The Emperor's Body

Napoléon Bonaparte's body, interred for two decades on the island of Saint Helena, has been ordered returned home to France. Ambitious young diplomat Philippe de Rohan-Chabot is promised a promotion once he successfully completes this politically volatile mission. At the same time, he's hopeful of winning the hand of Amelia Curial, an indecisive Parisienne with decidedly modern ideas on marriage and independence. Diplomat and author Beyle, known to us by the pen name Stendahl and a former lover of Amelia's mother, enters the scene when he becomes infatuated with Amelia. As the mission to retrieve the body unfolds, so do Amelia's efforts to situate her future in a society of shifting mores. Brooks (comparative literature, Princeton; Henry James Goes to Paris) presents a meticulously researched and detailed snapshot of a turbulent time in Europe. But Amelia, the most interesting of the characters (except, perhaps, for Napoléon himself), deserves more exposition, especially as the narrative begins and ends with her first-person accounts.