Thomas Costain's flair for bringing to life periods of history dominated by fascinating personalities takes us in ["The Last Love"] to St. Helena during Napoleon's final exile. It is mainly the story of a loyal and delightful friendship between the great Corsican—now a tragic and lonely figure—and the generous-hearted tomboy daughter of William Balcombe, a distinguished Englishman stationed there….

The book is frankly a novel, not a history—yet the story of this friendship is fact, and most of the characters are actual persons. In some extensive flashbacks the author gives historical and biographical background material leading up to St. Helena.

The main events of the story itself are substantiated in diaries and other records turned up by Mr. Costain's sound and indefatigable research. These include among others the feud carried on between the proud ex-Emperor and the governor, the visits without permits that Betsy managed...