The Story

This second volume picks up right where the first left off. Nelson is stuck at sea, winning battles against Napoleon, but all he can think about is getting back to his 'dearest Emma'—Lady Hamilton, a famous beauty married to a kind but clueless older man. The letters go back and forth, full of longing, inside jokes, and gossip about that royal court. You'll see Nelson complaining about other officers, bragging about his successes, and worrying if Emma still loves him when he's away for months. Then Emma writes back, stewing about how people talk about her behind her back and soaking up his adoration. The 'plot,' if you can call it that, is really just the rise and struggle of their romance against odds that would bury a modern relationship: public shame, war, distance, and jealously—Emma even got angry letters from Nelson's giant, angry pet monkey if you can believe it. By the end, you feel like you've read a novel—only it was 100 percent real.

Why You Should Read It

For starters, it's thrilling in a voyeuristic way—like reading someone's diary but legally. But beyond the tea-spilling, this book hits you right in the feels. Nelson is supposed to be this stiff 'Kiss me, Hardy' war god, but in his letters, he uses silly pet names, draws little hearts in the margins, and admits he sometimes gets seasick and lonely. Emma's voice cracks through the nice wording of the day—she's funny, clever, and desperate. The tension their scandal caused is impossible not to get whipped up in. You realize superhero-sized love and political trouble don't change across centuries. Also, the reader gets moments of shock in almost every letter—swear to you—as these two drop bombs about interactions with 'Royalty' or drop mentions of fearing the right arrest. I also loved sensing the author, not in the writing but in the breath; two people not meant to be glued together, forced apart yet constantly escaping the burn whose trail you see here.

Final Verdict