Status
Available
Publication
Ballantine Books (2014), Hardcover, 400 pages
Description
Biography & Autobiography. History. Nonfiction. HTML:From CNN�s official royal historian, a highly praised young author with a doctorate from Oxford University, comes the extraordinary rags-to-riches story of the woman who conquered Napoleon�s heart�and with it, an empire. Their love was legendary, their ambition flagrant and unashamed. Napoleon Bonaparte and his wife, Josephine, came to power during one of the most turbulent periods in the history of France. The story of the Corsican soldier�s incredible rise has been well documented. Now, in this spellbinding, luminous account, Kate Williams draws back the curtain on the woman who beguiled him: her humble origins, her exorbitant appetites, and the tragic turn of events that led to her undoing. Born Marie-Jos�phe-Rose de Tascher de La Pagerie on the Caribbean island of Martinique, the woman Napoleon would later call Josephine was the ultimate survivor. She endured a loveless marriage to a French aristocrat�executed during the Reign of Terror�then barely escaped the guillotine blade herself. Her near-death experience only fueled Josephine�s ambition and heightened her determination to find a man who could finance and sustain her. Though no classic beauty, she quickly developed a reputation as one of the most desirable women on the continent. In 1795, she met Napoleon. The attraction was mutual, immediate, and intense. Theirs was an often-tumultuous union, roiled by their pursuit of other lovers but intensely focused on power and success. Josephine was Napoleon�s perfect consort and the object of national fascination. Together they conquered Europe. Their extravagance was unprecedented, even by the standards of Versailles. But she could not produce an heir. Sexual obsession brought them together, but cold biological truth tore them apart. Gripping in its immediacy, captivating in its detail, Ambition and Desire is a true tale of desire, heartbreak, and revolutionary turmoil, engagingly written by one of England�s most praised young historians. Kate Williams�s searing portrait of this alluring and complex woman will finally elevate Josephine Bonaparte to the historical prominence she deserves. Praise for Ambition and Desire �Not just a scholarly work, but a page-turner . . . Williams is no stranger to creating works on strong and influential women, and, as in those works, here she does an admirable job of demystifying Josephine. . . . This engrossing and accessible account is for all readers who enjoy historical biography.��Library Journal �[A] riveting account . . . Williams perfectly illustrates all that was bizarre and maddening about French life during the reign of Josephine and Napoleon Bonaparte.��Publishers Weekly �Intelligent and entertaining.��Kirkus Reviews �An in-depth portrait of the substantive woman behind the throne.��Booklist �Reading [Ambition and Desire] is like watching Silk Stockings, the 1957 Hollywood masterpiece with Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. The book flows and jumps, taking the reader by the hand through tormented times in French history without ever letting you go or losing itself in the intricacies of French politics.��The Times �A sparkling account of this most fallible and endearing of women.��Daily Mail �A whirlwind tour of French...… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member lucybrown
From the start I should make it clear that my review of Kate Wiiliams's Ambition and Desire: The Dangerous Life of Josepine Bonaparte is from an entirely non-academic viewpoint. My background is more classical and English history. Of the sources used by Williams, I no nothing of their credibility.
Williams's biography of Josephine, consort to the dynamic, ruthless and, in his manner, brilliant Napoleon Bonaparte is a gossipy romp through revolutionary France and the Napoleonic era. It would be fair to say that in Josephine, Bonaparte met his match for scheming opportunism.
The biography begins with Josephine's deprived childhood in Martinique. Where her family lived in genteel poverty brought on by her father's poor management of their sugar plantations. Josephine was married off to a promising young man. That is the liaison promised to help Josephine's family mitigate their economic woes. The young man turns out to be a cad. However, the marriage lands J. in France though it would be years of misery and neglect before she would be poised to be the centerpiece of European society.
One thing the biography makes clear is the limited options to which women of this era had recourse. If Josephine was opportunistic, manipulative and immoral, it was often a matter of survival. Had she herself not been bartered to help salvage her family's position? Then it is no surprise that she in turn would you her daughter similarly. Pawn for pawn.
The narrative moves at a quick pace and is largely entertaining. The writing is at times humorously bad; mixed metaphors, corning the goose, a penchant for alliteration. The timeline is jumpy. Sometimes it was hard to keep track of the date. At times there are inconsistencies of interpretation. For instance, after Josephine's release from prison, Williams at one point notes she was little worse for wear, where just pages before she says she was physically ravished by the incarceration. Rather confusing!
This book was made available to me through Libraything's Early Reviewers.
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This is no small matter in assessing the value of a biography or history, but I must leave that to others and stick to what I know. Now on with the reviewWilliams's biography of Josephine, consort to the dynamic, ruthless and, in his manner, brilliant Napoleon Bonaparte is a gossipy romp through revolutionary France and the Napoleonic era. It would be fair to say that in Josephine, Bonaparte met his match for scheming opportunism.
The biography begins with Josephine's deprived childhood in Martinique. Where her family lived in genteel poverty brought on by her father's poor management of their sugar plantations. Josephine was married off to a promising young man. That is the liaison promised to help Josephine's family mitigate their economic woes. The young man turns out to be a cad. However, the marriage lands J. in France though it would be years of misery and neglect before she would be poised to be the centerpiece of European society.
One thing the biography makes clear is the limited options to which women of this era had recourse. If Josephine was opportunistic, manipulative and immoral, it was often a matter of survival. Had she herself not been bartered to help salvage her family's position? Then it is no surprise that she in turn would you her daughter similarly. Pawn for pawn.
The narrative moves at a quick pace and is largely entertaining. The writing is at times humorously bad; mixed metaphors, corning the goose, a penchant for alliteration. The timeline is jumpy. Sometimes it was hard to keep track of the date. At times there are inconsistencies of interpretation. For instance, after Josephine's release from prison, Williams at one point notes she was little worse for wear, where just pages before she says she was physically ravished by the incarceration. Rather confusing!
This book was made available to me through Libraything's Early Reviewers.
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LibraryThing member kbuchanan
Kate Williams is a seasoned writer of biographies whose work I have enjoyed in the past, and this book in now way discourages this. It is a very readable account of the life of Josephine Bonaparte, both alongside and apart from Napoleon. French history is an interest for me, but is by no means my
After Josephine's first encounters with Napoleon, the book necessarily shifts a bit, in that it must keep track both of the broad timeline of Napoleon's exploits and of Josephine's life, often apart from her husband. At times, the swift back and forth can become somewhat dizzying, particularly when it is clear that Williams is more interested in one side than the other. It feels as if some details get lost. That said, the amount of information in this timeline is tremendous and the historical record daunting. Overall, Williams manages to navigate it successfully while still maintaining focus on Josephine's circle. This is not an easy task. Often, the private lives and domestic concerns of women can get lost in the louder clangor of military history and fanfare, and Williams's work consistently resists this temptation. Ample use of Napoleon and Josephine's letters was also much appreciated, lending a sense of immediacy to the discussion of their early relationship in particular. Ultimately, I would recommend this book as a jumping-off point for further research into the period. Williams's style is engaging, and the material is presented in such a way as to make the reader want to know and learn more. This is part of what good biography should do. An enjoyable read.
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area of expertise, and this book seems like it offers a good entryway into the period. I think Williams's work is strongest in its depiction of Josephine's early life, first marriage and experiences in France under Robespierre, with other moments of great interest showing through in her descriptions of Josephine's life at and cultivation of Malmaison. I enjoyed these aspects of the work, as they gave insight into what Josephine valued and the type of woman that she may have been. Highlighting these details is one of Williams's strengths and one of the things I have enjoyed while reading her previous work, particularly in her biography of the young Queen Victoria. The portrait here is certainly not always a flattering one, but it does give the sense of a woman at a particular point in history, in a country in great flux. After Josephine's first encounters with Napoleon, the book necessarily shifts a bit, in that it must keep track both of the broad timeline of Napoleon's exploits and of Josephine's life, often apart from her husband. At times, the swift back and forth can become somewhat dizzying, particularly when it is clear that Williams is more interested in one side than the other. It feels as if some details get lost. That said, the amount of information in this timeline is tremendous and the historical record daunting. Overall, Williams manages to navigate it successfully while still maintaining focus on Josephine's circle. This is not an easy task. Often, the private lives and domestic concerns of women can get lost in the louder clangor of military history and fanfare, and Williams's work consistently resists this temptation. Ample use of Napoleon and Josephine's letters was also much appreciated, lending a sense of immediacy to the discussion of their early relationship in particular. Ultimately, I would recommend this book as a jumping-off point for further research into the period. Williams's style is engaging, and the material is presented in such a way as to make the reader want to know and learn more. This is part of what good biography should do. An enjoyable read.
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LibraryThing member CynthiaRobertson
From the very beginning this beautifully researched and written biography moves along with the tension of a fictional novel. We are plunged into the world of fifteen year old Josephine, as a naive, almost mail-order bride, arriving in the sophisticated Paris she had dreamed about from her home in
Born Marie-Josephe, and nick-named Yeyette, on the island of Martinique, the woman the world would come to know by the name her future husband would give her, Josephine, begins life as a bit of a wild child. Her family are planters, slave owners, though they are not really very wealthy, and Josephine is allowed a permissive life where she runs with the plantation’s other children, and is depicted as not having had much schooling, or discipline. But she makes up for it when she reaches the shores of France, and marries her first husband, a man who is unimpressed with his not terribly pretty by the day’s standards young bride, and encourages her to improve herself.
Kate Williams spices her narrative with interesting facts: We are treated to vivid details of that period of France’s history known as The Terror, and such disturbing images as Marie Antoinette’s head, and headless body, abandoned on the grass beside an open common grave, while grave-diggers finish lunch nearby.
After her first husband’s death by guillotine, while she is in prison herself, Josephine fully expects to meet the same end. But miraculously, she survives, emerging from prison with her hair shorn, and becoming a courtesan, seeking out the patronage of wealthy and powerful men, and catering to their egos in exchange for their protection, surviving by her wits and wiles. With the end of the revolution her widowhood and status as one of the formerly imprisoned lends her a social credibility she takes to the bank, which enables her to care for her two children (a son and daughter) by her first marriage.
She meets Bonaparte, and the real fun begins. As socially awkward as she is not, Napoleon falls hard for Josephine, who has been offered up as bait by her former patron, who wishes to have Napoleon in his debt.
Napoleon is depicted as quite the misogynist, the kind of man who is as equally crazy about women, as he is terrified by them. Once in power he changes France’s laws, demoting women’s status and rights.
“Women these days require restraint. They go where they like, do what they like. It is not French to give women the upper hand.”
Josephine seems to have had an addiction to shopping and spending to rival anyone’s today. She was constantly in debt, and went to great lengths to hide it from her husband. In her defense she was expected to host a constant stream of parties and social gatherings, and her ability to do so, and to do it so well, was a large part of her appeal to a man who had few social graces himself, and who relied on her social abilities to further his cause. Josephine also had a surprising and interesting ‘hobby’. Horticulture was something of a passion of hers, and due to her deep pockets in pursuit of her pleasures, she was responsible for many new strains of roses, and did a lot of trading of seeds and plants with people all over the world that advanced France’s acquisition of plant species.
I enjoyed reading this biography. It was filled with facts I didn’t know about Josephine, Napoleon, and the times. I was often reminded of how nothing changes, and the machinations of social climbers then were much the same as they are now. Josephine’s antics and ploys have a lot in common with certain females prominent in the current media, and I have to think that if she was alive today she’d have her bad teeth capped, and we’d see her on the arm of some football player or rapper, or perhaps a politician—wherever cameras were flashing.
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Martinique. Born Marie-Josephe, and nick-named Yeyette, on the island of Martinique, the woman the world would come to know by the name her future husband would give her, Josephine, begins life as a bit of a wild child. Her family are planters, slave owners, though they are not really very wealthy, and Josephine is allowed a permissive life where she runs with the plantation’s other children, and is depicted as not having had much schooling, or discipline. But she makes up for it when she reaches the shores of France, and marries her first husband, a man who is unimpressed with his not terribly pretty by the day’s standards young bride, and encourages her to improve herself.
Kate Williams spices her narrative with interesting facts: We are treated to vivid details of that period of France’s history known as The Terror, and such disturbing images as Marie Antoinette’s head, and headless body, abandoned on the grass beside an open common grave, while grave-diggers finish lunch nearby.
After her first husband’s death by guillotine, while she is in prison herself, Josephine fully expects to meet the same end. But miraculously, she survives, emerging from prison with her hair shorn, and becoming a courtesan, seeking out the patronage of wealthy and powerful men, and catering to their egos in exchange for their protection, surviving by her wits and wiles. With the end of the revolution her widowhood and status as one of the formerly imprisoned lends her a social credibility she takes to the bank, which enables her to care for her two children (a son and daughter) by her first marriage.
She meets Bonaparte, and the real fun begins. As socially awkward as she is not, Napoleon falls hard for Josephine, who has been offered up as bait by her former patron, who wishes to have Napoleon in his debt.
Napoleon is depicted as quite the misogynist, the kind of man who is as equally crazy about women, as he is terrified by them. Once in power he changes France’s laws, demoting women’s status and rights.
“Women these days require restraint. They go where they like, do what they like. It is not French to give women the upper hand.”
Josephine seems to have had an addiction to shopping and spending to rival anyone’s today. She was constantly in debt, and went to great lengths to hide it from her husband. In her defense she was expected to host a constant stream of parties and social gatherings, and her ability to do so, and to do it so well, was a large part of her appeal to a man who had few social graces himself, and who relied on her social abilities to further his cause. Josephine also had a surprising and interesting ‘hobby’. Horticulture was something of a passion of hers, and due to her deep pockets in pursuit of her pleasures, she was responsible for many new strains of roses, and did a lot of trading of seeds and plants with people all over the world that advanced France’s acquisition of plant species.
I enjoyed reading this biography. It was filled with facts I didn’t know about Josephine, Napoleon, and the times. I was often reminded of how nothing changes, and the machinations of social climbers then were much the same as they are now. Josephine’s antics and ploys have a lot in common with certain females prominent in the current media, and I have to think that if she was alive today she’d have her bad teeth capped, and we’d see her on the arm of some football player or rapper, or perhaps a politician—wherever cameras were flashing.
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LibraryThing member keylawk
For reasons that are only embarrassing to a mature and conscious creature, in my youth, I was intrigued and inspired by Napoleon. Now I am quite ashamed of this, but I was one of those young "patriots" caught up with the vision of "Reason" and Unity. From the chaos of the Terror and centuries of
Kate Williams is an accomplished historian. This comprehensive biography of Josephine -- beginning slowly from her forebears settled in Martinique, through the rich complexity of her rise to power, to her legacy still smoking long after her death -- is gracefully written as a reflection of her subject. Josephine died of pneumonia (probably) just short of her 51st birthday, a dying trophy of the allies who defeated her egocentric husband. Napoleon already thoughtlessly divorced her to marry a fertile virgin Hapsburg archduchess.
The author does not overlook the many important controversies of Napoleon's imaginary "empire". She touches upon the historical setting, relationships, and European dynamics which fully explain the rise of the Corsican and his role in devastating Europe. The tragic life of Josephine's daughter, Hortense, is depicted almost as a leitmotif of the Napoleonic plague. Corsican idiots were enthroned throughout occupied countries, armies were forced to march back and forth across mountains senselessly, a million Frenchmen were conscripted, uprooted with little pay, and many deserted. An army of 600,000 was marched into Russia and only 93,000 staggered back to France and a ruined nation. Josephine directed, and softened, the ambitions of a tyrant, and as a commoner queen, had more dignity and grace than most of the "nobility" which Napoleon sought to emulate.
The epic story, ending in scandalous failure, is worthy of study.
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provincialism, Napoleon seemed to offer unifying strength, an invitation to the sciences, and the prospects of satisfying victories over the inept and injust usurpations of the ancien regime. And like so many young romantics, we loved Josephine for her kindness and beauty, only admiring Napoleon even more for his obvious luck in love. Of course, most of that "romantic" narrative is now revealed as a cynical political lie perpetrated by one of the most venomous psychopaths who has ever darkened the soil of Europe with the blood of innocents.Kate Williams is an accomplished historian. This comprehensive biography of Josephine -- beginning slowly from her forebears settled in Martinique, through the rich complexity of her rise to power, to her legacy still smoking long after her death -- is gracefully written as a reflection of her subject. Josephine died of pneumonia (probably) just short of her 51st birthday, a dying trophy of the allies who defeated her egocentric husband. Napoleon already thoughtlessly divorced her to marry a fertile virgin Hapsburg archduchess.
The author does not overlook the many important controversies of Napoleon's imaginary "empire". She touches upon the historical setting, relationships, and European dynamics which fully explain the rise of the Corsican and his role in devastating Europe. The tragic life of Josephine's daughter, Hortense, is depicted almost as a leitmotif of the Napoleonic plague. Corsican idiots were enthroned throughout occupied countries, armies were forced to march back and forth across mountains senselessly, a million Frenchmen were conscripted, uprooted with little pay, and many deserted. An army of 600,000 was marched into Russia and only 93,000 staggered back to France and a ruined nation. Josephine directed, and softened, the ambitions of a tyrant, and as a commoner queen, had more dignity and grace than most of the "nobility" which Napoleon sought to emulate.
The epic story, ending in scandalous failure, is worthy of study.
Show Less
LibraryThing member arielfl
Before reading this book I knew very little about Josephine except that she made up one half of one of the most famous couples in history. I found this biography enlightening.
LibraryThing member dhelmen
Well researched and well documented, Williams brings a blunter and more honest picture of Josephine to light. A favorite historical figure of mine, Josephine's complicated relationship with Napoleon, her varied and unconventional relationships with powerful and wealthy men, and her reluctance to
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the throne are all brought to light in a new way. As educational as it is enjoyable, 'Ambition and Desire' is exactly the type of biography that I enjoy reading. Show Less
LibraryThing member CinaChilders
This is the life of Josephine that most people probably wouldn't have known about outside of what they tell us in school. I learned so much about this woman and of her relationship with her second husband Napoleon. Maybe I'm just not much of a French history reader, but this woman's life story
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surprised me. The book read like entertaining fiction, giving seemingly every juicy detail that existed. Now that I know so much more about her, I can't help but admire and yet dislike Josephine. No matter what, although, she was a fascinating woman. Show Less
LibraryThing member JudiRobben
I just received this book and am reading it now. Will post my review as soon as I am finished.
LibraryThing member artheart
Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie was born in Les Trois-Îlets, Martinique, later called Josephine by her husband, Napoleon Bonaparte I, this biography is filled with historical trivia (e.g., botany, historical battles, looted art, textiles, and architecture). Josephine was one-of-a-kind
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and continually creatively reinvented herself. As expected, Josephine’s life could not be portrayed without telling unpleasant facts about Napoleon Bonaparte’s impact on his ruling of France, battles fought, ill treatment of people, including Josephine and his immoral behavior. I’m glad I spent my time reading Ambition and Desire: The Dangerous Life of Josephine Bonaparte. I enjoyed the writing style and look forward to reading other books written by Kate Williams. Show Less
LibraryThing member ltcl
Ah, to be an emperor's wife. It sounds romantic and exciting but the reality of the situation for Josephine Bonaparte, wife of Napoleon, was anything but. She came from a simple life with little education and certainly no real training to become one of France's most beloved and scorned empresses.
Napoleon seems to be an ambitious little puppy for most of the book and it is Josephine who plays her hand like a master, having her cake and eating it too as the wife of the most popular political figure in France and mistress of many enemies of state. Under everyone's nose she openly flaunted her love affairs and numerous times sobbed her way out of a divorce with Napoleon. Later in life, it is Napoleon who is in need of an heir and openly goes out of his way to find the mistress who can provide him with one. Josephine uses her friends and her children from her first marriage to persuade Napoleon to see things her way. She comes across as needy and manipulative at the same time and still was a fan of the people whereas Napoleon should come across as a magnificent leader and statesman but seems overbearing and a laughing stock when it came to his wife's indiscretions. My thanks to the publisher and LibraryThing for an advance copy of the book.
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Napoleon seems to be an ambitious little puppy for most of the book and it is Josephine who plays her hand like a master, having her cake and eating it too as the wife of the most popular political figure in France and mistress of many enemies of state. Under everyone's nose she openly flaunted her love affairs and numerous times sobbed her way out of a divorce with Napoleon. Later in life, it is Napoleon who is in need of an heir and openly goes out of his way to find the mistress who can provide him with one. Josephine uses her friends and her children from her first marriage to persuade Napoleon to see things her way. She comes across as needy and manipulative at the same time and still was a fan of the people whereas Napoleon should come across as a magnificent leader and statesman but seems overbearing and a laughing stock when it came to his wife's indiscretions. My thanks to the publisher and LibraryThing for an advance copy of the book.
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LibraryThing member wagner.sarah35
*I received this book through LibraryThing Early Reviewers.*
A good biography of Josephine Bonaparte and the times in which she lived. Josephine truly lived an extraordinary life, from a birth on a Caribbean sugar plantation to marriage to a self-made Emperor, with surviving prison during the Reign
A good biography of Josephine Bonaparte and the times in which she lived. Josephine truly lived an extraordinary life, from a birth on a Caribbean sugar plantation to marriage to a self-made Emperor, with surviving prison during the Reign
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of Terror in between. A fascinating woman, this biography also does justice to Josephine as an imperial consort and discussing her activities in planning gardens, collecting art, and her symbolic role of bridging the old aristocratic world of the Old Regime with the new era of Napoleon. Good reading and a fresh look at this iconic empress. Show Less
LibraryThing member briandrewz
An excellent account of the life of Josephine de Beauharnais, Empress of France. The book gives a fairly balanced view of her life. It is shocking to see how she and Napoleon used each other in their relationship. In the beginning of their marriage, Josephine took lovers and basically ignored her
This book is fast paced and reads like a novel. Anyone interested in this period of French history should read it.
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husband. Towards, the final years of the marriage, Napoleon took lovers, yet never cut ties with his wife. Even after their divorce he thought of her and his dying word was her name. This book is fast paced and reads like a novel. Anyone interested in this period of French history should read it.
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LibraryThing member CinderH
I thought this was a very readable biography on Josephine's life. Certainly no saint, but the people loved and accepted her. That made all the difference in her life to be able to get away with the things she did. Attaching herself to any powerful man who would give her money: Check. Flaunting her
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sexual prowess to get said man: Check. Spending incredible amounts of money (900 gowns in one year!): Check. She was certainly a fascinating woman, though I can't say I ever felt that she was happy much of her lift. She and Napoleon had such a tumultuous love that it spins my mind. Though the author insists it was a love for the ages because of their devotion to each other even after separation. If you are interested in learning about Josephine with a nice overview of the times she lived this is a great book to pick up! Show Less
LibraryThing member Schmerguls
This biography, published in England in 2013 and in the U.S. in 2015, tells the story of Josephine, born in Martinique on June 23, 1763--more than six years before Napoleon was born--and married there . She came to France in 1789. Her husband was executed in the Revolution and she herself was
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imprisoned and could well have been executed. But when Robispierre fell in 1794 she was releaasd. Napoleon fell in love with her and she finally married him--though she carried on with others even after marrying him. It is a pretty amazing story and while I did not think the book well-written--so often the author seems to be merely shoveling out stuff she found in sources, without really analyzing or coordinating it too well. But it is a fantastic story and easy to read. Show Less
LibraryThing member grnpickle
I received this book through Early Reviewers. Josephine is such an interesting subject. I thought this was a pretty easy read and I appreciated the research that went into this biography. I think I would read other books by Ms. Williams as I found myself repeat parts to others.
LibraryThing member cattriona
This was a great read, hard to put down, with a lot of less-than-pretty details about Josephine's life before and after Napoleon came into her life. She was a bit of a tart, having numerous affairs within and outside of her marriages. The book details her life, her wardrobe, her spending patterns,
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and the marks she left behind, including her botanical wonderland at Malmaison. Recommended for fans of historical fiction, history and/or strong females. Show Less
LibraryThing member Jaylia3
Well documented with footnotes and a bibliography, Ambition and Desire: The Dangerous Life of Josephine Bonaparte still manages to be accessible and highly engaging. Any biography of Josephine will necessarily include Napoleon, and theirs is an eye-popping story of poverty, passion, politics, ego,
A naive immigrant from the Caribbean when she landed in France, Josephine became in turn a spurned wife, a notorious high society vamp, a hero of the French Revolution, the bride of a little known Corsican military man, and a shopaholic empress who nevertheless acted as a humanizing force on her increasingly self-obsessed husband. Though he came to power in the wake of the Revolution, Napoleon’s thirst for pomp, acclaim, territory, and wealth drove him to out-Bourbon Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. This is a fascinating, instructive history with all the natural appeal gossip.
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ostentation, and power. A naive immigrant from the Caribbean when she landed in France, Josephine became in turn a spurned wife, a notorious high society vamp, a hero of the French Revolution, the bride of a little known Corsican military man, and a shopaholic empress who nevertheless acted as a humanizing force on her increasingly self-obsessed husband. Though he came to power in the wake of the Revolution, Napoleon’s thirst for pomp, acclaim, territory, and wealth drove him to out-Bourbon Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. This is a fascinating, instructive history with all the natural appeal gossip.
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LibraryThing member SigmundFraud
Awesome. reads like a page turner novel. Napoleon was a vulgar megalomaniac. Josephine was a likeable whore. She could spend money like there was no tomorrow. I strongly urge you to read this popular biography. I will reread it. It was so informative.
Language
Original publication date
2013
Physical description
400 p.; 6.48 inches
ISBN
0345522834 / 9780345522832
Local notes
biography