I always try to be fair when I write. I feel we live in an era where so many writers are so consumed with "telling it like it is" that they ignore their own unfairness and biases. Still, it was hard for me to be fair to Jerome Bonaparte, the man who married Betsy Patterson, then abandoned her and their soon to be born son for a life of Imperial glory. Such people are hard to like by their very nature. Both in my novel, American Socialite, and in the historical record, Napoleon's younger brother is a rogue. There's simply no other way to put it.
The historical Jerome abandoned his responsibilities as a French naval officer, married Betsy, a young American girl from a wealthy family, got her pregnant, then left her high and dry with their child because Napoleon, his French Emperor brother, preferred him to marry into royalty. Jerome did indeed wed again, while he was still legally married to Betsy, in fact. This time his wife was a princess, someone more to Napoleon's liking. Jerome went on to have five or six more children - some with his second wife and some with other women - and continued to find himself in positions of power long after his notorious older brother was sent off into exile and died. Needless to say, history has not looked kindly on the man.
Still, people are not made up entirely of their flaws. Jerome's letters to Jerome Junior, who was his son with Betsy, exude genuine warmth and even concern for the future of the young man, who was known as "Bo." This can't be denied. It's also worth noting that Jerome is reported to have been valiant on the battlefield. That's no small thing, especially when one has soldiers under one's command, as Jerome did. For these reasons - as well as the fact that I don't believe any one person is all good or all bad - I've tried to present Jerome as even handedly as possible in American Socialite.
The Jerome in my novel is actually not a bad man - he's simply a weak man thoroughly helpless in the face of his desire to lead the good life. Jerome does indeed have pangs of conscience in American Socialite. Those pangs, though, aren't as strong as his personal desires. Weakness defines him. Jerome would be a tragic figure if there weren't so much familial damage left in his wake. His wife, Betsy, is abandoned while his son, Bo, is left without a father. Rogues can be charming, but they're ultimately quite destructive.
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