Napoleon: The Song Of Departure [Paperback]

Max Gallo (Author), William Hobson (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 2004

On 15 May 1779 the pale and aloof son of a prominent but poor Corsican family arrives at the gates of a military school in eastern France. Barely able to speak French, and fiercely proud of his Genoese heritage, it will nevertheless take Napoleon Bonaparte just twenty years to become absolute ruler of the country he once saw as his oppressor, and the dominant military force in Europe.

In this masterful blend of history and imagination, the author brilliantly describes Napoleon's early life, his struggles and his glorious victories. Starting with Napoleon's five years in military school, its cold and alien atmosphere exacerbated by his school-mates' constant bullying and his total isolation from his family, this book shows the first faltering steps of the man who would become the Little Emperor. A major bestseller in Europe, this book is the first step in the author's spellbinding and passionate quartet of novels.

Napoleon's desire, his courage and his determination are all brought exhilaratingly to life, together with his overwhelming passion for Josephine. Set against the backdrop of the murderous unpredictability of revolutionary politics, and the battlefields of Italy, Egypt and France, this book is a compelling, convincing and exciting journey into the heart of one of the most intriguing men in history.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

A remarkable figure in French public life, Max Gallo is the author of 80 books biographies, novels, historical novels, memoirs which have sold in their hundreds of thousands. He has been or continues to be an MEP, newspaper editor, eminence grise in the last French elections and he lives in Paris. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 410 pages
• Publisher: Pan Books (December 31, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0330436066
• ISBN-13: 978-0330436069
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,288,747 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, March 14, 2005

By 

Sam Findlay (Brisbane, QLD, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Napoleon: The Song Of Departure (Paperback)

Of all the books I have read on Napoleon, fact and ficiton, this is the best by far. Max Gallo has spectacular insight into the real person, not merely the legendary Emperor. This book perfectly captures the personality of Napoleon, constantly conveying a sense of restlessness - each time Napoleon achieves something he rejoices only briefly before he turns his gaze to the next task, never content, always driven to go to new heights. Gallo's writing style is unique, talking in present rather than past tense, as is the convention for novels. Nonetheless this is actually quite a bonus - it gives everything a sense of urgency and draws the reader in so one can feel that they are actually living the life of the emperor. A must read, whether a fan of Napoleonic history or not.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What History is All About, April 13, 2006

By 

R. J Szasz "Rod Szasz" (Tokyo, Japan Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Napoleon: The Song Of Departure (Paperback)

The review is for all I-IV of the Quartet:

If Napoleon could write his own memoirs in real time, this is what they would sound like... one really gets into the head of Napoleon. That is the gift of Max Gallo. Pulling this off in a quartet is something next to impossible -- and in translation?? -- well Gallo has done it! If you are interested in knowing how great people think, this is as close as one can come. The Napolean we meet is one of both human and mythic in equal proportion. His overriding sense of justice and the new age that he brings sometimes gives rist to excesses, but at other times one is amazed at his ability to apportion justice, forgive and see himself in humble terms.

The book offers a look at the life of the man, so we spend about as much time thinking about things as Napoleon did: there are no long treatises on Austerlitz, Wagram, Leipzig or Moscow. These were pivotal events in the life of the world and influences Napoleon, but one must realise that the amount of book space allocated to Austerlitz is about 15 pages of about 1500 in the total quartet -- probably about the same amount of time that Austerlitz occupied in Napoleon's life.

So if you are looking for an over-emphasis on the military events this is not so much the book to read. The real strenght is in the ability to marvel at the thought processes of this great historical leader -- how he reaches conclusions, right or wrong on important issues.

I have read 3 of the 4 so far. They have not dissapointed.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gallo + Napoleon = Dynamite!!, March 27, 2006

By 

Pat W Jusuf "Book Fanatic" (Jakarta, Indonesia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Napoleon: The Song Of Departure (Paperback)

Well, this is another rare 5-star novel which I HIGHLY recommend for everybody who enjoys reading history or historical fiction books. Actually, it is a MUST-READ book.

In this novel, Napoleon is alive and well. He became of what he became because of partly circumstances and his own nature. It started with Napoleon at 9, and already France's army general at his early 20s. His fondness (or craziness) of Josephine is also blossoming.

His early campaigns on France's neighbors are excellent. If Gallo had detailed those campaigns, I would think the book's pages will certainly double. Gallo is a story teller like Bernard Cornwell and Simon Scarrow. He did a bit of strategic warfare telling in this novel, but not close to Steven Pressfield's detailed war strategies. However, Max Gallo's style is actually preferrable, rather than going into too much detail on an issue.

A highly recommended novel for everyone. I will get the remaining 3 novels on this Napoleon quartet by Gallo at all costs!