Josephine

De: Carolly Erickson

Narrado por: S. Patricia Bailey

When, in 1804, Josephine Bonaparte knelt before her husband Napoleon to receive the imperial diadem, few in the vast crowd of onlookers were aware of the dark secrets hidden behind the imperial facade. To her subjects she appeared to be the most favored woman in France: alluring, wealthy, and with the devoted love of a remarkable husband who was the conqueror of Europe. In actuality Josephine's life was far darker, for her celebrated allure was fading, her wealth was compromised by massive debt, and her marriage was corroded by infidelity and abuse.

Josephine's life story was as turbulent as the age, an era of revolution and social upheaval, of the guillotine and of frenzied hedonism. With telling psychological depth and compelling literary grace, Carolly Erickson brings the complex, charming, ever resilient Josephine to life in this memorable portrait, one that carries the reader from the sensual richness of her childhood in the tropics to her final lonely days at Malmaison.

©1998 Carolly Erickson (P)2000 Blackstone Audiobooks

Reseñas de la Crítica

"An intimate, richly detailed, and candid portrait." (Kirkus Reviews)

Biased, but a good read.

This book reads like fiction, the narrator was wonderful, and I found myself completely immersed in the ever changing life of this amazing woman. When Josephine died and the book ended, I almost felt like I lost a friend. However, be warned: this book is very biased. Josephine wasn't a saint and she wasn't always the victim. I will be following this book with a biography of Napoleon to get another view of their marriage. Good book, good narrator... I highly recommend it to anyone.

Not just tonight Josephine

I was blown away with the intriguing range of this remarkable historical woman's story. Such a marvelous story.

Enthralling

Couldn’t stop listening. It gave an intriguing look into the life and times of a fascinating woman.

Great

I really enjoyed this story. the narrator was excellent and really kept your interest right to the end.

Beautifully written and flawlessly narrated!

Read that again-
Beautifully written and flawlessly narrated!
As an openly-practicing Napoleon freak I tend to regard myself as somewhat knowledgeable regarding the era (vainly, it seems), anyway-
It’s accepted that had Josephine not met General Bonaparte halfway through the book (and that’s SO cool) her story would still deserve this vivid accounting, living, as she did, a life of great drama and peril and opulence… knowing prison and palace… enduring nearly incomprehensible shifts of fortune even before he entered her life.
All with the backdrop of the French Revolution, it’s aftermath, and the rise of Bonaparte!
Additionally, I’m gleeful over the enhanced mental images of several familiar peeps of the Napoleonic era that Ms Erickson has given me.
I really, really appreciate it.

Josephine

Never really knew much about her except she was married to Bonaparte. I found this narrative to be sad in that her life was so troubled.

Engaging

On the one hand, this book straddles the line between history and historical novel. There is a LOT of " she must have felt" or "she no doubt was feeling". If that does not bother you ( and it did not me) then I recommend it without hesitation just for the story alone - a very interesting biography of a woman constantly adapting to survive, first to the turmoil of France during the revolution, then to being the wife of a compelling ( but difficult) figure in world history. Good narratioon - takes a little bit to get used to ( she seemed a bit flat at the beginning) but that soon gave way to the story itself

wonderful

I could listen many times over and feel the same. love the details of history and surroundings felt like I was there.

What a Life Josephine Led!

I knew very little about her. Good writing, very good narration. I have to say I didn't start understanding who was who until I'd listened for quite a while, but that's when it really got more interesting for me. I enjoyed this book, especially the last 3/4 of it, very much. Thank you.

No room for fiction.

I LOVED THIS BOOK! The story gripped me from the first line and I’m not an easy sell. I want facts out together as a story I can easily understand and I particularly love stories of strong, real women in history. The author uses letters and notes and records from history to put together a remarkable life of a woman I hadn’t heard of before. My thirst for history was quenched. I also now have a favorite narrator. Anna Fields’ voice rises and falls and never leaves a boring tempo. She thoroughly captivated my attention and held it to the end.