Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Reviews of Josephine and Napoleon

Josephine and Napoleon
Josephine and Napoleon
Author: Margaret Irene Laing
ISBN-13: 9780884050919
ISBN-10: 0884050912
Publication Date: 1974
Pages: 196
Rating:
  • Currently 4.5/5 Stars.
 2

4.5 stars, based on 2 ratings
Publisher: Mason/Charter
Book Type: Hardcover
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

reviewed Josephine and Napoleon on + 418 more book reviews
This book puts aside the vicious stories of Josephine de Beauharnais being a heartless, self-seeker that used men to her own advantage only to discard them when they no longer served a purpose. One the contrary, it is a portrait of a loving, devoted mother, & a sensitive, caring soul that enchanted everyone around her, with the singular exception of Bonapartes family, of course.
Even if she may not have loved Bonaprate when they first married, it certainly cannot be denied that she did come to love him soon after, despite the indiscretions of both parties.
It is interesting to note that most books refer to the divorce as the sacrifice of Josephine. An example of the Emperors devotion toward Josephine (besides the ardent love letters written at the beginning of the relationship) is the fact that he decreed she maintain the title of empress even after the divorce, that he was unable to wait two days [after the divorce] before calling on her at Malmaison, not to mention the fact that his last words on his deathbed were of her [according to most sources, real or not].