1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Desiree, January 27, 2004
By
Joy (Warren, Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Désirée (Paperback)
I read Desiree for the first time when I was in sixth grade. My grandfather sent over some old books, and I leafed through them and found Desiree. It tells the story of a silk merchant's daughter who falls in love with future emperor of France Napoleone Buonaparte ( aka Napoleon Bonaparte )As you read, you find out that even though she went through many trials in her life, she triumphed over them all and became one of the most remembered women in history.
20 of 24 people found the following review helpful
A sweeping historical about Nappy!, January 18, 2003
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Désirée (Paperback)
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.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Desiree, January 14, 2003
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This review is from: Désirée (Paperback)
Desiree is a historical novel. The author wonderfully combined history, romance and fiction. All the elements worked very well together. Desiree's personality is descibed vividly in a subtle way. Although she's a historical figure, I can still associate her with modern women today. That's part of the reason this book is very fun to read. It is also a classic, and it is worth reading over and over. I first read it in Chinese because this book in English was out of print. The story was so good that I invested a good amount of time to track and bought the edition published in 1953. (It's worth it!!)
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
A great book; One of my favorites., October 4, 2002
By
Desiree (Santa Clara, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Desiree (Hardcover)
I am an avid reader. I first read this book in high school; it caught my eye because the name of the title is my own. I checked it out and started reading and couldn't put it down. I loved "watching" the Napoleonic empire rise and fall and "see" Desiree fall in and out of love with him, then fall in love again with Jean-Baptiste. It is an epic romance of all times and I loved it. My mother saw me reading it one day and asked me what the book was about. When I told her, she laughed and said she had heard of Desiree Clary Bernadotte when she was in high school and fallen in love with the name and the person; that's why I was named after her!
1 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Desiree, a Historical Fiction Novel of a Young French Girl, May 5, 2002
By
"mlisse22" (Everett, WA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Desiree (Hardcover)
Desiree is a historical fiction novel that winds the reader through the life of a young french woman growing up during the Revolution. She tries to grow up so quickly and engages herself to a young general named Napoleon Bonaparte, a poor Corsican, while she is the daughter of a wealthy cloth merchant. I loved getting a look at the hypocrisy of Napoleon's reign as Emperor. I also enjoyed the personal look at his family. To see these historical people as real people was exhilerating.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
A Realistic Romance, May 2, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Desiree (Hardcover)
My mother recommended Desiree to me but had to special order it, I ended up getting it for my b-day when I was about 14. No bookstore carried it then either. At that time it was the longest book I had ever read -- but I couldn't put it down!What I like best is how things don't go "storybook perfect" for her but she still ends up successful. It is a good lesson for those pre-teen girls desperate for their first romance.
I highly recommend this novel to those of any age who enjoy historical romances/epics.
A great romp through the Napoleonic Court, April 24, 2002
By
This review is from: Desiree (Hardcover)
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.
A great romp through the Napoleonic Court, April 24, 2002
By
This review is from: Desiree (Hardcover)
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.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
A great romp through the Napoleonic Court, April 24, 2002
By
This review is from: Desiree (Hardcover)
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.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
An interesting fictional accounting of Napoleon's empire, April 23, 2002
By
This review is from: Desiree (Hardcover)
I read this book for the first time in one of my mother's Reader's Digest Condensed Version and really enjoyed it. In fact, it was the beginning of my interest in Napoleon and his Empire. I have since found some historical inaccuracies, for example, Desiree Clary was emphatic that it was NOT Napoleon who named her son Oscar, but her brother-in-law Joseph Bonaparte. Napoleon took the credit in one of his public relations propaganda pieces. Also, Desiree was her name as used by her family. Napoleon called her Eugenie (as was his usual habit of renaming his inamorata) because he hated the physical connotations of her other name. He even wrote a short play, in his youth, entitled Clisson (read Napoleon) and Eugenie. However, beyond these fictional licenses by the author, it is a fun, readable book that manages to show the main characters as people instead of just merely historical figures. This book is for anyone who has an interest in the period or wants a good clean historical romance romp.
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