The Académie

Gr 7–10—This light romance is set in the period following the French Revolution when Napoleon was coming into political power. When 14-year-old Eliza Monroe of Virginia becomes a student at a Parisian finishing school in 1799, she discovers that Napoleon's stepdaughter Hortense and his sister Caroline are among her fellow pupils. Caroline is a calculating charmer who has decided that she is in love with one of Napoleon's generals and sets out to capture his heart. Hortense and her brother Eugene, children of Napoleon's mistress, Josephine, are in love with individuals whom their mother deems unsuitable. Eliza is pulled into dangerous adventures by Caroline, but it is Hortense who becomes a truer, older, and wiser friend to her. All three young women are a curious mix of näiveté and worldliness. Hortense and Caroline realize that they will probably have arranged marriages of convenience, although Caroline is out to change that. However, knowing what their futures may hold doesn't stop them or Eliza from having crushes, which they call falling in love, on young men who may or may not even notice them. The Parisian students also understand that their parents are not faithful to each other, but don't look upon this as a fault. The writing is a bit stilted in a nod to the time period. Students who enjoy historical fiction and period romances will find this to their liking.—Nancy P. Reeder, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, Columbia, SC