At the Court of Napoleon: Memoirs of the Duchesse d'Abrantes - Couverture souple

Abrantes, Laure Junot

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0900075325 ISBN 13 : 9780900075322

Editeur : Cassell Reference, 1992

Synopsis

Laure Junot d'Abrantes was a childhood friend of the Bonapartes in Corsica. When she was 16 she married General Junot, Governor of Paris. She became one of the foremost hostesses of the era and played a major role at the flamboyant court of Napoleon and Josephine. Napoleon attempted to seduce her but failed. These memoirs bring to life the intimacies of the Imperial family and Napolean's tumultuous years of power and ultimate defeat.

A propos du livre

From Library Journal

Doubleday. Nov. 1989. c.400p. photogs. LC 89-7850. ISBN 0-385-26639-1. $19.95. autobiog The Duchesse d'Abrantes (1785-1838) was married to one of Napoleon's most loyal, though less competent, military commanders. Her intimacy with Napoleon, Josephine, and other members of the court gave her an excellent vantage for observing all the backbiting, quarrels, scandals, fancy balls, and events of that era. Her overall characterization of the persons she describes is fairly reliable, though she relies too much on hearsay and tends to exaggerate some things and to omit others (among the latter, her own numerous love affairs). The volume under review is a slightly modified version of an English translation that originally appeared in 1895, and reprints only a small fraction of her memoirs. Scholars therefore will continue to rely on the ten-volume French edition published in 1893. However, this edition should prove interesting to many general readers.
- Thomas J. Schaeper, St. Bonaventure Univ., N.Y.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly

A longtime friend of the Bonaparte family, the Duchesse d'Abrantes, Laure Permon Junot, was part of the inner circle which came to power in Napoleonic France between 1800 and 1814. Written in 1837 with the encouragement of novelist Honore De Balzac and edited here by French historian Bernier ( Louis XIV , etc.), her memoirs provide a droll account of the manners and foibles of the French upper middle class that resurfaced in full glory after years of hiding in the aftermath of the 1789 Revolution. Her acquaintance with Napoleon since childhood gave her a seasoned view of the imperious general who referred to her as "La Petite Peste." The duchess's extensive social contacts combined with her trenchant wit make her account of Imperial Paris especially entertaining. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Cassell Reference
• Date d'édition: 1992
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0900075325
• ISBN 13: 9780900075322
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 400
• Éditeur: Bernier Olivier
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible