Josephine: A Life of the Empress

Written by Carolly Erickson

Narrated by Davina Porter

Popular biographer Carolly Erickson creates intimate and richly detailed portraits of her historical subjects. In this book she offers a provocative new perspective on Josephine and her fabled marriage to Napoleon. Josephine's story is as turbulent as the revolutionary era in which she lived-and even more tantalizing than her reputation. Brought up on the lush island of Martinique, Josephine arrived in Paris with a charming Creole lilt, an earthy West Indian manner, and a sweet, unaffected nature. A disastrous first marriage, financial hardship, and the violent realities of the French Revolution-including a stay in the harshest prison in Paris-forged her into a survivor. But would she survive her marriage to the insecure military leader from Corsica who would become Emperor of France? Carolly Erickson skillfully draws on historical evidence to reconstruct the rags to riches story of an extraordinary historical figure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 11, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456125172

Carolly Erickson

Distinguished historian Carolly Erickson is the author of Rival to the Queen, The Memoirs of Mary Queen of Scots, The First Elizabeth, The Hidden Life of Josephine, The Last Wife of Henry VIII, and many other prize-winning works of fiction and nonfiction. Her novel The Tsarina’s Daughter won the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Historical Fiction. She lives in Hawaii.

Reviews for Josephine

[LuisaPimentaMatos · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The will and savvy of surviving through wars and revolution: an amazing strong Historical woman personality, who managed to stay at the top and protect herself and her children against all odds and difficulties. Plus we get to have a glimpse into the mind and life of Napoleon.
Also the voice and the way this book is read helps in keeping the enthusiasm in listening to it.

[marshapetry · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book but not exactly easy reading. Since I listen to audiobooks I made it through... I don't think I could have finished the hard copy version, so much detail. Interesting and thorough, however, so if you like deep dive books into nobility this is a good one.Audiobook note :excellent narrator

[susiesharp_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When I got this book I thought it was historical fiction, when it arrived it said it was a biography. So I thought ok but even as I was reading it I wasn't sure if it was a novel or a biography, it definitely reads like a novel.I guess I didn't know much about Josephine when I started this book but I always thought that Napoleon & Josephine had this great love story but according to this book that’s not the case.It was ok it did read like a novel at first then got a bit boring towards the end where I just wanted it to be over.

[christy5778 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting book on a subject that I knew little about