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Frank McLynn

Napoleon: A Biography Hardcover – April 10, 2002

by Frank McLynn (Author)

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Brilliantly recreating the life of the notorious emperor, a riveting biography documents Napoleon's illustrious career, from his Corsican roots through the French Revolution and his military victories, to his defeat and imprisonment, revealing a great, yet deeply flawed, man. 30,000 first printing.

Print length

739 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Arcade Publishing
Publication date

April 10, 2002
Dimensions

6.5 x 1.88 x 9.5 inches
ISBN-10

1559706317
ISBN-13

978-1559706315
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Napoleon Bonaparte was a bully, rude and insulting. Women did not like him. But even so, writes Frank McLynn, "he had an amazing ability to sway other men to his purposes," which earned him one of the greatest empires Europe had ever known. McLynn, a noted biographer of difficult personalities, gives us a many-sided Napoleon: the shrewd strategist, the intolerant prude, the scrappy fighter, the charismatic leader, the sadist. ("He liked to strike people of both sexes, to slap them, pull their hair, pinch their ears and tweak their noses.") He nonetheless managed to extend French rule to the gates of Moscow. Why, then, was he so resoundingly defeated? McLynn argues that, among other things, Napoleon was not ruthless enough in dealing with the "endless list of ingrates" that surrounded him.

McLynn's book has several virtues, and readers interested in Napoleon's brief but brilliant career will want to have a look. --Gregory McNamee

From Publishers Weekly

After visiting Corsica, Rousseau declared, "I have a presentiment that one day this small island will astonish Europe." Corsica did. Born there in 1769, Napoleon Bonaparte would convulse the Continent, precipitating thousands of books about him since. This latest, by British historian and Strathclyde University (U.K.) literature professor McLynn (Villa and Zapata; The Jacobites), is a crowded and persuasive one-volume life. McLynn's study but for his addictions to clich and to repetition, and his labored leaning on both Freud and Jung is one the best of the new breed (since the 1978 discovery of Bonaparte's arsenic poisoning made earlier volumes obsolete). No hagiographer, McLynn is hard on Napoleon both as general and as statesman, and faults his failures to rein in his openly "venal" marshals, treacherous administrative elite and astonishingly rapacious siblings. Indifferent to people except as he needed their loyalty, this Napoleon's embodies ambitions not tempered by any idealism, and McLynn dismisses "credulous" previous biographers for seeing anything in him beyond a familiar French grasping for "grandeur" and "glory," apparent on a lesser level from Louis XIV to de Gaulle. To McLynn the difference is that Napoleon's dreams were truly Alexandrine that "His genius was of a kind that needed constant warfare to fuel it and... that all the hopes vested in him were illusory." While deftly exposing the material realities underlying the Napoleonic wars, McLynn also graphically describes the battles, suggesting that few (Austerlitz is an exception) demonstrate any authentic military brilliance. He is even more explicit about the general's tumultuous domestic and sexual life, in which Napoleon allegedly found little but masochistic satisfaction. "The true representative of the nation," Napoleon declared desperately in 1814, as his empire was collapsing around him, "is myself. France has more need of me than I have need of France." Such is still the case, McLynn claims, as France continues to cultivate his myth. Although McLynn's is a well-researched, convincing portrait, aficionados will find it not quite up to the standard of Alan Schom's 1997 Napoleon Bonaparte, which is both better written and more psychologically astute. 16 pages of b&w illustrations.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Numerous biographies of Napoleon are available, but this monumental work, first published in the United Kingdom in 1997, is clearly one of the most pleasurable to read. Using an interesting mixture of narrative and analysis, McLynn (Stanley: The Making of an African Explorer, 1841-1877) explores aspects of Napoleon's life often ignored by other authors. For example, he discusses the influence of the Corsican independence movement and the failures of Napoleon's father as the major influences they were. All of the personalities surrounding Napoleon, including both of his wives and his large family, are thoroughly analyzed in conjunction with the events of his fantastic career. The author is as nearly objective in his characterizations as one can be, holding nothing back as he probes Napoleon's entourage more deeply than did Alan Schom in Napoleon. What results is a less psychopathic, more human view of this much mythologized European. Strongly recommended for all collections. David Lee Poremba, Detroit P.L., MI
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Reviewed with Paul Johnson's Napoleon.

Two new books, each one different in scope and audience, profile the French emperor who gave his name to an era.

A prolific and popular historian, Johnson provides an excellent overview. In what amounts to an extended essay, this volume in the Penguin Lives series presents a concise appraisal of Napoleon's career and a precise understanding of his enigmatic character. The author views Napoleon, not as an "idea man" whose ideology was the ladder by which he propelled himself to heights of power, but as an opportunist who took advantage of a series of events and situations he could manipulate into achieving supreme control. From the island of Corsica, which only recently had come under French rule, Napoleon saw France's raw, revolutionary condition as the perfect playing field for an "ambitious, politically conscious, and energetic soldier" such as himself. But, in the long run, he failed as a politician, which eventually caused his failure as a general as well.

If Johnson's book is an outstanding introduction, McLynn's study is for readers wanting a more in-depth analysis. At more than 700 pages, this journey through Napoleon's life, with its emphasis on detail, whether about military maneuvers or Napoleon's quasineuroses, certainly demands an investment in terms of time and undivided attention. Written with great stylistic flourish, McLynn's full embrace of his subject's life, which benefits from exhaustive research resulting in a comprehensive picture of the Napoleonic era, is a rich reading experience.

These two biographies are not mutually exclusive. They can comfortably sit side by side on the shelf, each one filling a different need. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Frank McLynn was educated at Oxford and the University of London. A full-time writer, he won the 1985 Cheltenham Prize for Literature for The Jacobite Army in England, and is the author of a number of acclaimed biographies. He is currently Visiting Professor in the Department of Literature at Strathclyde University.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Arcade Publishing (April 10, 2002)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 739 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1559706317
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1559706315
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.58 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.88 x 9.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #488,542 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,538 in Political Leader Biographies
- #6,380 in Military Leader Biographies
- #61,395 in History (Books)

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Michael J. Ahola

Needs Editing

Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2021

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This is a very good biography of Napoleon. However, the Kindle edition leaves the impression that it was rushed into publication without adequate proofreading. There are numerous typographical and spelling errors, breaks in sentences and paragraphs, and changes in font size and style for no apparent reason. These flaws are clearly a function of the translation of the book into a Kindle e-book. I also own a traditional, paper copy of the book and the errors are not present. Strongly suggest that someone proof the Kindle edition and that Amazon issue an update.

4 people found this helpful

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Rethink

Printing gone wrong, horrible Typography quality

Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2021

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It’s difficult to read with every word having minor imperfections.

3 people found this helpful

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Stanley R. Schneider

Pretty Good Overview

Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2013

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I had been wanting to get around to reading a biography of Napoleon, and after searching the books reviews and comments on the internet, particularly this site, I chose this one by McLynn. I was over all impressed. It's not easy to capture such an immense figure who fought sixty major battles, had a couple of dozen field marshals, ruled on and off for 20 years, and had a bunch of siblings (four brothers, three sisters), two wives, and countless mistresses with seemingly everyone hopping in and out of bed with everyone. So McLynn does a pretty good job of capturing it all and presenting it to you. But I do have some peeves. He engages in way too much psychobabble about N's oedipal, misogynistic, and oriental complexes. There are very few maps. If you are going to spend so much time talking about the campaign in Egypt, a map would be nice, likewise the campaign in Spain which N didn't even personally participate in was covered in detail with no map of Spain. In fact, a map of France would have been nice considering all the time the author tells you of N's processions and maneuvers from town to town. There is a map of the Russian campaign, but as luck would have it, a lot of the action seemed to take place at the center fold on the map between facing pages (not sure how you prevent that). It would also be nice if the author included a graphic time line, and a family tree or list of N's relatives and spouses, that the reader can refer back to. Unfortunately neither was included.

The author devotes chapters to aspects of France under N such as its economy, culture, education, law, political system etc. But I sometimes got annoyed since it was done in way that interrupted the narrative. Likewise, all the analysis of N's personality throughout, led me to want to say "get on with the story"! All of N's marshals and diplomats are either placed on pedestals or the in the doghouse with adjectives such as good, bad, worthless, or treacherous. And McLynn has some dubious opinions. The Russian peasants who rose against N's Grand Army were described as really not hating the French, it was just that they had no way of getting get back at their Russian overseers, so they "projected" their anger unto the French! Near the end, while N is a prisoner at St. Helena, the author seems to concentrate solely on N's physical state and the relations with captors and his staff. I had thought this was when N accomplished some important writing and interviews, looking back at his career...this aspect was barely touched on. The author's lengthy analysis of why he thinks N was poisoned by arsenic belongs more in a peer reviewed journal. At the very end the author presents a chapter of "conclusions" on N, weighing him against Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and Castro etc, that I thought was sophomoric and forced. The reader would have been better served by an epilogue that told something of what happened afterwards to N's relatives and other key players,and their descendents. This was entirely left out. He mentions in a single by the way sentence that both Marshals Ney and Murrat had been executed (it made N sad).

The author assumes the reader to have a wide ranging view of history. For example, he compares N to "Tamerlane, who at Angora in 1402 overwhelmed the Ottoman Turks under Bayazid, fresh from his triumph over the flower of Christian chivalry at Nicopolis". Huh? Also the author has an elegant vocabulary, and frequently uses french sayings in italics that had me constantly turning to my IPAD.

On the plus side the book delivers what it promises, a good overview of Napoleon's life and associated events. McLynn writes in an opinionated, breezy, readable style that I found enjoyable. So I do recommend the book, but there are caveats.

Stanley R. Schneider

14 people found this helpful

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King John IV

There is always room for another Napoleon biography.

Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2015

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Is there room for another Napoleon biography? Sure, just like yet another Lincoln biography. There is always a slightly different approach to men who alter history in such big ways.

The author of this biography focuses on personal relationships between and among the players. Especially Napoleon's immediate family. I appreciated his drawing distinctions that prior biographers have made, and explaining why one view may be better than another.

Finally, the analysis he provided of the ultimate cause of Napoleon's death was fascinating. Working backward from what we know, but also what we can never know, he made some startling conclusions. I won't spoil the surprise but recommend that you read it to find out.

6 people found this helpful

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K. Vestal

mais mauve, tres biens!

Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2002

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McLynn knows his stuff inside out! Unfortunately, the novice or intermediate academist in the Napoleonic era may not know it as well. Meaning, although McLean writes in an interesting style, much of it involves details that are not explained well enough to a novice of this era and Napolean. He writes about the intimate details of Napolean, Josephine, Joseph, countless other characters and their mistresses and paramours. He uses many lines of quotations and letters that are not footnoted, but gives the multiple references for each chapter at the end of the book.
He describes Napolean's juxtaposition in and after the French Revolution marvelously. I think I finally understand how Napolean fit in to the revolution and what happened in France during and afterward. Although the revolution is not the focus of any of the book.
McLynn does not go into much military detail about any of Napolean's campaigns, just the basics. Napolean's grand strategy and tactics seems to be emphasized. I was dissapointed in the lack of maps. I found 3 only, 1 of Europe, 1 of Austerlitz, and 1 of the Russia campaign.
I did enjoy reading the book and I learned a lot. It could have been better with more maps and a little more explanation about the concomitant 18th century European cultures and world events. The best aspects of the book were the many short interpretations of the just described events found in each chapter by an expert like Frank McLynn. Thank you for writing it!

14 people found this helpful

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tomxiao

Terribly written book

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2018

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Terribly written book. Lack of empathy and understanding of the period or the situation surrounding Napoleon. Portrayal of Napoleon as another Stalin or Hitler despite tons of evidence to the contrary. BAD BOOk

10 people found this helpful

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Spencer R

Okay, but could have been much better.

Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2014

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While this book was extremely insightful, McLynn offers no end or foot notes in this EXTREMELY large book. The information is great, but the book could have been half the length and got the same point across. 700 pages is way too much for what the book actually tells you. Works by Timothy Wilson-Smith or Paul Johnson would be a better choice for research. This focused far too much on the sexual conquests and inadequacies of Napoleon than is necessary.

5 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

David K. Warner

Napoleon on the amateur psychiatrist's couch

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 2, 2021

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Disappointing, overly psychological, potboiler biography of Napoleon that is exceedingly psycho-sexual in its explanatory framework, and, therefore, fails to create a clear and objective evaluation of its subject as soldier and statesman, general and emperor. In addition, it is marred by misunderstandings about the politics outside of France and marked by too many basic errors, such as making Bernadotte king of Sweden when he was crown prince until 1818, and confusing Pitt with the Ministry of All the Talents and Grenville with Hawkesbury as Foreign Secretaty under Addington.
The book is ridiculously anti-British throughout, painting the actions of the Pitt ministry and its successors and the exploits of the military constantly in the worst possible light, and drawing unjustifiable comparisons between England and Napoleonic France, always to the advantage of the latter.
McLynn seems incapable of evaluating the achievements of Napoleon, painting all possible greatness in prosaic colours of drabness, and seemingly unable to accept the emperor's extraordinary talents, but, incapable of constructing his life as other than meteoric, he constantly diminishes the attainments of those who worked with and against Napoleon. Not only are the Marshals, with the odd exception such as Suchet and Davout, portrayed as idiots and incompetents, especially Ney, or traitors, as with Bernadotte, but important, constructive figures such as Castleresgh, Wellington, Metternich, and Talleyrand, each pursuing justifiable and understandable policies, are constantly and excessively berated and ascribed mendacious motives for policies of ill intent.
At almost 700 pages this book is a reasonably detailed study of Napoleon, but it conspicuously fails to properly evaluate the man or contextualise his times, and its Freudian-Jungian architecture perhaps tells more about the obsessions of the author than it does about the motivations of the extraordinary man who was Napoleon Bonaparte. In the end, Napoleon comes across as a sexually neurotic opportunist riding a tide of historical forces in a world populated by greedy, grafting nonentities. Napoleon is not great, it is just that everyone else is so much less.

Snehal Sidhu

a decent introductory biography to Napoleon

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 24, 2012

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Great if you want a single, readable narrative of Napoleon's life. McLynn's book only aims to summarise the best research on Napoleon, so aficionados shouldn't expect anything new. But this is a welcome introduction to Napoleon's life.

1) BIAS
Any book on Napoleon seems to suffer at least one of two criticisms: either it's said to hero-worship Napoleon, or it is said to bring back the 'black legend'. Both claims are somewhat true here: McLynn is both too generous and too critical of Napoleon.

On the generosity side, McLynn spends quite a lot of time defending Napoleon from his critics. He sometimes echoes Napoleon's own propaganda. For example, Napoleon frequently complained that his failings were not his fault, but rather he was betrayed and let down by his marshals, and by his family. McLynn buys this line too quickly, and the Marshalls and his brother Joeseph in particular get an ungenerous treatment as a result. McLynn is even more disparaging of Napoleon's Russian, German, Prussian and British counterparts.

On the critical side, McLynn paints many of Napoleon's unsuccessfuly decisions as foolish. For example, rather than understanding the reasons behind the invasion of Russia, or his dealings with women, McLynn prefers to put them down to irrational 'complexes' in Napoleon's character. I would like to have seen more done to try to make sense of Napoleon's reasons. Napoleon of 1913 onwards is painted as someone who just couldn't be bothered to win.

In short, balanced - but perhaps not in the right way.

2) 'PSYCHOBABLE'
McLynn psychoanalyses Napoleon: he claims that Napoleon suffers from a variety of complexes: a brother complex, an oriental complex. At one point, he even traces Napoleon's neurosis to the (false) claim that Napoleon was short. Personally, I think that psychoanalysis is bunkum. So I found these passages tiresome, and unhelpful. Thankfully, this didn't ruin the book for me: although they form a large part of the early chapters on Napoleon's childhood, they disappear almost entirely for the rest of the book, and can be safely skipped where they do appear.

3) READABILITY
In general, McLynn writes well. He often uses very formal and old-fashioned words, and occasionally these are used inappropriately. But by-and-large, the vocabulary causes little distraction, and the book is a pleasure to read.

SUMMARY
In summary, a good introduction to Napoleon. It stumbles by being both too critical and too generous, and reflects many of the faults of modern Napoleonic scholarship. But it is as good as, or better than, anything other introductory biography out there.

[Husband of account holder]

3 people found this helpful

june s

all good

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 10, 2020

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all good says it all ....no surprises or disappointments !!

Ms. Cheryl Corney

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 18, 2015

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