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Title: Napoleon III: A Life
Author: Fenton Bresler
Genre: Biography
Thingummies: 3.5
Synopsis: Most striking case of nepotism ever: Napoleon's nephew was kind of an idiot, but fought his entire life to become the Emperor of France and then wasn't sure what to do when he got there.
Thoughts: A perfectly competent biography of an odd case--a kind of useless man who managed to somehow place himself at the crux of European history for the middle of the 19th century. Somewhat like its subject, it manages to be interesting and important without being brilliant.
This is the kind of book you have to be a history buff to care about. Napoleon I is one thing--everyone's heard of him. Do you care about the Crimean and Franco-Prussian wars? Then you might like this book. Not quite sure where or when those wars happened? This might not be for you.
Although if you're really interested in the Crimean and Franco-Prussian wars, this still might not be for you. It's a very personal biography, far more interested in the minutiae of Napoleon III's life than the actual events of his reign. Not that they're not covered, just that they're not covered in enormous detail.
What he is passionate about covering are the kinds of debates that loom large in the mind of a Napoleon III biographer and less so in ours. Who was his real father? Was his death caused by medical incompetence? Clearly the debate among historians is heated, from the tone, but for outsiders it's more just amusing how vehement the author gets.
Anyway--competent biography about one of the most major minor or minor major figures in 19th century European history.
Author: Fenton Bresler
Genre: Biography
Thingummies: 3.5
Synopsis: Most striking case of nepotism ever: Napoleon's nephew was kind of an idiot, but fought his entire life to become the Emperor of France and then wasn't sure what to do when he got there.
Thoughts: A perfectly competent biography of an odd case--a kind of useless man who managed to somehow place himself at the crux of European history for the middle of the 19th century. Somewhat like its subject, it manages to be interesting and important without being brilliant.
This is the kind of book you have to be a history buff to care about. Napoleon I is one thing--everyone's heard of him. Do you care about the Crimean and Franco-Prussian wars? Then you might like this book. Not quite sure where or when those wars happened? This might not be for you.
Although if you're really interested in the Crimean and Franco-Prussian wars, this still might not be for you. It's a very personal biography, far more interested in the minutiae of Napoleon III's life than the actual events of his reign. Not that they're not covered, just that they're not covered in enormous detail.
What he is passionate about covering are the kinds of debates that loom large in the mind of a Napoleon III biographer and less so in ours. Who was his real father? Was his death caused by medical incompetence? Clearly the debate among historians is heated, from the tone, but for outsiders it's more just amusing how vehement the author gets.
Anyway--competent biography about one of the most major minor or minor major figures in 19th century European history.
