Desiree [Hardcover]

Annemarie Selinko (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2000

<DIV><DIV>The passions and intrigues of Napoleon Bonaparte's court are brought vividly to life through an unusual point of view: that of a merchant's young daughter from Marseilles who became Napoleon's fiancée and rose to become queen of Sweden. A massive international bestseller, the film version starred Marlon Brando and Jean Simmons.
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Annemarie Selinko was born in Vienna in 1914. She was a successful journalist and novelist. In 1938 she moved to Copenhagen, and subsequently lived in Stockholm, Paris and London, before returning to Copenhagen. Annemarie Selinko died in Copenhagen in 1986.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 608 pages
• Publisher: Buccaneer Books (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156849548X
• ISBN-13: 978-1568495484
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #304,891 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Desiree, by Annemarie Selinko, November 24, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Desiree (Hardcover)

Five years ago, my grandmother, knowing I enjoyed history, bought this book for me at a garage sale for 50 cents. At first I was a little skeptical, the book was battered and it smelled musty but I read it anyway. I'm glad I did, it certainly has been one of the most influential books in my life, causing me to pursue an odd interest in Napoleon thus causing me to study history in college. Recently, I stumbled across a webpage a woman had written dedicated to this book. In her page she told about the original German text of Selinko's work she had found in her Seattle, Wa Public Library that had several passages not printed in the American version. I would love to see both versions printed again, at least so I can retire my old worn copy and have one without the pages falling out.. and then maybe find out what happened in the German.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great through generations!, November 19, 1999

By 

Linda Frasch (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Desiree (Hardcover)

My aunt first owned this book, she gave it to my mother, who gave it to me, and I am 12 years old. We all loved it. It's romantic and exciting, with lots of history. I loved reading about Desiree through her whole life, and meeting Josephine and Napoleon. After I finished this book I went to the Louvre in Paris, and saw pictures of Napoleon's coronation, and Josephine's dress, which was described in Desiree. I loved this book and recomend it to women of all ages!

20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A sweeping historical about Nappy!, January 18, 2003

By 

Leah M. Brown "Leah Marie Brown, Author" (Mentally in Paris, France) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Désirée (Paperback)

As a girl, I had a crush on Napoleon (I know, it is a strange confession). As a teenager, I nurtured those tender feelings by watching Armand Assante play the Emperor in Napoleon and Josephine. And, as a woman, I devoured books about Napoleon's life. How is it then, that I did not hear about DESIREE until I was well into my thirties?

Knowing I sometimes enjoy historical romance novels, my mother recommended Desiree to me. Now that I have read Annemarie Selinko's masterpiece, I would categorize it more as a sweeping historical novel than a romance. True, there are some tender scenes between Napoleon and Desiree (I melted when he sent her the sable to keep her warm), but it is hardly a romance.

The first person narration was a bit annoying at times - and the writer clearly shifted POV several times per chapter, but still, it is well written and amazingly well researched (only a few errors that I could spot, one of which being the mention of inbreeding being the cause of medical problems. This was something that wasn't fully realized or appreciated until the reign of Queen Victoria with her hemophilia passing genes).
Read this book if you enjoy sweeping historicals, especially those set in the Napoleonic time period.

I must confess though, I much preferred Sandra Gulland's novels about Josephine B. They give the reader a good taste of Napoleon, with a far more accurate take on the players of the time. (Selinko, for instance, paints a picture of Napoleon's mother as being hard-working and ever-so-loving, even though that is in contradiction to recent note-worthy biographies about the Bounapartes).

In the end, this book was a great read. I really had a hard time putting it down, despite my few misgivings.