3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Human Story of the Hundred Days, May 24, 2002
This review is from: 1815 the Return of Napoleon (Hardcover)
The story of Napoleon's Hundred Days is so dramatic, so full of romance that it is no wonder that authors keep returning to it. The latest entry in the library of books on the end of Napoleon's public career is Paul Britten Austin's "1815: The Return of Napoleon." Anyone familiar with Paul Britten Austin's previous trilogy on Napoleon's Russian campaign will know that Mr. Austin knows how to cull his sources for the interesting and informative anecdote and weave them together into a fascinating narrative. Austin uses the same technique here. Employing primarily French sources, he follows Napoleon's route from the Golfe Juan to Paris, ending with Napoleon's entrance into the French capital.
Like Mr. Austin's previous works, this is not analytical study of the military, political and diplomatic history of Napoleon's Hundred Days. Readers can easily get that elsewhere. Rather this is the human story of a great event, told by the Frenchmen who experienced it. We see the events through the eyes of the men and women who experienced them. Austin does a good job in his notes indicating trustworthiness of his witnesses. We hear from Royalists, Bonapartists and the fence-sitters. While we have occasional diversions to Paris or some of the other cities in France, Austin sticks closely to the Route Napoléon.
One theme of the book is how those who encountered Napoleon on his return from Elba interpreted their duty, honor and allegiance. Some stand by their oaths to the King, some swear allegiance to Napoleon, Many play a waiting game, doing little or nothing one way or the other.
The book hangs or falls ultimately on the author's choice of quotes from his sources. Austin, as expected, picks his passages well, keeping the narrative flowing with judicious selections from a multitude of characters. The book is filled with human interest stories, such as the story of Col. Jubé's various trials and tribulations at Grenoble that end in his tumble down a flight of stairs. Or that of Peyrusse, Napoleon's treasurer, and his chest of gold. Readers looking for in-depth military, political or diplomatic analysis should look elsewhere, but for the human story of this exciting time, this is a book you'll want to own.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Truly Wonderful Book, June 17, 2005
This review is from: 1815 the Return of Napoleon (Hardcover)
Reading this book was like watching a "word" movie. It put me into places during Napoleon's return that I didn't know one could go. I learned quite a lot about this historic event.
For instance, the fact that Napoleon was able to return to the throne of France without having so much as a shot fired is truly incredible. What did the King do? How were the royalists treated during this event as compared to the White Terror later on? What about Marshal Ney's experience? All are answered.
I also highly recommend this book. Hopefully, it is the first installment of another trilogy.
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