At the Court of Napoleon - Hardcover

D'Abrantes, Duchesse

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0385266391 ISBN 13: 9780385266390

Publisher: Doubleday, 1989

Synopsis

Laure Junot d'Abrantes was a childhood friend of the Bonapartes in Corsica. When she was 16 she married General Junot, Governor of Paris. She became one of the foremost hostesses of the era and played a major role at the flamboyant court of Napoleon and Josephine. Napoleon attempted to seduce her but failed. These memoirs bring to life the intimacies of the Imperial family and Napolean's tumultuous years of power and ultimate defeat.

About this title

Language Notes:

Text: English, French (translation)

From Library Journal:

Doubleday. Nov. 1989. c.400p. photogs. LC 89-7850. ISBN 0-385-26639-1. $19.95. autobiog The Duchesse d'Abrantes (1785-1838) was married to one of Napoleon's most loyal, though less competent, military commanders. Her intimacy with Napoleon, Josephine, and other members of the court gave her an excellent vantage for observing all the backbiting, quarrels, scandals, fancy balls, and events of that era. Her overall characterization of the persons she describes is fairly reliable, though she relies too much on hearsay and tends to exaggerate some things and to omit others (among the latter, her own numerous love affairs). The volume under review is a slightly modified version of an English translation that originally appeared in 1895, and reprints only a small fraction of her memoirs. Scholars therefore will continue to rely on the ten-volume French edition published in 1893. However, this edition should prove interesting to many general readers.
- Thomas J. Schaeper, St. Bonaventure Univ., N.Y.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Doubleday
• Publication date: 1989
• ISBN 10: 0385266391
• ISBN 13: 9780385266390
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 387