The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Whenever I am surprised by how much I enjoy a book which has sat unread in my collection for so many years, I'm a bit disappointed. It seems sort of silly, but I believe my brain is just wishing that it could have had that reading experience earlier, so that it might have been enjoyed for longer.
Regardless, here I am, finally having finished the first of the Josephine trilogy. It's a based-on-a-true-story novel told through journal entries of the titular character plus the occasional letter. I love the format, which so perfectly supports the goal of understanding the "secret sorrows" which Rose (later Josephine) endured.
I don't believe I'm spoiling anything (it's right there in the back cover blurb) to say that Josephine marries Napoleon Bonaparte. But she has a whole other wild, sometimes terrifying, life before she becomes Mrs. B, which is where this book spends its time. Napoleon makes no appearance at all until the last couple of chapters.
A fun and fascinating read, and one more book to tick off on my way to completing my 2025 Reading Challenge!
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