Reviews for the Original 2022 Novel
Here are a sampling of Reviews received. See Amazon.com for the most recent reviews.
Rating from The Forgotten Fiction Site – Five Stars
Jean Luc & Anna Lise : A Novel of The Napoleonic Wars, by A.G. Cullen is a harrowing tale following three main characters through the harsh realities of the French Revolution.
The novel opens with Jean-Luc and his dearest friend Adrien, on the day that enemy soldiers come to Colmar to execute their village priest. Shortly after this shocking event, Adrien’s sister, Anna Lise, is born. After only a short glimpse of their joyful beginnings, Jean-Luc and Adrien vow to join the emperor’s army once they are old enough – and thereafter embark on a journey that is all the more heart wrenching in its reality of the times.
Despite this book weighing in at a shocking 668 pages – at first glance one may assume this to be a ponderous tome of a novel. However, A.G. Cullen manages to have this tale be fast-paced and compelling throughout the entirety of the novel. The gut-wrenching horrors of the Napoleonic War seen through the eyes of one solider, brings to life the shocking reality of the times. While it is so easy to distance ourselves from what we read in the history books, this tale delivers an unflinching account of the life of a solider in 19th century Europe. Through the eyes of Jean-Luc Calliet, A.G. Cullen shows readers what it was like to be young and in love, while your country and comrades are falling to pieces all around you.
One of the more poignant takeaways from this novel was living with the horror and moral conflict of being ordered by your captain to commit unspeakable acts or be killed as a traitor yourself. Experiencing the shock of realizing your comrades in arms are sometimes more of a danger than the actual enemy, and seeing your fellow soldiers commit unspeakable brutalities is something that reading a historical account of the war simply cannot provide. Attempting to travel through a war-ridden country without being molested is nearly impossible, and there is equal danger no matter who you’re fighting for.
This novel is outside of this reviewer’s wheelhouse and likely not one I would have picked up on my own randomly, but I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. Readers may find this similar to the Outlander series, with none of the time travel aspects or ridiculously sappy romance elements. But, in the respect of following individual persons through historical events – it definitely shines in that aspect. While Outlander is geared mostly towards women in the overly romantic setting as well as time travel – most of the action and intrigue of seeing actual historical events play out through the eyes of individuals is drowned out by these aspects. Jean-Luc has none of these distractions and gives an actual historical depiction of the life of the solider during these distressing times. Interspersed between chapters are also illustrations and maps of where the wars or battles are taking place, which is certain to remind readers that the events depicted in this novel did indeed occur, adding gravity to the tale.
In closing, Jean-Luc & Anna Lise is an excellently written novel that is both compelling and heart wrenching, and certainly worth checking out!
Rating from Good Reads – All Five Stars
- In 1795, two young boys return home from fishing to find their parish priest has been guillotined in the town square. Seventeen years later, Jean-Luc and Adrien have faced every horror and hardship imaginable as part of the emperor’s Grande Armée, but their greatest challenge is still ahead: to find Jean-Luc’s love, Anna Lise.
- “Jean-Luc & Anna Lise” is set in the turbulent years of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars and follows the lives of three childhood friends: Jean-Luc, Adrien, and Adrien’s sister, Anna Lise. Jean-Luc and Adrien join Napoleon’s army expecting grand adventure and glory. They do find courage and comradery, but they must also endure disease, intense suffering, and death. Complicating their lives is Jean-Luc’s growing love for Anna Lise, who has fled with her parents from France to Russia—the country they must now invade. Will Jean-Luc and Adrien find Anna Lise, survive the brutal Russian winter, and return home to France? Can Jean-Luc reconcile himself with the horrors he has witnessed?
An epic unfolding of heartfelt friendships, dire privations, and undying love.
Amazon Customers – All Five Stars
- Jean-Luc and Anne Lise is an intimate tale of friendship and love that plays out against the epic background of the Napoleonic Wars. Two young friends, Jean-Luc and Adrien, leave their idyllic life in Colmar to fight for Napoleon leaving behind Adrien’s young sister Anne Lise. A. G. Cullen allows us to experience the sweep of history through his characters’ eyes including Austerlitz, the Peninsular War, Borodino, and ultimately the harrowing retreat from Moscow. Cullen masterfully illustrates the tragic toll these events inflict on the once innocent young friends. Readers familiar with Napoleonic history will be impressed with the accuracy of Cullen’s well-researched narrative. Those less familiar will learn a great deal about the campaigns. Neither group will forget scenes such as the Napoleonic army desperately crossing the Berezina to escape annihilation. Cullen never loses sight of his main characters against this sweeping background. We care deeply for them and, in turns, feel their exhilaration, pain, terror, grief, and joy. I do not want to reveal too much, but the book ends on a note that is both poignant and satisfying. I highly recommend this book.
- I had forgotten that Napoleon Bonapart was once known for being a military genius until I read A.G. Cullen’s “Jean-Luc and Anna Lise.” Cullen’s book is an engaging epic that allows the reader to ride alongside protaganist Jean-Luc Callier as he joins and moves up the ranks of Napoleon’s calvary, the Hussars, with his best friend Adrien, the older brother of the sweet Anna Lise of the title. Jean-Luc experiences the best and worst of the “soldier life,” from the thrills of riding the beautiful and battle-strong Shayga horses obtained by Napoleon’s forces for his calvary, to the horrors of killing the enemy. We are with him in the headiness of winning major battles like the Battle of Austerlitz (sometimes called the Battle of the Three Emperors), as well as through the bitter retreat from a burning Moscow in the freezing winter of 1813-1814. Mr. Cullen has skillfully woven in legendary figures from Napoleon’s ranks, such as General Jean-Luc Rapp, who in the book is an extended member of the Callier family and a hero and mentor to Jean-Luc throughout many of the battles that occur. The Emperor himself is occasionally on-hand. Historical fiction can bring history to life in a way that textbooks cannot, and Mr. Cullen has written an extraordinary book that allows us a glimpse of what it would have been like to be apart of this moment in time as the Napoleonic Wars battles ebbed and flowed, from the view of the soldiers and their families, to the ordinary citizens who just happen to be in the way.
3, A compelling history the Napoleonic wars as experienced by the story of two young men whose lives followed different ideas about what the importance of the war meant to them. This book was written so vividly the struggles of the battles and the aftermath will linger with the reader. A vast army of thousands was clearly able to demonstrate smaller platoon duties and the apparent willingness to die in the service of their leader. The lives of the 2 main friends and their close family ties allowed the reader to become a part of this very well written book.
4. “Jean-Luc and Anna Lise” was an emotional portrayal of war and racism during the Napoleonic times. The timing of this book couldn’t be better as the cost of war In the Ukraine escalates. General George Catlett Marshall summed up war very appropriately when he stated, “The Cost of War is constantly spread before me written neatly in many ledgers whose columns are gravestones. For that reason I am constantly moved to to find the means to prevent the calamity of war.” In his book Gary Cullen expressed the horror, the racism, and the affect the Napoleonic War had on so very many lives. He gave a descriptive, well researched, and engaging account. He also expanded on the landscape, the picturesque countryside, relationships between people and their beautiful horses and their ancestral lineage and customs. More importantly, “Jean-Luc and Anna Lise” expressed encompassing emotion, loyalty, sacrifices, and Love!.
5. I really enjoyed this historical novel as a good fictional story line plus the added feature of giving a historical view of Napoleon’s epic invasions of both Spain and Russia. Having viewed the painter Goya’s The Third of May 1808 in the Prado in Madrid, I was impressed by the story line of the Protagonist, Jean-Luc being center to the incident. I definitely recommend this book.
6. I enjoy reading history books but sometimes find them a little stale, so this is why I enjoyed reading Mr. Cullen’s book. I was enlightened with the knowledge of the Napoleonic Wars and entertained with a story of friendship between three young youths as they endure the struggles of a war spreading through Europe and into Russia. Highly recommend reading this book
7. The author, A G Cullen’s wonderfully sensitive and compassionate writing style helps soften the war’s brutal artillery blows of destruction. A thought-provoking novel of how war is constantly churning through our otherwise loving humanity.
8. This is an engaging, well written, epic historical novel with vivid battle descriptions. It was hard to put the book down. So much brutality and so much humanity in war. I highly recommend this book.
9. I enjoyed learning about the Napoleonic Wars, something I knew very little about. This book was told through the eyes of the main character, which for me, make the book even more interesting to read. It was interwoven with the experiences of two young men, best friends, who enlist in Napoleon’s army. The history was rich in interesting detail, for instance, the grueling everyday life a soldier, the retreat from Moscow, the descriptions of the cold made me wrap myself in a blanket. Even the horses they ride, Sugya horses, were interesting to hear about. The battle scenes were exciting and the author vividly puts you in the middle of them and it does get a bit gruesome. However, it clearly brought the horrors of war to the reader, so needed to be in there. Interwoven is a love story, which I wish had been fleshed out more, I would have liked to hear more about Anna Lise’s life and what her thoughts, emotions and experiences were in all the years she spent apart, and together with Jean -Luc. I know it wasn’t meant to be an historical romance, but one can wish. This is a very thoughtful, well researched, rich in detail book, it brought to life to this amazing time in history.
10. Epic war novels are generally not a genre I read, this one was on the reading list for my bookclub so I dutifully opened it up and began the first chapter; I then couldn’t put it down (3 days and 2 late nights later). A good read for me is one that every page, every chapter, makes me want to turn the page and find out what happens next and that’s how this one was. My knowledge of the Napoleonic Wars is quite minimal and certainly from the Anglo-American perspective of a high school history class. This is told from the POV of young Frenchmen eager for adventure and service to country, what they found was the brutally and inhumanity of war. And through all the atrocities, the protagonist was able to hold on to decency, loyalty and love. The author did some thorough research to describe many details of army life in this era. We’ll have a lot of meat for discussion at bookclub next month.
11 .Incredible! I enjoyed this novel so much, the author did a wonderful job telling the history of the Napoleonic wars through the eyes of the protagonist with an engaging story throughout the novel. I listened to this on a long roadtrip and was thoroughly enthralled with it and at the edge of my seat a number of times. Anyone who is interested in history or likes historical fiction should read this book – the history is rich and accurate throughout the book, but the wonderful story is what keeps you in it, with twists and turns all the way till the end. Wonderful read.Incredible! I enjoyed this novel so much, the author did a wonderful job telling the history of the Napoleonic wars through the eyes of the protagonist with an engaging story throughout the novel. I listened to this on a long roadtrip and was thoroughly enthralled with it and at the edge of my seat a number of times. Anyone who is interested in history or likes historical fiction should read this book – the history is rich and accurate throughout the book, but the wonderful story is what keeps you in it, with twists and turns all the way till the end. Wonderful read.
12. This is a deeply moving story about two young men who are in the Napoleonic Wars. They discover the realities of war, which match the realistic historical content of the novel. Jean-Luc’s love for Anna Lise grows as he matures, but the horrific events that unfold threaten their chance to be together. The descriptions of the various landscapes and the battles are wonderfully cinematic
13. This is an incredible historical story during French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. It is spellbinding from the first page to the last.
Audiobooks.com – All Five Stars
- Incredible! I enjoyed this novel so much, the author did a wonderful job telling the history of the Napoleonic wars through the eyes of the protagonist with an engaging story throughout the novel. I listened to this on a long roadtrip and was thoroughly enthralled with it and at the edge of my seat a number of times. Anyone who is interested in history or likes historical fiction should read this book – the history is rich and accurate throughout the book, but the wonderful story is what keeps you in it, with twists and turns all the way till the end. Wonderful read.
- This novel presents a unique view of two families dealing with the turmoil of the Napoleonic wars.Through their eyes, you read history unfold. The history is accurate and the story of Jean-Luc, Anna Lise and Adrien brings this history home in an engaging, heartfelt manor. A lovely story.
The author’s engaging style pulls you back in history and right into the story of this young French soldier. You feel his desperation and grief, as well as his hope and anticipation of being reunited with his beloved Anna Lise. The narrator does an excellent job of conveying different settings, whether tense with excitement or wrought with emotion.