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A review by sheena
The Josephine Bonaparte Collection: The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B., Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe, and the Last Great Dance on Earth by Sandra Gulland
5.0
Love love LOVE this book! (My copy was actually one volume with all three books published together.) I am reminded how much I love historical fiction, particularly stories told from a female perspective. (Perhaps I took too many history courses to still care about the male perspective?)
The story is written in diary form by Josephine, starting when she was about 14 years old, all the way up to her death. Every time I picked up the book I was immersed in the era with all the little details, the many rich characters, the sweeping events. One of my favourite parts was Josephine’s description of her and Napoleon’s crowning as Empress and Emperor. Such ceremony!
Historically speaking, Napoleon’s troubles seem to coincide with his divorcing Josephine. I can’t help but wonder what his fate would have been if he hadn’t divorced her, and if she’d lived a longer life.
The story is written in diary form by Josephine, starting when she was about 14 years old, all the way up to her death. Every time I picked up the book I was immersed in the era with all the little details, the many rich characters, the sweeping events. One of my favourite parts was Josephine’s description of her and Napoleon’s crowning as Empress and Emperor. Such ceremony!
Historically speaking, Napoleon’s troubles seem to coincide with his divorcing Josephine. I can’t help but wonder what his fate would have been if he hadn’t divorced her, and if she’d lived a longer life.