Betsy and the Emperor, a novel by Staton Rabin

Fourteen-year-old English girl Betsy Balcombe and her family have an unusual houseguest: Napoleon Bonaparte, former emperor of France and the most feared man on earth. Once lord and master to eighty-two million souls, now, in 1815, Napoleon is a captive of the British people. Stripped of his empire and robbed of his young family and freedom, he is confined to the forbidding, rat-infested island of St. Helena. The one bright star in Napoleon's black sky is Betsy, a blazingly rebellious teenager whose family is reluctantly housing the notorious prisoner. Betsy is the only foreigner Napoleon's ever met who is not impressed by him -- and Napoleon is more than intrigued. An unexpected alliance is formed. And a remarkable friendship between emperor and girl spawns gossip, and inspires Betsy to hatch a daring and dangerous scheme that could threaten both their lives and shake entire empires to their foundations.

A different teenlit from the other, full of adventure, history and happiness-sadness in teenage life. it’s guaranteed, this book can make you laugh and cry at the same time!

It’s semi historical novel about Napoleon Bonaparte’ exile in St. Helena. I always think Bonaparte is egoistic-mad-dictator-eccentric-and-love-war-very-much person. He was, indeed, but behind all these, he brought a lot of good aspects of life: science (Rosetta stone, Napoleon Museum), law and constitution, infrastructures (bridges, highways, streets and roads), industries (windmills, water supplies).

Besides his madness about uniting the whole world in France’s hands, he was a good person. He gave respects to old people, fought for justice, liberty and rights equivalence. Of course he did those with his style.

Reading this book, I know good sides of him. He wasn’t that bad – like all stories and history books told. Rabin told from the perspective of Elizabeth “Betsy” Balcombe. She was a really exist teenage girl at that time. With some additions and modifications, Betsy and the Emperor is based on true story book in teenage style: written in dexterious thoughts of a teenage girl.