Josephine's Garden

When Rose de Beauharnais is released from prison at the end of the French Revolution in 1794 she little suspects that she will one day be Empress of France and known as Josephine. In the novel Josephine's Garden, Sephanie Parkyn continues her exploration of French history from the end of the eighteenth century to early nineteenth century by interweaving the story of Josephine Bonaparte with that of Anne, wife of the botanist Felix Lahaie, and Marthe, wife of savant Jacques de Labillardiere. 

When Josephine marries the soldier, Napoleon Boneparte, she discovers a dilapidated house by a lake with the sad name of Malmaison and decides there and then that the house should be restored and that the gardens will be her project. The plan is to make them the best gardens in France and include examples of the variety of exotic plants brought back to France by French explorers. She needs assistance to fulfill her plan so enlists the skills of Felix Lahaie who had recently returned from a four year voyage to New Holland and nearby islands. 

There are a number of themes in this book. One is the rivalry between the botanists and Josephine to be able to propagate plants from the other side of the world in France. Another theme is the quest for political power and also the need for political stability. The French Revolution did not remove the the political tensions in the country which increase as Napoleon rises to power and sets out to expand French territory in Europe and also makes himself Emperor. A third theme looks at the lives of women who have difficulty becoming pregnant for a variety of reasons.

Stephanie Parkyn has created another novel bringing to life the lives of individuals trying to survive firstly during the French Revolution and then the Napoleonic Wars. Her first novel was Into the World and the third novel is the recently published The Freedom of Birds.