“The General’s Mistress by Jo Graham is a novel based on the personal memoirs of Elzelina av Aylde Jonghe, also known as Ida Saint-Elme (27 September 1776 – 19 May 1845). She became an actress, writer, and led a most audacious life.
In 18th century Amsterdam, Elzelina, at the tender age of twelve, is married to a man old enough to be her father – a man who married her solely for her generous dowry. Unhappy, when she turns nineteen, she leaves her husband and two sons and flees to start a new life in Paris. There, she encounters a strong, controlling man named General Victor Moreau who aids Napoleon’s rise to power and later becomes his enemy. Elzelina inevitably succumbs to his allure and becomes his mistress. She harbors the hope that she will one day be married to him, but a reading of the tarot cards reveals she will meet and fall in love with a red haired man who will be the true love of her life. This man turns out to be Michel Ney, a commander in Napoleon’s army. She traipses through France following her lovers.
Both of her lovers were fabulously handsome and desirable. Illicit love, violence, betrayal, the theatre, and historical detail are carefully interwoven to make a great story narrated by the heroine herself. Even though Elzelina is not a heroine that is easily admired or respected, she is nevertheless a true historical person and the decisions she made in her life she personally recorded in the writing of her personal memoirs that catapulted her into fame. Elzelina’s story is sinful and captivating with its séances, tarot cards, battles, romance, and intrigue set in Napoleonic France. A most fascinating woman!
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Great Historicals wrote this review Monday, November 5, 2012.
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