- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Sceptre; Airside Ed edition (14 Feb 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0340896124
- ISBN-13: 978-0340896129
- Product Dimensions: 23.2 x 15.2 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Product Description
Review
'[A] mesmerising and exhilarating novel'
(Guardian )'The wealth of detail - of the smells and tastes, of food and fashions - which runs through her account brings the Napoleonic era pungently to life . . . By focusing on a figure all too often overlooked in biographies of England's most quoted admiral, she makes even well-worn facts fresh and interesting.'
(The Times )
'[A] fine novel . . . Recommended.'
(Daily Mail )'Excellent material in the hands of a good storyteller.'
(Daily Telegraph ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.The Oxford Times
'A touching tale, steeped in Nelsonian history, and a desperately honest... account of the relationship between mother and daughter.'
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having spent my childhood in the Portsmouth area where HMS Victory is berthed, I have frequently heard the story of the heroic Lord Horatio Nelson. Less has been said of his mistress, the glamorous Emma Hamilton, or his illegitemate daughter, Horatia.
By the time we join this book Emma is less than glamorous. She has become a progressively heavy drinker, living on credit and with little to offer Horatia, her 'godaughter', who is with her in her exile in a farmhouse in France (a strange choice for the mistress of a man famous for his battles against the French).
The story is told by Horatia, who has been brought up to believe that Lord Nelson is her godfather and that her father was a sailor who drowned at sea. She has only sketchy memories of Nelson and sadly it is only when he dies that she is told of her true relationship to him.
She has little respect for the alcoholic Emma and even when she is told of Emma's identity as her mother, again, after her death, she refuses to believe the evdence.
It's a harrowing tale, all the more so for being based on truth. I thought it a bit of a slow read and did not enjoy the confusing switching between past and present. I would have liked more emphasis on the glamorous times and less on the struggles of the ageing Emma. Horatia, however was an interesting character who later grew up to have a full and rounded life. (See Epilogue)
By the time we join this book Emma is less than glamorous. She has become a progressively heavy drinker, living on credit and with little to offer Horatia, her 'godaughter', who is with her in her exile in a farmhouse in France (a strange choice for the mistress of a man famous for his battles against the French).
The story is told by Horatia, who has been brought up to believe that Lord Nelson is her godfather and that her father was a sailor who drowned at sea. She has only sketchy memories of Nelson and sadly it is only when he dies that she is told of her true relationship to him.
She has little respect for the alcoholic Emma and even when she is told of Emma's identity as her mother, again, after her death, she refuses to believe the evdence.
It's a harrowing tale, all the more so for being based on truth. I thought it a bit of a slow read and did not enjoy the confusing switching between past and present. I would have liked more emphasis on the glamorous times and less on the struggles of the ageing Emma. Horatia, however was an interesting character who later grew up to have a full and rounded life. (See Epilogue)
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
Review from "My Love Affair With Books"
10 July 2011
Format:Hardcover
I wouldn't have come across this book without the Orange Prize nomination. Nelson's Daughter is a very believable portrayal of the scandalous affair between Lord Nelson and Emma Hamilton. This could have been an amazing book, but it completely fell short of its potential.
Some of my thoughts about why Nelson's Daughter disappointed me:
- Good, in fact a great premise, but weak execution
- Too many unnecessary details! At times I felt I was bombarded with facts.
- Flat, boring characters. With the exception of Lord Nelson and Emma Hamilton, none of the characters stood out. They were all one-dimensional and very forgettable.
- Slow moving. The plot took ages to move forward!
It's obvious that the author has researched a lot into the relationship between Nelson and Emma Hamilton. I do appreciate that, but ultimately this book failed to live up to my expectations.
Some of my thoughts about why Nelson's Daughter disappointed me:
- Good, in fact a great premise, but weak execution
- Too many unnecessary details! At times I felt I was bombarded with facts.
- Flat, boring characters. With the exception of Lord Nelson and Emma Hamilton, none of the characters stood out. They were all one-dimensional and very forgettable.
- Slow moving. The plot took ages to move forward!
It's obvious that the author has researched a lot into the relationship between Nelson and Emma Hamilton. I do appreciate that, but ultimately this book failed to live up to my expectations.
The depressing present
6 July 2006
Format:Paperback
The concept is intriguing. Hearn chooses to base her historical novel on the legendary romance of Lord Horatio Nelson, one of the most famous men of his age due to his naval exploits against the French, and Emma Hamilton, his beautiful mistress. But Hearn's choice of narrator, their secret daughter, Horatia, unfortunately limits the story to the sad demise of Emma after the death of Nelson. As the tale begins, Horatia is cooped up in a small French farmhouse with her "guardian," Emma, who supposedly has undertaken this task at the request of her great "friend," Nelson. Horatia is told her parents are long dead; her father was a sailor under Nelson's command and Nelson took her under her wing as an act of charity. Once Nelson dies, however, Horatia is told he was her real father, but Emma's identity as her mother remains hidden. We are left with Horatia's hazy teenage memories of her father, and the intermittent appearances of Emma in the past, as the basis for imagining the famous passion between the two. Unfortunately the grim reality--Emma is destitute and an alcoholic--overwhelms the imagination, and I found it hard to imagine that this woman was the object of anyone's passion. Emma is disgraced, as the sham is exposed, her outrageous spending has caught up with her, and she drowns her broken heart in the bottle. Altogether a depressing story--Hearn needed to spend a lot more time recreating the past of these characters, rather than focusing on the sordid present.
A Great Historical Novel
16 Dec 2005
Format:Hardcover
Although i am still not finished reading this book it is so far great. As a good historical fiction novel, Hearn captures every bit of Henrietta's life and the reader can easily imagine living in those times. The characters are not just imagined characters, they are real people and Hearn keeps them so.
It is easy for one to understand this novel even if the reader does not know anything about Nelson or his life. Miranda Hearn intertwines Nelson's and Emma's history in a way which does not bore the reader.
A great historical fiction novel which deserves all 5 stars I gave it.
It is easy for one to understand this novel even if the reader does not know anything about Nelson or his life. Miranda Hearn intertwines Nelson's and Emma's history in a way which does not bore the reader.
A great historical fiction novel which deserves all 5 stars I gave it.
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