The Queen's Fortune: A Novel A Novel of Desiree, Napoleon, and the Dynasty That Outlasted the Empire
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- Create Date：2021-02-17 04:23:55
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Allison Pataki
- ISBN：9780593128206
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Editor Reviews
This impeccably researched， expertly rendered historical from Pataki gloriously re-creates the personal dramas surrounding Napoleon Bonaparte。 。 。 。 Pataki’s skill in chronicling Napoleon’s transformation from an idealistic young soldier to a ruthless， callous leader drives the story， and her sumptuous scenes allow the reader to easily examine the political machinations and extreme luxury of the monarchy。 Readers who enjoy Elizabeth Chadwick will want to take a look。”—Publishers Weekly
“Pataki’s ability to flesh out imperial grandeur and foibles with telling detail， on full display in her Habsburg novels， is equally evident here。”—Kirkus Reviews
“In The Queen’s Fortune， Allison Pataki chronicles Desiree， the secret lover of Napoleon Bonaparte。 When Napoleon chooses Josephine over her， the heartbroken Desiree finds herself entangled with Napoleon， Josephine and the new ruling class。 Pataki deftly weaves a tangled web of passion， deception and intrigue， set against one of the most tumultuous periods in history， making for a heady cocktail which readers will devour。”—Pam Jenoff， New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Girls of Paris
“I absolutely loved The Queen’s Fortune， the fascinating， little-known story of Desiree Clary—the woman Napoleon left for Josephine—who ultimately triumphed and became queen of Sweden。”—Martha Hall Kelly， New York Times bestselling author of Lost Roses and Lilac Girls
“Allison Pataki is a masterful historical author at the top of her game。 From the very first lyrical lines of The Queen’s Fortune， I was wholly swept into the entrancing world of Desiree Clary Bernadotte。 Painstaking research and page-turning prose placed me directly at the side of this remarkable yet lesser-known figure， journeying from innocent girlhood to seasoned royalty， a survivor of guillotine threats， palace politics， and strains of the heart。 I absolutely loved this book from beginning to end。”—Kristina McMorris， New York Times bestselling author of Sold on a Monday and The Edge of Lost
“It’s not everyone who’s jilted by Napoleon and winds up queen of Sweden。 Allison Pataki provides an intimate portrait of a tumultuous time—and of an ordinary woman who captivated two of the great men of her day and became the mother of a dynasty。”—Lauren Willig， New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Country
“History， romance， and the dangerous intrigue of revolution combine to make coming of age a high-stakes game in Allison Pataki’s richly reimagined account of a woman seeking not only to manage her circumstances but to triumph over them and rise to the throne of a country that will become her own。 This was a piece of history I knew very little about。 Pataki’s latest effort brings a fascinating time and place fully to life。”—Lisa Wingate， #1 New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours
Reviews
Desireerole
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Desiree by Annemarie Selinko was a classic novel in 1953， upon which the film with Marlon Brando was based。
Missy Boyette
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This book was excellent。 Beautifully written。 It was a story that I was unfamiliar with， and so I enjoyed hearing it from Desiree's perspective。 I always love it when I finish a book and think to myself "I can't wait to read this again"。 So it was with this book。 I will not give away any spoilers， but I found the end to be perfect。 This book was excellent。 Beautifully written。 It was a story that I was unfamiliar with， and so I enjoyed hearing it from Desiree's perspective。 I always love it when I finish a book and think to myself "I can't wait to read this again"。 So it was with this book。 I will not give away any spoilers， but I found the end to be perfect。 。。。more
Well Read Well Said
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-Rating: 3。5/5-Impeccably researched story about Napoleon Bonaparte’s series of relationships told from the POV of a former fiancée -The descriptiveness of French settings， complexity of the characters， and the sheer amount of research the author completed to write this book is 💯-Lost a few points because I felt I was waiting for the climax forever， and it was a bit lackluster IMO-Read if you ❤️ Romeo and Juliet storylines & French historical fiction
Melissa
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4。5 stars really enjoyed historical fiction of Desiree Clary， Napoleon Bonaparte first fiancee。
Elizabeth J。 Simpson
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Excellent and well written historical fiction based on real people's lives。 I had never heard of Desiree in all my years of studying French history！ Inexplicably intertwined with Napoleon and Josephine。 Highly recommend this book！ Excellent and well written historical fiction based on real people's lives。 I had never heard of Desiree in all my years of studying French history！ Inexplicably intertwined with Napoleon and Josephine。 Highly recommend this book！ 。。。more
Lea Columbus
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this is a historical fiction of Desiree， who loved both Napoleon and John Baptiste Bernadotte， later king of Sweden 。It is a bit different than other books non the same subject， but an excellent tale none the less。
Rachel
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Book Worms Book ClubI enjoyed this historical fiction novel that centers around Desiree Clary who was engaged to Napoleon Bonaparte before Josephine came along。 Their lives remained entangled through their history。 This was a subject I knew little about。 That’s why I love historical fiction。
Mary
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I love historical fiction， and I could not put this book down！ A detailed account of Napoleon’s life personally intertwined with his impact historically。
Lara Kimberly
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Fascinating story of Desiree ClaryHow have I never heard of Desiree？ I have studied France for four decades。 I've read all I could on Napoleon and Josephine。 This is a well written book that delves into the passions and emotions of a tumultuous time in French history。 Plus tells the little known beginning of Sweden's royal family and their connection to Josephine。 History can be more unbelievable than fiction。 Fascinating story of Desiree ClaryHow have I never heard of Desiree？ I have studied France for four decades。 I've read all I could on Napoleon and Josephine。 This is a well written book that delves into the passions and emotions of a tumultuous time in French history。 Plus tells the little known beginning of Sweden's royal family and their connection to Josephine。 History can be more unbelievable than fiction。 。。。more
Katrina
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Anyone else want to go to Sweden？ Me me me！ This is an amazing slightly fictionalized telling of Desiree and her involvement with Napoleon。 Makes one want to devour history much more than previously。 Enlightening and enthralling。
Dorothy
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Ugh， bored。 Moving on。
Kristine
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4。5 stars
Kim
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I had to think long and hard about how to rate and review this book。 I’ve had mixed results with Alison Pataki’s books in the past， but ultimately， my curiosity about Désirée Clary – whom I had never heard of before this book – won out。 Justine Eyre also did an excellent job in bringing Désirée to life with the fresh， hopeful tones of youth， absolutely nailing what a young girl would sound like at that age at the beginning of the book， and yet also bringing some weight to the character’s tones a I had to think long and hard about how to rate and review this book。 I’ve had mixed results with Alison Pataki’s books in the past， but ultimately， my curiosity about Désirée Clary – whom I had never heard of before this book – won out。 Justine Eyre also did an excellent job in bringing Désirée to life with the fresh， hopeful tones of youth， absolutely nailing what a young girl would sound like at that age at the beginning of the book， and yet also bringing some weight to the character’s tones as she grew older。 Still， overall， the book’s overall result left me conflicted。I think my overall complaint is that Désirée spent most of the book， probably about 90% of it， being so utterly， frustratingly passive。 She spends most of her life going with the flow and hardly ever raising a single word of protest or caution。 Napoleon dumps her for Josephine， and Désirée spends over a dozen pages crying about it。 I get that the girl was genuinely brokenhearted and I did feel for her， but at the same time， I wanted there to be some kind of confrontation about it， for Napoleon to feel some kind of remorse for the pain and suffering he had caused her。 But then， as I finished the final pages of the book， I realized that as emotionally fulfilling as that would be for me as a reader， it would not fit the character of Napoleon himself。 This is the guy who actually *did* write about how he slept with Désirée when they were engaged （and I will say I could have lived without the sex scene， even if it was hardly the most explicit one I had ever come across）。 Napoleon was never one to look back and regret his actions， only the actions of others as they pertained to him。 And let’s talk about Napoleon， since he is every bit as much the main character of the book as Désirée is。 I did not feel one bit of sympathy for this nasty， mean-spirited man。 I first despised him for jilting Désirée – whom I did have a fair bit of sympathy for， even if I thought her a bit of a twit for liking him so much。 Then， later， I hated him for his treatment of Josephine， of Bernadotte， for just about everyone， really。 The man went full-blown narcissist maniac， to the point where I was so relieved when the book finally reached the days of Napoleon’s downfall。 Napoleon was supposed to have been this remarkably charismatic person， the man who united the French people after so many years of hardship and heartache amid the French Revolution， and yet we never see it。 Oh， it’s mentioned many times over the course of the book how much the people and the military love their Emperor， but Désirée， as the narrator， and we， as the readers， never see that。 Instead， we’re stuck with the sulky asshole who is verbally and emotionally abusive toward Josephine， who sexually harasses Désirée （and oh jeez， how I wish we could have seen Bernadotte， or anyone really， punch the hell out of Napoleon when he decided to throw himself on top of Désirée and feel her up when they were all playing that hide-and-seek-esque game – so gross）， who on multiple occasions threatens to have Bernadotte shot。 I saw nothing of the man that was supposedly so great that he reached the heights he did buoyed by such a wave of popular support。 It all happens out of Désirée’s sight， and we’re left with the dregs of his personality。（Also， speaking of dregs of personality – Napoleon’s mother and sisters were incredibly annoying， one-note characters。 They hate Josephine， okay。 We got that the first time we met them， and every time thereafter。 Was it really so impossible to make these characters more than one-dimensional hags？ Or am I supposed to， yet again， assume that the other， better aspects of their personalities happened outside of Désirée’s view？）Another thing about Désirée that bothered me is how solitary she was made to appear， in that she appeared to have no friends whatsoever outside of her older sister， Julie， and maybe a fellow lady-in-waiting she met while serving Josephine （and who subsequently became Désirée’s lady-in-waiting later on）。 It’s made to appear that she had absolutely no life， no purpose whatsoever outside of her immediate family。 I understand that one has to simplify things in a novel， lest the cast of characters become too enormous and unwieldy， but this was going overboard。Not to mention， when she and Bernadotte travel to Sweden， Désirée is completely flailing amid the royal court。 By this point in her life， she’d lived in Napoleon and Josephine’s court for years。 She’d lived as a companion of Josephine’s， endured Josephine’s treatment of her （don’t think for one minute I’ve forgotten about the moment where Josephine literally pushed Désirée into Napoleon’s arms so he could assault her）， lived with Napoleon’s catty mother and sisters。 And yet she is at a complete loss as to how to deal with the older Queen of Sweden needling Désirée about her complete lack of attempting to assimilate to her new country？ Seriously？And there’s also the fact that Bernadotte was such an ardent Republican， so devoted to democracy to the point that he tattooed his chest with the phrase “Death to Kings”。 Now， the whole story of the tattoo is a myth， of course， but even so， it’s still an amusing and prevalent plot point in the book。 Désirée brings it up numerous times throughout the story。 And yet the man who so despised kings， actually went out and became one， without any attempt to reconcile the choice to go from one side of the political spectrum to the other。So， really， by the end of the book， I was rather… irked， by the many things that bothered me。 But as I sat and thought about many of them， I began to consider that that may have been the point。 Napoleon was an unrepentant asshole – airing all of his views in his memoirs as he did， broadcasting his having slept with Désirée， lambasting Bernadotte， etc。 That’s a fact。 Given that this was his behavior at the end of his life， it would not have made sense for him to have had a moment to repent for his sins against Désirée， however much I， as a reader， wanted him to feel badly for at least some of the things he’d done。 But no， the only regret he had was in leaving Josephine in his quest for a son， a quest that was， ultimately， for nothing。 Napoleon’s heir died young and without children of his own， thereby ending his legitimate bloodline。 He did have a few illegitimate children who could have had children， thereby continuing his bloodline， but I don’t think that would have mattered much to him。 Napoleon wanted a tried and true dynasty of his blood， and he was denied that。 It was there that Désirée and Bernadotte bested him， because they did found a dynasty， one that has thrived into the present day with their descendants still sitting on Sweden’s throne today。 And as for Bernadotte’s one-eighty in terms of going from a man devoted to democracy and republicanism to becoming a monarch without there being any real sense of him wrestling with that decision， perhaps that is the point。 Perhaps he didn’t truly grapple with it， and the end result was what Désirée saw in her husband’s final days， him being so tormented by his decision to make war on the country of his birth in order to rid them of Napoleon and his increasingly mad dreams of glory。 Perhaps he never fully came to terms with him going over to the other side， or， if he did， he rationalized it with the fact that he was a constitutional monarch， rather than an absolute one like the Bourbon monarchs before the Revolution。 （Of course， given the actions of the actual man， that’s up for debate， but I’m just looking at the characters and their actions within the story。）I complain about Désirée’s passivity， and while I still feel it’s valid， she did finally， at the end of her life， seize her moment。 It was Désirée， in publishing the many letters she had gathered from over the course of her life， who had the last word。 Even if her work has fallen into obscurity at this point， she still got her side， Bernadotte’s side， out there。 Napoleon’s version was not the end-all， be-all。 When I read about this part， I cheered a little。 It doesn’t make up for the hundreds of pages of passivity， of her one-note personality （which， really， was a flaw shared by pretty much the entire cast of characters） throughout most of the book， but it did finally give me something to truly be excited about。So， overall， I enjoyed the story， even if I found the characters to be somewhat lacking。 Still， in the fact of their lacking， one still manages to find meaning。 3。5 stars， rounded down to 3 because Goodreads has yet to allow us to give 1/2 stars。 。。。more
Paulette
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Many years ago， I read Annemarie Selinko's Desiree which ends in 1829。 I loved it。 It was one of my favorite books for many years。 This new version of the life of Desiree Clary follows her all way through to the end of her life。 I liked this version a lot， especially the detail about events， timing， meetings， etc。 There were so many things included that I had never known。 I greatly appreciated all the research that went into making this an excellent work of historical fiction。 Recommended。 Many years ago， I read Annemarie Selinko's Desiree which ends in 1829。 I loved it。 It was one of my favorite books for many years。 This new version of the life of Desiree Clary follows her all way through to the end of her life。 I liked this version a lot， especially the detail about events， timing， meetings， etc。 There were so many things included that I had never known。 I greatly appreciated all the research that went into making this an excellent work of historical fiction。 Recommended。 。。。more
Hailey
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This is an excellently written novel telling the amazing story of Desiree Clary/Queen Desideria。 I loved it。
Layla Abdul-Hadi
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This book was a bit shallow and disappointing。 While Ms。 Pataki's Sisi novels gave you a deep insight into Sisi's character， I'm afraid this one failed to do so。Desirée is plain boring。 It took me ages to finish the book and was relieved when I reached the end。 This book was a bit shallow and disappointing。 While Ms。 Pataki's Sisi novels gave you a deep insight into Sisi's character， I'm afraid this one failed to do so。Desirée is plain boring。 It took me ages to finish the book and was relieved when I reached the end。 。。。more
Gretchen
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Allison Pataki， you’ve done it again。 I was shocked at how little I actually knew about Napoleon and his endless string of victories and defeats， and even more surprised that I’d never even heard the name of our heroine， Desiree Clary。 To think her descendants still sit on thrones across Europe only once again highlights the importance of examining history not just from the viewpoint of strong make figures， but of the women who have shaped history and our world as well。 Although Sisi is still my Allison Pataki， you’ve done it again。 I was shocked at how little I actually knew about Napoleon and his endless string of victories and defeats， and even more surprised that I’d never even heard the name of our heroine， Desiree Clary。 To think her descendants still sit on thrones across Europe only once again highlights the importance of examining history not just from the viewpoint of strong make figures， but of the women who have shaped history and our world as well。 Although Sisi is still my favorite， I’m already looking to read more about the French Revolution and it’s major players， and in the end， isn’t that the point of historical fiction？ 。。。more
Laura
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Rating:3。5A good but not great fictionalized biography， told in the first person， of Desiree Clary Bernadotte， Napoleon Bonaparte's first love and the woman he threw over for Josephine。 Desiree remained within Napoleon's orbit; her sister married his brother Joseph and she ultimately married Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte， one of Napoleon's generals and an occasional rival。 The story covers 1789 - her death ， in 1860， as the dowager Queen of Sweden。 The characters never quite came alive for me in this Rating:3。5A good but not great fictionalized biography， told in the first person， of Desiree Clary Bernadotte， Napoleon Bonaparte's first love and the woman he threw over for Josephine。 Desiree remained within Napoleon's orbit; her sister married his brother Joseph and she ultimately married Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte， one of Napoleon's generals and an occasional rival。 The story covers 1789 - her death ， in 1860， as the dowager Queen of Sweden。 The characters never quite came alive for me in this book。 There was a bit too much architecture and fashion and jewelry and not quite enough personality， though the stormy relationship between Napoleon and Josephine was pretty well captured。 There were gaps in the story of Desiree's relationship with her husband that I wish had been filled。， and the wrap-up at the end also seemed rushed and incomplete。 I'd have traded some of the detailed palace descriptions to fill those gaps。 。。。more
Alicia
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Pataki does it again！ She is my queen of historical fiction。 She has a way of writing that just makes you feel like you are there in the room witnessing history。 I feel like I understand each character so clearly。 Yet again such a fascinating woman in Desiree and this story。 Loved learning about Josephine too。 What ladies！ Loved it。
Colleen
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Before picking up this book， I had never heard of Desiree Clary or her relationship with Napoleon which seems a bit incredible given how prominent a role she played in the era。 The novel is well-written and appears to mostly follow the facts。 Once I started reading， the story pulled me in despite my ambivalent feelings about Napoleon as a leader。 I did think there was a lot of focus on the Napoleonic phase of Desiree's life and not a lot on her lengthy time in Sweden - I find myself wanting to k Before picking up this book， I had never heard of Desiree Clary or her relationship with Napoleon which seems a bit incredible given how prominent a role she played in the era。 The novel is well-written and appears to mostly follow the facts。 Once I started reading， the story pulled me in despite my ambivalent feelings about Napoleon as a leader。 I did think there was a lot of focus on the Napoleonic phase of Desiree's life and not a lot on her lengthy time in Sweden - I find myself wanting to know more about what kind of queen she turned out to be。 All in all， an engaging and enjoyable read。 。。。more
Deirdre
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Told from the perspective of Desiree Clary， Napoleon Bonaparte's first love， The Queen's Fortune is a sweeping tale of drama， intrigue， romance， and revolution。 I'm a fan of historical fiction but I'm not a French history buff so I wasn't sure what to expect with this novel - Pataki's lyrical prose， meticulous research and attention to detail， and thoughtful characters brought this era of history to life and engaged me from the very first page。 I was completely swept up in Desiree's story and ke Told from the perspective of Desiree Clary， Napoleon Bonaparte's first love， The Queen's Fortune is a sweeping tale of drama， intrigue， romance， and revolution。 I'm a fan of historical fiction but I'm not a French history buff so I wasn't sure what to expect with this novel - Pataki's lyrical prose， meticulous research and attention to detail， and thoughtful characters brought this era of history to life and engaged me from the very first page。 I was completely swept up in Desiree's story and kept reading into the night to see where it would end。 I highly recommend this book - 5 stars！ 。。。more
Amber
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I absolutely adore historical fiction。 I love learning more about people and events that I may never have heard about before。 This book was very well written and had many historical references to important events that my education glossed over。 The only reason for a 3 star and not a 4 star was my annoyance with the characters， which is not the writers fault。 I knew Napoleon had "little man syndrome" but learning more about the depths of his character （at least as much as we can see from writings I absolutely adore historical fiction。 I love learning more about people and events that I may never have heard about before。 This book was very well written and had many historical references to important events that my education glossed over。 The only reason for a 3 star and not a 4 star was my annoyance with the characters， which is not the writers fault。 I knew Napoleon had "little man syndrome" but learning more about the depths of his character （at least as much as we can see from writings left behind） has left me a bit disgusted。 I did really like that I learned something new， the flow of the book was a bit better in the first two parts than in the last as well for me。 。。。more
Sarah Swiney
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Forgot to write a review right when I finished but my feelings about this book have gotten grander with time。 If you like historical fiction and an awesome female protagonist， this book will charm your socks off。
Mia
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I really did enjoy this book。 Super interesting and factual。 I would recommend to anyone who enjoys historical fiction。
Smita
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4。5 for this masterpiece！ Loved learning about the rise & fall of Napoleon through the eyes of his former fiancé who went on to become a woman in the court of Napoleon‘s wife and finally， Queen of Sweden。
Deb Tucker
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Interesting 。。。 I learned so much 。。。 I would highly recommend it！！
Lisa
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A well-crafted story highlighting a woman that was witness to much history herself but had managed to not be included in the telling。 I do enjoy Ms。 Pataki's attention to creating strong female characters in times that do not always hold their memory as dear as deserved。 Beside the central character of this novel， the other historical female characters are all strong in their depiction without the taint history can sometimes grant them。 A well-crafted story highlighting a woman that was witness to much history herself but had managed to not be included in the telling。 I do enjoy Ms。 Pataki's attention to creating strong female characters in times that do not always hold their memory as dear as deserved。 Beside the central character of this novel， the other historical female characters are all strong in their depiction without the taint history can sometimes grant them。 。。。more
Paul
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StunningA beautifully written story of a great woman in history。 I'll be recommending this novel to all of my friends！ StunningA beautifully written story of a great woman in history。 I'll be recommending this novel to all of my friends！ 。。。more
Angela Hedworth
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I do enjoy Pataki's books。 A fascinating woman who I knew nothing about plus a great lesson in Napoleon and some Swedish monarchy。 Who knew present day Swedish royals descended from Josephine？ I do enjoy Pataki's books。 A fascinating woman who I knew nothing about plus a great lesson in Napoleon and some Swedish monarchy。 Who knew present day Swedish royals descended from Josephine？ 。。。more
Joyce Young
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Really tried to read this， loved her other books， this one not all
Shannon
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