More than a year has elapsed since the ghetto gates were destroyed and Ancona’s Jewish community liberated by Napoleon’s troops. Yet instead of feeling free, Mirelle is ostracized – by the community, her best friend, even her mother – and labeled a “ruined woman.” As her efforts to nurture her family’s legacy are thwarted, she realizes she might have lost her last chance at love. Meanwhile Daniel, now a lieutenant in the French army, along with Christophe, the man responsible for Mirelle’s disgrace, set sail to an unknown destination with General Bonaparte’s forces. Napoleon and his men face a harsh and unforgiving landscape and new, implacable enemies, and Daniel’s faith and loyalty to the commander he once worshipped is put to the test.
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Fiction
Napoleon’s Mirage
September 1, 2023
Discussion Questions
Courtesy of Michelle Cameron
- As was common during this time in history, when it became known that Mirelle had slept with a soldier without marrying him, her reputation was ruined. Clearly, our sensitivities are different now. What do you think Mirelle could have done to change her “ruined” status?
- It is historic fact that Napoleon managed to conceal that he planned to invade Egypt from most of his troops – who were still eager to follow him – as well as the savants who had no idea where they were heading. Can you conceive of so many men blindly following a military leader today? Do you feel their loyalty was warranted? Was this blind faith in one man dangerous?
- How could the outcome of Napoleon’s expedition have changed had Robespierre delivered on his promise to inform the sultan that the general was only seeking to free Egypt from the grip of the Mamelukes? Do you think the sultan would have accepted this excuse? Should Napoleon have heeded Ethan’s (fictional) warning that the sultan was not informed?
- Napoleon is considered one of the world’s greatest military strategists and tacticians. Did his many mistakes in Egypt and Israel – marching through the desert with woolen uniforms and no water, for instance – change your mind about this assessment?
- Napoleon’s own troops – including his general staff – were frustrated by his mistakes. Yet his charisma meant that he kept tight control of the expedition, despite the complaints he fielded. Daniel and Christophe differed greatly in their attitude toward the general as a result of these mistakes. If you had been a young officer in Napoleon’s army, how would you have reacted?
- Al-Jabarti was actually a real-life person, and many of his thoughts about the French are contained in his Chronicle of the French Occupation. What did you think about this character? How much was he influenced by his own bias when it came to describing the French?
- Napoleon, whose views on religion were primarily dictated by pragmaticism and military expediency, attempted to win over the Egyptians by pretending to be an adherent to Islam. Why do you think he wasn’t successful?
- Do you believe that Napoleon actually issued his Proclamation to the Jews? Historians differ fiercely on whether this actually happened or not. Do you think he sent out such a document? And do you believe he would have honored this proclamation if he had triumphed in Israel?
- Napoleon, who admired Alexander the Great, wished to head to India after conquering Egypt, particularly to rob his enemy, the British, of that country’s riches. Clearly he did not succeed. How do you believe world history might have changed if he had?
- In Beyond the Ghetto Gates, we have very little sympathy for Ancona’s rabbi. Has his attempts to help Mirelle in Napoleon’s Mirage changed your opinion about him?
- Mirelle breaks her engagement to the baker, Jacopo, when she discovers that Daniel was unable to respond to her letters due to the British blockade of French ships. What do you think about her treatment of him?
- The fact that the British blockade prevented Daniel and Mirelle from corresponding had a huge impact on their relationship in this novel. In this day of email, texts, video chats, etc., this is almost inconceivable to modern readers. Did you ever experience a time when you could not communicate with someone? How did that make you feel?
- Toward the end of the novel, Napoleon was willing to poison his plague-ridden troops and then abandoned the entire army to chase his political ambitions. Did these actions change your opinion about him?
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