Thursday, June 28, 2012

Living with Napoleon. . .

The Second Empress: A Novel of Napoleon's CourtThe Second Empress: A Novel of Napoleon's Court by Michelle Moran

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ahhh, it is so lovely to receive free books in the mail. What a nice way to end your day (thank you goodreads!).

I really enjoyed this book. I started reading it the moment I unwrapped it (very helpful that this was my husbands night to golf). I stayed up reading until 10:30 - very late for me!

The novel is told from the perspective of three people: Maria Lucia, Princess of Austria and Napoleon's future bride, Pauline Bonaporte, Napoleon's sister, Paul Moreau, chamberlain to Pauline. Of those three, Maria Lucia is my favorite, Pauline is just one very strange lady. In the book she wants to reign over Egypt with Napoleon, as his wife. In researching her after finishing the book, it appears that there are those who did believe she Napoleon was one of her lovers. Like I said, strange.

There is enough of history and enough of story to keep your interest. As noted, I was intrigued enough to go online and try to separate the true from the untrue. Maria Lucia is particularly interesting. In the book she appears to be strong, and smart. When Napoleon goes to war, he leaves her in charge. When he is exiled though, she goes on to live her own life, taking their son with her.

Throughout the book, you will see Josephine's hold on Napoleon, mostly through letters Napoleon sent which are shared throughout. What interesting intrigues these people had in the court. It seems no-one was faithful to spouses, and extravagance ruled the day.

If you are a lover of historical fiction, this book is for you. It has nice bits of romance, history, and fact and fabrication to hold your interst.

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