Josephine: A Life of the Empress

I loved reading this book and couldn't put it down because it got me to know Josephine - Napoleon's first Empress. I was born on 8/15 which is also Napoleon's Birthday so I have several books in my library about him. Since there is not a lot written about Josephine except that she married a man; a minor official in the Court of Louis 16th who was eventually executed by the"Terror"; had two children with him; after his death she became popular and hosted a salon where she met Napoleon. Miss Erickson brought Josephine to life for me with teling her story from the time of her birth on a plantation in the West Indies to her death in a very entertaining and charming way. I would recommend this biography to anyone who enjoys reading the lives of famous women or French History.ERIN MARIE SULLIVAN

Carrolly Erickson is a talented researcher and author, and her new biography on Empress Josephine is another very good read. I have a problem, however, with Erickson's habit of falling a little too much in love with some of her less admirable subjects. Josephine, while an exceptional character study, does not deserve the relentless emphasis Erickson places on her few redeeming qualities. Josephine was, in fact, a shallow and self-indulgent liar, swindler, whore, and manipulator extraordinaire. Although Erickson acknowledges these traits, she plays them down by repeatedly referencing Josephine's ingenuousness, compassion, and victim qualities, none of which are visible without Erickson's careful coaching. Erickson displayed this same oh-come-now-she's-not-so-bad-if-you'll-only-try approach with Mary Tudor ("Bloody Mary"). The book ended, appropriately, with Josephine's funeral. But I wanted to know what happened to her two children, Napolean's new wife, and even the loathsome Bonapart relatives. These were not peripheral characters; they were integral components of Josephine's life and a quick wrap-up sketch of each would have made the ending much more satisfying. I'm glad I read this book and recommend it to other biography and history lovers. Even so it's difficult to resist a spectacular kind of repugnance towards Josephine, notwithstanding Erickson's unfortunate and obvious urging to the contrary.

I have read several historical biographies by Carolly Erickson, and enjoyed them. This one is no exception. It is easy to read and chock-full of historical information. I also recommend that if you can get your hands on copies of "To The Scaffold, The Life of Marie Antoinette" and "Mistress Anne, The Exceptional Life of Ann Boleyn," you definitely do so!