This was a time often thought of as the Rise of the Great Man theory, and women were not in the forefront.
Annaelise Theiss, a young Alsatian woman, struggles with the same life issues most women struggle with; the transition from youth to adulthood, negotiating new relationships and roles with parents, the search for a true love, and the start of a new independent life with him. What’s new and captivating about Allegiance to Alsace for me is the added layers of identity and loyalty with which Annaelise struggles with. Her mother and uncle played a big part in the Parisian society before the French Revolution, and her father is a German vintner and brewer. Is her loyalty to Napoleon’s France or to Germany? She discovers her father not only is a student of the Enlightenment, but his study of Hegel and Humboldt as well as the American Founding Fathers have led him to be loyal to Prussia instead of Napoleon. She falls in love with a dashing cavalry officer, but he turns out to be more than he seems on the surface, raising more questions of loyalty.
The choices others have made put Annaelise in the position of having to continually make decisions of her own about her multiple levels of loyalty to her family, to her country of France, to the German states, to her political ideals, to her lover, and finally to the future of her child.
This story is a rare work of romantic fiction at its best, and original. It is as if Tice were a contemporary of Goethe’s, writing authentically of life and romance before “Romantic” became a tacky genre of literature on which the fortunes of soap opera advertisers were built. Annaelise is doing her best to be loyal and true on all levels, being both honored and challenged as a woman, and the reader will find her sympathetic, authentic, and easy to identify with.
Tice’s professional background in interior design and long experience with the equestrian arts gives color and detail to the story without clutter. Her patient study of the historical record of the time and place knits the personal and the larger political details together artfully, from the details of Napoleon’s campaigns to the interior décor and equestrian details of her characters, and their lives. The combination of a gripping personal narrative with a pleasingly accurate and rich background makes this a story that both moves swiftly and has vivid and colorful detail.
Annaelise Theiss not only navigates the normal challenges of life, but in struggling with the larger questions of loyalty, she enters an archetypical, mythic realm, taking on questions of fate and destiny and how to make choices to be true to herself but to honor the others in her life, especially her daughter.
While this story will appeal to female readers of all ages, male readers will appreciate details of the horses and the hunts, as well as following the fortunes of Napoleon on the battlefield in the first decade of the nineteenth century, and they will sympathize with the hero and his loyal attendant. Students of the Enlightenment will enjoy seeing many of their philosophers quoted or referenced, and many will be pleased to meet the proto-feminist philosopher of the time and ardent foe of Napoleon, Madame de Staël, whose comments seem just as relevant today as they did 200 years ago.
This novel operates on many levels; most fascinating perhaps is the fact that the story was inspired by feelings of déjà vu. Ms. Tice experienced when visiting both Germany and Alsace to trace her genealogy in 2006. Instead of thinking this story up, it came and found her, which I believe gives a lot of authenticity and power to the narrative.
As a historian, I’m impressed that Ms. Tice took the time and trouble to integrate the details of the characters’ lives with the actual historical record on many levels, from food and wine to the philosophy and music of the time, including many historical figures of the period.
For anyone who has read or watched the “Outlander” and “Poldark” series or is a fan of fine historical fiction, especially of this period of history, or for anyone who loves fiction that illustrates the struggles of the individual caught up in much larger forces and rises to be as authentic and loving as they can be, this will be an inspiring and rewarding read.
Annaelise Theiss, a young Alsatian woman, struggles with the same life issues most women struggle with; the transition from youth to adulthood, negotiating new relationships and roles with parents, the search for a true love, and the start of a new independent life with him. What’s new and captivating about Allegiance to Alsace for me is the added layers of identity and loyalty with which Annaelise struggles with. Her mother and uncle played a big part in the Parisian society before the French Revolution, and her father is a German vintner and brewer. Is her loyalty to Napoleon’s France or to Germany? She discovers her father not only is a student of the Enlightenment, but his study of Hegel and Humboldt as well as the American Founding Fathers have led him to be loyal to Prussia instead of Napoleon. She falls in love with a dashing cavalry officer, but he turns out to be more than he seems on the surface, raising more questions of loyalty.
The choices others have made put Annaelise in the position of having to continually make decisions of her own about her multiple levels of loyalty to her family, to her country of France, to the German states, to her political ideals, to her lover, and finally to the future of her child.
This story is a rare work of romantic fiction at its best, and original. It is as if Tice were a contemporary of Goethe’s, writing authentically of life and romance before “Romantic” became a tacky genre of literature on which the fortunes of soap opera advertisers were built. Annaelise is doing her best to be loyal and true on all levels, being both honored and challenged as a woman, and the reader will find her sympathetic, authentic, and easy to identify with.
Tice’s professional background in interior design and long experience with the equestrian arts gives color and detail to the story without clutter. Her patient study of the historical record of the time and place knits the personal and the larger political details together artfully, from the details of Napoleon’s campaigns to the interior décor and equestrian details of her characters, and their lives. The combination of a gripping personal narrative with a pleasingly accurate and rich background makes this a story that both moves swiftly and has vivid and colorful detail.
Annaelise Theiss not only navigates the normal challenges of life, but in struggling with the larger questions of loyalty, she enters an archetypical, mythic realm, taking on questions of fate and destiny and how to make choices to be true to herself but to honor the others in her life, especially her daughter.
While this story will appeal to female readers of all ages, male readers will appreciate details of the horses and the hunts, as well as following the fortunes of Napoleon on the battlefield in the first decade of the nineteenth century, and they will sympathize with the hero and his loyal attendant. Students of the Enlightenment will enjoy seeing many of their philosophers quoted or referenced, and many will be pleased to meet the proto-feminist philosopher of the time and ardent foe of Napoleon, Madame de Staël, whose comments seem just as relevant today as they did 200 years ago.
This novel operates on many levels; most fascinating perhaps is the fact that the story was inspired by feelings of déjà vu. Ms. Tice experienced when visiting both Germany and Alsace to trace her genealogy in 2006. Instead of thinking this story up, it came and found her, which I believe gives a lot of authenticity and power to the narrative.
As a historian, I’m impressed that Ms. Tice took the time and trouble to integrate the details of the characters’ lives with the actual historical record on many levels, from food and wine to the philosophy and music of the time, including many historical figures of the period.
For anyone who has read or watched the “Outlander” and “Poldark” series or is a fan of fine historical fiction, especially of this period of history, or for anyone who loves fiction that illustrates the struggles of the individual caught up in much larger forces and rises to be as authentic and loving as they can be, this will be an inspiring and rewarding read.
