Fun and refreshingly feminist.”—Seattle Book Review
"This is an absolutely wonderful book. The Napoleonic Wars have never been so feminist, so queer, or so much fun. Somehow simultaneously a haunting portrayal of the horrors of war and a hilarious caper about the disgusting, dimwitted men who try to keep a spirited young woman in her supposed place, Ironhead is for fans of Dickinson, The Great, and Outlander. In fact: Netflix, if you're listening, I've got your next great series right here.”—Rebekah Shoaf, Boogie Down Books (Bronx, NY)
[STAR] “Stance is a delightfully chaotic protagonist, who is (scandalously) free with her affection and kisses and whose easy charm gets her out of more than little trouble. Thrilling, often hilarious, and sometimes tear-jerking, this romp of a story is reminiscent of classic adventure tales.”—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred)
[STAR] “Propulsive storytelling…Throughout the story—with its hilarity and drastic eventfulness, its duels and battles, unexpected lovers, and lesson in how a girl can use a bellows to facilitate peeing while standing—Stance and Pier mature and become more resolutely themselves. Though the book ends as Stance sets off in quest of the woman she loves, the real heart here is the affection that grows between two very different siblings.”—Horn Book (starred)
“An action-packed and often funny historical novel. The chapters are alternately narrated by 18 year old Constance and her younger brother Pier. As the oldest daughter of a downwardly mobile family in Ghent, Constance has no option but to marry a wealthy, much older man, right? Well, she chooses to dress as a man and join Napoleon’s army. Meanwhile, Pier needs to escape the clutches of a crooked customs officer and get their father out of debtor’s prison. Squeamish readers might disagree, but the historical details - especially of life in the army, battle (Aspern-Essling in 1809) and treatment of the wounded in the Napoleonic wars - are absolutely fascinating.”—Five Books
“This rousing read blends humor and pathos, high adventure and complex character development in a richly satisfying tale about siblings and family, the bonds among soldiers and the brutality of war, and a young woman determined to live life on her own terms." – Cooperative Children’s Book Center
“This story moves like lightning and fuels me with the same powerful energy androgynous Stance aka Ironhead catalyzes.”—Jacqueline Izzo, Books Are Magic (Brooklyn, NY)
“Rollicking adventure reigns in this fast-paced, humor-filled novel set during the Napoleonic Wars. A novel so vivid that one can easily imagine it being adapted as a period piece movie or streaming series in the future.”—School Library Connection
“First-person chapters switch between sardonic Ironhead and naïve Pier, who struggles with his dysfunctional family and being unable to attend school, and the siblings’ narratives become increasingly compelling as their stories intertwine. Vivid language in this novel translated from the Dutch doesn’t shy away from the grime of everyday life or the graphic violence of war, and the descriptions of wartime medical procedures are not for the faint of heart.
Vivid and brutal—but not without a sliver of hope.” — Kirkus Reviews
“A perfect choice for fans of adventure tales with a prominent feminist streak.”—Booklist
[STAR] "Action-packed. Rich with detail. Rowdy and contemplative in turn, this celebration of historical gender nonconformity is as compelling as it is fun."—Publishers Weekly (starred)
USBBY Outstanding International Book
Best of the Year, Bank Street College
04/01/2022
Gr 10 Up—This is an intriguing, realistic view of the Napoleonic era through the eyes of two different characters, Constance and Pieter Hoste, siblings living in 1808 Belgium. Eighteen-year-old Constance, or Stance as she is known by her friends, hates the role society expects her to fulfill as a young woman, chiefly as a wife and mother. Her brother, Pieter, on the other hand, relishes his role as student and eldest son and resents Stance's efforts to have an unconventional life. The ever-growing international tensions associated with Napoleon's wars form a backdrop to circumstances that force Stance to marry a prominent local official who's more than double her age and Pieter to withdraw from school. When Stance grasps an opportunity to escape her marriage and join Napoleon's Fourteenth Regiment posing as a male soldier, the author does not flinch from depicting the aftermath of battle in all its unforgiving brutality. Pieter goes through an equally transformative experience as he travels through Europe in search of his sister and the Emperor Napoleon. The coming-of-age of both siblings during the wartime forms the heart of the book, with a subtext of gender and sexual fluidity. Some sexual scenes and battlefield depictions make this work suitable for mature high school readers. VERDICT Recommended for fans of Renée Ahdieh's Flame in the Mist and Nicki Pau Preto's Wings of Shadow.—Susan Catlett
2021-11-30
In 1808, a teen from Ghent escapes into a new life.
Eighteen-year-old Constance is miserable. The eldest child of a clog maker–turned–unsuccessful-inventor, fiery Stance is desperate to escape an impoverished and restrictive home. But when Stance’s father forces a marriage to Lieven, his 45-year-old potential business partner, life gets even worse. After 15 weeks of nightly rape by Lieven, who hopes to father a son, Stance dresses in men’s clothes, borrows the identity of baker’s son Binus, a conscripted acquaintance, and becomes a soldier in Napoleon’s Fourteenth. Despite the grueling conditions, the freedom is intoxicating. But when younger brother Pier tracks Stance down in Paris on Lieven’s behalf, Stance must face a duel. After surviving being shot in the head—and triumphantly adopting the nickname Ironhead, Stance continues to overcome the odds, ultimately finding liberation and independence beyond family or army. Ironhead also has a dalliance with a woman and ultimately becomes an amputee with significant PTSD. First-person chapters switch between sardonic Ironhead and naïve Pier, who struggles with his dysfunctional family and being unable to attend school, and the siblings’ narratives become increasingly compelling as their stories intertwine. Vivid language in this novel translated from the Dutch doesn’t shy away from the grime of everyday life or the graphic violence of war, and the descriptions of wartime medical procedures are not for the faint of heart.
Vivid and brutal—but not without a sliver of hope. (glossary) (Historical fiction. 14-18)
