The other week my boss approached me with the question of how much do I know about the Napoleonic era and the Battle of Waterloo. I admitted to a rather limited knowledge and she cautiously asked if I would like to read and review a short new book on Waterloo… from the perspective of a rabbit.
It isn’t everyday that one is greeted with such an offer, and it was hard to refuse.
The book hops (pun definitely intended) straight in with an explanation of the main question – why? Francombe believes that there is a high likelihood of an abundance of rabbits present at the farm of Hougoumont at the time of the conflict, so why not explore what it would have been like from their perspective.
The main character is William, a young rabbit who is entranced by the stories of his grandmother about the great Battle of Waterloo which took place on the very land he lives, 200 years ago. William’s animal senses aid him in understanding and picturing the past and through this we get the opportunity to discover what it was like in that epic battle from this entirely new view-point.
The book includes small snippets of information about the battle at the start, but it isn’t until later that the reader is presented with a greater overview and description of the events. The history is presented via William’s exploration of the grounds, the stories which his grandmother – Old Lavender – told him, and his exceptionally well-tuned senses (the reason for his keener senses is revealed toward the end of the story). Through these devices Francombe presents the story of William the rabbit and his family, and the history of the Battle of Waterloo in a loosely interwoven plot.
The book moves along at a reasonable pace and it is a comfortable and quick read. Whilst I cannot attest to the accuracy of many of the facts and figures which were neatly fitted into the story, I can say that it was an enjoyable read, especially for one who isn’t widely familiar with the subject.
Conclusions
From a purely historical standpoint, I cannot say that this is a thorough introduction into the Battle of Waterloo, however that is not to say that it doesn’t provide an enjoyable introduction and basic coverage of all the crucial details. It provides enough information to give an understanding of the battle and does so with an enjoyable story arc which helps to give it a unique twist.
I do not see this as becoming a Disney anthropomorphic adventure anytime soon (although there could be an excellent sound-track), but I found the story to be an easy introduction to the subject, and the unique narrative definitely carries some charm with it.
The Sage of Waterloo by Leona Francombe is available from W. W. Norton
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Awesome post.