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Josephine

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Josephine

By: Carolly Erickson
Narrated by: S. Patricia Bailey
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About this listen

 When, in 1804, Josephine Bonaparte knelt before her husband Napoleon to receive the imperial diadem, few in the vast crowd of onlookers were aware of the dark secrets hidden behind the imperial facade. To her subjects she appeared to be the most favored woman in France: alluring, wealthy, and with the devoted love of a remarkable husband who was the conqueror of Europe. In actuality Josephine's life was far darker, for her celebrated allure was fading, her wealth was compromised by massive debt, and her marriage was corroded by infidelity and abuse.

Josephine's life story was as turbulent as the age, an era of revolution and social upheaval, of the guillotine and of frenzied hedonism. With telling psychological depth and compelling literary grace, Carolly Erickson brings the complex, charming, ever resilient Josephine to life in this memorable portrait, one that carries the reader from the sensual richness of her childhood in the tropics to her final lonely days at Malmaison.

©1998 Carolly Erickson (P)2000 Blackstone Audiobooks Biographical Fiction Europe France Genre Fiction Historical Politics & Activism Royalty Women

Critic reviews

"An intimate, richly detailed, and candid portrait." ( Kirkus Reviews)
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This was a long listen but worth sticking with it. not keen on the reader.

what a life!

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I did not know much about Josephine and this was really interesting.

The narrator was pretty good, although a bit wierd not to have a European narrator (don't know why!) and some of the pronunciation was not great.

Overall fascinating and held my interest from the start to end, well written and not dry at all.

Fascinating.

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Wow! What a woman and what a story; I had no idea the journey I was embarking on when I downloaded this book. Great storytelling, lots of detail, smart speculation used sparingly when required, and great narrator.

Brilliantly written and narrated

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This is not just a recounting of a life in extraordinary times, but a compassionate telling of the story of a hapless woman caught up in momentous events. It took me a while to adjust to the slightly low key delivery of the narrator, but once that was overcome, I think it was the right approach. A tabloid , hysterical delivery wouldn’t have improved the narrative. It’s an amazing story with many parallels in modern political events and one that I , personally , found completely compelling.

Josephine by Carolyn Erickson

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Really enjoyed the story of Josephine’s life which is so often distorted in modern media retellings.

Such an interesting life.

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