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Uncle Bernac
I dare say that I had already read my uncle's letter a hundred times, and I am sure that I knew it by heart. None the less I took it out of my pocket, and, sitting on the side of the lugger, I went over it again with as much attention as if it were for the first time. It was written in a prim, angular hand, such as one might expect from a man who had begun life as a village attorney, and it was addressed to Louis de Laval, to the care of William Hargreaves, of the Green Man in Ashford, Kent. The landlord had many a hogshead of untaxed French brandy from the Normandy coast, and the letter had found its way by the same hands...
Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1897
About the author
Arthur Conan Doyle
17k books24.9k followersSir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was a Scottish writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones in the field of crime fiction.
Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.
Doyle was a prolific writer. In addition to the Holmes stories, his works include fantasy and science fiction stories about Professor Challenger, and humorous stories about the Napoleonic soldier Brigadier Gerard, as well as plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction, and historical novels. One of Doyle's early short stories, "J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement" (1884), helped to popularise the mystery of the brigantine Mary Celeste, found drifting at sea with no crew member aboard.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
July 19, 2025
Reduce the age of the protagonist and dispose with the final marriage celebrations and we have a Napoleonic adventure that would be at home in a pre-1914 Chums or Boy's Own Paper. It could have been written by S. Walkey or G. Godfray Sellick, or W. Bourne Cooke; there were lots of them to choose from and all much alike. Also it is rather like a novel written by a short story writer.
The story involves Louis de Laval, the son of an exiled aristocrat, who is persuaded to return to his native France by his scheming uncle. He finds that his uncle is a police spy who, among other ambitions, wants him to marry his daughter to legitimise his possession of the family château. The daughter's lover, who is a coward of no small repute, is being held in prison for plotting against the Emperor. Said daughter's judgement of character is somewhat clouded by romance and wants Louis to help win the young man's freedom by capturing his brave and ferocious co-conspirator Toussac – with the help of the soldier who would become Brigadier Gerard in later stories. Of course, all works out well in the end.
The problem is, to make that story long enough to be a novel we have, sandwiched in the middle, a large chunk of Napoleon fan-worship when Louis is brought to the camp of the Grande Armee at Boulogne. We are introduced to Napoleon the commander, Napoleon the strategist, Napoleon the judge of human character, Napoleon the colossus towering over Talleyrand, Ney, Murat, Lannes, Auguereau, and the rest. All interesting enough, but it would be more at home in an introductory textbook.
Uncle Bernac meets his deserved end. Which provides the moral of the story: be careful when doing owl impersonations.
The story involves Louis de Laval, the son of an exiled aristocrat, who is persuaded to return to his native France by his scheming uncle. He finds that his uncle is a police spy who, among other ambitions, wants him to marry his daughter to legitimise his possession of the family château. The daughter's lover, who is a coward of no small repute, is being held in prison for plotting against the Emperor. Said daughter's judgement of character is somewhat clouded by romance and wants Louis to help win the young man's freedom by capturing his brave and ferocious co-conspirator Toussac – with the help of the soldier who would become Brigadier Gerard in later stories. Of course, all works out well in the end.
The problem is, to make that story long enough to be a novel we have, sandwiched in the middle, a large chunk of Napoleon fan-worship when Louis is brought to the camp of the Grande Armee at Boulogne. We are introduced to Napoleon the commander, Napoleon the strategist, Napoleon the judge of human character, Napoleon the colossus towering over Talleyrand, Ney, Murat, Lannes, Auguereau, and the rest. All interesting enough, but it would be more at home in an introductory textbook.
Uncle Bernac meets his deserved end. Which provides the moral of the story: be careful when doing owl impersonations.
May 13, 2020
Loved, loved it. Such a wonderful portrayal of both Napoleon and his wife Josephine. This book is a hidden gem.
4.5*
4.5*
October 16, 2012
I can see why Doyle was not quite satisfied with this novel; Napoleon completely overshadows the rest of the novel. There's a promising beginning with a young French aristocrat in exile receiving a mysterious invitation to join his uncle in France and enter into Napoleon's service. We're soon the realm of high adventure with mysterious meetings in desolate places, but once our hero finally meets the Emperor, a vast chunk of the novel is given over to a most vivid portrait of the Napoleonic court with walk on appearances by Talleyrand, Josephine and many others. It's all very well realised and memorable, but it does overshadow the resolution of the plot, the one with Uncle Bernac in it, a bit too much.
April 30, 2025
A noble,Laval, who fled the Jacobins to England returns to France as Napoleon prepares his army to cross the Channel. He is quickly immersed in family and political intrigue involving his shady Uncle Bernac. We also meet Lieutenant Girard of the Brigadier Girard stories. An engaging and enjoyable read. A pity there aren't more stories with these characters.
July 18, 2026
Until World War One, the Napoleonic Wars were the major military event that fascinated writers. One thing that made these wars more interesting was the presence of a charismatic leader, Napoleon Bonaparte.
Despite the fears that writers had about the dangerous ideas that lay behind the French Revolution, Napoleon was treated with surprising sympathy. An exception is Tolstoy, who was understandably less enthusiastic about the man who invaded his country. Even Arthur Conan Doyle, a man who was hardly radical in his sympathies, shows signs of being under the spell of Bonaparte.
For the modern reader, this hero worship of a warmongering autocrat falls heavily. We have seen Hitler, and in modern times authoritarian figures such as Trump in the United States or Farage in the United Kingdom causes right-minded people to view such figures with distaste. The power-hungry egotist rarely makes a good leader. His domineering manner prevents opposition to him, and his egotism will eventually prove bad for his country.
Uncle Bernac was one of Conan Doyle’s historical novels, which Conan Doyle preferred writing to the more famous Sherlock Holmes stories. Readers have not tended to agree with Conan Doyle, finding the stories less interesting. Many of the stories are stopped in their tracks by the accretion of historical detail, and characterisation is often simplistic.
There are some excellent historical works by Conan Doyle, in my opinion. Micah Clarke is a fascinating account of Monmouth’s rebellion against James II, and offers an interesting indictment of religions bigotry and war, perhaps inadvertently.
I also like the Brigadier Gerard stories. As they are short stories, Conan Doyle focuses on storytelling rather than historical detail, making them fun stories. In any case, Conan Doyle has already covered Napoleon in this book, freeing him up to focus on narrative, rather than exposition.
Indeed, Uncle Micah is the first story in which we see Gerard, here as a Lieutenant. As in later stories, he is a curious mixture, being vain and silly, and at the same time gallant and courageous. Gerard features in more Conan Doyle stories than anyone except Holmes and Watson. It is surprising that Conan Doyle looked at Uncle Bernac and selected him as the character of most interest to revive for future stories, but I am glad that he did.
Other characters here are more conventional, and therefore less interesting for return. At the centre of Uncle Bernac is Louis de Laval, the son of a French aristocrat, and our narrator. While Laval’s parents fled during the French Revolution to avoid being executed, Laval is an admirer of Napoleon. With indecent haste, Laval is heading back to France to join the forces of his father’s enemy while his father’s body is still warm.
We might wonder what would induce Laval to back Napoleon, given his obvious pride in the aristocratic background that led to his parents becoming exiles. At heart, I suspect he is unable to escape the nasty stench of nationalism that causes so much trouble in the world. Napoleon might be the successor to the Revolution, but he is at least making France look great again, if only by invading other countries.
As with many nationalists, Laval does not seem to be governed by more than a superficial love for his country. He is not an admirer of Napoleon’s social reforms, the most admirable of Napoleon’s achievements. He is unconcerned with the suppression of the press or with the country’s liberties, as we might expect from an aristocrat. If Laval loves French culture or the French countryside, he does not say so. He only likes the idea of a strong leader making France appear large on the world scene.
Still, he is the hero we are given, and is at least honest and honourable according to his own lights. Laval is returning to France after being invited by his disreputable Uncle Bernac, who supported the Revolution, and now holds onto the estates that rightly belonged to Laval’s father. Notably, the invitation to come has an ominous addition to it written in someone else’s hand, warning Laval not to come.
From the time of his arrival, Laval finds himself in trouble with conspirators against Napoleon, one of whom turns out to be a double agent for Napoleon. This slippery and untrustworthy figure is his uncle. When Laval refuses to marry Bernac’s daughter, he makes an enemy of his uncle, who fears Laval will try to get his estate back.
Up until this point, the story has shown great promise, focusing on intrigue and adventure. However, at this point Napoleon enters the scene, and Conan Doyle dedicates several chapters to Laval’s fawning descriptions of the Emperor while our titular character disappears from the scene. The story of Uncle Bernac does re-emerge later, but it is several chapters in which the story is paused in an already short book.
Not that the chapters about Napoleon are uninteresting. Conan Doyle presents a mixed picture of a man who rewards his followers, but who is also petty and childish at times. Conan Doyle clearly feels that Napoleon is a great man, nevertheless.
This is probably true. Napoleon’s achievements are more remarkable than those of any nineteenth-century figure. Nonetheless, the reader will struggle with some of Conan Doyle’s uncritical admiration of Napoleon’s abilities.
As with all dictators, Napoleon’s weakness lies in excessive trust in his own judgement. He will eventually become too obsessed with invading other countries and over-stretch himself, resulting in his defeat. Conan Doyle does not show appreciation of how a court based on admiration of the cult of one man is not a basis for lasting power.
Is it really a good idea to have an Emperor who barely sleeps and who does not let his followers sleep when it suits him? Is Napoleon’s excessive attention to detail a strength in a leader who needs to see the more general picture? His ability to remember two guns in a battery near Ostend is impressive, but such pedantic attention to detail is not as admirable as it first seems, since he should be focusing on more important matters.
Perhaps the difficulty for the modern reader is that we see the dark side of these charismatic authoritarian leaders, and this colours our views. Napoleon did at least perform actions that helped the French people, and even his empire building was not accompanied by ethnic cleaning or concentration camps. He was more of an old-fashioned autocrat than a Fascist.
Uncle Bernac would have benefitted as a story from less Napoleon and more Bernac. The conclusion of the Bernac story seems rather rushed, as if we needed more intrigue and adventure, rather than a last act which is only concerned with tying up loose ends. Still, whatever its faults, the book is never less than entertaining, even during its Napoleon chapters. I think with another hundred pages, Conan Doyle could have nicely balanced the two plot strands and made the book more satisfying.
Despite the fears that writers had about the dangerous ideas that lay behind the French Revolution, Napoleon was treated with surprising sympathy. An exception is Tolstoy, who was understandably less enthusiastic about the man who invaded his country. Even Arthur Conan Doyle, a man who was hardly radical in his sympathies, shows signs of being under the spell of Bonaparte.
For the modern reader, this hero worship of a warmongering autocrat falls heavily. We have seen Hitler, and in modern times authoritarian figures such as Trump in the United States or Farage in the United Kingdom causes right-minded people to view such figures with distaste. The power-hungry egotist rarely makes a good leader. His domineering manner prevents opposition to him, and his egotism will eventually prove bad for his country.
Uncle Bernac was one of Conan Doyle’s historical novels, which Conan Doyle preferred writing to the more famous Sherlock Holmes stories. Readers have not tended to agree with Conan Doyle, finding the stories less interesting. Many of the stories are stopped in their tracks by the accretion of historical detail, and characterisation is often simplistic.
There are some excellent historical works by Conan Doyle, in my opinion. Micah Clarke is a fascinating account of Monmouth’s rebellion against James II, and offers an interesting indictment of religions bigotry and war, perhaps inadvertently.
I also like the Brigadier Gerard stories. As they are short stories, Conan Doyle focuses on storytelling rather than historical detail, making them fun stories. In any case, Conan Doyle has already covered Napoleon in this book, freeing him up to focus on narrative, rather than exposition.
Indeed, Uncle Micah is the first story in which we see Gerard, here as a Lieutenant. As in later stories, he is a curious mixture, being vain and silly, and at the same time gallant and courageous. Gerard features in more Conan Doyle stories than anyone except Holmes and Watson. It is surprising that Conan Doyle looked at Uncle Bernac and selected him as the character of most interest to revive for future stories, but I am glad that he did.
Other characters here are more conventional, and therefore less interesting for return. At the centre of Uncle Bernac is Louis de Laval, the son of a French aristocrat, and our narrator. While Laval’s parents fled during the French Revolution to avoid being executed, Laval is an admirer of Napoleon. With indecent haste, Laval is heading back to France to join the forces of his father’s enemy while his father’s body is still warm.
We might wonder what would induce Laval to back Napoleon, given his obvious pride in the aristocratic background that led to his parents becoming exiles. At heart, I suspect he is unable to escape the nasty stench of nationalism that causes so much trouble in the world. Napoleon might be the successor to the Revolution, but he is at least making France look great again, if only by invading other countries.
As with many nationalists, Laval does not seem to be governed by more than a superficial love for his country. He is not an admirer of Napoleon’s social reforms, the most admirable of Napoleon’s achievements. He is unconcerned with the suppression of the press or with the country’s liberties, as we might expect from an aristocrat. If Laval loves French culture or the French countryside, he does not say so. He only likes the idea of a strong leader making France appear large on the world scene.
Still, he is the hero we are given, and is at least honest and honourable according to his own lights. Laval is returning to France after being invited by his disreputable Uncle Bernac, who supported the Revolution, and now holds onto the estates that rightly belonged to Laval’s father. Notably, the invitation to come has an ominous addition to it written in someone else’s hand, warning Laval not to come.
From the time of his arrival, Laval finds himself in trouble with conspirators against Napoleon, one of whom turns out to be a double agent for Napoleon. This slippery and untrustworthy figure is his uncle. When Laval refuses to marry Bernac’s daughter, he makes an enemy of his uncle, who fears Laval will try to get his estate back.
Up until this point, the story has shown great promise, focusing on intrigue and adventure. However, at this point Napoleon enters the scene, and Conan Doyle dedicates several chapters to Laval’s fawning descriptions of the Emperor while our titular character disappears from the scene. The story of Uncle Bernac does re-emerge later, but it is several chapters in which the story is paused in an already short book.
Not that the chapters about Napoleon are uninteresting. Conan Doyle presents a mixed picture of a man who rewards his followers, but who is also petty and childish at times. Conan Doyle clearly feels that Napoleon is a great man, nevertheless.
This is probably true. Napoleon’s achievements are more remarkable than those of any nineteenth-century figure. Nonetheless, the reader will struggle with some of Conan Doyle’s uncritical admiration of Napoleon’s abilities.
As with all dictators, Napoleon’s weakness lies in excessive trust in his own judgement. He will eventually become too obsessed with invading other countries and over-stretch himself, resulting in his defeat. Conan Doyle does not show appreciation of how a court based on admiration of the cult of one man is not a basis for lasting power.
Is it really a good idea to have an Emperor who barely sleeps and who does not let his followers sleep when it suits him? Is Napoleon’s excessive attention to detail a strength in a leader who needs to see the more general picture? His ability to remember two guns in a battery near Ostend is impressive, but such pedantic attention to detail is not as admirable as it first seems, since he should be focusing on more important matters.
Perhaps the difficulty for the modern reader is that we see the dark side of these charismatic authoritarian leaders, and this colours our views. Napoleon did at least perform actions that helped the French people, and even his empire building was not accompanied by ethnic cleaning or concentration camps. He was more of an old-fashioned autocrat than a Fascist.
Uncle Bernac would have benefitted as a story from less Napoleon and more Bernac. The conclusion of the Bernac story seems rather rushed, as if we needed more intrigue and adventure, rather than a last act which is only concerned with tying up loose ends. Still, whatever its faults, the book is never less than entertaining, even during its Napoleon chapters. I think with another hundred pages, Conan Doyle could have nicely balanced the two plot strands and made the book more satisfying.
July 17, 2016
half adventure story, half what would it be like to get to hang out with Napoleon fan fiction. loved the cameo from Brigadier Gerard
July 22, 2017
I'm used to reading books written before 1900 or shortly after, and I'm accustomed to Conan Doyle. Even so, this book is so ridiculous, as if it were written by a Frenchman, not by a Briton. It really is as if it mocks the French writing style of the times before the Second Empire, with dialogues nobody would carry on this way, and with uselessly long descriptions. Typically French, only this time it's an English text. If you read it as a pubescent, maybe you'll find some charm in it, otherwise it's a joke of a novel.
If you want naive writings of much better quality, you could pick your crop from any of Balzac, Dumas, Zevaco, and a lot more, except that they didn't write stories around Napoleon (Dumas and Walter Scott wrote about Napoleon, but their attempt was at a biography of the Emperor).
If you want to read non-Sherlock works by Conan Doyle, there's plenty to choose from. This one is only too subpar.
If you want naive writings of much better quality, you could pick your crop from any of Balzac, Dumas, Zevaco, and a lot more, except that they didn't write stories around Napoleon (Dumas and Walter Scott wrote about Napoleon, but their attempt was at a biography of the Emperor).
If you want to read non-Sherlock works by Conan Doyle, there's plenty to choose from. This one is only too subpar.
February 19, 2020
Not really what I expected from Doyle, but a really good story anyway! This is about a French ex-pat noble who returns to France to fight for Napoleon and what happened during the first few weeks he was there. There is no military fighting in this story, just personal experiences related to his family, Napoleon and Josephine, and members of Napoleon's camp.
March 12, 2018
Good story, revolving around a man in the service of Napoleon in France.
July 31, 2020
3.75 stars
February 14, 2021
My first book from ACD that’s not Sherlock Holmes and a great story about Napoleon and would have probably by- passed it had I known, glad I read it and will be reading more of his in the future
October 30, 2021
Quite good short novel.
September 21, 2023
I was a big fan of the author when I was at school so I probably read this in 1966.
July 13, 2024
Great book, I listened to the audiobook version on YouTube. I will leave the link below so that everyone can enjoy it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zj-Xv...
April 30, 2026
Follows same timeline as author's Gerard novels. Enjoyed the overlap.
March 26, 2011
I didn't read it English, but in a beautiful Spanish translation by Manuel Machado, which I haven't been able to find here. Set up at the highest moments of Napoleon's glory, this exciting adventure novel lets us see how much respect Doyle had for Napoleon, overcoming the hatred and fear this historical figure caused traditionally among the Britons.
September 3, 2016
I really like all the series of Sherlock Holmes . Each story contains a mystery that makes the reader curious and kept reading until the end . It's too late for me was just reading the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle . But I still enjoyed until now . Lots of serial story, I still read it until now .
April 4, 2012
Great read, very quick, and the language is very engaging. Set in the early 19th century, it offers a very interesting character sketch of Napolean while also running you through a mystery that is gripping from start to finish. Very well done (and free on the Kindle).
April 18, 2013
This book is in reality two loosely cobbled together short stories. The adventures of Louis and Bernac and the story of life in Napolean's camp on the French Coast. It was a good read and I enjoyed it. But not one of Doyle's best.
February 26, 2016
Mal eine etwas andere Novelle von ACD (eher historisch). Nichts desto trotz hat sie mir gut gefallen. Es gab zwei Handlungsstränge und man hätte sich hier evtl. wünschen können, dass er sich auf einen konzentriert.
April 23, 2012
A quick read. Napoleonic era swashbuckler/romance.
October 7, 2012
The novel was set during the Napoleonic era.
Well, there is no detection involved, but there is a lot of adventure.
A wonderful Sunday read!
Well, there is no detection involved, but there is a lot of adventure.
A wonderful Sunday read!
September 11, 2013
A strange little book that just seems to be getting started when suddenly it's over. Rather unsatisfying.
January 27, 2014
Hmmm.
Edition read: John Murray Paperbacks
First published in this edition 1968
This book is published by arrangement with the Estate of the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Edition read: John Murray Paperbacks
First published in this edition 1968
This book is published by arrangement with the Estate of the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
March 24, 2016
I love Conan Doyle's work, but this may be his weakest book.
June 7, 2016
This is very good book, not because author is Arthur Conan Doyle, but because of gripping story, who`s kipping you intrigued till the end.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews