A Novel of Countess Marie Walewska - an Editorial Review of "Napoleon's Shadow Wife"

Book Blurb:

First Place Winner, Chanticleer Int'l Book Awards, Goethe CategoryEmbark on a voyage through unconditional love, power, and betrayal!

How could an emperor like Napoleon Bonaparte be so captivated by the twenty-year-old Polish Countess Marie Walewska—admittedly a rare beauty but of minor nobility—that their affair would last through both his marriages? And if it wasn’t romance that first drew Marie to Napoleon, what was it?

At just eight years old, Marie finds her life forever changed by the death of her father, killed in battle against the Russians. This tragedy sparks a deep, lifelong patriotism in her as Poland is fragmented and divided among Russia, Prussia, and Austria.

A fan of Napoleon since her school days, Marie eagerly seizes the opportunity to meet him when he passes through the former Poland, his intention to secure military support for his campaign to conquer Russia. She seeks only to express Poland’s gratitude and hope he would restore the nation’s independence. She never imagined a romantic entanglement. But Napoleon, taken with her patriotism, youth, and beauty, soon sets his sights on her—and begins a campaign to win her heart.

Though Marie resists, powerful forces pressure her—just as they had in her marriage—to give in to the emperor’s desires.

Expect to be immersed in Marie’s world, where love and loyalty collide amidst a galaxy of powerful aristocrats, politicians, and military leaders. You’ll journey from Marie’s manor house on the plains of Poland to cosmopolitan Warsaw, through grand palaces in Austria, France, and Italy—before sailing to the Island of Elba, where destiny awaits.

Book Buy Link: https://geni.us/ehhR

Author Bio:

I started "Fortune's Child" when I lived in Hollywood a couple of decades ago. An agent who was trying to sell an incomplete Push Not the River told me to start working on something else. As it happened, I was taking an Art Appreciation course at a community college. One day we were studying the exquisite mosaics of Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora from the Basilica di San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, and the professor pointed to Theodora and said, “I’m not a writer, but if I were, that is the woman I would write about.”

Little did he know what he had unloosed.

I went down to the Hollywood Public Library and took out at least a dozen books on the period and the reign of Justinian and Theodora. The empress seemed to me like the Eva Peron of the sixth century, and I was hooked. I made a good start on her story, but life threw some curves. I went back to finishing Push Not the River, but when it didn’t sell, other agents came and went. One publisher held on to it for two years. I returned to teaching and the years passed. When St. Martin’s Press picked up Push Not the River in 2003, I figured my Theodora book would follow. Ah~but St. Martin’s wanted a sequel, so that led to other books and more years.

Fate goes ever as it must.

So~now Theodora is getting her just due. Please give Fortune’s Child a chance.

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Well, this was a surprise! Just a year after winning a Gold Medal IPPY for THE BOY WHO WANTED WINGS, the Independent Publisher Book Awards presented THE POLISH TRILOGY Box Set e-book with their 2018 Gold Medal for the Best Regional E-book, Fiction. How cool is that!

So excited! THE BOY WHO WANTED WINGS: LOVE IN THE TIME OF WAR has won a 2017 GOLD MEDAL in the Independent Publisher Book Awards, nicknamed the IPPYs. The organization is the world's largest book awards competition. The novel, which culminates in the September 11-12, 1683, Battle of Vienna, won in the Military/Wartime Fiction category.

On another note~

You can't make this stuff up, even if you are a writer~

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED UPON ARRIVING IN HOLLYWOOD

Some—as in many—years ago I resigned from a short teaching career, turned my young back on the Midwest, and landed in Hollywood, anxious to learn screenwriting. I landed a job, two actually, and started taking screenwriting classes. All was going according to plan—until I met a young man who insisted I read his translation of his great-great-great-great grandmother’s diary.

Out of politeness, I did read the diary of Countess Anna Maria Berezowska, who began her journaling in 1791 when her parents died and she was forced to live with an aunt, uncle, and two nefarious cousins. The diary held me spellbound as I read of her falling in love with neighbor Jan, while being obstructed in her happiness by crude Walter and scheming Zofia. The background to all of this was the nation at war and on the cusp of destruction. Margaret Mitchell could have outlined it.

But this didn’t call for a screenplay—that could come later. I would create a novel, yes—a novel. To cut my own serpentine story short, over years, the manuscript could not survive three agents, countless would-be editors, one lying publisher. Even the weight of Bette Davis, who read it with an eye to an eventual screenplay, didn’t seem to matter.

Return to the Midwest and to teaching. Keep the telling short, James, I tell myself. OK, one day print-on-demand comes along and I publish the book myself, hoping to catch the eye of one of the big publishers. Fates smiles. St. Martin’s Press purchases Push Not the River. Anna’s story gets told. I pray it’s told well, I whisper to the spirit I’ve felt on my shoulder for so many years. Why, her story is translated back into Polish—full circle—and Nie ponaglaj rzeki becomes a bestseller in Poland. Na zdrowie!

Oh, the publisher wants a sequel? Cool. Done—Against a Crimson Sky. I’m flying now, pun intended. Wait—my editor is leaving St. Martin’s? What, without her on board they are declining the final part of the trilogy? Publish it yourself, my agent urges. How do I do that? Oh, yeah—I do know how. And so I do—The Warsaw Conspiracy.

Now what is it they call writers like me—those who have been published by the big boys, as well as by their own big bad selves? I always forget. It’s some kind of flower or plant, isn’t it? Hybrids?—yes that’s right.

I’m a hybrid author. And do you know what? I wouldn’t change a thing.

Oh, a screenplay? It’ll happen one day.

You just wait.

James Conroyd Martin is the award-winning author of PUSH NOT THE RIVER, a novel based on the diary of a countess in 1790s Poland; AGAINST A CRIMSON SKY, which continues the family saga into the Napoleonic era; and The WARSAW CONSPIRACY, detailing the young Polish cadets' rising against the mighty Russia. It is now a best-selling e-book boxed set.

HOLOGRAM: A HAUNTING is a Piers Anthony recommended ghost story with a modern twist.

The latest: THE BOY WHO WANTED WINGS is a story of love and war as a young man seeks to become a hussar, one of the elite Polish lancers who rode into battle wearing wings of eagle feathers on their backs. The book culminates with the Battle of Vienna, 1683, which occurred on September 11-12, 1683. It was the FIRST 9/11, pitting the Ottoman Empire against Christian Europe. As crucial and consequential as the Battle of Hastings, this battle changed the course of European history.

Editorial Review:

Warsaw, 1803

“Come away from the window, Marie,” Amelia said.

Marie Łączyńska stood in the small reception room, her gaze fixed on the stream of carriages queued up to collect young ladies going home for the summer. In little time, she and Amelia would leave their days at the convent finishing school behind them. The sweet, rosy fragrance of peonies in full bloom wafted through the open window, filling Marie with a sudden euphoria— an intoxicating hint of freedom.

Countess Eliza Sobolewska entered the room. As if in support of Amelia’s entreaty, she said, “Just step back a pace or two, Marie.”

I was drawn into a world of empire and passion from the very first page of Napoleon's Shadow Wife, where the stakes were not only political but also painfully personal. Countess Marie Walewska, who has all too frequently been reduced to a historical footnote, is given life, breath, and flesh in James Conroyd Martin's epic novel, which does more than simply draw the contours of a royal mistress. She becomes a multifaceted heroine negotiating the harsh waves of authority, responsibility, love, and identity thanks to Martin's compelling tale.

The tale begins with a subtly heartbreaking memory: Marie, then eight years old, loses her father in a conflict for Polish sovereignty. This early suffering serves as both an emotional hook and a proclamation of the novel's main topic, which is sacrifice and patriotism. Although Martin's opening line is gentle, it is heavy with foreshadowing. We know right away that Marie is molded by adversity and tenacity; her narrative will serve as a reflection on what it means to bear the burden of a national cause.

Martin skillfully crafts a story that is both expansive and personal. The collapse of Poland, Napoleon's ascent and decline, and the shaky prospect of a single nation serve as the backdrop. At its heart, however, is the profoundly human tale of a woman forced into an unwelcome marriage, coerced by powerful men, and coerced into a romance with Napoleon Bonaparte - not out of love but out of national obligation.

“It’s your coming-of-age celebration.”

“But why is he taking it upon himself? Is it to please you?”

“I told you, he is quite the society person in Warsaw and longs for parties here in the countryside. It’s a good deed to the family, Marie. He respected your father’s sacrifice for Poland.”

“So, will he throw balls for Honor and Kasia one day?”

“It’s unlikely,” her mother whispered. “Don’t put nonsense like that in their heads.”

“Why should he bother with me, then? And why can’t Kasia attend?”

“Because she’s only nine, that’s why,” the countess said, a smile not quite masking her agitation. “Balls are for adults. Did Honorata ask you to teach her two or three of the dances?”

What transpires is a tale of perseverance rather than a straightforward romance. The portrayal of Marie and Napoleon's changing connection is incredibly nuanced emotionally. She is entangled in a web of geopolitical need rather than being enticed by appeal or status. The novel's emotional structure is shaped by her internal tensions, which include duty vs desire and love versus loyalty. Because of these widely relatable topics, the book serves as a mirror for readers now rather than merely a depiction of a bygone era.

Martin gives Marie Walewska, the protagonist of this book, the respect and realism she merits. She starts off as a young girl who has experienced loss and grows into a strong, intelligent, and courageous lady. She has a deep arc. She retains a strong moral compass even when she is coerced into playing the parts of lover, wife, or daughter.

Napoleon is more than just the inscrutable conqueror of history. Without romanticizing him, Martin gives him a human face. In addition to her physical attractiveness, Marie appeals to him because of her moral clarity, youthful idealism, and optimism for Poland. This historical backdrop is given depth by the diverse and exquisitely drawn supporting cast, which includes members of Marie's family and Napoleon's court.

Beginning in Poland and traveling through Vienna, Paris, Italy, and Elba, the book's history is expertly structured. The story's emotional momentum never wavers, and every transition is seamless. The emergence and eventual fall of Napoleon's empire reflect the brittleness of Marie's own ambitions, initially as an idealistic young woman and later as a woman caught in the crossfire of history.

Upon their entering the Działyński reception room, Marshal Géraud Duroc introduced Marie to the host and hostess, Count Ksawery Działyński and his wife, Justyna.

Marie guessed the rather plain-faced count’s age as fifty, his wife at least a decade younger. His dark jacket featured a high, gold embroidered military collar, with a white ruff at his neck. His attempt to mimic the French emperor’s hairstyle— brushing his silvered black hair forward struck Marie as deliberate and slightly pathetic.

“Oh, my dear,” the countess said, “we are so very happy you could attend our little soirée!” Her green eyes sparkled with excitement. “What a night this is! The emperor arrived a little while ago,” she whispered. “Now, we must chat before you leave tonight.”

The narrative arc is quite fulfilling. Marie feels that her voyage is finished by the time we reach Elba. She is no longer the obedient noblewoman but a woman who has survived and triumphed over betrayals of all kinds, including political, familial, and romantic ones. Despite not being a storybook ending, the conclusion is very moving.

The book has been painstakingly edited, and the formatting encourages a fluid reading experience. The chapter transitions are smooth. Period specifics, such as attire, interior design, politics, or courtesies, are delicately woven into the story, keeping the historical relevance.

The emotional intelligence of Napoleon's Shadow Wife is what distinguishes it from other historical fiction. Marie is not presented as a cunning seductress or a defenseless victim. Rather, she is portrayed as a patriot who puts her nation's destiny ahead of her own happiness- a viewpoint that is rarely seen in tales of royal mistresses.

Equally unique is Martin's choice to emphasize the feminine gaze in a traditionally male-dominated setting. We saw the beauty of Napoleon's wars, the decadence of the courts, and the fall of empire through Marie's eyes. The novel gains intensity and closeness from this viewpoint.

James Conroyd Martin writes elegant, beautiful text that isn't overdone. Whether depicting a snow-covered Polish farm, the subdued tension of a diplomatic salon, or a passionate encounter between lovers, he does so with striking precision. The rhythm is expertly managed, and the dialogue is both organic and suitable for the time. Emotional peaks are not forced; they must be earned.

Martin's ability to convey psychological subtleties is one of his strongest points. With compassion and wisdom, Marie shares her uncertainties, aspirations, and internal conflicts. Quiet times of reflection can have an impact that is equal to or greater than the major historical occurrences.

The novel ends in truth, even though it does not finish in victory. The last moments Marie spends on Elba and the impact she leaves on Napoleon are eerie. Long after the last page, the reader is nevertheless reminded of the fact that Josephine and Marie's photos were kept on his bedside table until his passing. The conclusion strikes the ideal blend between emotional closure and historical authenticity.

Napoleon's Shadow Wife is a masterful work of literature that simultaneously enthralls, educates, and moves the reader. A lesser-known historical character has received the epic treatment she merits thanks to James Conroyd Martin. He has created a book that is worthy of being placed on the shelf next to the greatest historical fiction novels thanks to meticulous research, beautiful style, and profound emotional depth.

You will leave with something more lasting, regardless of whether you came for the politics, the romance, or the rich depiction of a lost world: a deep respect for a woman who dared to influence history with her heart, intellect, and loyalty rather than with guns or titles.

5 stars from the Historical Fiction Company and the "Highly Recommended" award of excellence

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