Introduction

Winner of a Readers' Favorite 2014 Gold Medal, Historical Fiction--Personage

Tell the emperor that Madame Bonaparte is ambitious and demands her rights as a member of the imperial family.

As a clever girl in stodgy, mercantile Baltimore, Betsy Patterson dreams of a marriage that will transport her to cultured Europe. When she falls in love with and marries Jerome Bonaparte, she believes her dream has come true--until Jerome's older brother Napoleon becomes an implacable enemy.

Based on a true story, The Ambitious Madame Bonaparte is a historical novel that portrays this woman's tumultuous life. Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte, known to history as Betsy Bonaparte, scandalized Washington with her daring French fashions; visited Niagara Falls when it was an unsettled wilderness; survived a shipwreck and run-ins with British and French warships; dined with presidents and danced with dukes; and lived through the 1814 Battle of Baltimore. Yet through it all, Betsy never lost sight of her primary goal--to win recognition of her marriage.

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Excerpt

As they entered the ballroom, Betsy was pleased to see that many people broke off their conversations to watch them. The first dance of the evening was to be a contradanse, which would have the advantage of pairing them for at least ten minutes and of having periods when they could converse because they were not required to take part in the moves. The first time they were an inactive couple, Betsy said, “Lieutenant Bonaparte, I have never seen a uniform like yours. Is it a naval dress uniform?” ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

1. Had you ever heard of any of these people before reading this book? Were you surprised to learn that there were American Bonapartes?

2. What role does Odette’s prophecy play in the story? Do you think Betsy would have made the same choices if she hadn’t received it?

3. What was Betsy’s view of her mother’s life? How did her view of Dorcas’s circumstances shape her own decisions?

4. Betsy often says that fate brought her and Jerome together. Do you agree, or was that viewpoint just an excuse for her decisions?

5. How did you feel about Jerome’s character? Did your feelings about him change over the course of the book?

6. If Betsy had been reunited with Jerome, do you think they would have had a happy marriage? What do you think would have happened, and why?

7. For most of the story, Betsy is torn between the desire to win her father’s approval and the desire to break free of his domination. Where do you see this conflict played out?

8. What do you think was Betsy’s main reason—spoken or unspoken—for never marrying again?

9. What were Betsy’s strengths and weaknesses as a mother?

10. Why did Bo exclude Betsy from his marriage? How did you feel about the way he handled it?

11. Was Betsy as cruel to Susan May as Napoleon was to Betsy? Explain.

12. Betsy’s friend Eliza urges her to use her talents to achieve a meaningful life. In what ways did Betsy use her talents, and in what ways did she fail to do so? Did her failures stem more from her character or from society’s limits on women?

13. Whom do you blame most for the disappointments in Betsy’s life: Jerome, Napoleon, William Patterson, or Betsy herself?

14. Several times, Betsy says she does not intend to deviate from the course she set for her life, yet she also wonders at times what she could have done differently. If she were to ask you that question, how would you answer?

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