlightening.
With thanks to A&U for an uncorrected proof ARC
It's hard to pinpoint what exactly this book is about, which in itself is troubling. The star is Josephine, wife of Napoleon, but it's also about her garden, other gardeners and botanists, Napoleon and his leadership, his mistresses, Josephine's inability to conceive, and two other couples whose lives come into Josephine's orbit. It felt messy, with a lot of symbolism but no clear point.
I'm rather fascinated by French history, particularly around this time period, so it was a bit of a disappointment to me to be so uninspired reading about it. I really enjoyed the first section about their union and how they came together, but then the history disappears into a focus on the flowers and plants which can get a little tiresome. Then the focus jumps to marriage and children and it just becomes a bit of a pointless story, where we're just observing rather than hoping for any particular outcome or conclusion.
I never particularly warmed to Josephine, who seemed cruel yet frivolous to me. I understand her fixation on power, status and public opinion is rather true to this time period but I never really felt a lot of sympathy for her, which added to the story falling flat for me.
On the other hand, I really enjoyed reading about Anne and Felix, because they seemed more practical, normal sort of people. I liked that they were so devoted to one another as it was a spark of warmth in an otherwise icy cold story.
There is a lot about motherhood and children and the duties of a wife etc which, again, became really tiresome for me. At the same time, while a large point of this story was Josephine's inability to produce an heir, there was no real mention of any lengths she went to to increase her chances. I don't know if it was her or the story that wasn't really trying, but I never really got the sense that she was trying to do anything about it. Instead she simply gets weepy or pained when other children/pregnancies are mentioned and beyond that it's all childlike exuberance over her garden.
The historical aspect, too, is underwhelming because other than brief mentions of where Napoleon is, there's not a lot of exciting detail given. The general tone is that this was a pretty dull slice of French history, because while Napoleon is off doing military things, Josephine is obsessing over plants and flowers from
I did really enjoy the early days of the novel but by about 300 pages in I was getting bored and it made the rest of the novel a chore to finish. Perhaps botanists, gardeners and the like will get more enjoyment out of it, as might mothers and those obsessed with motherhood, but for a novel set during the reign of Napoleon, it's not particularly enlightening.
With thanks to A&U for an uncorrected proof ARC
December 24, 2019
On first sight I loved the cover of this book and was intrigued to see what was inside.
Set in the late 1700's to early 1800's this book is amazing in historical detail. You come to feel like you are part of history and surrounded by Josephine's garden, which in itself is a work of art. This book captures so many emotions along the way.
Rose (later known as Josephine) finds herself free from prison on the day she was to be gullotined and into the life of Napoleon Bonaparte. Becoming his wife and the Empress Josephine of France.
While her husband is at war with any country he feels to, she builds the most perfect gardens, with rare seeds and plants and surrounds herself with animals from all over the world. She is a beautiful soul and endures alot throughout the years.
In time if she cannot have a child with Bonaparte to provide him an heir, she risks losing it all.
I really liked this book. There is alot to take in but for anyone who likes stories from long ago this is well worth a read. The fact that Stephanie Parkyn studied and put this book together from history is very clever. I admire her work here and look forward to more from her.
Thanks for the gift of this ARC from Allen&Unwin in return for my honest review.
Set in the late 1700's to early 1800's this book is amazing in historical detail. You come to feel like you are part of history and surrounded by Josephine's garden, which in itself is a work of art. This book captures so many emotions along the way.
Rose (later known as Josephine) finds herself free from prison on the day she was to be gullotined and into the life of Napoleon Bonaparte. Becoming his wife and the Empress Josephine of France.
While her husband is at war with any country he feels to, she builds the most perfect gardens, with rare seeds and plants and surrounds herself with animals from all over the world. She is a beautiful soul and endures alot throughout the years.
In time if she cannot have a child with Bonaparte to provide him an heir, she risks losing it all.
I really liked this book. There is alot to take in but for anyone who likes stories from long ago this is well worth a read. The fact that Stephanie Parkyn studied and put this book together from history is very clever. I admire her work here and look forward to more from her.
Thanks for the gift of this ARC from Allen&Unwin in return for my honest review.
December 23, 2019
*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
4.5 stars
‘It is both a joy and a torment to puzzle a story around matters of historical record. I love the moments when imagination, metaphor and fact align. However, simplifications and contradictions are sometimes necessary, invention irresistible and errors probable, so I hope I will be forgiven for these in the telling of this story. My aim is always to be true to the characters and their motivations.’
Author’s Note, Stephanie Parkyn, Josephine’s Garden
The Author’s Note at the close of Josephine’s Garden provides the reader with an excellent snapshot of the blood, sweat and tears that went into the latest historical novel from Australian author Stephanie Parkyn. Parkyn also outlines in her enlightening Author’s Note that many writers have selected Napoleon and Josephine as the subjects of their study. I know I have read both fiction and non fiction titles in the past about both these historical figures. Stephanie Parkyn breathes new life into these enduring faces from the past. Josephine’s Garden is a story of unions, motherhood, botany, ambition and loss. Josephine’s Garden is a grand novel, wrapping the reader in a fertile tale of historical interest.
‘You shall have the finest garden in all of France’.
Josephine’s Garden opens in France in the late 1700s, a time of immense change and uncertainty, following the close of the French revolution. We meet Rose de Beauharnais, who has just escaped the guillotine, but finds herself in fortunate position following her release from prison. Rose reinvents herself as a much sought after socialite, and she gains the affections of Napoleon Bonaparte. Eventually she marries Napoleon and she becomes Empress Josephine. This position of power allows her to do all the things she dreamed of, which includes creating a garden of her own, populated with rare plants and animals from around the world. However, Josephine’s treasured garden is overshadowed by the pressure placed on her to provide France with an heir. If she cannot give Napoleon an heir, she will lose everything. Tied to Josephine’s story is that of two women, Anne Serreaux and Marthe Desfriches, who put their destinies on the line for Josephine and her famous garden. Although from vastly different backgrounds, the women have much in common. They are each faced with the ultimate test to their relationships, fertility and motherhood. Josephine’s Garden is a vivid historical record of a precarious time in our history books, where power, class, position, ambition and endurance reigned supreme.
Stephanie Parkyn is a rising star in the historical fiction world, and this earnest writer has achieved great things with her grandiose new novel. Not only has Parkyn taken on one of the most well-known female figures in French history as the principal subject of her new book, she also intertwines the stories of two other female figures from this period into the one engaging story. At first I wasn’t too sure how Parkyn was going to join the dots with these three women, but the line was very clearly drawn by the end of the novel.
Josephine Bonaparte, or Rose de Beauharnais, is a figure who has been examined in great detail, both in fictional form and non-fiction study. However, Stephanie Parkyn places a fresh story in the hands of the reader. I profess to knowing nothing about Josephine’s penchant for gardening and the field of botany. This book opened my eyes to a different side of Josephine and I greatly appreciated it. The extent of the research in which Stephanie Parkyn has conducted to maintain the authenticity of this book is obvious. I know Parkyn walked the streets of Paris and studied in libraries in France to perfectly capture this time period. What dedication!
In terms of characterisation, Parkyn recreates the renowned figures of Josephine and Napoleon Bonaparte extremely well. In fact, I was actually taken aback as to how much my opinion of Napoleon went downhill after witnessing many of the acts he performs in the novel. I lost quite a great deal of respect for Napoleon. Parkyn’s storytelling is honest and informative, revealing the flaws of these characters in a level of detail I had not encountered before. In the characters of Anne and Marthe, I felt like I knew less about these women, I came to see them from the distance, rather than intimately like Josephine. I did find that these women’s stories gave the reader a better picture of the state of affairs in France from a non-aristocratic point of view. However, each of these women share the same universal feelings of a lack of power, suppression, pressure to conform and bear children. It is heartbreaking, but also eye opening. Although I am a big fan of France and its history, after reading Josephine’s Garden I no longer want to take a step back in time and embody the lives of these women, it was a tough life!
Structure wise, Parkyn begins her journey with a prologue that looks to the end of Josephine’s reign. Each chapter is marked by the year and season, which enables the reader to orient themselves in the unfolding story. The novel then takes a leap back to the early days of Rose/Josephine’s life, her fateful union with Napoleon, their marriage and eventually her demise. I did find it a little hard pressed to situate myself within the novel and the second half really seemed to take off in a more favourable direction for me. Josephine’s Garden is divided into four different parts, charting the ambition, love, determination, marriage, desire for family, obsession for lineage, power struggles, convoluted plots and the demise of the partnership between the Emperor and his Empress. The overarching theme of botany trickles through the novel, offsetting the tumultuous relationship between the couple. This was a fascinating segment of the book, which provided a glimpse into the pioneering work of the botanists of this time. I did appreciate the links to exotic lands of the time, such as Van Diemen’s Land, what a great Australian based story infusion.
Josephine’s Garden is a rich tale, draped in history, the natural world, passion, motherhood, ambition and status. A perfect vista into the complicated lives of three fascinating female voices from the past, this novel will happily please historical fiction fans.
*Thanks extended to Allen & Unwin for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.
Josephine’s Garden is book #154 of the 2019 Australian Women Writers Challenge
4.5 stars
‘It is both a joy and a torment to puzzle a story around matters of historical record. I love the moments when imagination, metaphor and fact align. However, simplifications and contradictions are sometimes necessary, invention irresistible and errors probable, so I hope I will be forgiven for these in the telling of this story. My aim is always to be true to the characters and their motivations.’
Author’s Note, Stephanie Parkyn, Josephine’s Garden
The Author’s Note at the close of Josephine’s Garden provides the reader with an excellent snapshot of the blood, sweat and tears that went into the latest historical novel from Australian author Stephanie Parkyn. Parkyn also outlines in her enlightening Author’s Note that many writers have selected Napoleon and Josephine as the subjects of their study. I know I have read both fiction and non fiction titles in the past about both these historical figures. Stephanie Parkyn breathes new life into these enduring faces from the past. Josephine’s Garden is a story of unions, motherhood, botany, ambition and loss. Josephine’s Garden is a grand novel, wrapping the reader in a fertile tale of historical interest.
‘You shall have the finest garden in all of France’.
Josephine’s Garden opens in France in the late 1700s, a time of immense change and uncertainty, following the close of the French revolution. We meet Rose de Beauharnais, who has just escaped the guillotine, but finds herself in fortunate position following her release from prison. Rose reinvents herself as a much sought after socialite, and she gains the affections of Napoleon Bonaparte. Eventually she marries Napoleon and she becomes Empress Josephine. This position of power allows her to do all the things she dreamed of, which includes creating a garden of her own, populated with rare plants and animals from around the world. However, Josephine’s treasured garden is overshadowed by the pressure placed on her to provide France with an heir. If she cannot give Napoleon an heir, she will lose everything. Tied to Josephine’s story is that of two women, Anne Serreaux and Marthe Desfriches, who put their destinies on the line for Josephine and her famous garden. Although from vastly different backgrounds, the women have much in common. They are each faced with the ultimate test to their relationships, fertility and motherhood. Josephine’s Garden is a vivid historical record of a precarious time in our history books, where power, class, position, ambition and endurance reigned supreme.
Stephanie Parkyn is a rising star in the historical fiction world, and this earnest writer has achieved great things with her grandiose new novel. Not only has Parkyn taken on one of the most well-known female figures in French history as the principal subject of her new book, she also intertwines the stories of two other female figures from this period into the one engaging story. At first I wasn’t too sure how Parkyn was going to join the dots with these three women, but the line was very clearly drawn by the end of the novel.
Josephine Bonaparte, or Rose de Beauharnais, is a figure who has been examined in great detail, both in fictional form and non-fiction study. However, Stephanie Parkyn places a fresh story in the hands of the reader. I profess to knowing nothing about Josephine’s penchant for gardening and the field of botany. This book opened my eyes to a different side of Josephine and I greatly appreciated it. The extent of the research in which Stephanie Parkyn has conducted to maintain the authenticity of this book is obvious. I know Parkyn walked the streets of Paris and studied in libraries in France to perfectly capture this time period. What dedication!
In terms of characterisation, Parkyn recreates the renowned figures of Josephine and Napoleon Bonaparte extremely well. In fact, I was actually taken aback as to how much my opinion of Napoleon went downhill after witnessing many of the acts he performs in the novel. I lost quite a great deal of respect for Napoleon. Parkyn’s storytelling is honest and informative, revealing the flaws of these characters in a level of detail I had not encountered before. In the characters of Anne and Marthe, I felt like I knew less about these women, I came to see them from the distance, rather than intimately like Josephine. I did find that these women’s stories gave the reader a better picture of the state of affairs in France from a non-aristocratic point of view. However, each of these women share the same universal feelings of a lack of power, suppression, pressure to conform and bear children. It is heartbreaking, but also eye opening. Although I am a big fan of France and its history, after reading Josephine’s Garden I no longer want to take a step back in time and embody the lives of these women, it was a tough life!
Structure wise, Parkyn begins her journey with a prologue that looks to the end of Josephine’s reign. Each chapter is marked by the year and season, which enables the reader to orient themselves in the unfolding story. The novel then takes a leap back to the early days of Rose/Josephine’s life, her fateful union with Napoleon, their marriage and eventually her demise. I did find it a little hard pressed to situate myself within the novel and the second half really seemed to take off in a more favourable direction for me. Josephine’s Garden is divided into four different parts, charting the ambition, love, determination, marriage, desire for family, obsession for lineage, power struggles, convoluted plots and the demise of the partnership between the Emperor and his Empress. The overarching theme of botany trickles through the novel, offsetting the tumultuous relationship between the couple. This was a fascinating segment of the book, which provided a glimpse into the pioneering work of the botanists of this time. I did appreciate the links to exotic lands of the time, such as Van Diemen’s Land, what a great Australian based story infusion.
Josephine’s Garden is a rich tale, draped in history, the natural world, passion, motherhood, ambition and status. A perfect vista into the complicated lives of three fascinating female voices from the past, this novel will happily please historical fiction fans.
*Thanks extended to Allen & Unwin for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.
Josephine’s Garden is book #154 of the 2019 Australian Women Writers Challenge
December 29, 2019
Josephine's Garden by Stephanie Parkyn is a wonderful historical novel about Empress Josephine of France and her husband Napoleon Bonaparte. Based on true facts, this story starts in 1794 at the end of the French Revolution and ends in 1810. Josephine (Rose de Beauharnais) spends her time at their many palaces but her favourite is Chateau Malmaison. At Malmaison she dedicates herself to her extravagant gardens and soon has plants and exotic animals from around the world. Throughout the story their are glimpses of how brutal life was for the poorer French people and animals during this time. Thanks to Allen & Unwin for my ARC.
December 3, 2019
Sometimes it is interesting to note how you can look back over your reading for the year and see certain trends in releases. I find this particularly relevant with historical fiction. Of course, this is in the most part coincidental. Books take authors different lengths of time to write and the topics of these books are kept reasonably close in the initial planning and writing stages. This year, I have read three new historical fiction releases set in France either before, during, or just after the French Revolution. I have a fourth waiting for me on my TBR. It is an interesting period of history, but it is not without its more repulsive aspects. Josephine’s Garden is an ambitious novel, covering the relationship between Napoléon Bonaparte and ‘his’ Josephine, from just before they met up until their divorce – about sixteen years. It is a long and involving novel, so not one to dip in and out of. While I probably liked the second half far more than the first, overall, it is well worth the read, particularly if you, like me, enjoy early explorer botanical history.
This novel is infused with atmosphere and it wears its research well. The decadence and debauchery of the post-revolution period is one of those repulsive aspects I was alluding to previously. The way people carried on was just disgusting. And so crude. There were times when reading the first half of this novel where my stomach actually felt like it was turning over at the image of what was being portrayed on the page. And this is where Stephanie Parkyn really shines as a writer of historical fiction. She recreates her setting to perfection, warts and all, and does not shy away from the ridiculous, nor the obscene. And in doing this, her work is coloured with an authenticity and attention to detail that any lover of historical fiction will appreciate.
‘He felt disconnected from this new France. The people had thrown all decency aside. They cared for nothing other than selfish pleasures. The mark of highest status was not one’s learning, as he had hoped, but how many months one had spent in prison during the Terror. When he’d left five years earlier, people spoke of patriotism and liberty, but on his return all he saw was desire for power and riches, an intoxication with glory and vanity. The aristocracy was gone, but what replaced it made him shudder with disgust.’
Josephine is not the only character that we follow in this novel. Two other women round out the narrative and act as points of reference for displaying French society at other levels. Marthe Desfriches and Anne Serreaux are both wives of botanists. It took a very long time to see the connection between all three of these women, and I will admit that this was one of the times that I felt the length of the novel bearing down a bit too much. Another was in the few loose threads that were not actually tied up. In particular, I felt that the orang-utan, Rose, was introduced but not fully utilised, more mentioned as a novelty, yet brought in enough to make the reader feel as though they were left wanting in terms of knowing Rose’s fate. Marthe was a very interesting character for me, but again, I feel as though we really only just scratched the surface with her. There was so much of Josephine that I could have done without in preference to spending more time with the others.
‘The ape stretched up her chestnut arm and scratched beneath her armpit. Marthe watched transfixed as the ape turned her head to her and lowered her arm to point directly at Marthe’s heart. I see you.’
I did not realise many things about Napoléon and Josephine prior to reading this novel. There’s probably a few things now that I wish I still didn’t know! Napoléon, as depicted within this novel, was a disgusting man, both publicly and privately. It really doesn’t say much in favour about the French for putting up with him for so long. I took a long time to warm to Josephine and it really wasn’t until she was elbow deep in her gardening that this happened. I have a particular interest in the history of botany though, so it makes sense that I would find these parts more interesting over any others. I did admire the way Stephanie Parkyn arranged this novel into its various parts. The way she headed these sections showed the transformation of Josephine throughout the various stages of her life. One thing we can take away from Josephine’s story is the powerlessness of women during this era, and the danger associated with being female. I feel that Stephanie Parkyn captured this concept extremely well. I stated at the beginning of this review that Josephine’s Garden was an ambitious novel. Was it overly ambitious? I think not. In the end, Stephanie Parkyn fulfilled her ambition with this one rather well. Recommended reading for fans of sweeping and involved historical fiction.
‘Her collection was to be featured in a book about the best modern gardens in France by the celebrated author Alexandre de Laborde who praised Malmaison as the only genuine botanical garden in France. A botanical garden. A garden in service to botany. It had pleased her to her fingertips. Finally she would be seen not as a scandalous socialite, or an empress, but as a collector of consequence.’
Thanks extended to Allen & Unwin for providing me with a copy of Josephine’s Garden for review.
This novel is infused with atmosphere and it wears its research well. The decadence and debauchery of the post-revolution period is one of those repulsive aspects I was alluding to previously. The way people carried on was just disgusting. And so crude. There were times when reading the first half of this novel where my stomach actually felt like it was turning over at the image of what was being portrayed on the page. And this is where Stephanie Parkyn really shines as a writer of historical fiction. She recreates her setting to perfection, warts and all, and does not shy away from the ridiculous, nor the obscene. And in doing this, her work is coloured with an authenticity and attention to detail that any lover of historical fiction will appreciate.
‘He felt disconnected from this new France. The people had thrown all decency aside. They cared for nothing other than selfish pleasures. The mark of highest status was not one’s learning, as he had hoped, but how many months one had spent in prison during the Terror. When he’d left five years earlier, people spoke of patriotism and liberty, but on his return all he saw was desire for power and riches, an intoxication with glory and vanity. The aristocracy was gone, but what replaced it made him shudder with disgust.’
Josephine is not the only character that we follow in this novel. Two other women round out the narrative and act as points of reference for displaying French society at other levels. Marthe Desfriches and Anne Serreaux are both wives of botanists. It took a very long time to see the connection between all three of these women, and I will admit that this was one of the times that I felt the length of the novel bearing down a bit too much. Another was in the few loose threads that were not actually tied up. In particular, I felt that the orang-utan, Rose, was introduced but not fully utilised, more mentioned as a novelty, yet brought in enough to make the reader feel as though they were left wanting in terms of knowing Rose’s fate. Marthe was a very interesting character for me, but again, I feel as though we really only just scratched the surface with her. There was so much of Josephine that I could have done without in preference to spending more time with the others.
‘The ape stretched up her chestnut arm and scratched beneath her armpit. Marthe watched transfixed as the ape turned her head to her and lowered her arm to point directly at Marthe’s heart. I see you.’
I did not realise many things about Napoléon and Josephine prior to reading this novel. There’s probably a few things now that I wish I still didn’t know! Napoléon, as depicted within this novel, was a disgusting man, both publicly and privately. It really doesn’t say much in favour about the French for putting up with him for so long. I took a long time to warm to Josephine and it really wasn’t until she was elbow deep in her gardening that this happened. I have a particular interest in the history of botany though, so it makes sense that I would find these parts more interesting over any others. I did admire the way Stephanie Parkyn arranged this novel into its various parts. The way she headed these sections showed the transformation of Josephine throughout the various stages of her life. One thing we can take away from Josephine’s story is the powerlessness of women during this era, and the danger associated with being female. I feel that Stephanie Parkyn captured this concept extremely well. I stated at the beginning of this review that Josephine’s Garden was an ambitious novel. Was it overly ambitious? I think not. In the end, Stephanie Parkyn fulfilled her ambition with this one rather well. Recommended reading for fans of sweeping and involved historical fiction.
‘Her collection was to be featured in a book about the best modern gardens in France by the celebrated author Alexandre de Laborde who praised Malmaison as the only genuine botanical garden in France. A botanical garden. A garden in service to botany. It had pleased her to her fingertips. Finally she would be seen not as a scandalous socialite, or an empress, but as a collector of consequence.’
Thanks extended to Allen & Unwin for providing me with a copy of Josephine’s Garden for review.
December 22, 2019
Exquisite and beautiful. 1794 France. Empress Josephine builds a garden of wonders with plants and animals she gathers from across the globe.
Loved hearing about the flowers, plants and gardens, hothouses and glasshouses. Chateau Malmaison and the gardens of Versailles.
Most importantly, hearing about the botanist, Josephine in her Garden.
The descriptions of herbs, flowers and everything botanical were so beautifully written and described by the author in this novel.
Christmas in the Tuileries. Snow.
An historical drama story of Josephine and Napolean Bonaparte set in France.
Loved hearing about the flowers, plants and gardens, hothouses and glasshouses. Chateau Malmaison and the gardens of Versailles.
Most importantly, hearing about the botanist, Josephine in her Garden.
The descriptions of herbs, flowers and everything botanical were so beautifully written and described by the author in this novel.
Christmas in the Tuileries. Snow.
An historical drama story of Josephine and Napolean Bonaparte set in France.
March 19, 2020
3.5 stars
March 3, 2020
I wanted soooo much to like this book but it disappointed me on a number of levels. I didn’t quite like the writing style and thought it could have had a much better edit to make it flow better - rather than it being more like a random few sentences strung together each time like a train of thought. I didn’t particularly warm to the other side stories and characters and I loathed Josephine. Not tonight Josephine? Never, urgh. I had high expectations and I’m sorry to say it didn’t meet them at all. I love historical fiction but this book won’t go down in memory as being one I’d recommend. That’s not to say it’s not right for others. It just didn’t work for me. Not all books find a home....
January 26, 2020
'Josephine's Garden' is a loose sequel to 'Into the World', which I enjoyed very much last year. This book weaves the storylines of Josephine Bonaparte, with Marthe's, the wife of botanist Laballadiere (from ITW), and with Anne's, the wife of the gardener Lahaie (from ITW)-- all seek purpose as women in the absence of becoming pregnant. Each suffers greatly in the thwarting of her creative potential. Parkyn's breadth of historical research is staggering, but the narrative never struggles under the weight of exposition. I believe Parkyn is underrated as an historical novelist, and she writes 'the spectacle of historical drama and the study of human motivations' exceptionally well. I look forward to the next instalment in Marie-Louise Girardin's story.
December 1, 2019
Although a fiction novel the author has based the story on many factual historical events. Makes learning about history enjoyable
April 13, 2020
I always love a good historical fiction novel and this was no exception. From the moment I started reading I was drawn into the world of Rose de Beauharnais, the trials and tribulations, the loves and friendships and then the world of Napoleon Bonaparte.
The story interwove the lives of three very different women and their very different husbands and families yet there was a story of and about each woman, each husband and each marriage as a separate entity. The characters where intriguing and beguiling, each bringing something different to the story and I loved them all in varying ways.
The only downs side for me was I would love to know what happened to Theresa, Rose's friend from times past. She was an interesting character as well and although I know she was banned from the life of Josephine by Bonaparte I would love to know what became of her.
Thank you Allen & Unwin Australia Pty. Ltd.
Josephine's Garden
Stephanie Parkyn
The story interwove the lives of three very different women and their very different husbands and families yet there was a story of and about each woman, each husband and each marriage as a separate entity. The characters where intriguing and beguiling, each bringing something different to the story and I loved them all in varying ways.
The only downs side for me was I would love to know what happened to Theresa, Rose's friend from times past. She was an interesting character as well and although I know she was banned from the life of Josephine by Bonaparte I would love to know what became of her.
Thank you Allen & Unwin Australia Pty. Ltd.
Josephine's Garden
Stephanie Parkyn
February 17, 2025
A beautifully captured version of Empress Josephine's life and marriage to Napoleon Boneparte. Stephanie Parkyn is a true storyteller. I did find most of the book a little plotless though. If I'm unsure what direction the story is heading towards by at least halfway, then it's difficult for me to continue. Her beautiful words were a saving grace though, as I found myself returning to the story rather than giving it up.
It did pick up in the last 100 pages, but the ending was not as dramatic as I'd hoped it would be. I thought the slow storyline might unfold into something spectacular at the end. Nevertheless, a lovely, genteel book that is worth reading if you're a fan of historical fiction during the Boneparte era.
It did pick up in the last 100 pages, but the ending was not as dramatic as I'd hoped it would be. I thought the slow storyline might unfold into something spectacular at the end. Nevertheless, a lovely, genteel book that is worth reading if you're a fan of historical fiction during the Boneparte era.
December 9, 2019
In her second novel, Parkyn has crafted a sweeping panorama of the lives connected to Josephine Bonaparte by botany, in all their fear, uncertainty, curiosity, passion and warmth. Parkyn is a master of drawing the reader into a fully realised historical world and bringing women's voices out of the woodwork, and Josephine's Garden only confirms her as one of Australia's foremost historical fiction writers. Readers should note triggers for miscarriage, struggles with infertility, and child death, infidelity as well as allusions to executions by guillotine and a brief description of a bombing.
While the tale is narrated in the third person, we follow the perspectives of a cast of characters, centred around Rose (Josephine) Bonaparte. In particular, we see the world from the viewpoints of two botanists and their wives - Felix Lahaie and Anne Serreaux, sympathetic to Rose's worldview, and Jacques Labillardiere and Marthe Desfriches, who each have their own gripes with Rose. Parkyn thus cleverly allows the women's independent voices to be heard, and to present a range of attitudes towards her protagonist. The story itself covers Bonaparte's ascent, through to his efforts to divorce Rose - a crucial point of tension in the plot - as these characters see events.
I found myself deeply invested in the fates of each of the main characters, and while this isn't an 'edge of your seat' plot, it was still compelling, given the way Parkyn vividly imagines each of the core cast's lives.
Rose is an endearing heroine, liberated in a way that was rare for women in the 1800s elsewhere, yet still constrained in painful ways by her husband's will. I admired her incredible strength in the face of extreme adversity and appreciated Parkyn not painting her as a saint - for example, her later behaviour towards her daughter Hortense is far from admirable. Likewise, Anne and Marthe are both richly portrayed, and act as well-crafted foils for one another and Rose.
Ultimately this is a novel about motherhood - about the social pressure to bear children, and what happens to women who cannot. Parkyn builds on her exploration of this theme in her first novel, Into the World, adding layers as time progresses in Josephine's Garden (and even giving us a brief glimpse of her protagonist Marie from Into the World). I hope this interconnected world-building continues in her future works.
Plants, collecting and competition are all also crucial to the story, and here Parkyn weaves in recognisable Australian flora and fauna. The quest to germinate and propagate rare Australian seeds becomes intensively competitive between Felix and Jacques, while Rose delights in the emu, wallabies and black swans that are sent to her property. Parkyn thus touches on questions of ownership, colonialism and exploitation too.
Josephine's Garden also probes questions of class and power, highlighting the stark contrast between Rose's wealth as Empress and the struggles of the average Parisian. This is mirrored by the human price of Bonaparte's conquests - the loss of so many young men across European battlefields; he treats their lives with the same profligacy as Rose does money.
The writing is elegant and easy to read, with utterly beautiful descriptions of the many gardens and plants in particular (although clothing is given the same treatment). The research never feels heavy and the dialogue strikes just the right tone to support our immersion in the past.
A rich, rewarding historical read that is a joy to be swept up in - highly recommended summer reading.
Recommended if you liked: The Botanist's Daughter
I received a copy of Josephine's Garden from Allen and Unwin in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
While the tale is narrated in the third person, we follow the perspectives of a cast of characters, centred around Rose (Josephine) Bonaparte. In particular, we see the world from the viewpoints of two botanists and their wives - Felix Lahaie and Anne Serreaux, sympathetic to Rose's worldview, and Jacques Labillardiere and Marthe Desfriches, who each have their own gripes with Rose. Parkyn thus cleverly allows the women's independent voices to be heard, and to present a range of attitudes towards her protagonist. The story itself covers Bonaparte's ascent, through to his efforts to divorce Rose - a crucial point of tension in the plot - as these characters see events.
I found myself deeply invested in the fates of each of the main characters, and while this isn't an 'edge of your seat' plot, it was still compelling, given the way Parkyn vividly imagines each of the core cast's lives.
Rose is an endearing heroine, liberated in a way that was rare for women in the 1800s elsewhere, yet still constrained in painful ways by her husband's will. I admired her incredible strength in the face of extreme adversity and appreciated Parkyn not painting her as a saint - for example, her later behaviour towards her daughter Hortense is far from admirable. Likewise, Anne and Marthe are both richly portrayed, and act as well-crafted foils for one another and Rose.
Ultimately this is a novel about motherhood - about the social pressure to bear children, and what happens to women who cannot. Parkyn builds on her exploration of this theme in her first novel, Into the World, adding layers as time progresses in Josephine's Garden (and even giving us a brief glimpse of her protagonist Marie from Into the World). I hope this interconnected world-building continues in her future works.
Plants, collecting and competition are all also crucial to the story, and here Parkyn weaves in recognisable Australian flora and fauna. The quest to germinate and propagate rare Australian seeds becomes intensively competitive between Felix and Jacques, while Rose delights in the emu, wallabies and black swans that are sent to her property. Parkyn thus touches on questions of ownership, colonialism and exploitation too.
Josephine's Garden also probes questions of class and power, highlighting the stark contrast between Rose's wealth as Empress and the struggles of the average Parisian. This is mirrored by the human price of Bonaparte's conquests - the loss of so many young men across European battlefields; he treats their lives with the same profligacy as Rose does money.
The writing is elegant and easy to read, with utterly beautiful descriptions of the many gardens and plants in particular (although clothing is given the same treatment). The research never feels heavy and the dialogue strikes just the right tone to support our immersion in the past.
A rich, rewarding historical read that is a joy to be swept up in - highly recommended summer reading.
Recommended if you liked: The Botanist's Daughter
I received a copy of Josephine's Garden from Allen and Unwin in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
January 14, 2020
“He returned to a country made unrecognisable. The day he landed was the twenty-first of Messidor in Year 5 of the Republic. Even the calendar had changed. A week was now ten days long and the months had changed their names. It unnerved him to have the passage of time whipped out from underneath his feet.”
.
.
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The Empress Josephine was born Marie-Joseph Rose de Tascher de la Pagerie on the island of Martinique. Taken to Paris to marry at the age of 16, she had a turbulent early life with an unhappy first marriage culminating in being imprisoned and only escaping the guillotine with the fall of Robespierre. We first meet Josephine in the novel as she is released from prison and steps into the orbit of Barras, leader of the new regime. All I knew of Josephine before reading this book was that she loved roses and had a reputation for excess, a little like Marie-Antoinette before her. In Josephine’s Garden, Stephanie Parkyn shows how Josephine, made reliant on men like her husband, Barras and then Napoleon, wanted to make her position at the centre of society secure. Financial independence and a home of her own, at Malmaison, were a matter of survival having lost her home in the breakdown of her first marriage. At times, Josephine comes across as impetuous and spoilt, I’d imagine it would be hard to have your every whim catered to and remain level-headed, but she is also shown as relatable and charming, a perfect foil to short-tempered Napoleon who is more suited to the battlefield than the ballroom. Alongside Josephine, who is eventually displaced for not providing an heir upon request, the novel also focuses on Marte trapped in a loveless marriage of convenience with a botanist and Anne married to Josephine’s head gardener. Motherhood, with infertility, miscarriage and having the choice to have a child removed altogether, is a central theme of the novel. Stephanie Parkyn is a New Zealand author and ecologist and her descriptions of the Jardin des Plantes and Malmaison are wonderful. We see the race to grow the first blue gum trees in Europe with men of science jealously hiding their progress. Josephine’s Garden reminded me of Elizabeth Gilbert’s The Signature of All Things with its stories of sea voyages, plant collectors and the need to dominate the botanical world. With thanks to Allen and Unwin NZ for my ARC.
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.
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The Empress Josephine was born Marie-Joseph Rose de Tascher de la Pagerie on the island of Martinique. Taken to Paris to marry at the age of 16, she had a turbulent early life with an unhappy first marriage culminating in being imprisoned and only escaping the guillotine with the fall of Robespierre. We first meet Josephine in the novel as she is released from prison and steps into the orbit of Barras, leader of the new regime. All I knew of Josephine before reading this book was that she loved roses and had a reputation for excess, a little like Marie-Antoinette before her. In Josephine’s Garden, Stephanie Parkyn shows how Josephine, made reliant on men like her husband, Barras and then Napoleon, wanted to make her position at the centre of society secure. Financial independence and a home of her own, at Malmaison, were a matter of survival having lost her home in the breakdown of her first marriage. At times, Josephine comes across as impetuous and spoilt, I’d imagine it would be hard to have your every whim catered to and remain level-headed, but she is also shown as relatable and charming, a perfect foil to short-tempered Napoleon who is more suited to the battlefield than the ballroom. Alongside Josephine, who is eventually displaced for not providing an heir upon request, the novel also focuses on Marte trapped in a loveless marriage of convenience with a botanist and Anne married to Josephine’s head gardener. Motherhood, with infertility, miscarriage and having the choice to have a child removed altogether, is a central theme of the novel. Stephanie Parkyn is a New Zealand author and ecologist and her descriptions of the Jardin des Plantes and Malmaison are wonderful. We see the race to grow the first blue gum trees in Europe with men of science jealously hiding their progress. Josephine’s Garden reminded me of Elizabeth Gilbert’s The Signature of All Things with its stories of sea voyages, plant collectors and the need to dominate the botanical world. With thanks to Allen and Unwin NZ for my ARC.
December 4, 2023
Josephine Bonaparte is living on borrowed time in the beautiful garden she has created at Malmaison. Her failed attempts to produce an heir for Emperor Napoleon are about to have her booted out of her self-styled paradise as he openly pursues his affairs with a string of fertile and eligible young women.
The lives of two other women are bound up with Josephine’s precarious existence. There is gardener’s wife, Anne Serreaux, who is only too aware that the security of her family depends on the survival of Josephine’s teetering marriage. Then there is botanist’s wife, Marthe Desfriches, contemptuous of tyrant Napoleon and with a score to settle of her own.
I was captivated by the stories of these three women, and of the shifting balance their relationship took between rivalry and solidarity. Despite being so different from each other, they are united as women who are at the mercy of their husband’s choices and the place that their society has designated them.
Stephanie Parkyn has written about an exciting time in history, with sensuous descriptions of decadent Post-Revolutionary France and an ambitious garden populated by flora and fauna from around the world. The descriptions of Australian plants and animals as seen through the eyes of Europeans encountering them for the first time are particularly delightful.
Like Manderlay, Camelot and Shangri-La, Malmaison is born of a beautiful dream. Josephine’s efforts at creating a private utopia are reminiscent of her tragic predecessor, Marie Antoinette, who created a rustic retreat for herself and her inner circle, away from the formality of the Palace of Versailles.
It’s as though both women are trying to escape from the devastation of their own people, which by association, they are somewhat complicit in. But turning a blind eye, both women retreat into their gardens and try to create a world apart from the horrific realities all around them.
And we all know how that ends.
The lives of two other women are bound up with Josephine’s precarious existence. There is gardener’s wife, Anne Serreaux, who is only too aware that the security of her family depends on the survival of Josephine’s teetering marriage. Then there is botanist’s wife, Marthe Desfriches, contemptuous of tyrant Napoleon and with a score to settle of her own.
I was captivated by the stories of these three women, and of the shifting balance their relationship took between rivalry and solidarity. Despite being so different from each other, they are united as women who are at the mercy of their husband’s choices and the place that their society has designated them.
Stephanie Parkyn has written about an exciting time in history, with sensuous descriptions of decadent Post-Revolutionary France and an ambitious garden populated by flora and fauna from around the world. The descriptions of Australian plants and animals as seen through the eyes of Europeans encountering them for the first time are particularly delightful.
Like Manderlay, Camelot and Shangri-La, Malmaison is born of a beautiful dream. Josephine’s efforts at creating a private utopia are reminiscent of her tragic predecessor, Marie Antoinette, who created a rustic retreat for herself and her inner circle, away from the formality of the Palace of Versailles.
It’s as though both women are trying to escape from the devastation of their own people, which by association, they are somewhat complicit in. But turning a blind eye, both women retreat into their gardens and try to create a world apart from the horrific realities all around them.
And we all know how that ends.
December 6, 2019
I did enjoy this book. It was probably interesting putting a human face to Joséphine, although Bonaparte basically fulfilled the stereotype. As a general rule, those with money & power were portrayed as vulgar, indolent or ruthless to a large degree. Interestingly, as Joséphine aged she became less overtly sexual in her dealings and appeared to rely more on her ability to charm than seduce. However this coincided with a decline in her power culminating in Napoleon divorcing her. So this brings up questions regarding the source of a woman’s power and whether it really is power. The other characters were interesting, including the emotionally disabled Labillardiere. It was heartbreaking watching Anne reacting to the loss of her babies and her withdrawing from her husband and then coming back together. But the real victims in this story were the poor animals shipped from miles away to live at Malmaison, and the swans.
December 15, 2019
3.5 stars. The book begins in 1794 after the horrors of the French Revolution, and stretches to 1810. I studied the French Revolution in high school, and enjoyed stepping back into history whilst reading. The story centres on Rose de Beauharnais who becomes Empress Josephine - Napoleon Bonaparte's wife- and the tumultuous nature of the marriage, and her life's work, her garden, with many wonders of the world, but also, the lives of two women, Marthes and Anne, linked to Josephine's life, but from very different social worlds and realities. Having said that though, a commonality that really shone through was the true uncertainty of being a woman in that time. There were interesting relationship dynamics at play in each of these women's lives, but I found I wanted more about Anne and Marthes.
August 14, 2020
An intriguing fictionalized account of the life of Rose, aka Empress Josephine and her passion for plants from other parts of the world. Fictional and real characters mix sometimes uncomfortably is this rather disjointed story.
December 18, 2020
3.5 Interesting theme but I got quite bored in parts
December 21, 2022
Full disclosure; I seldom read historical fiction so this is not my genre of choice. This is the story of the aftermath of the French Revolution and the building of a garden. It feels like that ought to be simple but it really is the exploration of one woman's ambition and entitlement to flex within her limited sphere of influence. It's a tale of a woman's part in conquest.
The book manages to deliver some complex ideas in a really human way. The narrative unfolds slowly, but the character interplay makes it easier to engage with. Having been raised in New Zealand and in the same hometown as the author, names like the botanist Banks were already familiar to me (the hills behind my house were part of Banks Peninsula, which was named after the man). The blooming Banksia trees reminded me of the same plant that lines the street I now live on, and the Eucalyptus that is so cherished in this book was one of the trees that grew in my front yard as a child. I was amused to find that only 300 years ago plants that I commonly see in gardens all over the place were marvels from far off lands, to the European aristocracy and scientific community. Colonization, air travel and globalisation...all forces that have changed the shape (and ecosystems) of our world.
Before reading this I knew little about the French Revolution or its aftermath. Details like renaming the seasons and calendar months reminded me of the way that Napoleon chose to rename his own wife as part of owning her. Having been in a similar situation myself, with a partner who picked what I should be called and insisted to our mutual friends that they call me by that name, it was a resonant look into the mindset of an utterly entitled megalomaniac. We get a real feel for what it was like for women of the time, who were utterly dependent on the men in their lives for security. The need to bear children and be shackled into motherhood could be a serious life and death matter, even if only because death in childbirth was common enough. Having personally been a mother only through the grace of modern medical science, that was an impactful comparison. Were I not born in this age I might have died twice over by now, just by having babies.
As we wade into a no-holds-barred comparison of then vs now, it felt like really tipping a rock and finding scuttling things underneath. Having been a popular if bawdy youth, a bit off the rails, I identified with the risqué antics of Rose and the party set. (This book is generally implicit about sex and orgiastic activities, but some of the language is affronting.) Having then moved on into adulthood proper, I identify with the struggles of a woman who is stuck in a relationship that is unrewarding and lonely. I feel lucky that as a woman in the 2000s I have a lot more personal freedom and power than women did back then.
No review of mine, of any book about things in the past, ever seems to be complete without me talking about the Autistic characters. Barring the actual label (because it was not even recognised as a pathology back then) it's clear that abrasive scientist is an Autistic stereotype. I'm not sure if I'm 100% comfortable about the way he is portrayed, but his intense focus, his bluntness in conversation, and his desire to stick strongly within his daily routines is all very familiar.. as is reading books at the table rather than making conversation. The implicit idea that the woman who he marries is also a bit cold and weird, and puts people about her on edge, is frustrating. If I'm being charitable I could definitely see these two characters as the result of what happens when you raise Autistic people in a toxic environment, where the boys are never taught how to recognise and engage with their own emotions, let alone other people's, and the girls are ostracised for being not normal enough. The reaction of intense suspicion towards a person who is asexual is also quite telling of the fear and condemnation anyone of divergent needs receives, even these days.
If I were more engaged and patient I think I would have liked the story a lot more than I did, but as the tale is told mostly in flashback, and we know how Napoleon eventually meets his end, which removes some of the tension in some parts of the story.
The book manages to deliver some complex ideas in a really human way. The narrative unfolds slowly, but the character interplay makes it easier to engage with. Having been raised in New Zealand and in the same hometown as the author, names like the botanist Banks were already familiar to me (the hills behind my house were part of Banks Peninsula, which was named after the man). The blooming Banksia trees reminded me of the same plant that lines the street I now live on, and the Eucalyptus that is so cherished in this book was one of the trees that grew in my front yard as a child. I was amused to find that only 300 years ago plants that I commonly see in gardens all over the place were marvels from far off lands, to the European aristocracy and scientific community. Colonization, air travel and globalisation...all forces that have changed the shape (and ecosystems) of our world.
Before reading this I knew little about the French Revolution or its aftermath. Details like renaming the seasons and calendar months reminded me of the way that Napoleon chose to rename his own wife as part of owning her. Having been in a similar situation myself, with a partner who picked what I should be called and insisted to our mutual friends that they call me by that name, it was a resonant look into the mindset of an utterly entitled megalomaniac. We get a real feel for what it was like for women of the time, who were utterly dependent on the men in their lives for security. The need to bear children and be shackled into motherhood could be a serious life and death matter, even if only because death in childbirth was common enough. Having personally been a mother only through the grace of modern medical science, that was an impactful comparison. Were I not born in this age I might have died twice over by now, just by having babies.
As we wade into a no-holds-barred comparison of then vs now, it felt like really tipping a rock and finding scuttling things underneath. Having been a popular if bawdy youth, a bit off the rails, I identified with the risqué antics of Rose and the party set. (This book is generally implicit about sex and orgiastic activities, but some of the language is affronting.) Having then moved on into adulthood proper, I identify with the struggles of a woman who is stuck in a relationship that is unrewarding and lonely. I feel lucky that as a woman in the 2000s I have a lot more personal freedom and power than women did back then.
No review of mine, of any book about things in the past, ever seems to be complete without me talking about the Autistic characters. Barring the actual label (because it was not even recognised as a pathology back then) it's clear that abrasive scientist is an Autistic stereotype. I'm not sure if I'm 100% comfortable about the way he is portrayed, but his intense focus, his bluntness in conversation, and his desire to stick strongly within his daily routines is all very familiar.. as is reading books at the table rather than making conversation. The implicit idea that the woman who he marries is also a bit cold and weird, and puts people about her on edge, is frustrating. If I'm being charitable I could definitely see these two characters as the result of what happens when you raise Autistic people in a toxic environment, where the boys are never taught how to recognise and engage with their own emotions, let alone other people's, and the girls are ostracised for being not normal enough. The reaction of intense suspicion towards a person who is asexual is also quite telling of the fear and condemnation anyone of divergent needs receives, even these days.
If I were more engaged and patient I think I would have liked the story a lot more than I did, but as the tale is told mostly in flashback, and we know how Napoleon eventually meets his end, which removes some of the tension in some parts of the story.
July 10, 2020
“‘I have the order here. With a scratch of my pen his life is over.’
Josephine gasped. ‘Execution without a trial!’ Her words hung in the dark room. Had he forgotten those awful days, the days of the Terror? Had he forgotten that she too had once faced the guillotine without trial? She feared what her husband was becoming […] ‘Think of what you are doing. This is murder!’
Her words rang into silence.”
Josephine’s Garden is Australian and New Zealand author Stephanie Parkyn’s second historical fiction novel. Set in France between 1794 and 1810, the story introduces Rose de Beauharnais. Rose transforms into the beautiful and breathtakingly flawed yet captivatingly amiable Empress Josephine Bonaparte. We learn of her beloved home, ‘Malmaison’ and its rambling botanic gardens, exotic and unconventional, just like the empress who so painstakingly brought splendour to the once neglected estate.
Josephine’s extraordinary life is interwoven throughout times of revolution, executions and dangerous politics. If you were a woman, you had better be a strong one. In fact, Parkyn has presented an impressively woven narrative that seamlessly links and crosses over with the stories of the other central characters of the novel. We read of the botanist Félix Lahaie and his wife Anne, and the naturalist Jacques Labillardière and is lonely wife Marthe. Their stories weave a rich narrative of families, careers, social networks and egos along with loveless marriages, adultery, extravagant indulgences and crippling loneliness. Josephine is imperfect, flawed, reckless and selfish, yet, I found myself in sympathy with her struggles. I was relieved to realise it is okay to like her and I wondered if she is, after all, just a product of her time, of the debauched bourgeoisie, of the threat of poverty and the ever presence of death, and the trauma of her months of imprisonment during the Revolution.
My favourite thing about Josephine’s Garden is its constant link to Australia. Josephine and her fascination with the flora and fauna of the ‘newly discovered’ continent Terra Australis was a recurring theme. It must have been exciting and difficult to resist the temptation of showing off such curiosities and to be the first to possess such exotic specimens in France. Germinating bluegum seeds and wattles was forgivable, but it was confronting to picture the displacement and captivity of our beloved wallabies and emus for the sake of vanity and status. The author successfully highlights the backward ways of such a time of so-called enlightened ‘scientific inquiry’.
Throughout the book, there is a subtle and satisfying crossover with Parkyn’s first novel, Into the World, and if you have read it, you will adore the little easter eggs and the allusion of more wonderful things to come in future works! But most of all, I feel these characters in my bones:
“Marthe and Jacques Labilladière arrived mid-week. As soon as they entered her parlour, Anne began to feel uneasy. They were both so tall and upright in their manner, they made her feel fat and frumpy and every bit the farming stock she had come from.”
Review written by Angela Wauchop for Issue Nine of Backstory:
http://www.backstoryjournal.com.au/20...
Josephine gasped. ‘Execution without a trial!’ Her words hung in the dark room. Had he forgotten those awful days, the days of the Terror? Had he forgotten that she too had once faced the guillotine without trial? She feared what her husband was becoming […] ‘Think of what you are doing. This is murder!’
Her words rang into silence.”
Josephine’s Garden is Australian and New Zealand author Stephanie Parkyn’s second historical fiction novel. Set in France between 1794 and 1810, the story introduces Rose de Beauharnais. Rose transforms into the beautiful and breathtakingly flawed yet captivatingly amiable Empress Josephine Bonaparte. We learn of her beloved home, ‘Malmaison’ and its rambling botanic gardens, exotic and unconventional, just like the empress who so painstakingly brought splendour to the once neglected estate.
Josephine’s extraordinary life is interwoven throughout times of revolution, executions and dangerous politics. If you were a woman, you had better be a strong one. In fact, Parkyn has presented an impressively woven narrative that seamlessly links and crosses over with the stories of the other central characters of the novel. We read of the botanist Félix Lahaie and his wife Anne, and the naturalist Jacques Labillardière and is lonely wife Marthe. Their stories weave a rich narrative of families, careers, social networks and egos along with loveless marriages, adultery, extravagant indulgences and crippling loneliness. Josephine is imperfect, flawed, reckless and selfish, yet, I found myself in sympathy with her struggles. I was relieved to realise it is okay to like her and I wondered if she is, after all, just a product of her time, of the debauched bourgeoisie, of the threat of poverty and the ever presence of death, and the trauma of her months of imprisonment during the Revolution.
My favourite thing about Josephine’s Garden is its constant link to Australia. Josephine and her fascination with the flora and fauna of the ‘newly discovered’ continent Terra Australis was a recurring theme. It must have been exciting and difficult to resist the temptation of showing off such curiosities and to be the first to possess such exotic specimens in France. Germinating bluegum seeds and wattles was forgivable, but it was confronting to picture the displacement and captivity of our beloved wallabies and emus for the sake of vanity and status. The author successfully highlights the backward ways of such a time of so-called enlightened ‘scientific inquiry’.
Throughout the book, there is a subtle and satisfying crossover with Parkyn’s first novel, Into the World, and if you have read it, you will adore the little easter eggs and the allusion of more wonderful things to come in future works! But most of all, I feel these characters in my bones:
“Marthe and Jacques Labilladière arrived mid-week. As soon as they entered her parlour, Anne began to feel uneasy. They were both so tall and upright in their manner, they made her feel fat and frumpy and every bit the farming stock she had come from.”
Review written by Angela Wauchop for Issue Nine of Backstory:
http://www.backstoryjournal.com.au/20...
September 10, 2020
The main reason I chose this book was to learn more about the gardens at Malmaison and Josephine's involvement in them. I had read that she had collaborated with botanists to grow some amazing plants from seed, and of course, the roses. However the gardens don't really appear till near the end of the book. We learn a lot about how she has to survive where men use women in a brutal and demeaning way. And apparently Napoleon was like many other Kings and Emperors, obsessed with having a son and heir. He is a dreadful specimen of a man in this story and his family are horrific. No better than Robespierre's Terror.
There are two other couples in the story: botanists and their wives. The couple that was most interesting was Anne and Felix, really real people building a family and a life after surviving the Terror.
I could not relate to Josephine. I assumed her need to spend money and have riches around her was a result of the Terror (she was put in prison) and her terrible treatment by the men in her life, but she was difficult to relate to. So not an overwhelming read. And one small point: why does the woman in the cover picture have black hair, when Josephine is a blonde? Weird.
There are two other couples in the story: botanists and their wives. The couple that was most interesting was Anne and Felix, really real people building a family and a life after surviving the Terror.
I could not relate to Josephine. I assumed her need to spend money and have riches around her was a result of the Terror (she was put in prison) and her terrible treatment by the men in her life, but she was difficult to relate to. So not an overwhelming read. And one small point: why does the woman in the cover picture have black hair, when Josephine is a blonde? Weird.
April 7, 2021
This is a story about three women and their respective husbands. A lot is known about Josephine and Napoleon. The other two husbands, Jacques Labillardiere, the botanist, and Felix Delahaye, botanist-gardener, had been on the second French exploratory expedition to New Holland (Australia). The thread that connects all of the characters concerns the attempts to grow plants from seeds sent back by Baudin, who commanded the third French expedition to New Holland. It is not necessary to be familiar with this history to enjoy the book, but it does add an extra element of interest for Australians. Each husband follows his ambitions and each wife has to make the best of her situation. Josephine must host parties and balls regardless of whether she is in mourning or ill. Marthe is completely ignored and suffers isolation and boredom. Anne is loved by her husband but has a mental breakdown after giving birth to a stillborn child.
There are interesting twists in the plot and the female characters are well-drawn.
There are interesting twists in the plot and the female characters are well-drawn.
January 17, 2023
This sweeping novel explores the perspectives of three very different women - Josephine Bonaparte, Marthe Desfriches and Anne Serreaux. Whilst Josephine struggles with the capricious, vain and cruel nature of Napoleon, Marthe longs for intimacy from her naturalist husband and Anne is the only one with a truly happy marriage. I thought the challenges facing the women were authentically portrayed during a time where all women were at the mercy of the men in their lives. This is particularly evident with Josephine, who manipulates and flatters to get what she wants. I really enjoyed the beautiful prose, the descriptions of nature and plants, and the rising tension as all three women are challenged by their circumstances and unmet desires. The research in this book is extensive but subtlety shown. For instance, I was fascinated to learn about the naturalists’ efforts to grow Australian plants in France and how it seemed near impossible at the time. A fabulous read.
February 3, 2022
France, 1794. In the aftermath of the bloody end to the French Revolution, Rose de Beauharnais stumbles from prison on the day she is to be guillotined. Within a decade, she'll transform into the scandalous socialite who marries Napoleon Bonaparte, become Empress Josephine of France and build a garden of wonders with plants and animals she gathers from across the globe.
But she must give Bonaparte an heir or she risks losing everything.
Two other women from very different spheres are tied to the fate of the Empress Josephine - Marthe Desfriches and Anne Serreaux. Their lives are put at risk as they each face confronting obstacles in their relationships and in their desire to become mothers.
Well worth a read from this NZ author
But she must give Bonaparte an heir or she risks losing everything.
Two other women from very different spheres are tied to the fate of the Empress Josephine - Marthe Desfriches and Anne Serreaux. Their lives are put at risk as they each face confronting obstacles in their relationships and in their desire to become mothers.
Well worth a read from this NZ author
October 20, 2022
This story about Josephine Bonaparte is a wonderful mix of fact and fiction. It is an easy, yet emotional, read as Josephine struggles to hold on to Bonaparte's love and bear him an heir. Her love of nature and gardening leads her to create the most unusual garden, complete with a zebra and other exotic wild animals, which roam free. Her quest to bring together plants which have been brought back to France from around the world is achieved by her steadfast determination and the help of her gardener, Felix Laie. As head gardener and assistant to the naturalist, Felix sailed on a ship to the South Seas, from where many of these exotic plants originated. The support characters, and the charming and natural way in which Josephine relates to them, enhance the story.
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November 29, 2025loved it! begins before Napoleon is emperor, detailing Josephine's escape from the guillotine, her liaisons prior to Napoleon and subsequent mistress to Empress rise. Seeing the writing on the wall when she is unable to give napoleon an heir, she asks for a home of her own, which she is able to grow a beautiful garden with exotic plants sourced from her home of Martinique and may other worldly places. Not to mention the animals as well. Centres on the growth of the 'new' eucalypts from the new southern lands. She is looked upon with great disdain as a 'housewife gardener' by the head of the Jardin de Plantes, and they competitively try to have the best garden. It touches on the politics of the time, but her garden is the central character.
June 23, 2020
After being saved from the guillotine Rose ends up marrying Napoleon Bonaparte, who eventually becomes Emperor of France. Unless she can produce an heir for him her life is precarious. They have many houses but her favourite is Malmaison which she renovated and constructed a garden filled with plants and animals from all over the world. To this end she has dealings with renowned botanists who work at Versailles and other gardens. Josephine derives a lot of pleasure from her garden.
The other women in the book are wives of the botanists - Marthe and Anne, each of whom face obstacles of their own.
The book is full of interesting historical detail.
The other women in the book are wives of the botanists - Marthe and Anne, each of whom face obstacles of their own.
The book is full of interesting historical detail.
July 21, 2023
I was torn between giving this a 3 and 4 star review: I loved the glimpse into history and the rich details of the place. I found it incredibly painful reading at time because I hated the main character but I decided not to hold that against the Author because she is after all writing about real people and it's not the authors fault the people are awful and miserable. I really never would have bothered finishing if it were just fiction but the history made me tolerate the unpleasant people. Id recommend it but not to anyone looking for a pleasurable escape from reality or be cheered up by books.
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