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Ambition and Desire: The Dangerous Life of Josephine Bonaparte
This is the incredible rise and unbelievable fall of a woman whose energy and ambition is often overshadowed by Napoleon's military might. In this triumphant biography, Kate Williams tells Josephine's searing story, of sexual obsession, politics and surviving as a woman in a man's world.
Abandoned in Paris by her aristocratic husband, Josephine's future did not look promising. But while her friends and contemporaries were sent to the guillotine during the Terror that followed the Revolution, she survived prison and emerged as the doyenne of a wildly debauched party scene, surprising everybody when she encouraged the advances of a short, marginalised Corsican soldier, six years her junior.
Josephine, the fabulous hostess and skilled diplomat, was the perfect consort to the ambitious but obnoxious Napoleon. With her by his side, he became the greatest man in Europe, the Supreme Emperor; and she amassed a jewellery box with more diamonds than Marie Antoinette's. But as his fame grew, Napoleon became increasingly obsessed with his need for an heir and irritated with Josephine's extravagant spending. The woman who had enchanted France became desperate and jealous. Until, a divorcee aged forty-seven, she was forced to watch from the sidelines as Napoleon and his young bride produced a child.
Abandoned in Paris by her aristocratic husband, Josephine's future did not look promising. But while her friends and contemporaries were sent to the guillotine during the Terror that followed the Revolution, she survived prison and emerged as the doyenne of a wildly debauched party scene, surprising everybody when she encouraged the advances of a short, marginalised Corsican soldier, six years her junior.
Josephine, the fabulous hostess and skilled diplomat, was the perfect consort to the ambitious but obnoxious Napoleon. With her by his side, he became the greatest man in Europe, the Supreme Emperor; and she amassed a jewellery box with more diamonds than Marie Antoinette's. But as his fame grew, Napoleon became increasingly obsessed with his need for an heir and irritated with Josephine's extravagant spending. The woman who had enchanted France became desperate and jealous. Until, a divorcee aged forty-seven, she was forced to watch from the sidelines as Napoleon and his young bride produced a child.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
About the author
Kate Williams
59 books619 followersHello! Thank you for visiting my page. It's a great privilege to be on here - and to say hi to readers. Thank you very much for all your support and interest in my books! My twitter account is @katewilliamsme and I have a facebook page for Kate Williams author, come and say hello! I'm always thrilled to hear from you and your thoughts about my work.
I grew up in a very modern house in a dormitory village in the Midlands- and as a consequence became completely obsessed by the past. When I was about six, we got a new washing machine - and I took the huge cardboard box, covered it in silver foil and told my little brother it was a time machine. I used to rumble it about and tell him 'Look! We're in Egypt in the time of the pyramids - but you can't get out!' So he had to listen to all the stories inside, my poor brother...
'One of Britain's best young historians', Independent.
'Historian Extraordinaire', The Today Programme, Radio 4
'Queen of historical fiction' and 'History at its best', Guardian
'Unforgettable', (the book, not me!), The Lady.
'Gripping, seductive', The Times
I'm still looking for that time machine - and still living in it, really as I am obsessed by history.
Thanks so much for coming with me in my time machine.....
My latest novel, Edge of the Fall, is about the DeWitt family in the 1920s as they try to make sense of their lives in the aftermath of the war. It's the Flapper Age - and everything is in flux. As Kirkus puts it, there is ' a beautiful socialite threatened by a stranger, a murder trial and a baby born out of wedlock' - 'strange disappearances, unexplained deaths, dramatic births and a juicy court case' Grazia
'Brilliant', Daily Mail
'Gripping from the first page', 'Thrilling' 'a must read', Grazia
'Imbued with a sharp awarenss of the devastating effects of war in any era, Williams' novel presents sympathetic characters who transcend history', Kirkus
My previous novel, The Storms of War, is the first in a trilogy about the de Witt family. The first explores their lives from 1914-1918, as the youngest girl, Celia, sees her perfect world crumble and change. I've wanted to write about the wars since I visited the trenches in France when I was ten on a school trip. I was fascinated by how small they were - and how men could ever live in such places. I really wanted to go into the lives of Germans - the Victorians couldn't get enough of them. Then - almost overnight - they were the enemy and people saw German spies everywhere and the newspapers demanded that all Germans in the country be imprisoned. At the beginning of the book, Rudolf and Verena have four children - and their lives will never be the same again.
'Quietly impressive...hard to put down....Gripping, thoughtful, heartbreaking and above all human', Kirkus (starred review)
'truly affecting...richly detailed, light of foot..tantalises with loose ends and disturbs with shocking shadows', Independent
'Fans of Dowton Abbey will love it, as do I', Alison Weir
'Vivid....fascinating,' Observer
My most recent history book was in 2013, Josephine: Desire, Ambition, Napoleon (UK) and 'Ambition and Desire: the Dangerous Life of Josephine Bonaparte' (US). It has been optioned by Ecosse Films (Nowhere Boy, Mrs Brown) and they are working on the script now.
'I send you a thousand kisses, but send me none back because they set my soul on fire', wrote Napoleon to Josephine.
In 2012, my book about Elizabeth II, 'Young Elizabeth' was published, exploring the Princess's life before she became Queen - and how the abdication of Edward VIII changed her world. In 2011, I co-wrote The Ring and the Crown with Alison Weir, Tracy Borman and Sarah Gristwood about the history of royal weddings.
My previous novel,The Pleasures of Men, about Catherine Sorgeiul, a young woman in 1840 who terrifies herself with her obsession with a murderer, appeared in 2012. I began writing the book while living in Paris, one
I grew up in a very modern house in a dormitory village in the Midlands- and as a consequence became completely obsessed by the past. When I was about six, we got a new washing machine - and I took the huge cardboard box, covered it in silver foil and told my little brother it was a time machine. I used to rumble it about and tell him 'Look! We're in Egypt in the time of the pyramids - but you can't get out!' So he had to listen to all the stories inside, my poor brother...
'One of Britain's best young historians', Independent.
'Historian Extraordinaire', The Today Programme, Radio 4
'Queen of historical fiction' and 'History at its best', Guardian
'Unforgettable', (the book, not me!), The Lady.
'Gripping, seductive', The Times
I'm still looking for that time machine - and still living in it, really as I am obsessed by history.
Thanks so much for coming with me in my time machine.....
My latest novel, Edge of the Fall, is about the DeWitt family in the 1920s as they try to make sense of their lives in the aftermath of the war. It's the Flapper Age - and everything is in flux. As Kirkus puts it, there is ' a beautiful socialite threatened by a stranger, a murder trial and a baby born out of wedlock' - 'strange disappearances, unexplained deaths, dramatic births and a juicy court case' Grazia
'Brilliant', Daily Mail
'Gripping from the first page', 'Thrilling' 'a must read', Grazia
'Imbued with a sharp awarenss of the devastating effects of war in any era, Williams' novel presents sympathetic characters who transcend history', Kirkus
My previous novel, The Storms of War, is the first in a trilogy about the de Witt family. The first explores their lives from 1914-1918, as the youngest girl, Celia, sees her perfect world crumble and change. I've wanted to write about the wars since I visited the trenches in France when I was ten on a school trip. I was fascinated by how small they were - and how men could ever live in such places. I really wanted to go into the lives of Germans - the Victorians couldn't get enough of them. Then - almost overnight - they were the enemy and people saw German spies everywhere and the newspapers demanded that all Germans in the country be imprisoned. At the beginning of the book, Rudolf and Verena have four children - and their lives will never be the same again.
'Quietly impressive...hard to put down....Gripping, thoughtful, heartbreaking and above all human', Kirkus (starred review)
'truly affecting...richly detailed, light of foot..tantalises with loose ends and disturbs with shocking shadows', Independent
'Fans of Dowton Abbey will love it, as do I', Alison Weir
'Vivid....fascinating,' Observer
My most recent history book was in 2013, Josephine: Desire, Ambition, Napoleon (UK) and 'Ambition and Desire: the Dangerous Life of Josephine Bonaparte' (US). It has been optioned by Ecosse Films (Nowhere Boy, Mrs Brown) and they are working on the script now.
'I send you a thousand kisses, but send me none back because they set my soul on fire', wrote Napoleon to Josephine.
In 2012, my book about Elizabeth II, 'Young Elizabeth' was published, exploring the Princess's life before she became Queen - and how the abdication of Edward VIII changed her world. In 2011, I co-wrote The Ring and the Crown with Alison Weir, Tracy Borman and Sarah Gristwood about the history of royal weddings.
My previous novel,The Pleasures of Men, about Catherine Sorgeiul, a young woman in 1840 who terrifies herself with her obsession with a murderer, appeared in 2012. I began writing the book while living in Paris, one
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 232 reviews
August 20, 2014
HAPPY BASTILLE DAY, FRENCHIES!! LET THEM EAT PEANUTS!!!
She chose the symbol of the swan, graceful on the surface but scrabbling hard underwater.
this is pretty much just a straight-up biography of josephine bonaparte. i don't read a lot of biographies, but sometimes i have to read things outside of my comfort zone, and this is what happens. it's not at all bad, but i never thought i would be reading one on josephine, and the things i knew about her life before i read this are as follows:
she was french
she was married to napoleon
they had a tempestuous relationship with bunches of sex
turns out, she was actually from martinique, and was not the gorgeous and glamorous sexpot "they" usually depict her as being; in fact, she was a little odd-looking but she could eventually afford wonderful artists to depict her more charitably. and she knew very well the fine female art of sartorial camouflage - buying 900 gowns a year during the height of her wealth and power.
but she came from much more humble beginnings, growing up on a sugar plantation that was destroyed by a hurricane, compromising her family's wealth and her prospects. she got pushed into a loveless, arranged marriage to alexandre de beauharnais at sixteen, after her 12-year-old sister, and first choice, died.
and then - BOOM - reign of terror hits - her husband's head is cut off, and she's imprisoned.
she's released, and here's where it gets interesting. apparently, there was a great romantic allure to those who had been imprisoned. the french, right???
this is where i discovered the baron de frenilly, who is the kind of guy i would want to hang out with, all glib and offhand observations
"It was the height of good manners to be ruined, to have been suspected, persecuted, and, above all, imprisoned."
and
"People greatly regretted that they had not been guillotined.
and
"It is impossible to die of hunger with more gaiety."
were i the kind of person who could be bothered reading books on the computer, i would read his memoirs, but alas, i am not.
so josephine finds herself in demand, with all the glamor her imprisonment has bestowed, and suddenly she's having all these wild parties - let's call them elegant orgies - where she meets napoleon and he becomes sexually obsessed with her, and eventually, they get married.
it's not a romance of the ages - they both take lovers - her first affair occurs during the first year of their marriage - they're both erratic and ambitious, but they keep circling each other and winding up in the bedroom, despite napoleon's family's disgust and the fact that although she managed two children with her beheaded husband (before he was beheaded), josephine never gives napoleon the son he needs.
and then this:
Marie was the first of Napoleon's mistresses whom he was sure had been entirely faithful to him. Unlike Eleonore Denuelle, she truly loved him; there had been no gentlemen callers in his absences. Napoleon was now certain that he could father a child. Marie's pregnancy secured his lasting affection for her and meant the end of her three-year period as his mistress."Naturally I would prefer to have my mistress crowned, but I must be allied with sovereigns." He left Vienna resolved to divorce his wife and find a royal to marry.
hooray! now that he knows his juice is potent, it's away with the wife and the first women who has ever been faithful to him because - HEIR!!! see ya, suckers!
napoleon is such a dick.
but so is she, and this isn't the story of a woman wronged, this is the story of what happened when two kind of shitty and ambitious people met, had great sex, clung to each other in some prototypical new adult romance relationship, grew to unprecedented power together and one time almost got blown up.
i love how devoted she was to her beloved chateau de malmaison, and her roses, and that she had animals running everywhere, like an orangutan and swans, and i kind of didn't love that napoleon would shoot them when he was in a mood.
if you're interested in josephine at all, this seems to be a pretty comprehensive biography, although i am certainly no authority on what makes a good biography.
come to my blog!
She chose the symbol of the swan, graceful on the surface but scrabbling hard underwater.
this is pretty much just a straight-up biography of josephine bonaparte. i don't read a lot of biographies, but sometimes i have to read things outside of my comfort zone, and this is what happens. it's not at all bad, but i never thought i would be reading one on josephine, and the things i knew about her life before i read this are as follows:
she was french
she was married to napoleon
they had a tempestuous relationship with bunches of sex
turns out, she was actually from martinique, and was not the gorgeous and glamorous sexpot "they" usually depict her as being; in fact, she was a little odd-looking but she could eventually afford wonderful artists to depict her more charitably. and she knew very well the fine female art of sartorial camouflage - buying 900 gowns a year during the height of her wealth and power.
but she came from much more humble beginnings, growing up on a sugar plantation that was destroyed by a hurricane, compromising her family's wealth and her prospects. she got pushed into a loveless, arranged marriage to alexandre de beauharnais at sixteen, after her 12-year-old sister, and first choice, died.
and then - BOOM - reign of terror hits - her husband's head is cut off, and she's imprisoned.
she's released, and here's where it gets interesting. apparently, there was a great romantic allure to those who had been imprisoned. the french, right???
this is where i discovered the baron de frenilly, who is the kind of guy i would want to hang out with, all glib and offhand observations
"It was the height of good manners to be ruined, to have been suspected, persecuted, and, above all, imprisoned."
and
"People greatly regretted that they had not been guillotined.
and
"It is impossible to die of hunger with more gaiety."
were i the kind of person who could be bothered reading books on the computer, i would read his memoirs, but alas, i am not.
so josephine finds herself in demand, with all the glamor her imprisonment has bestowed, and suddenly she's having all these wild parties - let's call them elegant orgies - where she meets napoleon and he becomes sexually obsessed with her, and eventually, they get married.
it's not a romance of the ages - they both take lovers - her first affair occurs during the first year of their marriage - they're both erratic and ambitious, but they keep circling each other and winding up in the bedroom, despite napoleon's family's disgust and the fact that although she managed two children with her beheaded husband (before he was beheaded), josephine never gives napoleon the son he needs.
and then this:
Marie was the first of Napoleon's mistresses whom he was sure had been entirely faithful to him. Unlike Eleonore Denuelle, she truly loved him; there had been no gentlemen callers in his absences. Napoleon was now certain that he could father a child. Marie's pregnancy secured his lasting affection for her and meant the end of her three-year period as his mistress."Naturally I would prefer to have my mistress crowned, but I must be allied with sovereigns." He left Vienna resolved to divorce his wife and find a royal to marry.
hooray! now that he knows his juice is potent, it's away with the wife and the first women who has ever been faithful to him because - HEIR!!! see ya, suckers!
napoleon is such a dick.
but so is she, and this isn't the story of a woman wronged, this is the story of what happened when two kind of shitty and ambitious people met, had great sex, clung to each other in some prototypical new adult romance relationship, grew to unprecedented power together and one time almost got blown up.
i love how devoted she was to her beloved chateau de malmaison, and her roses, and that she had animals running everywhere, like an orangutan and swans, and i kind of didn't love that napoleon would shoot them when he was in a mood.
if you're interested in josephine at all, this seems to be a pretty comprehensive biography, although i am certainly no authority on what makes a good biography.
come to my blog!
November 21, 2023
Love, War and Peace
Kate Williams is an up and coming historian who has written some decent books in recent years on figure such as HM Queen Elizabeth II and Lady Hamilton, the mistress of Viscount Horatio Nelson. Here she turns to that most famous of women, Josephine de Beauharnais who captured the mind and soul of Napoleon Bonaparte. History has focused heavily on Napoleon and for good reason, he changed the world and defined an age. However, Josephine’s life in my opinion is extremely interesting and deserves its own story.
There are many myths to dispel. She was not a feminine fatale, not did she love Napoleon. This is not the story of a great romance, but one of betrayal, lies, enemies more than friends and a climb to the top. Stepping over everyone in the way. Williams describes her subject as ‘flawed, vulnerable, engaging and powerful’. This is an accurate summary. She was also no great beauty, but as Williams shows, she had a sexual and sensual nature and with ‘one twitch of her skirt’ could entice any man to fall head over heels for her and die to get her into bed.
Both six years before Napoleon in 1763 to a poor but slave owning family in French Martinique Marie-Josèphe de Tascher de La Pagerie had an easy childhood. However, for all ladies of her class and time she had to be married and in 1779 she was sent to Paris to wed the Viscomte de Beauharnais, a difficult and aggressive man, with whom she had her two children Eugene and Hortense. Following this the revolution broke out and as she was a member of the aristocracy she was imprisoned with her husband. He was executed even though he supported the revolution. She survived as Maxilliem Robespierre and the Reign of Terror was overthrown and the less bloodthirsty Directory was installed. She became the mistress of the powerful Paul de Barras and as a result in 1795 was introduced to a young Corsican called Napoleon Bonaparte. For him it was love at first site, for her it was social security.
What followed was a life of lies, deceit and war. Napoleon was obsessed, she knew that sex and romance meant that Napoleon would find her insanely excessive lifestyle. She once bought 38 hats in a month and 90 dresses in a year. She was always in debt and caused Napoleon no end of headaches. He was the first and only to call her Josephine, as we have seen above this was not her name. As she was six years old than him and had more experience on the bedroom, Napoleon was captivated by her. She more likely tolerated him, for as soon as he went to Italy on campaign in 1796 she cheated on him. However, it was Egypt in 1798 where Napoleon really learnt of her affairs and decided to take a mistress of his own. Here the balance of power really changed. He grew more powerful and she came utterly reliant on him. She also had to deal with the Bonaparte clan, bullies and backwards. They hated Josephine, but much to their own detriment in the end, convinced him to get a divorce so he could have children. This was an own goal on their part, as this meant he would produce his own heir and not name one of them or their children.
In 1804 Napoleon crowned himself emperor and as a good gesture also crowned Josephine empress. However, the urgent desire for an heir led him to divorce her and in 1809 marry the Austrian princess Marie-Louise, daughter of Joseph II. A young girl who was taught to hate the French as she grew up. But she brought legitimacy to Napoleon’s thrown in a way Josephine could not. Of course he looked after her and even continued to correspond. Even writing to her on the birth of his son, the King of Rome. Josephine died in 1814, after pneumonia. Napoleon never forgot and wrote about her in exile in St Helena. Josephine’s life was difficult and certainly had its ups and downs. Hanging on the Napoleon as much as possible, Hortense was sacrificed to marry the ill matched Louis. She also had to contend with Napoleon himself taking a liking to her. Josephine: Desire, Ambition, Napoleon is decent book, which fills in the gaps and doesn’t stray from the subject matter.
Kate Williams is an up and coming historian who has written some decent books in recent years on figure such as HM Queen Elizabeth II and Lady Hamilton, the mistress of Viscount Horatio Nelson. Here she turns to that most famous of women, Josephine de Beauharnais who captured the mind and soul of Napoleon Bonaparte. History has focused heavily on Napoleon and for good reason, he changed the world and defined an age. However, Josephine’s life in my opinion is extremely interesting and deserves its own story.
There are many myths to dispel. She was not a feminine fatale, not did she love Napoleon. This is not the story of a great romance, but one of betrayal, lies, enemies more than friends and a climb to the top. Stepping over everyone in the way. Williams describes her subject as ‘flawed, vulnerable, engaging and powerful’. This is an accurate summary. She was also no great beauty, but as Williams shows, she had a sexual and sensual nature and with ‘one twitch of her skirt’ could entice any man to fall head over heels for her and die to get her into bed.
Both six years before Napoleon in 1763 to a poor but slave owning family in French Martinique Marie-Josèphe de Tascher de La Pagerie had an easy childhood. However, for all ladies of her class and time she had to be married and in 1779 she was sent to Paris to wed the Viscomte de Beauharnais, a difficult and aggressive man, with whom she had her two children Eugene and Hortense. Following this the revolution broke out and as she was a member of the aristocracy she was imprisoned with her husband. He was executed even though he supported the revolution. She survived as Maxilliem Robespierre and the Reign of Terror was overthrown and the less bloodthirsty Directory was installed. She became the mistress of the powerful Paul de Barras and as a result in 1795 was introduced to a young Corsican called Napoleon Bonaparte. For him it was love at first site, for her it was social security.
What followed was a life of lies, deceit and war. Napoleon was obsessed, she knew that sex and romance meant that Napoleon would find her insanely excessive lifestyle. She once bought 38 hats in a month and 90 dresses in a year. She was always in debt and caused Napoleon no end of headaches. He was the first and only to call her Josephine, as we have seen above this was not her name. As she was six years old than him and had more experience on the bedroom, Napoleon was captivated by her. She more likely tolerated him, for as soon as he went to Italy on campaign in 1796 she cheated on him. However, it was Egypt in 1798 where Napoleon really learnt of her affairs and decided to take a mistress of his own. Here the balance of power really changed. He grew more powerful and she came utterly reliant on him. She also had to deal with the Bonaparte clan, bullies and backwards. They hated Josephine, but much to their own detriment in the end, convinced him to get a divorce so he could have children. This was an own goal on their part, as this meant he would produce his own heir and not name one of them or their children.
In 1804 Napoleon crowned himself emperor and as a good gesture also crowned Josephine empress. However, the urgent desire for an heir led him to divorce her and in 1809 marry the Austrian princess Marie-Louise, daughter of Joseph II. A young girl who was taught to hate the French as she grew up. But she brought legitimacy to Napoleon’s thrown in a way Josephine could not. Of course he looked after her and even continued to correspond. Even writing to her on the birth of his son, the King of Rome. Josephine died in 1814, after pneumonia. Napoleon never forgot and wrote about her in exile in St Helena. Josephine’s life was difficult and certainly had its ups and downs. Hanging on the Napoleon as much as possible, Hortense was sacrificed to marry the ill matched Louis. She also had to contend with Napoleon himself taking a liking to her. Josephine: Desire, Ambition, Napoleon is decent book, which fills in the gaps and doesn’t stray from the subject matter.
December 13, 2023
After reading the excellent review of one of my GR friends whose opinion I trust, I found this book at a used book store and gave it a try. My trust in his opinion prevails!
This is a biography of Josephine.......impoverished Creole, widow, semi-courtesan, and mistress....who against all odds rose become the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte and Empress of France. As a child, she visited a tarot card reader and was told that she would become the most envied woman in the world but not that she would also become one of the most tragic.
The book follows her journey from Martinique, the tiny island in the Caribbean, to France, in order to marry an aristocrat who wanted nothing to do with her but she did bear him two children, her only offspring. He met his fate on the guillotine during the Reign of Terror but she escaped and was left penniless to make her way using her own wits and talents.
She was not a beautiful woman and due to her rotten teeth, all of her portraits show her with her lips closed. But she had "something", a sexual allure that attracted men of political importance (and money!). She learned quickly how to manipulate them and become a figure in society. And then she met Napoleon and the die was cast.
I will go no further than to say that the book was engaging, well written (with a bit of repetition), and an in-depth look at the life of one of the most fascinating women in French history. I highly recommend it.
This is a biography of Josephine.......impoverished Creole, widow, semi-courtesan, and mistress....who against all odds rose become the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte and Empress of France. As a child, she visited a tarot card reader and was told that she would become the most envied woman in the world but not that she would also become one of the most tragic.
The book follows her journey from Martinique, the tiny island in the Caribbean, to France, in order to marry an aristocrat who wanted nothing to do with her but she did bear him two children, her only offspring. He met his fate on the guillotine during the Reign of Terror but she escaped and was left penniless to make her way using her own wits and talents.
She was not a beautiful woman and due to her rotten teeth, all of her portraits show her with her lips closed. But she had "something", a sexual allure that attracted men of political importance (and money!). She learned quickly how to manipulate them and become a figure in society. And then she met Napoleon and the die was cast.
I will go no further than to say that the book was engaging, well written (with a bit of repetition), and an in-depth look at the life of one of the most fascinating women in French history. I highly recommend it.
April 10, 2017
It cannot be said enough; strong women come in all shapes and forms. Kate Williams proves this in her thorough biography of Josephine Bonaparte, who is the latest in my list of subjects as I continue my journey over this two month period. Married to the (in)famous French general and Emperor, Josephine's life proved to be packed full of interesting stories, offset with much angst and derision. Williams brings much of this to life in this piece that touches on a number of historic events, which provides a firm backdrop for the reader to better understand this life. Williams keeps the reader engaged and offers enough tidbits that the narrative flows with ease until the climax of Bonaparte's life, letting the story tell itself at key moments. Curious readers will surely find something herein to keep them engaged, if only to shake their heads at Josephine's choices.
Born Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie on the island of Martinique, she found herself a member of a rich and highly prosperous white Creole family. The price and plentifulness of sugarcane in the region helped elevate their wealth, which was eventually dashed by numerous strong and destructive hurricanes. Marie found herself growing up with all the luxuries that life could provide on this small island, though the ability to forge a lasting aristocracy amongst such a small population soon left the family to look elsewhere. An aunt had arranged the marriage of Marie's sister, Catherine, to the son of the Vicomte de Beauharnais, which would take the young girl to France and place her in a position of some esteem. However, Catherine's death at the age of twelve left a vacancy and Marie saw her chance to leave the island and enter French aristocracy. Marie sailed for France, where she would meet and soon marry Alexandre. As with many aristocratic unions, it was good on paper, but the marriage saw Marie abused and troubled. The two children she bore Alexandre, Eugène and Hortense, proved to be the happiest part of her union, which was further troubled as the Revolution gained momentum and the de Beauharnais name became part of the old aristocracy that the people sought to abolish. Williams explores how Marie was able to see the classes crumble around her while the people sought to remove the aristocratic hierarchy and bring those accountable to bear for their crimes. Alexandre was taken into custody by the Committee of Public Safety during the infamous Reign of Terror. Marie was subsequently jailed as well, finding herself isolated from her children and left to fend for herself. Alexandre's execution left Marie without a husband and forced to raise two children alone. Williams assures the reader that Marie did not pine too long. She was known for her romantic and sexual dalliances with men of power, having had affairs with those who found themselves on the right side of the revolutionary forces. These affairs helped portray Marie as a woman willing to do what it took to rise above the fray, which she did, leaving her more than ready when she encountered the young Napoléon Bonaparte, six years her junior.
Already a man of much military prowess before meeting Josephine (who changed her name to something more regal than Marie by this time), Napoléon Bonaparte was said to be her one true love. As Williams explores this couple, their pairing seemed anything but smooth or filled with romance. The narrative explores the vignette of Napoléon refusing a formal and religious ceremony, turning instead to a civil union that might not even have been legal. Napoléon reminded his wife repeatedly of how he could dissolve their union as simply as it came together, a telltale sign that this was a power move more than anything else. Both Josephine and Napoléon had countless affairs and turned to specific lovers for periods of time, as if to compete with one another for the honour. Additionally, Josephine's two children were at an age when they could consciously judge their step-father, who was brutal and focussed on his territorial acquisitions rather than fostering a cohesive unit. With the French Revolution complete and a power vacuum present, Napoléon sought to fill it and lead the country into the 19th century. He took the French military to the far reaches of Europe to create an empire all his own and drummed up support to do so. Josephine stayed behind and showed her support by turning to lovers, one of whom almost cost Josephine her marriage. Still, as Napoléon gained in power, Joisephine basked in it and gladly became Empress of France when the chance arose. Thinking back to her youth and the premonitions of a fortune teller on Martinique, Josephine prepared for the luxuries bestowed upon her. This fame and relative fortune did not quell the ongoing love triangle (or even trapezoid) with Napoléon, as Williams recounts the continual strain of Josephine not bearing her husband a child. Napoléon was determined to have an heir and sought his step-daughter, Hortense, to agree to a union 'for France'. What muddied the waters even more was Hortense's marriage to Louis Bonaparte, brother to Napoléon. As Emperor and Empress continued to live in ever-distancing spheres, an heir was not forthcoming (rumours abounded as to the father of Hortense's son) and Napoléon continued to see the affections of others. Finally, in 1810, the Bonapartes divorced and Napoléon turned to a member of the Austrian Royal Family. Josephine remained an anchor for the Emperor, who wrote to her and kept her safely supported with money and lodging. When she entered the waning weeks of life, medical doctors diagnosed it as pneumonia but others wondered if Josephine might have succumbed to the angst and pain of losing her husband forever. Her death touched many and while Napoléon was eventually banished from France, he continued to hold her close to his heart. A woman whose power came more from her husband than her own doing, Josephine's lasting impression might offer historians an out to promote her to a position of ongoing importance.
I chose Josephine Bonaparte not only because it was a buddy read, but also because I wanted to learn a great deal about this woman, whose past remained a mystery. Kate Williams does a wonderful job in laying the groundwork for this most interesting woman, from a childhood in the far off islands and capturing a perspective during the French Revolution. Williams' attention to detail was great and her development of Josephine's character was superb, though towards the latter half of the book, things became too diluted. I found the narrative straying into a history of Napoléon and his conquests, rather than life through the eyes of his wife. While I agree that there are times that women become secondary to their husbands in history's documentation (and it is for this reason that it takes a special woman to shake off said shackles and rise above), it seemed as though Williams wanted to regale the reader with aspects that did not directly involve Josephine. Additionally, even in the epilogue, Williams refers to the Napoléon-Josephine relationship as one of the great loves in history. I found it to be stilted and more in line with two teenagers who continually toss themselves at one another, commit some relationship faux pas, and then dash off in the other direction until the next cycle commences. It is true that Josephine's ancestry proved to be rich in European leaders, though her own power seemed to have been muted. Williams chose well to offer up a strong narrative, though I might have been wrong to call her a 'powerful woman in history' in the sense of control and independent victory.
Kudos, Madam Williams for an enthralling piece about a woman whose life might have been defined by her choice of spouses. I learned much and am happy to come away with a deeper knowledge of the woman, the era, and all there is to know about the Bonaparte dynasty.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com
Born Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie on the island of Martinique, she found herself a member of a rich and highly prosperous white Creole family. The price and plentifulness of sugarcane in the region helped elevate their wealth, which was eventually dashed by numerous strong and destructive hurricanes. Marie found herself growing up with all the luxuries that life could provide on this small island, though the ability to forge a lasting aristocracy amongst such a small population soon left the family to look elsewhere. An aunt had arranged the marriage of Marie's sister, Catherine, to the son of the Vicomte de Beauharnais, which would take the young girl to France and place her in a position of some esteem. However, Catherine's death at the age of twelve left a vacancy and Marie saw her chance to leave the island and enter French aristocracy. Marie sailed for France, where she would meet and soon marry Alexandre. As with many aristocratic unions, it was good on paper, but the marriage saw Marie abused and troubled. The two children she bore Alexandre, Eugène and Hortense, proved to be the happiest part of her union, which was further troubled as the Revolution gained momentum and the de Beauharnais name became part of the old aristocracy that the people sought to abolish. Williams explores how Marie was able to see the classes crumble around her while the people sought to remove the aristocratic hierarchy and bring those accountable to bear for their crimes. Alexandre was taken into custody by the Committee of Public Safety during the infamous Reign of Terror. Marie was subsequently jailed as well, finding herself isolated from her children and left to fend for herself. Alexandre's execution left Marie without a husband and forced to raise two children alone. Williams assures the reader that Marie did not pine too long. She was known for her romantic and sexual dalliances with men of power, having had affairs with those who found themselves on the right side of the revolutionary forces. These affairs helped portray Marie as a woman willing to do what it took to rise above the fray, which she did, leaving her more than ready when she encountered the young Napoléon Bonaparte, six years her junior.
Already a man of much military prowess before meeting Josephine (who changed her name to something more regal than Marie by this time), Napoléon Bonaparte was said to be her one true love. As Williams explores this couple, their pairing seemed anything but smooth or filled with romance. The narrative explores the vignette of Napoléon refusing a formal and religious ceremony, turning instead to a civil union that might not even have been legal. Napoléon reminded his wife repeatedly of how he could dissolve their union as simply as it came together, a telltale sign that this was a power move more than anything else. Both Josephine and Napoléon had countless affairs and turned to specific lovers for periods of time, as if to compete with one another for the honour. Additionally, Josephine's two children were at an age when they could consciously judge their step-father, who was brutal and focussed on his territorial acquisitions rather than fostering a cohesive unit. With the French Revolution complete and a power vacuum present, Napoléon sought to fill it and lead the country into the 19th century. He took the French military to the far reaches of Europe to create an empire all his own and drummed up support to do so. Josephine stayed behind and showed her support by turning to lovers, one of whom almost cost Josephine her marriage. Still, as Napoléon gained in power, Joisephine basked in it and gladly became Empress of France when the chance arose. Thinking back to her youth and the premonitions of a fortune teller on Martinique, Josephine prepared for the luxuries bestowed upon her. This fame and relative fortune did not quell the ongoing love triangle (or even trapezoid) with Napoléon, as Williams recounts the continual strain of Josephine not bearing her husband a child. Napoléon was determined to have an heir and sought his step-daughter, Hortense, to agree to a union 'for France'. What muddied the waters even more was Hortense's marriage to Louis Bonaparte, brother to Napoléon. As Emperor and Empress continued to live in ever-distancing spheres, an heir was not forthcoming (rumours abounded as to the father of Hortense's son) and Napoléon continued to see the affections of others. Finally, in 1810, the Bonapartes divorced and Napoléon turned to a member of the Austrian Royal Family. Josephine remained an anchor for the Emperor, who wrote to her and kept her safely supported with money and lodging. When she entered the waning weeks of life, medical doctors diagnosed it as pneumonia but others wondered if Josephine might have succumbed to the angst and pain of losing her husband forever. Her death touched many and while Napoléon was eventually banished from France, he continued to hold her close to his heart. A woman whose power came more from her husband than her own doing, Josephine's lasting impression might offer historians an out to promote her to a position of ongoing importance.
I chose Josephine Bonaparte not only because it was a buddy read, but also because I wanted to learn a great deal about this woman, whose past remained a mystery. Kate Williams does a wonderful job in laying the groundwork for this most interesting woman, from a childhood in the far off islands and capturing a perspective during the French Revolution. Williams' attention to detail was great and her development of Josephine's character was superb, though towards the latter half of the book, things became too diluted. I found the narrative straying into a history of Napoléon and his conquests, rather than life through the eyes of his wife. While I agree that there are times that women become secondary to their husbands in history's documentation (and it is for this reason that it takes a special woman to shake off said shackles and rise above), it seemed as though Williams wanted to regale the reader with aspects that did not directly involve Josephine. Additionally, even in the epilogue, Williams refers to the Napoléon-Josephine relationship as one of the great loves in history. I found it to be stilted and more in line with two teenagers who continually toss themselves at one another, commit some relationship faux pas, and then dash off in the other direction until the next cycle commences. It is true that Josephine's ancestry proved to be rich in European leaders, though her own power seemed to have been muted. Williams chose well to offer up a strong narrative, though I might have been wrong to call her a 'powerful woman in history' in the sense of control and independent victory.
Kudos, Madam Williams for an enthralling piece about a woman whose life might have been defined by her choice of spouses. I learned much and am happy to come away with a deeper knowledge of the woman, the era, and all there is to know about the Bonaparte dynasty.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com
December 10, 2014
I thought this book was fascinating. Before reading it I knew little about Josephine, Napoleon's first wife, and now she seems as real as a fierce, spunky aunt.
This book covers Josephine's childhood, her first marriage to Alexandre de Beauharnais, her imprisonment during the French Revolution, her tumultuous relationship and marriage with Napoleon, her experience as Empress of France, her obsession with creating a beautiful garden at Château de Malmaison, and her life after the "Little Corporal" left her.
Kate Williams did an excellent job weaving together the stories, quotes and historical details from the late 1700s and early 1800s. Her narrative is well-written and engaging. I frequently paused while reading to share stories of Josephine and Napoleon with friends -- that's how conversational this book is. I would recommend it to fans of history, and those interested in biographies of powerful women.
Favorite Quotes
"But underneath all the sparkling conversation, the cheering, and the caps of liberty, the truth was that France was bankrupt. Unrest continued to surge; the crowds were prowling and angry, unwilling to wait much longer for the bread they had been promised."
[on the French Revolution] "The city had become a terrible, ghoulish place, as ravaged and sick as if it had been hit by the Black Death. People denounced employees, neighbors, friends, and lovers and were constantly afraid of being accused of treason, plotting or antirepublican feeling. Almost the entire company of the Comédie Française was imprisoned for suspicious behavior. Mothers were dragged to the guillotine from childbed, while men and women were so eager to save their skins that they cheered the deaths of their loved ones."
"Napoleon was a tough, assertive, aggressive child, intelligent and with a temper that always threatened to boil over at any provocation. At the age of seven, he was sent to a Jesuit school where he learned to read, write and add, as well as a little Latin and ancient history. He spent his time there destroying his surroundings, pulling out the stuffing from chairs, scratching tables, and tearing leaves off plants."
"When General Bonaparte fell in love with Mme. de Beauharnais, it was love in all the power and strength of the term," said his friend Auguste de Marmont. "It was apparently his first passion and he felt it with all the vigor of his nature."
"Josephine had become a woman who did not have the luxury of believing in love. To her, romance and sex were a path to status and security, the bargains that a woman had to make to survive. Over the years she had learned charm and sophistication, while forgoing her excitement, her joy in the new, and her desire to lose herself to another. She had not been looking to fall in love but for a man to support her and her children. Napoleon interested her and she loved him, in her way, but she no longer believed that passion could change her life."
"Napoleon loved people to be in debt, since it was a way of keeping them in a state of dependence, but Josephine went too far: She was addicted to shopping. Having lost so much in the Terror, she was always afraid of being deprived again. She was also looking for control and security and a way to forge an identity separate from Napoleon's demands. She simply could not stop buying things she did not need."
"My garden is the most beautiful thing in the world," Josephine said in 1813. Malmaison was a fiefdom of rare and exotic plants, many grown for the first time in Europe, some of which are now common in our gardens, including cactuses, rhododendrons, tulips, dahlias, and double jacinths. "There are so many rare plants from all parts of the world, that one might believe oneself to be in the tropics," pronounced Comtesse Potocka.
"I am not like other men, and the ordinary laws of morality and rules of propriety do not apply to me," Napoleon vaunted. Like tyrants throughout history, he imposed morality on the people while using his own position to pursue his sexual desires.
This book covers Josephine's childhood, her first marriage to Alexandre de Beauharnais, her imprisonment during the French Revolution, her tumultuous relationship and marriage with Napoleon, her experience as Empress of France, her obsession with creating a beautiful garden at Château de Malmaison, and her life after the "Little Corporal" left her.
Josephine lived an incredible life, rising from a humble childhood in Martinique to great power and glory. She experienced the highs and lows of rule and the pains of exile. Her tastes set the trends for art, fashion, gardening, and decoration, and her manner as a consort became seen as the ideal ...
Most of all, Napoleon and Josephine's romance is celebrated as one for the ages, a coup de foudre both mysterious and passioante. Although they were married only fourteen years, they shaped each other's legacies, and theirs is one of the great love stories of history. Napoleon needed Josephine to spin him from general to politican, to smooth his way, to charm his opposition. She threw in her lot with him, gambling that he would lift himself beyond mere military glory. She won her bet, and yet it came at a price. Marriage to him was exhausting, and she had to pretend she was someone she was not for much of her life.
Kate Williams did an excellent job weaving together the stories, quotes and historical details from the late 1700s and early 1800s. Her narrative is well-written and engaging. I frequently paused while reading to share stories of Josephine and Napoleon with friends -- that's how conversational this book is. I would recommend it to fans of history, and those interested in biographies of powerful women.
Favorite Quotes
"But underneath all the sparkling conversation, the cheering, and the caps of liberty, the truth was that France was bankrupt. Unrest continued to surge; the crowds were prowling and angry, unwilling to wait much longer for the bread they had been promised."
[on the French Revolution] "The city had become a terrible, ghoulish place, as ravaged and sick as if it had been hit by the Black Death. People denounced employees, neighbors, friends, and lovers and were constantly afraid of being accused of treason, plotting or antirepublican feeling. Almost the entire company of the Comédie Française was imprisoned for suspicious behavior. Mothers were dragged to the guillotine from childbed, while men and women were so eager to save their skins that they cheered the deaths of their loved ones."
"Napoleon was a tough, assertive, aggressive child, intelligent and with a temper that always threatened to boil over at any provocation. At the age of seven, he was sent to a Jesuit school where he learned to read, write and add, as well as a little Latin and ancient history. He spent his time there destroying his surroundings, pulling out the stuffing from chairs, scratching tables, and tearing leaves off plants."
"When General Bonaparte fell in love with Mme. de Beauharnais, it was love in all the power and strength of the term," said his friend Auguste de Marmont. "It was apparently his first passion and he felt it with all the vigor of his nature."
"Josephine had become a woman who did not have the luxury of believing in love. To her, romance and sex were a path to status and security, the bargains that a woman had to make to survive. Over the years she had learned charm and sophistication, while forgoing her excitement, her joy in the new, and her desire to lose herself to another. She had not been looking to fall in love but for a man to support her and her children. Napoleon interested her and she loved him, in her way, but she no longer believed that passion could change her life."
"Napoleon loved people to be in debt, since it was a way of keeping them in a state of dependence, but Josephine went too far: She was addicted to shopping. Having lost so much in the Terror, she was always afraid of being deprived again. She was also looking for control and security and a way to forge an identity separate from Napoleon's demands. She simply could not stop buying things she did not need."
"My garden is the most beautiful thing in the world," Josephine said in 1813. Malmaison was a fiefdom of rare and exotic plants, many grown for the first time in Europe, some of which are now common in our gardens, including cactuses, rhododendrons, tulips, dahlias, and double jacinths. "There are so many rare plants from all parts of the world, that one might believe oneself to be in the tropics," pronounced Comtesse Potocka.
"I am not like other men, and the ordinary laws of morality and rules of propriety do not apply to me," Napoleon vaunted. Like tyrants throughout history, he imposed morality on the people while using his own position to pursue his sexual desires.
October 10, 2014
I received this book for free from Goodreads First Reads in exchange for my review.
I am going to be nit picky with this review. I will start with the positive. It was an easy read that entertained. In particular I enjoyed the chapter on Malmaison which was full of vivid descriptions. I have added Malmaison to my wish list of places to visit the next time I am in Paris.
But.
To be honest, I expected a more balanced account from a writer with a background like Kate Williams. This book, purported to be a bio, reads more like a tell-all expose. The author's bias is blatantly obvious, and she chooses to present the nefarious, the scandalous, the underbelly of Josephine's relationship with Napoleon. Previous readers have commented on the "well researched" use of footnotes and a bibliography, but I would suggest that neither of these tools ensure that the story told within is accurate or without bias. I am not a Josephine expert. Far from it. But I have an interest in French history, and have done a bit of reading on that subject. Obviously, Josephine and Napoleon play an integral role in that history. Williams version of their roles and actions focuses predominantly on the negative. A cursory glance through her bibliography shows a reliance on memoirs and letters with limited use of academically respected resources.
That issue aside, Williams does not tell her account in a chronological fashion, which isn't a problem in and of itself. It's just that there aren't enough dates in the text to explain what is happening when. She uses dated references such as "two weeks later" without a previous date reference, so the reader doesn't know "two weeks later than what?". She often places dates like "On August 5th" without giving a year, which I find careless and so easy to fix. Then, there are times when the author refers to certain events that actually happened chronologically prior to events that are explained in previous pages. But the absence of dated references means that most readers won't be aware of this, and it may result in a different interpretation of the significance of the event.
Mostly, I was put off by the gossipy tone and assumed motives that Williams assigns to Josephine, Napoleon and others without any documentation whatsoever. Williams makes Josephine look conniving and selfish and Napoleon is portrayed as boorish and easily tricked. Throughout the book there are statements like "Josephine was outraged." Hortense was shocked." "Napoleon was duped." Statements such as these pepper each page, and are rarely backed up by any documented proof. Maybe Napoleon was duped...but I am not taking Kate Williams word for it.
I am going to be nit picky with this review. I will start with the positive. It was an easy read that entertained. In particular I enjoyed the chapter on Malmaison which was full of vivid descriptions. I have added Malmaison to my wish list of places to visit the next time I am in Paris.
But.
To be honest, I expected a more balanced account from a writer with a background like Kate Williams. This book, purported to be a bio, reads more like a tell-all expose. The author's bias is blatantly obvious, and she chooses to present the nefarious, the scandalous, the underbelly of Josephine's relationship with Napoleon. Previous readers have commented on the "well researched" use of footnotes and a bibliography, but I would suggest that neither of these tools ensure that the story told within is accurate or without bias. I am not a Josephine expert. Far from it. But I have an interest in French history, and have done a bit of reading on that subject. Obviously, Josephine and Napoleon play an integral role in that history. Williams version of their roles and actions focuses predominantly on the negative. A cursory glance through her bibliography shows a reliance on memoirs and letters with limited use of academically respected resources.
That issue aside, Williams does not tell her account in a chronological fashion, which isn't a problem in and of itself. It's just that there aren't enough dates in the text to explain what is happening when. She uses dated references such as "two weeks later" without a previous date reference, so the reader doesn't know "two weeks later than what?". She often places dates like "On August 5th" without giving a year, which I find careless and so easy to fix. Then, there are times when the author refers to certain events that actually happened chronologically prior to events that are explained in previous pages. But the absence of dated references means that most readers won't be aware of this, and it may result in a different interpretation of the significance of the event.
Mostly, I was put off by the gossipy tone and assumed motives that Williams assigns to Josephine, Napoleon and others without any documentation whatsoever. Williams makes Josephine look conniving and selfish and Napoleon is portrayed as boorish and easily tricked. Throughout the book there are statements like "Josephine was outraged." Hortense was shocked." "Napoleon was duped." Statements such as these pepper each page, and are rarely backed up by any documented proof. Maybe Napoleon was duped...but I am not taking Kate Williams word for it.
June 18, 2017
I enjoyed learning about Josephine, Napoleon, as well as the history of France during that period. Before reading this, I really didn’t know much about Josephine at all, other than the fact that she was born in Martinique, not that far from where we live. Our local museum claims to have her bathtub, but I have my doubts as to whether that tub was really hers!
Josephine was a survivor. Her first marriage was simply dreadful. Her marriage to Napoleon was doomed most especially when she was unable to bear his child. Mind you, I would think that any marriage to either of them would likely be doomed.
Oftentimes, this book got far more detailed than I would have liked. I can’t say that I loved it or would recommend it.
I most enjoyed reading the parts about her love for Chateau de Malmaison.
Bonaparte and Josephine by Lionel Peraux:
She loved botany and collecting rare animals. One of my favorite descriptions:
“Her most cherished animal was a female orangutan possessed of a remarkably sweet nature. The little lady strolled about the house fully dressed, and when anyone approached her, she pulled her coat over her legs and would ‘assume a modest, decent air to welcome the visitor.’ She always ate at the table, using a knife and fork, and was particularly fond of nibbling on turnips. After dinner, she loved to cover her head with a napkin and then pull funny faces. When she fell ill and was put to bed, she lay with the cover drawn up to her chin and her arms outside it, completely hidden by the sleeves of the dressing gown. If anyone she knew came into the room, she greeted him with an appealing look, shaking her head gently and pressing his hand affectionately.”
Josephine was a survivor. Her first marriage was simply dreadful. Her marriage to Napoleon was doomed most especially when she was unable to bear his child. Mind you, I would think that any marriage to either of them would likely be doomed.
Oftentimes, this book got far more detailed than I would have liked. I can’t say that I loved it or would recommend it.
I most enjoyed reading the parts about her love for Chateau de Malmaison.
Bonaparte and Josephine by Lionel Peraux:
She loved botany and collecting rare animals. One of my favorite descriptions:
“Her most cherished animal was a female orangutan possessed of a remarkably sweet nature. The little lady strolled about the house fully dressed, and when anyone approached her, she pulled her coat over her legs and would ‘assume a modest, decent air to welcome the visitor.’ She always ate at the table, using a knife and fork, and was particularly fond of nibbling on turnips. After dinner, she loved to cover her head with a napkin and then pull funny faces. When she fell ill and was put to bed, she lay with the cover drawn up to her chin and her arms outside it, completely hidden by the sleeves of the dressing gown. If anyone she knew came into the room, she greeted him with an appealing look, shaking her head gently and pressing his hand affectionately.”
November 17, 2014
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, 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 of gossip.
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 of gossip.
March 14, 2020
I LOVED this.
This was well researched, thorough, engaging and covered many other key characters of this period.
Mostly what I love about this is, well, a sex worker becomes Empress.
Hoes be winning!
Another fun fact, it's a nunnery in which she perfected both the skills and charms with which she will use as a Courtesan (fancy sex work is still sex work) both before and during The Revolution.
Napoleon loves her deeply but also appreciates her political contacts and social skill.
She most definitely helped him smooth his way politically which was a vital part of him gaining popularity and stealing power.
She spent soooooooo much money.
Considerably more than Marie Antoinette, ironically.
She perhaps had a shopping addiction?
She was incredibly close to her kids which wasn't as common in that era amongst that social class, where physical and emotional care was provided by staff.
She was extremely reluctant to wed Napoleon and only agreed because her preferred lover wouldn't divorce his wife.
Napoleon was hours late to their wedding and it wasn't at all legal,not even civilly.
Josephine cheats immediately.
Lol!
I just appreciate her.
I don't like how she treated her daughter nor her complete disregard of chattel slavery.
She was Empress though largely powerless she also didn't care.
What a character though.
Her and Napoleon's theatrics sound award worthy, lol!
This was well researched, thorough, engaging and covered many other key characters of this period.
Mostly what I love about this is, well, a sex worker becomes Empress.
Hoes be winning!
Another fun fact, it's a nunnery in which she perfected both the skills and charms with which she will use as a Courtesan (fancy sex work is still sex work) both before and during The Revolution.
Napoleon loves her deeply but also appreciates her political contacts and social skill.
She most definitely helped him smooth his way politically which was a vital part of him gaining popularity and stealing power.
She spent soooooooo much money.
Considerably more than Marie Antoinette, ironically.
She perhaps had a shopping addiction?
She was incredibly close to her kids which wasn't as common in that era amongst that social class, where physical and emotional care was provided by staff.
She was extremely reluctant to wed Napoleon and only agreed because her preferred lover wouldn't divorce his wife.
Napoleon was hours late to their wedding and it wasn't at all legal,not even civilly.
Josephine cheats immediately.
Lol!
I just appreciate her.
I don't like how she treated her daughter nor her complete disregard of chattel slavery.
She was Empress though largely powerless she also didn't care.
What a character though.
Her and Napoleon's theatrics sound award worthy, lol!
Read
February 20, 2014Though it was readable, I'm glad I picked it up used. Williams seems to be churning out popular biographies by the cartload, which might explain a sort of blithe disregard for truth. There were plenty of solid statistics, but those can be got from any of a number of secondary sources (some of which appear on the bibliography for this). I'd hoped to find more about Josephine's remarkable ability to take Emma Hamilton's revolutionary change in women's fashion and social intercourse and make it not only elegant but the leading look for all Europe, but it wasn't about that.
In the acknowledgements Williams talks about the many hours she spent reading letters and memoirs. Admirable indeed, but there is no hint in this work how extremely unreliable a lot of these memoirs are, some of them (like Madame Remusat's) published eighty years after the fact, by a grandson aware of his family's position. Laure Junot's engaging memoir reads like a novel (as it should, much of the truth having been so highly polished it's scarcely recognizable) and even moreso, Bourienne's not even remotely objective memoir, as well as some others, entire conversations assiduously presented as if they had really happened.
Also, there are many "insights" into Bonaparte's thinking as well as Josephine's that haven't the vestige of support. The view of Talleyrand here is little short of ludicrous, for instance her blithe claim that Josephine had a hold over him (132), or that Josephine, in fact, had any influence whatsoever with Talleyrand's actions. The motivations attributed to him were so off I was sure I was reading a novel set in an alternate universe.
But the descriptions of the history of Malmaison were detailed and absorbing, as well as the glimpses of Paris at the end of the Terror and at the start of the Directoire, demonstrating how someone like Napoleon could take control in the first place. All in all a pleasant read, little new.
In the acknowledgements Williams talks about the many hours she spent reading letters and memoirs. Admirable indeed, but there is no hint in this work how extremely unreliable a lot of these memoirs are, some of them (like Madame Remusat's) published eighty years after the fact, by a grandson aware of his family's position. Laure Junot's engaging memoir reads like a novel (as it should, much of the truth having been so highly polished it's scarcely recognizable) and even moreso, Bourienne's not even remotely objective memoir, as well as some others, entire conversations assiduously presented as if they had really happened.
Also, there are many "insights" into Bonaparte's thinking as well as Josephine's that haven't the vestige of support. The view of Talleyrand here is little short of ludicrous, for instance her blithe claim that Josephine had a hold over him (132), or that Josephine, in fact, had any influence whatsoever with Talleyrand's actions. The motivations attributed to him were so off I was sure I was reading a novel set in an alternate universe.
But the descriptions of the history of Malmaison were detailed and absorbing, as well as the glimpses of Paris at the end of the Terror and at the start of the Directoire, demonstrating how someone like Napoleon could take control in the first place. All in all a pleasant read, little new.
May 18, 2015
Other reviewers warned that it was breezy and gossipy and lacking in scholarly rigor -- I fear they were correct.
January 26, 2014
I can’t remember ever approaching a historical biography knowing less about the subject. In fact, what I knew about Josephine could fit comfortably on the back of a postcard and would include the immortal lines ’Not tonight, Josephine.’ This meant Josephine, the new book from Kate Williams, historian and award winning author of England’s Mistress, a biography of Emma Hamilton, was a revelation with every page.
Arriving in pre-revolutionary France from Martinique, the young Josephine was almost illiterate and her front teeth were black from her father’s sugar cane plantation. This book tells the amazing story of how she prospered to became an Empress and one of the most powerful and influential women in Europe.
Kate Williams take us through an often harrowing yet very readable account of the French revolution and its aftermath. It seems something of a miracle that Josephine survived the revolution at all, to meet the anti-hero of the book Napoleon Bonaparte. Inevitable her story then becomes his. Through painstaking study of the many preserved letters between them, Kate tells a very personal and compelling story of how they fell in love and conquered Europe together.
Their later life was marked by astounding extravagance. While Napoleon’s soldiers were starving on the Russian Front, forced to eat rats (and each other, apparently) Josephine was being forced by Napoleon to never wear the same dress twice. (In one year she bought nine-hundred dresses, five times as many as the unfortunate Queen Marie Antoinette.)
I was fascinated by Josephine’s home at Malmaison, (now a Museum) where she had at one time twenty ladies in waiting and over a hundred servants. Among the many surprising facts Kate uncovers is that Josephine was a talented botanist, introducing many exotic species, now well known, for the first time to Europe. She also collected rare animals, including an Orangutang which she dressed in clothes for the delight of her many visitors.
The picture of Josephine which emerges is of an incredibly resourceful woman, capable of whatever she set her mind to. There is no question Napoleon would not have achieved so much without her skill at charming those he so casually upset. I am also convinced that he would have returned to her after his exile on Elba.
A real page turner, Josephine is everything I hoped it would be and has renewed my interest in this fascinating period of history. Highly recommended.
P.S. I checked The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations attributes the phrase ‘Not tonight Josephine’ originates from a popular song from 1911 composed by Seymour Furth and sung by Ada Jones and Billy Murray.
Arriving in pre-revolutionary France from Martinique, the young Josephine was almost illiterate and her front teeth were black from her father’s sugar cane plantation. This book tells the amazing story of how she prospered to became an Empress and one of the most powerful and influential women in Europe.
Kate Williams take us through an often harrowing yet very readable account of the French revolution and its aftermath. It seems something of a miracle that Josephine survived the revolution at all, to meet the anti-hero of the book Napoleon Bonaparte. Inevitable her story then becomes his. Through painstaking study of the many preserved letters between them, Kate tells a very personal and compelling story of how they fell in love and conquered Europe together.
Their later life was marked by astounding extravagance. While Napoleon’s soldiers were starving on the Russian Front, forced to eat rats (and each other, apparently) Josephine was being forced by Napoleon to never wear the same dress twice. (In one year she bought nine-hundred dresses, five times as many as the unfortunate Queen Marie Antoinette.)
I was fascinated by Josephine’s home at Malmaison, (now a Museum) where she had at one time twenty ladies in waiting and over a hundred servants. Among the many surprising facts Kate uncovers is that Josephine was a talented botanist, introducing many exotic species, now well known, for the first time to Europe. She also collected rare animals, including an Orangutang which she dressed in clothes for the delight of her many visitors.
The picture of Josephine which emerges is of an incredibly resourceful woman, capable of whatever she set her mind to. There is no question Napoleon would not have achieved so much without her skill at charming those he so casually upset. I am also convinced that he would have returned to her after his exile on Elba.
A real page turner, Josephine is everything I hoped it would be and has renewed my interest in this fascinating period of history. Highly recommended.
P.S. I checked The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations attributes the phrase ‘Not tonight Josephine’ originates from a popular song from 1911 composed by Seymour Furth and sung by Ada Jones and Billy Murray.
September 15, 2014
Although this is a pretty readable book, unfortunately there is nothing new in it. But the real problem is how the author uses to a surprising extension unreliable and even spurious sources (like Le Normand's Mémoires historiques et secrets de l'Impératrice Joséphine). To be fair with Williams, she is not the first author on English language in doing so (French biographers of the last decades have ceased even to cite them in the critical study of Josephine's biographies), but it is incredible how these stories are able to perpetuate themselves even in recent times. There are also quotes from Mémoires et correspondance de l'Impératrice Joséphine, attributed to Regnault-Warin and published in 1820, also full of fabricated letters.
Leaving aside the fact that the author seems to have swallowed acritically Napoleon's negative legend, the book also perpetuates old myths about Josephine, has a problem with dates, often imprecise, and even makes incredible historical blunders like mistaking a queen of Spain (María Cristina, who purchased Malmaison decades after Josephine's death) with a Swedish one.
Leaving aside the fact that the author seems to have swallowed acritically Napoleon's negative legend, the book also perpetuates old myths about Josephine, has a problem with dates, often imprecise, and even makes incredible historical blunders like mistaking a queen of Spain (María Cristina, who purchased Malmaison decades after Josephine's death) with a Swedish one.
August 22, 2014
Quem pegar neste livro a pensar que vai ler um romance, desengane-se. Este livro é uma biografia, muito bem escrita e de fácil leitura, sobre a consorte de Napoleão.
Muita coisa se desconhece sobre Josefina, as constantes humilhações que sofria às mãos de Napoleão, a vida de luxo, as dividas que não resistia a contrair e os numerosos amantes.
Foi uma mulher admirada pelo povo e terrivelmente odiada pela família de Napoleão, esta crioula nascida na Martinica e que detestava qualquer tipo de estudo, venceu por ela mesma e tornou-se numa das mulheres mais conhecidas da história.
É toda esta vida que relata o livro de Kate Williams, na minha opinião uma escritora fabulosa.
Muita coisa se desconhece sobre Josefina, as constantes humilhações que sofria às mãos de Napoleão, a vida de luxo, as dividas que não resistia a contrair e os numerosos amantes.
Foi uma mulher admirada pelo povo e terrivelmente odiada pela família de Napoleão, esta crioula nascida na Martinica e que detestava qualquer tipo de estudo, venceu por ela mesma e tornou-se numa das mulheres mais conhecidas da história.
É toda esta vida que relata o livro de Kate Williams, na minha opinião uma escritora fabulosa.
June 1, 2015
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 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!
November 26, 2014
Comprehensive, intensely detailed telling of the life of Josephine. It's written within context of every stage of her life and all the tangents of change that brought her to an ability for superior manipulations. Knowing just the prime facts before, I never knew the extreme conditions of her earliest 25 years that so schooled her with drive and skills for what followed. Besides the Napoleon years, it is interesting to read about Martinique and also the myriad of connections and reversals during the Terror years.
April 2, 2017
"The Dangerous Life of Josephine Bonaparte" is a fitting subtitle.
"Lowborn" and uneducated, Josephine was initially wed to a man named Alexandre of higher class who was a real jerk and quickly became unimpressed with her, from an intellectual and physical standpoint. Seeking a way out of the marriage, when Josephine gave birth to their first child 2 weeks early, he took it as his opportunity to accuse her of being unfaithful and banished her to prison. While in banishment and without money, Josephine took to prostitution with older men to earn a living. She learned quickly how to attract men with her charisma, dress and makeup. During the French Revolution and after Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were guillotined, Alexandre was sent to prison as a royalist, where Josephine was also forced to join him.
Living in rat infested prisons with constant fear of being sent to the guillotine, Josephine once again got creative. Pregnant women were by law not allowed to be hung, so she set out to be impregnated by the wards. While she was unsuccessful in this endeavor, she became so ill that she was spared the guillotine (while her husband Alexandre was not so fortunate).
Once released from prison and after recovering, Josephine's promiscuous ways continued. Josephine was often seen as a seductive, shallow and extravagant slut but she certainly wasn't shallow culturally - having good taste in music and the decorative arts. By her mid 30s she was undeniably sexy and had several affairs with French generals.
By the time Napoleon noticed her and fell in love, she was far more sexually advanced than her near virginal new husband. She certainly wasn't in love with Napoleon, but by then she herself was beginning to get wrinkles and she had a lot of debt. She married Napoleon for stability and financial security rather than for love. It's hard to hold this against her after what she had been through in prison and afterwards.
The day after getting married, Napoleon began his conquests which led to him becoming Emperor. Napoleon and Josephine's relationship was so strange and twisted from the beginning to the end. Napoleon truly loved Josephine, but was devastated to learn that Josephine was having an affair while he was gone. Every time Napoleon would confront her, her charm would bring him back and he would forgive her. Napoleon was easily lovesick, choosing to blind himself from Josephine's lack of mutual respect and admiration for him. As Napoleon acknowledged, his ambition was dual. The challenge of "winning" Josephine's heart was as much a part of his existence as his ambition to conquer Europe. Josephine's infidelity continued throughout their entire marriage. However, Josephine was also jealous and irrational. Napoleon began having affairs which drove Josephine crazy jealous. Napoleon's exploits were fully physical, never out of love, and he never tried to hide them from Josephine.
Josephine was the perfect partner for Napoleon. While he was out conquering, the Empress Josephine was truly loved by the citizens of France for her grace and social presence - hosting families and generals for grand parties. She also was a lover of the arts, ushering a renaissance of the arts in France.
All would have ended well for Josephine, if it weren't for her inability to produce an heir. She likely became sterile from her illnesses and living conditions while in prison. After years of indecision, Napoleon reluctantly divorced Josephine, realizing the fear that had driven her to exhaustion over last decade. While Napoleon continued to fund her extravagant lifestyle, Josephine passed away shortly after Napoleon's new wife (Marie Louise) produced a baby boy for him. The course of history may be different had Napoleon decided to remain married to Josephine. Upon his own banishment after losing the throne, he had this to say of Josephine:
"I think although I love Marie Louise very sincerely that I loved Josephine better. We had risen together and she was a true wife, the wife I had chosen. She was full of grace, graceful even in the way she prepared herself for bed...graceful in undressing herself. I should never have parted from her if she had born me a son. Assuredly but for my marriage with Marie I never should have made war on Russia."
"Lowborn" and uneducated, Josephine was initially wed to a man named Alexandre of higher class who was a real jerk and quickly became unimpressed with her, from an intellectual and physical standpoint. Seeking a way out of the marriage, when Josephine gave birth to their first child 2 weeks early, he took it as his opportunity to accuse her of being unfaithful and banished her to prison. While in banishment and without money, Josephine took to prostitution with older men to earn a living. She learned quickly how to attract men with her charisma, dress and makeup. During the French Revolution and after Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were guillotined, Alexandre was sent to prison as a royalist, where Josephine was also forced to join him.
Living in rat infested prisons with constant fear of being sent to the guillotine, Josephine once again got creative. Pregnant women were by law not allowed to be hung, so she set out to be impregnated by the wards. While she was unsuccessful in this endeavor, she became so ill that she was spared the guillotine (while her husband Alexandre was not so fortunate).
Once released from prison and after recovering, Josephine's promiscuous ways continued. Josephine was often seen as a seductive, shallow and extravagant slut but she certainly wasn't shallow culturally - having good taste in music and the decorative arts. By her mid 30s she was undeniably sexy and had several affairs with French generals.
By the time Napoleon noticed her and fell in love, she was far more sexually advanced than her near virginal new husband. She certainly wasn't in love with Napoleon, but by then she herself was beginning to get wrinkles and she had a lot of debt. She married Napoleon for stability and financial security rather than for love. It's hard to hold this against her after what she had been through in prison and afterwards.
The day after getting married, Napoleon began his conquests which led to him becoming Emperor. Napoleon and Josephine's relationship was so strange and twisted from the beginning to the end. Napoleon truly loved Josephine, but was devastated to learn that Josephine was having an affair while he was gone. Every time Napoleon would confront her, her charm would bring him back and he would forgive her. Napoleon was easily lovesick, choosing to blind himself from Josephine's lack of mutual respect and admiration for him. As Napoleon acknowledged, his ambition was dual. The challenge of "winning" Josephine's heart was as much a part of his existence as his ambition to conquer Europe. Josephine's infidelity continued throughout their entire marriage. However, Josephine was also jealous and irrational. Napoleon began having affairs which drove Josephine crazy jealous. Napoleon's exploits were fully physical, never out of love, and he never tried to hide them from Josephine.
Josephine was the perfect partner for Napoleon. While he was out conquering, the Empress Josephine was truly loved by the citizens of France for her grace and social presence - hosting families and generals for grand parties. She also was a lover of the arts, ushering a renaissance of the arts in France.
All would have ended well for Josephine, if it weren't for her inability to produce an heir. She likely became sterile from her illnesses and living conditions while in prison. After years of indecision, Napoleon reluctantly divorced Josephine, realizing the fear that had driven her to exhaustion over last decade. While Napoleon continued to fund her extravagant lifestyle, Josephine passed away shortly after Napoleon's new wife (Marie Louise) produced a baby boy for him. The course of history may be different had Napoleon decided to remain married to Josephine. Upon his own banishment after losing the throne, he had this to say of Josephine:
"I think although I love Marie Louise very sincerely that I loved Josephine better. We had risen together and she was a true wife, the wife I had chosen. She was full of grace, graceful even in the way she prepared herself for bed...graceful in undressing herself. I should never have parted from her if she had born me a son. Assuredly but for my marriage with Marie I never should have made war on Russia."
December 21, 2014
The unsophisticated daughter of a Creole family whose Martinique sugar plantations ran on slave labour, Josephine was shipped to France for what proved a tragic and short-lived arranged marriage. Widowed with two young children in the dangerous and unstable world of the French Revolution, she soon acquired the requisite skills to become the mistress of a succession of wealthy and powerful men, culminating with Napoleon.
Her extravagance was shocking in its excess, her behaviour manipulative and devious, perhaps the most appalling example being her eagerness to marry her daughter off to one of Napoleon's least appealing brothers, in an attempt to compensate for her own inability to provide the French leader with a son and heir.
Despite all her faults, the author is clearly on Josephine's side, and emphasises the qualities which made her attractive to men and popular with the public: she was graceful, a good listener, and kind to those in trouble. Her main achievements seem to have been providing an attractive figurehead to offset Napoleon's boorish and intimidating image, her public relations role in organising social events and dealing with people, and the private passion for gardens, including, exotic plants, birds and wild animals imported from abroad, which led her to develop the beautiful estate of Malmaison.
This is an entertaining biography with some moments of real poignancy, as when, having at last steeled himself to announce his divorce of Josephine, Napoleon still hankers for her company so much that he cannot resist coming over to Malmaison to walk with her in the rain.
On the other hand, the somewhat tabloid style and focus on the more sensational aspects of Josephine's life made me wince at times, or feel the need to look to other sources to verify the author's interpretations, particularly of Napoleon. She presents him as a capricious and crude megalomaniac, chronically indecisive at times, but over-prescriptive at others, a shameless sexual predator once success provides the confidence to demand "droits du seigneur". I agree with the reviewer who has criticised the "one-dimensional" portrayal, which gives an inadequate impression and exploration of his greatness.
Her extravagance was shocking in its excess, her behaviour manipulative and devious, perhaps the most appalling example being her eagerness to marry her daughter off to one of Napoleon's least appealing brothers, in an attempt to compensate for her own inability to provide the French leader with a son and heir.
Despite all her faults, the author is clearly on Josephine's side, and emphasises the qualities which made her attractive to men and popular with the public: she was graceful, a good listener, and kind to those in trouble. Her main achievements seem to have been providing an attractive figurehead to offset Napoleon's boorish and intimidating image, her public relations role in organising social events and dealing with people, and the private passion for gardens, including, exotic plants, birds and wild animals imported from abroad, which led her to develop the beautiful estate of Malmaison.
This is an entertaining biography with some moments of real poignancy, as when, having at last steeled himself to announce his divorce of Josephine, Napoleon still hankers for her company so much that he cannot resist coming over to Malmaison to walk with her in the rain.
On the other hand, the somewhat tabloid style and focus on the more sensational aspects of Josephine's life made me wince at times, or feel the need to look to other sources to verify the author's interpretations, particularly of Napoleon. She presents him as a capricious and crude megalomaniac, chronically indecisive at times, but over-prescriptive at others, a shameless sexual predator once success provides the confidence to demand "droits du seigneur". I agree with the reviewer who has criticised the "one-dimensional" portrayal, which gives an inadequate impression and exploration of his greatness.
December 27, 2014
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 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
Full review can be found here: https://cynthiarobertson.wordpress.co...
March 16, 2015
This biography is an easy read, but it doesn't add anything really new for those who have a knowledge of Josephine's life; the research is untrustworthy (and there are too many spurious sources, too many historical blunders, too much sensationalism and too much bias) and the lack of a chronological narrative is extremely annoying. In the end, what prevails a feeling of superficiality that goes against the author's purported goal of showing Josephine as something more than a featherbrained creature.
November 30, 2014
In this brilliant new biography, taking advantage of newly-available letters and documents of the Napoleonic period, we have a better account of this glittering and sometimes-misunderstood figure. It's told in concise and often-lively prose, and follows Josephine from her beginnings on a sugar plantation on Martinique, through an unhappy young marriage to Alexandre de Beauharnais -- ended when he was guillotined during the Terror, and she nearly so. She would go on to some truly dangerous liaisons during the Revolution and end up with an obscure army captain named Bonaparte.
It's history from a woman's perspective, a woman who could not direct history but had to navigate marriages, love affairs and court intrigue and disdain, first during the waning days of the Bourbon court, then the salons of a new society whose fashions, fortunes and mores had shifted with the Revolution, and then, finally, in Napoleon's new Empire. We learn that Napoleon and Josephine did have a genuine love, despite his boorish manner and constant philandering. We learn that she would be a genuine asset to Napoleon, forming a new and sparkling court to enhance his status and make up for his humble origins, and that Josephine would be more spendthrift and more jewel-laden than Marie Antoinette. We get a sense of just how much of Josephine's court was under-girded by Napoleon's military looting, and just how much hostility she faced from the Bonaparte family. We learn a lot of things about Napoleon, close up, that his admirers might not like, not the least of which was his carelessness with men's lives and his mistresses' affections -- particularly Marie Walewska, whose sacrifice of herself for Poland was very much misplaced. (This all has the makings of a vivid film or miniseries).
In all, we learn just how much cunning, tact, careful histrionics, and taste Josephine had to exert to survive her early years and the stormy period when she was Napoleon's consort. We also learn much about her children, Hortense and Eugene de Beauharnais, and their incorporation into Napoleon's court and life; both would become key to the dynasty then and in the future, surprisingly so. (Eugene seems to have been something of a Galahad, an unfailingly-loyal lieutenant to Napoleon despite his mother's travails and looming divorce). We learn, in a comprehensive epilogue, just what happened to these people through the 19th Century. And it's interesting to see the events of the Napoleonic Wars through her eyes. Even for those who are new to Napoleonic history or these times, it's entertaining and illuminating reading, well worth while.
Highest recommendation.
It's history from a woman's perspective, a woman who could not direct history but had to navigate marriages, love affairs and court intrigue and disdain, first during the waning days of the Bourbon court, then the salons of a new society whose fashions, fortunes and mores had shifted with the Revolution, and then, finally, in Napoleon's new Empire. We learn that Napoleon and Josephine did have a genuine love, despite his boorish manner and constant philandering. We learn that she would be a genuine asset to Napoleon, forming a new and sparkling court to enhance his status and make up for his humble origins, and that Josephine would be more spendthrift and more jewel-laden than Marie Antoinette. We get a sense of just how much of Josephine's court was under-girded by Napoleon's military looting, and just how much hostility she faced from the Bonaparte family. We learn a lot of things about Napoleon, close up, that his admirers might not like, not the least of which was his carelessness with men's lives and his mistresses' affections -- particularly Marie Walewska, whose sacrifice of herself for Poland was very much misplaced. (This all has the makings of a vivid film or miniseries).
In all, we learn just how much cunning, tact, careful histrionics, and taste Josephine had to exert to survive her early years and the stormy period when she was Napoleon's consort. We also learn much about her children, Hortense and Eugene de Beauharnais, and their incorporation into Napoleon's court and life; both would become key to the dynasty then and in the future, surprisingly so. (Eugene seems to have been something of a Galahad, an unfailingly-loyal lieutenant to Napoleon despite his mother's travails and looming divorce). We learn, in a comprehensive epilogue, just what happened to these people through the 19th Century. And it's interesting to see the events of the Napoleonic Wars through her eyes. Even for those who are new to Napoleonic history or these times, it's entertaining and illuminating reading, well worth while.
Highest recommendation.
December 29, 2014
I especially enjoyed reading about Josephine's early years, about which I knew little. Women of those times were at the mercy of the men who fathered or married them, and Josephine was no different. With an indifferent first husband involved with a mistress, Josephine was dropped into a society where infidelity was commonplace and strategic for the women. She learned quickly how to assure her position in the dazzling culture of the time, move safely through the French Revolution, by sheer luck, missed the guillotine by one day within Robespierre's murder and was intentionally introduced to Napoleon by her high placed lover and a general. Fascinating! The biography stagnated a bit, for me, once it became over encumbered with the minute details of Napoleon's military moves and the repetitive pattern of letter writing of each absence, between Napoleon and Josephine. It did, however, show how their relationship shifted towards its eventual divorce. All in all, a solid biography.
September 10, 2015
I find the French Revolution/Napoleon's Empire a fascinating time period and thought Josephine Bonaparte would make an interesting lens to view it through. While I enjoyed it as a history book as far as learning more about that time in history, I found its entertainment value somewhat lower. I didn't particularly enjoy Kate Williams writing. It felt to me very "this happened, then this happened, etc." It felt strangely flat and detached. I would like to read more about Josephine but I'm not sure if I would read anything by the same author again.
March 27, 2016
Kate Williams weet niet altijd het onderscheid te maken tussen feiten en hardnekkige Britse (of geallieerde) propaganda. Desondanks zorgt dit boek voor een aangename lezing.
February 17, 2017
Very dry, but also very...balanced? Nuanced. I came out of this book with a better appreciation of Josephine and Napoleon as humans--and a sense of how very fragile their empire always had been.
March 15, 2024
A munch more interesting history of the Napoleonic Age.
July 12, 2020
This is a well paced and very readable depiction of the life and times of the famous Josephine. I didn’t know much about her before reading this book and found her character and aspects of her life to be surprising. A great book for anyone with an interest in French history.
October 28, 2015
Good book, but there are some faults
Interesting book about this historical figure. The authors epilogue says she wanted to show that Josephine was cunning & shrewd. This did not come across in the book. She stuck me as a woman with many human faults; but who possessed an amazing amount of grace & charm. Sadly, she also came across as ultimately weak. This weakness was not due to the divorce/desertion of Napoleon.
She created her own world through lavish spending and the acquirement of objects. She was good at smoothing over her husbands rough edges, she was able to soothe him, but she never was able to council him and seems not to understand enough about the politics of the time to care. (She never learned to read!)
If she had been truly cunning or shrewd she would had some control over her life. She would have had more influence in respect to the way her in-laws treated her for example. A cunning woman would have figured a way to sent them back to Corsica within a year or two of the marriage. Instead she cared more about acquiring things to fill a void within herself.
She was divorced from reality and was always playing a part. Yes, she was probably a lovely, kind woman; one who loved to shop in order to escape her problems. But when she didn't have a script and a lead role to play she withered.
Her relationship with Napoleon was co dependent to the extreme. Did she help pave the way for his success? Definitely. I mean, who doesn't like a good party with a charming, generous hostess?
But I would have liked more insight into the how and why's of her behavior. I don't think crying hysterically to get your way counts as cunning, unless manipulation to get your debts paid is considered cunning.
Interesting book about this historical figure. The authors epilogue says she wanted to show that Josephine was cunning & shrewd. This did not come across in the book. She stuck me as a woman with many human faults; but who possessed an amazing amount of grace & charm. Sadly, she also came across as ultimately weak. This weakness was not due to the divorce/desertion of Napoleon.
She created her own world through lavish spending and the acquirement of objects. She was good at smoothing over her husbands rough edges, she was able to soothe him, but she never was able to council him and seems not to understand enough about the politics of the time to care. (She never learned to read!)
If she had been truly cunning or shrewd she would had some control over her life. She would have had more influence in respect to the way her in-laws treated her for example. A cunning woman would have figured a way to sent them back to Corsica within a year or two of the marriage. Instead she cared more about acquiring things to fill a void within herself.
She was divorced from reality and was always playing a part. Yes, she was probably a lovely, kind woman; one who loved to shop in order to escape her problems. But when she didn't have a script and a lead role to play she withered.
Her relationship with Napoleon was co dependent to the extreme. Did she help pave the way for his success? Definitely. I mean, who doesn't like a good party with a charming, generous hostess?
But I would have liked more insight into the how and why's of her behavior. I don't think crying hysterically to get your way counts as cunning, unless manipulation to get your debts paid is considered cunning.
June 19, 2016
Sometimes when I don't love a book, I go and read other people's reviews to see if maybe they didn't like the same thing and figured it out for me. Unfortunately, often when you read reviews on a biography, you get things like: "I thought this was a novel, but it's like a textbook." Then they give the book only one star, because not being bad historical fiction is the book's fault.
I really find Josephine rather fascinating--not likable, but fascinating. She's raised to such heights and has really limited desire to be there. I think she would have been quite happy just being wealthy and left alone to do nothing. Toward the end of her marriage to NB, she just sounds horribly bored. However, when people don't enjoy reading, I find their boredom unsympathetic--she could have picked up a book or two.
The marriage of J&N was more a tale of a complete power shift and how J reinvented herself to fit his ever changing ego.
The book is fine, but not definitive. Others have noted historical mistakes and the author sometimes puts feelings into the subject's mouth. This gets increasingly frustrating. It's fine, but I think you'd get more from a really good book on Napoleon.
I really find Josephine rather fascinating--not likable, but fascinating. She's raised to such heights and has really limited desire to be there. I think she would have been quite happy just being wealthy and left alone to do nothing. Toward the end of her marriage to NB, she just sounds horribly bored. However, when people don't enjoy reading, I find their boredom unsympathetic--she could have picked up a book or two.
The marriage of J&N was more a tale of a complete power shift and how J reinvented herself to fit his ever changing ego.
The book is fine, but not definitive. Others have noted historical mistakes and the author sometimes puts feelings into the subject's mouth. This gets increasingly frustrating. It's fine, but I think you'd get more from a really good book on Napoleon.
January 18, 2017
I had wanted to read something about the French revolution and why it turned out so differently from the one in America. I came across this book and I am glad I decided to delve in. While the vast majority of the book is about Josephine, there is much about Napoleon as well. That helped me understand the era and his strong character. What a relationship these two had. I found the book to be well researched and very readable.
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