The Académie by Susanne Dunlap
Release Date – , 2012
Publisher Website – Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Publisher Social Media - Twitter
Pages - 368 pages
My Rating- 3/5
**obtained from the library**
Here is the Goodreads synopsis
Eliza Monroe-daughter of the future president of the United States-is devastated when her mother decides to send her to boarding school outside of Paris. But the young American teen is quickly reconciled to the idea when-ooh, la-la!-she discovers who her fellow pupils will be: Hortense de Beauharnais, daughter of Josephine Bonaparte; and Caroline Bonaparte, youngest sister of the famous French general. It doesn't take long for Eliza to figure out that the two French girls are mortal enemies-and that she's about to get caught in the middle of their schemes.
Loosely drawn from history, Eliza Monroe's imagined coming of age provides a scintillating glimpse into the lives, loves, and hopes of three young women during one of the most volatile periods in French history.Political intrigue, and a huge moment in French history are the back drop to this rather cute, and fun novel.
The novel switches narration between Eliza, Hortense, Caroline and Madeleine. Eliza, the young, innocent American girl. Hortense, the daughter of Josephine Bonaparte. She’s young woman with a hero crush on her stepfather, and is dealing with a huge amount of family drama. Caroline, the cunning, and experienced sister of Napoleon. She will stop at nothing to marry the man she wishes, even if it means hurting others. Lastly, the daughter of an actress, Madeleine has had a rough life, and her beloved has promised to rescue her. These three girls stories intertwine and build up to a heartbreaking ending.
I found myself enjoying certain perspectives more than others. I enjoyed Eliza’s innocent and naivety about politics and found her very endearing. I also enjoyed Hortense’s voice. She was resolved, and willing to make sacrifices for her family. It was hard not to like her. I enjoyed the Caroline chapters least of all, as I felt her frivolous and selfish. Madeleine invokes sympathy but is otherwise unremarkable.
I was enchanted by the historical aspect and the school itself. The historical components of this novel are skewed a little as the author plays with history to fit the characters and plot the way her story calls for them. This may be distracting to some people, however, I wasn’t bothered by it. It made me want to research to find out what really happened. If this happens to others after reading, I think that is fantastic.
The ending of the story is heartbreaking and tragic. However, I wish it had been built up more. It seems rushed and that takes some of the emotion out of it. The death feels very unnecessary and like it could have been avoided.
With the political intrigue, a defining moment in history and some likeable girls, Susanne Dunlap has created a fun novel. I just wish it would have gone a little deeper into the plot and characters to push it from an ok novel, to a great one.
