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Reviewed by Saifunnissa Hassam for Readers' Favorite
C. R. Hurst's Round the World: A Life of Jeanne Baret is book one of a two-part biographical series inspired by the real historical figure of Jeanne Baret (1740 – 1807), the first woman to complete a voyage of circumnavigation of the globe (1766–1769). Jeanne Baret joined Louis Antoine de Bougainville's French expedition disguised as a man and as an assistant to the expedition's naturalist and botanist, Philibert Commerson. The novel begins with Jeanne's life in the Bourgogne region, France. She learns to read and write from her mother. When Jeanne is 16, her mother dies in childbirth. Tragedy strikes again when Jeanne's husband, Hubert, and her father die of smallpox. Jeanne turns to learning more about the local medicinal herbs from the midwife Sophie. She meets Philibert Commerson, an eminent French botanist, at the apothecary shop in Toulon-sur-Arroux. Jeanne is employed by Commerson, and the two become lovers. They move together to Paris. In 1765, Commerson was invited to join de Bougainville's marine expedition.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading C.R. Hurst's Round the World for its extraordinary character, Jeanne Baret, and the captivating setting of 18th-century France. I particularly liked Jeanne's character development, beginning in the Bourgogne region and continuing her life as a young woman in Toulon-sur-Arroux and Paris. Details of Jeanne's early life are interwoven into the story. I loved the evocative cultural and geographical descriptions and imagined Jeanne taking in the details of Paris. In this way, Jeanne's development continues throughout the story, and her intelligence, curiosity, and her close relationship with Commerson, as lovers and botanists, is expressed vividly through settings and dialogues. I liked Commerson, especially how he helped Jeanne develop her sense of purpose in life and her growing understanding of the world. Round the World is a fascinating read, bringing to life an extraordinary woman who is unique, unconventional, and full of curiosity, courage, and daring.
