Ambition and Desire: The Dangerous Life of Josephine Bonaparte

Ambition and Desire: The Dangerous Life of Josephine Bonaparte

From CNNâ€™s official royal historian, a highly praised young author with a doctorate from Oxford University, comes the extraordinary rags-to-riches story of the woman who conquered Napoleonâ€™s heartâ€”and with it, an empire.
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Their love was legendary, their ambition flagrant and unashamed. Napoleon Bonaparte and his wife, Josephine, came to power during one of the most turbulent periods in the history of France. The story of the Corsican soldierâ€™s incredible rise has been well documented. Now, in this spellbinding, luminous account, Kate Williams draws back the curtain on the woman who beguiled him: her humble origins, her exorbitant appetites, and the tragic turn of events that led to her undoing.
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Born Marie-JosÃ¨phe-Rose de Tascher de La Pagerie on the Caribbean island of Martinique, the woman Napoleon would later call Josephine was the ultimate survivor. She endured a loveless marriage to a French aristocratâ€”executed during the Reign of Terrorâ€”then barely escaped the guillotine blade herself. Her near-death experience only fueled Josephineâ€™s ambition and heightened herÂ determination to find a man who could finance and sustain her. Though no classic beauty, she quickly developed a reputation as one of the most desirable women on the continent.
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In 1795, she met Napoleon. The attraction was mutual, immediate, and intense. Theirs was an often-tumultuous union, roiled by their pursuit of other lovers but intensely focused on power and success. Josephine was Napoleonâ€™s perfect consort and the object of national fascination. Together they conquered Europe. Their extravagance was unprecedented, even by the standards of Versailles. But she could not produce an heir. Sexual obsession brought them together, but cold biological truth tore them apart.
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Gripping in its immediacy, captivating in its detail, Ambition and Desire is a true tale of desire, heartbreak, and revolutionary turmoil, engagingly written by one of Englandâ€™s most praised young historians. Kate Williamsâ€™s searing portrait of this alluring and complex woman will finally elevate Josephine Bonaparte to the historical prominence she deserves.

Praise for Ambition and Desire
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â€œNot just a scholarly work, but a page-turner . . . Williams is no stranger to creating works on strong and influential women, and, as in those works, here she does an admirable job of demystifying Josephine. . . . This engrossing and accessible account is for all readers who enjoy historical biography.â€â€”Library Journal
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â€œ[A] riveting account . . . Williams perfectly illustrates all that was bizarre and maddening about French life during the reign of Josephine and Napoleon Bonaparte.â€â€”Publishers Weekly
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â€œIntelligent and entertaining.â€â€”Kirkus Reviews
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â€œAn in-depth portrait of the substantive woman behind the throne.â€â€”Booklist

â€œReading [Ambition and Desire] is like watching Silk Stockings, the 1957 Hollywood masterpiece with Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. The book flows and jumps, taking the reader by the hand through tormented times in French history without ever letting you go or losing itself in the intricacies of French politics.â€â€”The Times
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â€œA sparkling account of this most fallible and endearing of women.â€â€”Daily Mail
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â€œA whirlwind tour of French history.â€â€”The Telegraph

From the Hardcover edition.
Country USA
Manufacturer Ballantine Books
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2014-11-04
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Ballantine Books
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2014-11-04
Format	Kindle eBook

Ambition and Desire: The Dangerous Life of Josephine Bonaparte

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