The Girl Who Fought Napoleon

A Novel of the Russian Empire

By: Linda Lafferty

Narrated by: Kathleen Gati

Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

In a sweeping story straight out of Russian history, Tsar Alexander I and a courageous girl named Nadezhda Durova join forces against Napoleon.

It's 1803, and an adolescent Nadya is determined not to follow in her overbearing Ukrainian mother's footsteps. She's a horsewoman, not a housewife. When Tsar Paul is assassinated in St. Petersburg and a reluctant and naive Alexander is crowned emperor, Nadya runs away from home and joins the Russian cavalry in the war against Napoleon. Disguised as a boy and riding her spirited stallion, Alcides, Nadya rises in the ranks, even as her father begs the tsar to find his daughter and send her home.

Both Nadya and Alexander defy expectations - she as a heroic fighter and he as a spiritual seeker - while the battles of Austerlitz, Friedland, Borodino, and Smolensk rage on.

In a captivating tale that brings Durova's memoirs to life, from bloody battlefields to glittering palaces, two rebels dare to break free of their expected roles and discover themselves in the process.

©2016 Linda Lafferty (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

A good book

Totally engage ing and I learned some history.At first I thought it would be a girly book and nearly sent it back,but it caught me and I was absorbed.

So very interesting!

Loved this book! It's so wonderful learning history in this way! The narrator was fabulous!

well read and well written.

very well performed. the characters are believable and the historical setting is authentic. The hallmark of a great book is that it lingers in one's heart, mind, and soul. this one does.

Love the story but not the reader

Where does The Girl Who Fought Napoleon rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Somewhere in the middle

Did Kathleen Gati do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes, but often she reads too slowly and deliberately so that it sounds as if she were reading to children. And her voice varies in modulation; sometimes well, other times monotone; it is not consistent. Not the best reader but not the worst. Her Russian accent is pretty good.

Who was the most memorable character of The Girl Who Fought Napoleon and why?

Can't say Have not finished. But I like the girl who runs away to the Cossacks. Her mother - however badly served by her husband - is still cruel to her daughter.

Narrator was great

For me the narrator made the book for me. While it is overall a very good book I almost gave up on it 2 or 3 times. However because I enjoyed the narrator so much I pushed through. If you do not have an interest in this time period and Russia I don't know that this book will be for you.

History at it's finest

A must read for history lovers. A well written and informative look into the Romanov dynasty, the hardships of war and the consequences it brings.
The story is about a woman disguised as a male, who joined the Russian military during the Napoleonic Wars.

The only qualm I have is trying to rap my head around how the main character was able to hide the fact she was a woman living with all military males. Especially in the 1800's on the Russian steppes. No privacy, lack of hygiene and living in tents with her male counterparts. How'd she do it?

Brave, loyal, entence and great endurance

This fiction drawn from real life history was well written. All young women should read this novel as a model for determining strength of character and becoming who they are meant to be.
Then epilogue gave me pause as to the historical facts to weight the previous sentence but as I listened and reviewed the book, it is still a book of strong character and endurance. I rate it with the history of Joan of Arc.

Brilliant! I think this is a 10!

I had no expectations of this book other than that it would be a Loosely constructed novel about Russian history. It turned into a miraculous combination of history, myth, memoir, and romance. I don't even like romance! This was the most beautifully explained beautifully detailed experience for anyone who loves historical " you are there " memoir accounts. I will never do this book Justice in my commentary, but you must read it. Male or female this is a great book. I will seek out this author immediately because I respect so much the work she did to put this together. I loved this book!!!

Another Brilliant History

I adore any book written by Linda Lafferty. She has a way of using exquisite imagery to make you feel like you are participating in the story. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys history or historical fiction books. It is well worth your time.

In depth history of a true story.

I love true stories, especially historical ones. This story sheds light on the lives of women in 1812-1864 Europe.