A Historical Fiction Classic
Transport yourself into the Napoleonic Wars through the eyes of childhood friends
Historical Novels Society Review
. . . Cullen’s writing is vivid and draws the reader into the life of a soldier in Napoleon’s army. We feel Jean-Luc’s horror over killing the enemy, but also the joys of riding the magnificent horses, the Shagyas, and of close comradery with his fellow soldiers. The battle scenes, especially those set in Spain and Russia, are gruesome at times, but true to life. We experience Jean-Luc’s dilemma as he is forced to perform horrific acts of violence or risk being shot as a deserter. The love story provides relief from the graphic descriptions of war. The novel is long, and definitely not for the squeamish, but it reads quickly, and I could not put it down. At the end, I found
myself missing Jean-Luc and his comrades because they seemed so real to me.
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.
Napoleon’s Russian campaign started with 442,000 men. Only 10,000 men survived.
