“From the lavish estates of the French Riviera to the raucous streets of Paris and Stockholm, Desiree finds herself at the epicenter of the rise and fall of an empire, navigating a constellation of political giants and dangerous, shifting alliances. Emerging from an impressionable girl into a fierce young woman, she discovers that to survive in this world she must learn to rely upon her instincts and her heart.”
I really loved the character work presented in the novel. Desiree comes from the merchant class in post-revolution France. She soon becomes the lover of Napoleon, who falls out of love with her. She then becomes a confidant of his new empress. Eventually, Desiree ends up marrying Napoleon’s rival and becoming queen of Sweden. What a life, and to think I had never heard of her before I picked up this book. My favorite part was probably reading about the dynamics of her relationship with Josephine. Another thing I found really interesting was seeing Napoleon through the eyes of someone close to him, rather than from his own perspective. In that sense, the book reminded me of ‘Booth’ by Karen Joy Fowler.
The atmosphere was great, and the world-building was amazing, especially if you don’t know a lot about this time period, which I didn’t. I never felt lost or confused because the author put so much research into this book and its setting. Also, the early chapters reminded me of ‘The Count of Monte Cristo,’ and we see Dumas mentioned, which I thought was pretty cool.
The writing was the downside for me. This is such a long and slow-paced story. We follow Desiree for the majority of her life, but it just felt too slow for me. I think part of this was my personal problem because I had a lot of interruptions and had to put this book down for extended periods. However, I believe that if I had been able to read it continuously, I probably would have enjoyed the writing more.
The plot was pretty good. I think this was very much a character-heavy novel, which I do prefer. It was so informative, and I learned so much about a European era that I didn’t know much about before. I had no idea that the current modern-day Swedish royal family is descended from an installment of Napoleon. There is so much to be learned from the plot of the story.
I found it really interesting to see Napoleon through the eyes of someone close to him, rather than from his own perspective. In that sense, the book reminded me of ‘Booth’ by Karen Joy Fowler. I never felt lost or confused because the author put so much research into this book and its setting. However, the writing was the downside for me. Overall, there is so much to be learned from the plot of the story. This was a great book but not a new favorite.
3.7 out of 5 stars.
Izzy Reads 