Napoleon: His Wives and Women |
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Napoleon: His Wives and Women
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by Christopher Hibbert
Sales Rank: 145637
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List Price: $27.95
$20.40
At Amazon
on 8-3-2008.
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Features
Cover Type: Hard Cover with 448 pages
Published by: W. W. Norton & Company November 11, 2002
Written in: English
ISBN 10 Number: 0393052028
ISBN 13 Number: 978-0393052022
Book Dimensions:
9.6 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
Weighs: 1.7 pounds
From Publishers Weekly
Hibbert is both eclectic and prolific, and his energies are hardly flagging; in the last few years, he has produced well-regarded biographies of Wellington, Queen Victoria and George III. Hibbert has a talent for visiting old ground with a fresh eye, and as he crosses the Channel, he does not disappoint. The Napoleon who emerges is not the victor, the emperor nor even the hero brought low, but the man as revealed in his relations with the numerous women in his life: his wives, his mistresses, his sisters and his mother. It is, on the whole, not a pretty sight. Napoleon was often crude, rude, insulting and even violent toward women, some of whom unaccountably found him irresistible. Marie Walewska, the teenaged wife of a Polish count offered to Napoleon to avert the destruction of Poland, fainted at their first private encounter and was raped while unconscious. Still, she appears to have fallen in love with him, and bore his child. Poland, however, was not saved. Napoleon demanded that he be first in the heart of any lady close to him and was ruthless when he detected divided loyalties. He upbraided his stepdaughter, Hortense, for mourning the death of her little boy excessively, and saw to it that Mme. R‚camier's banker husband was ruined and she herself banished because she virtuously preferred her husband to him. Through all of this, Hibbert remains studiously nonjudgmental, allowing readers to form their own conclusions about the character of the great man. 16 pages color, 8 pages b&w illus. not seen by PW.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Despite the various romantic legends ("Not tonight, Josephine"), Napoleon was generally awkward and insecure in his relationships with women. He did, however, manage to attract a wide variety of desirable women through a combination of dogged determination and the aphrodisiac of power. Hibbert is the author of numerous widely praised historical narratives and biographies, and in this survey of Napoleon's wives and lovers he displays his usual gift for integrating personal stories with broader historical context. Hibbert (to his credit) does not claim that any of these women were powers behind the throne, but this is still an involving look at some interesting women and their relationships with a historical giant. While some--such as Josephine and Marie Louise of Austria--are well known, it is the more unusual objects of Napoleon's desire that are particularly interesting. All subjects seem to have approached their relationships in a manipulative, almost predatory, manner. While we don't learn anything new here about the affairs of state, Napoleon's state of affairs provides good, clean fun. Jay Freeman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Reader Reviews
Mr. Hibbert quotes Napoleon as saying, "To the manner in which (my mother) formed me at an early age, I principally owe my subsequent elevation. My opinion is that the conduct of a child entirely depends upon the mother." If this theory is correct, Letizia Bonaparte has a lot to answer for! For this is a man who, in the political sphere, said that the usual rules of morality didn't apply to him and who also said that the deaths of a million men didn't much bother him! And, as Christopher Hibbert shows in this very good book, in Napoleon's relationships with women he was crude, insulting and domineering. In short, (please pardon the pun) the Napster was what we would today call a male chauvinist pig. Napoleon behaved this way pretty much across the board: towards his wives, mistresses, sisters and just about every woman he came across- with the exception of his mother. Napoleon told women that they were ugly and dirty (guests at a party); he commented on their "private parts" (Josephine); told them what to wear (everybody); who to marry (his sisters); said they were only good for making babies (guest at a party); and was condescending when an intellectual woman attempted to discuss politics (Madame de Stael). To top things off, he had a nicely developed sadistic streak- he would flaunt his mistresses in front of Josephine, commenting about their physical attributes and sexual prowess. Napoleon claimed that he loved Josephine- in fact, he said that of his 2 wives and many mistresses she was the only woman he ever did love. Based on his comments and behavior, and considering his bad case of egomania, one wonders whether he was truly capable of loving anyone. But, having said this, it is important to note that Mr. Hibbert is never simplistic in his depiction. We also get to see Napoleon being playful and affectionate with both of his wives, and feeling extreme guilt concerning his decision to divorce Josephine- a decision he made solely on the basis that he felt he needed a legitimate heir, and over a long period of time he and Josephine had failed to produce any offspring. He was also very hurt when his 2nd wife, Marie-Louise, failed to join him in exile. Despite his nagging narcissism he was clearly a complicated man. Mr. Hibbert does a good job of organizing and presenting his material, although he doesn't do much in the way of analysis or in presenting his own opinions. Still, the behavior itself is revealing and you can come to your own conclusions. Although the book is relatively short, just over 300 pages, we feel we have a good understanding of the major figures amongst the women who are portrayed- Napoleon's mother; his 2 wives; and his 3 sisters (Pauline, Caroline & Elisa). Mr. Hibbert also does a nice job of linking together the personal material with the major events of Napoleon's career- his rapid rise to power; becoming emperor; the shifting alliances; the invasion of Russia and the retreat; Waterloo; and the 2 exiles. The description of the day-to-day life of the emperor and his entourage on St. Helena is especially fascinating. (Napoleon once refused to have anything to do with a British officer who called him, merely, General Bonaparte, remarking "I haven't been called General Bonaparte since the days when I was in Egypt!") By concentrating primarily on the private man, Mr. Hibbert has managed to write something interesting about a person who has been written about ad nauseam. Not an easy task....
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