Customer Reviews

La Grande Armee

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4 star:		(1)
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Georges Blond takes the reader with Napoleon and his men as they march from Boulogne to Waterloo with a completeness that one would expect from an autobiography. The book describes the day-to-day life and death in the army of the Emperor with all the detail of a conversation with a grizzled veteran at a Parisian café. Mr. Blond provides character sketches of some of the leading historical figures of the time that illustrate motive, desire and fault. His descriptions of the Peninsular War and the retreat from Moscow vividly illustrate the suffering and horrors of war in the Napoleonic era. The author's in depth treatment of the medical services is most enlightening, describing the frightful lot of the wounded in gory detail. The reader cannot avoid having an increased respect for the physicians Rene Desgenettes and Jean Larrey. Touching on the political, personal and military histories of the period, the book provides the reader with a unique vantage point from which they may view battles like Austerlitz and Waterloo in a new light. The descriptions of the campaigns and battles avoid tactical details while providing sweeping descriptions that answer many of the how's and why's of the conflicts events. With the chronology, maps and statistics included in the appendixes, this book will become a valued addition to the library of any student of the Napoleonic era.

Blonde has written a superb tour de force in a style which makes one think you are reading a novel and transports you to the battlefields of the Napoleonic Wars. One learns a plenty of the lot of the common soldier and meets characters such as Murat, Ney and other lesser knowns. All in all a brilliant history without the boring prose of some better known history books!

There are many books about Napoleon Bonaparte, and probably even more about his campaigns. "La Grande Armee" is set apart from those works since it focuses on the men who fought and died for Napoleon. Blond makes this apparent from the start and it is an objective that he rarely strays from throughout the book.

The book covers the campaigns of the Grand Army from the thwarted attempt to invade England (1805) to Waterloo (1815.) "La Grande Armee" does an excellent job of delving into the life of the average grunt: the disease, the pillaging, the marches, even the horde of prostitutes that followed in the army's wake. Blond gives due consideration to the many non-French foreigners that filled the Army's ranks, and he gives particular interest to the budding medical corps of the Army.

'La Grande Armee"'s greatest strength are the details it presents: from the tactic of Russian playing dead on the battlefield and then getting up to shoot the advancing French in the backs is hard to ignore. To American readers, the chapters on the Spanish insurgency will be particular interest. Many other books of the era gloss over the Iberian campaign, especially after Napoleon himself later refused to enter Spain in an attempt to rescue the situation. That slow, tortorous defeat experienced by the Grand Army will make any reader wonder if the United States is headed down the same disastorous road in Iraq.

Of course, the famous retreat from Moscow is covered in all of its tragic detail, as is the Battle of Nations, and Napoleon's final defeat at Waterloo.

Overall, "La Grande Armee" is an excellent book and one that remains very relevant right to this day!

I found this book very provocative. The anecdotal comments throughout the book, personal accounts on each campaign and method which the author introduces character sketches as the applicable historical figures come into context were refreshing and enlightening. Despite references to Maps in the appendixes of the book, I found the author's description of tactics and battle movements to be somewhat confusing at times. I was a little disappointed with the amount of attention given to the last years of Napoleon the 1st's reign. All in all, a good, enjoyable read. DPS

I could not put this book down. It makes history live again, and adds a new perspective to the Napoleonic era. I particularly enjoyed the section on Spain. I felt as if Blond were speaking directly to me.

I agree with the other reviews, but would add two comments:

Firstly, if you are not knowledgeable about Napoleon's career, you should consider reading a general history first. This book is meant for readers who know the general outline of the period, and have a working knowledge of the geography of Europe. This is not a drawback; it is flattering to find a good read that does not assume the reader is ignorant. It allows the author to provide fascinating detail within a reasonable length book.

Secondly, the translator appears to have tried to be faithful to the specific words of the author, and not to make it "flow" in English. I prefer translators who take a reasonable degree of latitude in translating. As a result, some parts are more awkward than they probably would be in the original French. And the editing is poor -- especially in the second half. There are numerous errors (i.e., "their" instead of "there").

These criticisms aside, it is a book that has inspired me to look for other English translations of Blond's works. And I will read this one again.