Désirée Paperback – October 1, 2002

This is the most fascinating book about a woman who was engaged to Napoleon before he married Josephine, then went on to marry Gen. Bernadotte, who eventually became the King of Sweden. It takes Napoleon from when he came to France in Marseilles through his rise in the govt, to First Consul to Emperor, and his collapse. But what I found even more fascinating was learning about Gen. Bernadotte! Now he was one fascinating man with integrity, a shrewd tactical commander, an amazing governor and yet he maintained his sense of honor. This man held my interest throughout the book, and got me learning a lot more. I saw the movie first starring Marlon Brando (Napoleon), Jean Simmons (Desiree) and Michael Rennie (Bernadotte). I'll definitely be reading this book again.

As a girl, I had a crush on Napoleon (I know, it is a strange confession). As a teenager, I nurtured those tender feelings by watching Armand Assante play the Emperor in Napoleon and Josephine. And, as a woman, I devoured books about Napoleon's life. How is it then, that I did not hear about DESIREE until I was well into my thirties?Knowing I sometimes enjoy historical romance novels, my mother recommended Desiree to me. Now that I have read Annemarie Selinko's masterpiece, I would categorize it more as a sweeping historical novel than a romance. True, there are some tender scenes between Napoleon and Desiree (I melted when he sent her the sable to keep her warm), but it is hardly a romance.The first person narration was a bit annoying at times - and the writer clearly shifted POV several times per chapter, but still, it is well written and amazingly well researched (only a few errors that I could spot, one of which being the mention of inbreeding being the cause of medical problems. This was something that wasn't fully realized or appreciated until the reign of Queen Victoria with her hemophilia passing genes).Read this book if you enjoy sweeping historicals, especially those set in the Napoleonic time period.I must confess though, I much preferred Sandra Gulland's novels about Josephine B. They give the reader a good taste of Napoleon, with a far more accurate take on the players of the time. (Selinko, for instance, paints a picture of Napoleon's mother as being hard-working and ever-so-loving, even though that is in contradiction to recent note-worthy biographies about the Bounapartes).In the end, this book was a great read. I really had a hard time putting it down, despite my few misgivings.

I first read this book as a teenager in one of my mother's Reader's Digest Condensed Books. It was the catalyst for my interest in Napoleon and the French Empire. I now have a library full of titles regarding those two topics. The book is very well written, Ms. Selinko is able to have Desiree grow from adolescence to middle age without losing the intrinsic parts of her character. There is a lot of fictional license here, but it is still an entertaining, well written, well researched account of life at the French court. It makes historical figures come alive and you can sympathize with their personal struggles. All in all, a old fashioned good time.

The book keeps you interested and you want to keep on reading. The storyline flows. Learning history in an entertaining way and easier to remember than hard historical facts. Read it before in the original German and also found the translation excellent.

Of course a great book. I've read it several times.

good

I first read this book as a teenager in one of my mother's Reader's Digest Condensed Books. It was the catalyst for my interest in Napoleon and the French Empire. I now have a library full of titles regarding those two topics. The book is very well written, Ms. Selinko is able to have Desiree grow from adolescence to middle age without losing the intrinsic parts of her character. There is a lot of fictional license here, but it is still an entertaining, well written, well researched account of life at the French court. It makes historical figures come alive and you can sympathize with their personal struggles. All in all, a old fashioned good time.

Book was as described, packaged well, and shipped quickly.