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What Members Thought
The story is set in the time of Napoleon and features Henri, a young man who loves Napoleon and cooks for him and a young woman Villanelle, from Venice who loses her heart to another woman. Henri and Villanelle meet up in the snows of Russia. It is a story of passion. Passions of Napoleon, passions of Villanelle and passions of Henri. The writing is beautiful written and of a style, magical realism.
First words: It was Napoleon who had such a passion for chicken that he kept his chefs working ar ...more
Nov 13, 2012
Dree
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
continental-europe,
2012-reads
The best parts were those of Henri in Bonaparte's army. Otherwise, just not good. I did not find Villanelle to be interesting or sympathetic--just odd, difficult, and generally not very nice in her relationships.
Meh. ...more
Meh. ...more
I really liked this novel. Its one part war, one part historical and one part magical realism with a underlying theme of love and some sorrow.
A hidden gem of the "1001 book to read before you die" list ...more
A hidden gem of the "1001 book to read before you die" list ...more
There is no doubt in my mind that this book deserves at least four stars despite the fact that it was soooooo not my thing. If you like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, read this book. It's actually better done, more interesting, and more engaging, but it shares that fantastical quality that I truly dislike.
The story follows Henri, a French young man who enlists in Napoleon's army, and Villanelle, an Italian woman who works in the casino. Both characters narrate the story and their lives end up intertwin ...more
The story follows Henri, a French young man who enlists in Napoleon's army, and Villanelle, an Italian woman who works in the casino. Both characters narrate the story and their lives end up intertwin ...more
Good but not great. I can see that some readers would really like it however. I think Winterson's Written on the Body is better.
...more
Aug 12, 2009
Diane
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
20th-century,
1001-done,
1001,
lgbtq,
guardian-1000,
historical-fiction,
western-canon,
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Jul 02, 2009
Sabrina
marked it as to-read
Aug 12, 2015
Mindy aka serenity
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Jan 16, 2016
Regina Lindsey
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Jun 17, 2017
Yvonne
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Dec 05, 2017
Kai Coates
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Jan 13, 2018
Sorobai
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Oct 21, 2019
Karina
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Jan 07, 2021
Kayla Tocco
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Jul 10, 2022
Kathy Jo
marked it as to-read
