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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 France Historical Royalty Women Marriage Fiction

Critic Reviews

"An intimate, richly detailed, and candid portrait." (Kirkus Reviews)

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Fascinating.

An intriguing deep dive into the big life of a truly iconic woman who had a story much more complicated than anything that I ever could have imagined. Engrossing.

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I learnt so much.

I knew very little about Empress Josephine apart from her connection to Napoleon. What a fascinating woman and what a roller-coaster of a life!

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Profile Image for Heidi Froelich

history lesson made easy

Really enjoyed listening to this narrator and hearing the tale of Josephine told like a novel. Great way to learn about a historical figure.

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Fascinating glimpse into history

I had no idea that Josephine’s life crossed from pre-revolution France to after the fall of Bonaparte. Seeing this time period via Josephine’s life was fascinating.

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