Josephine A Life of the Empress [Paperback]

In 1804, when 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 fa?ade. To her subjects, she appeared to vet hew 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 along every twist and turn of the empress's often thorny path, from the sensual richness of her childhood in the tropics to her final lonely days at Malmaison.

Distinguished historianCarolly Ericksonis the author ofRival to the Queen, The Memoirs of Mary Queen of Scots, The First Elizabeth, The Last Wife of Henry VIII, and many other prize-winning works of fiction and nonfiction. Her novelThe Tsarina's Daughterwon theRomantic TimesReviewer's Choice Award for Best Historical Fiction. She lives in Hawaii.

[Erikson's] scholarly insights combine superbly with a mastery of period manners more often found in the best historical fiction. Kirkus Reviews on Josephine

Carolly Erikson tells [this story] with all the flair it deserves...Exquisite writing. Houston Chronicle on Josephine

Carolly Erikson i a most admirable biographer, and this book is highly enjoyable as well as being reliable and acute; indeed, it is popular historical biography at its best. Christopher Hibbert, London Times, on Mistress Anne