Napoleon: Life, legacy, and image: A biography by Alan Forrest is an interesting biography about the famous Corsican man of humble beginnings who promoted himself to Emperor in the 19th century.
I have always been fascinated by Napoleon and decided it was time to re-educate myself on his life. This fine book was enlightening and filled-in many gaps in my knowledge about his rise to immortality.
The author has provided a perspective on the man behind the many wide-held beliefs about Napoleon and paints an image of a man driven by an insatiable thirst for power. According to Forrest, Napoleon calculated every move he made in effort to advance his thirst for power. It’s almost unbelievable when one considers how easily he succeeded at creating what might be termed, his “brand”. His mystique and ability to persuade and lead others was quite a feat. Although the end of his life was spent in exile, what led up to it was pretty amazing!
I was particularly surprised to learn Napoleon was exiled not once, but twice. That’s something I didn’t remember! The book focuses mainly on his military and political career which I appreciated. I gained a great deal of historical knowledge while reading this book and am grateful I did!
Great review. I’m going to see if I can snag this one because of your review.
I am happy to hear this Martie! There’s much more in this book I didn’t convey in my review which was so interesting. I learned a great deal!