The Game of Hope

For Napoleon’s stepdaughter, nothing is simple. Set in 1798 Paris, The Game of Hope by Sandra Gulland, Hortense de Beauharnis is engrossed in her studies at a boarding school for aristocratic girls, some who have suffered tragic losses during the days of the French Revolution. But Hortense is not an ordinary girl; her mother married Napoleon Bonaparte, soon to be the most powerful man in France. The Game of Hope is inspired by Hortense’s real-life autobiography, with glimpses of life long ago for a girl destined by fate to play a role she didn’t choose to play.

Before reading A Game of Hope, I wasn’t sure I would enjoy reading the book. But, after a few pages, I fell in love with the main protagonist. The author made it easy to fall in love with the characters, and each character is not without faults, but that’s what makes them so lovable. The majority of the scenes in A Game of Hope are beautifully written, and I will admit that I cried after reading a few scenes.