Napoleon: A Life
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- Author：Andrew Roberts
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Summary
The definitive biography of the great soldier-statesman by the New York Times bestselling author of The Storm of War—winner of the Grand Prix of the Fondation Napoleon 2014
Austerlitz， Borodino， Waterloo: his battles are among the greatest in history， but Napoleon Bonaparte was far more than a military genius and astute leader of men。 Like George Washington and his own hero Julius Caesar， he was one of the greatest soldier-statesmen of all times。
Andrew Roberts’s Napoleon is the first one-volume biography to take advantage of the recent publication of Napoleon’s thirty-three thousand letters， which radically transform our understanding of his character and motivation。 At last we see him as he was: protean multitasker， decisive， surprisingly willing to forgive his enemies and his errant wife Josephine。 Like Churchill， he understood the strategic importance of telling his own story， and his memoirs， dictated from exile on St。 Helena， became the single bestselling book of the nineteenth century。
An award-winning historian， Roberts traveled to fifty-three of Napoleon’s sixty battle sites， discovered crucial new documents in archives， and even made the long trip by boat to St。 Helena。 He is as acute in his understanding of politics as he is of military history。 Here at last is a biography worthy of its subject: magisterial， insightful， beautifully written， by one of our foremost historians。
Austerlitz， Borodino， Waterloo: his battles are among the greatest in history， but Napoleon Bonaparte was far more than a military genius and astute leader of men。 Like George Washington and his own hero Julius Caesar， he was one of the greatest soldier-statesmen of all times。
Andrew Roberts’s Napoleon is the first one-volume biography to take advantage of the recent publication of Napoleon’s thirty-three thousand letters， which radically transform our understanding of his character and motivation。 At last we see him as he was: protean multitasker， decisive， surprisingly willing to forgive his enemies and his errant wife Josephine。 Like Churchill， he understood the strategic importance of telling his own story， and his memoirs， dictated from exile on St。 Helena， became the single bestselling book of the nineteenth century。
An award-winning historian， Roberts traveled to fifty-three of Napoleon’s sixty battle sites， discovered crucial new documents in archives， and even made the long trip by boat to St。 Helena。 He is as acute in his understanding of politics as he is of military history。 Here at last is a biography worthy of its subject: magisterial， insightful， beautifully written， by one of our foremost historians。
Reviews
Ghost of the Library
，
For the sheer guts of taking on Napoleon and writing this detailed a biography Roberts gets 5 stars。。。。 proper review will follow once I can put my ideas in order。
Andy
，
[TIME's 100 Most Significant Figures in History #2 - Napoleon]A fair portion of this book is the extra information， so it was slightly quick to get through。 Napoleon has always been one of those figures who I knew， but didn't really know what they did。 I knew he lost 7 fights and thanks to ABBA， I knew he surrendered at Waterloo。This biography is definitely a great biography， especially the structuring。 Roberts writing style isn't my favourite， and the biography I read on Washington not long ago [TIME's 100 Most Significant Figures in History #2 - Napoleon]A fair portion of this book is the extra information， so it was slightly quick to get through。 Napoleon has always been one of those figures who I knew， but didn't really know what they did。 I knew he lost 7 fights and thanks to ABBA， I knew he surrendered at Waterloo。This biography is definitely a great biography， especially the structuring。 Roberts writing style isn't my favourite， and the biography I read on Washington not long ago （Washington: A Life） did read better。 But this was definitely a great read and a fantastic volume of one of the worlds greatest men。When it comes to the man himself， I was very excited to see how he was a fan of books and just how determined he can be。 I will admit， he was a bit of a prick， but he was an 18-19th century man， so go figure。 It was very entertaining to see his time in war and how those around him admired/respected him。 Although， the introduction part when it talks about Hitler moving his corpse sent a chill down my spine。This book can definitely be for beginners or advanced readers， it does its job。 The writing can be dry at times， but it is overall a great addicting biography。 。。。more
Tim Armstrong
，
Quite interesting， though had some stretches that were boring for me。 Seemed to fly through Napoleon's life， I was surprised actually how quickly the story moved along。 I thought the book would become bogged down in minute details regarding the important and famous aspects of Napoleon's life， but the author was effective in his pacing。 Quite interesting， though had some stretches that were boring for me。 Seemed to fly through Napoleon's life， I was surprised actually how quickly the story moved along。 I thought the book would become bogged down in minute details regarding the important and famous aspects of Napoleon's life， but the author was effective in his pacing。 。。。more
Daniel Nelms
，
This one is a tome。 Roberts is a fantastic and detailed storyteller， it’s my second book from him。 However much you respect Napoleon’s ability to lead， he’s not so much the leader you would want to embody。
Jose Miguel Porto
，
Paradoxically， Napoleon fought for the French Revolution， against the social inequality that the feudal and monarchy system created。 He fought against inequality， against a feudal society where Louis XVI， Marie Antoinette and its court lived a lavish life while the majority of the rural population lived in misery。 He desired to foster a merit based society。 He became a dictator， with his brother and other close relatives in key positions。 He became the evil he fought against。 Undeniably， one of Paradoxically， Napoleon fought for the French Revolution， against the social inequality that the feudal and monarchy system created。 He fought against inequality， against a feudal society where Louis XVI， Marie Antoinette and its court lived a lavish life while the majority of the rural population lived in misery。 He desired to foster a merit based society。 He became a dictator， with his brother and other close relatives in key positions。 He became the evil he fought against。 Undeniably， one of the most brilliant generals of all times。 The revolutionary ideas he promoted and represented threatened neighboring empires （Russia， Autria， Prussia and Great Britain）。 When conquering another country he brought the revolutionary ideas with him， promoting new constitutions and the adoption of the Napoleonic Civil Code， to have a uniform body of law throughout the empire。 Great Britain was always his main rival， implementing the Continental System that banned the importation of British goods into Continental Europe。 To force Portugal to abide by the Continental System he invaded Spain but could never tame the Spanish population which continued fighting a guerilla war against the Napoleonic troops。 Horatio Nelson died at Trafalgar， but destroyed the joint French and Spanish navy; thus having Britain become the undisputed ruler of the seas thereafter。 Napoleon divorced his wife Josephine after she could not give him an heir， and married Marie-Luise， daughter of the Austrian Emperor， to secure an Austrian alliance against a potential Russian threat。 Following the defeat of the Prussian army and securing the loyalty of the Germanic states， war against Russia was inevitable。 Napoleon reached Moscow， which was burned by the Russian， but had to retreat defeated by hunger， thirst and disease。 Following the Russian defeat he was exiled to Elba， to later return， win his army back and be defeated by Weloington at Waterloo。 He surrendered to the British and escaped seeking asylum to Great Britain， where he was later exiled to Saint Helena， where he died of stomach cancer。 Napoleon's main legacy is the Napoleonic Code and the promotion of arts and architecture as a marketing tool to promote his image and that of his empire， which can be seen today in European cities and Museums。 。。。more
Roger Rosenberg
，
Exhaustive biography of the historic man and meticulously documented。 Clears up many of the misunderstandings and speculation。 Cannot add much to the many reviews already written。
Mychal
，
Woof。 Well it’s good to know that books mainly focused on battle strategy are not my thing。
Alismcg
，
When : "。。。what Chateaubriand called 'the mightiest breath of life that ever animated human clay' 。。。 " does cease。 me : I cannot believe 。。。 it's over。（Review to follow） When : "。。。what Chateaubriand called 'the mightiest breath of life that ever animated human clay' 。。。 " does cease。 me : I cannot believe 。。。 it's over。（Review to follow） 。。。more
Josh Burgess
，
Fascinating。
Jonas
，
Inspiring An engaging， inspiring biography about “perhaps the most competent human being who ever lived”。 Well researched and balanced view。 A highly recommended read！
Gina
，
The information is vast and the novel reads like a history book。 So detailed at times that it can be hard to get through， but well worth the effort。
吕晓晓 Chinese
，
At noon on August 15， 1769， Napoleon was born on the island of Corsica。 The Bonaparte family can be traced back to the lords between Florence and Livorno， who immigrated to Corsica under Genoese rule in 1529。 In 1755， Corsica unilaterally declared its independence。 Genoa， which was already in a state of despair， struggled for 13 years， and finally chose to sell Corsica to France in exchange for 40 million francs。 Napoleon used the leader of the Corsican independence movement as his idol in the e At noon on August 15， 1769， Napoleon was born on the island of Corsica。 The Bonaparte family can be traced back to the lords between Florence and Livorno， who immigrated to Corsica under Genoese rule in 1529。 In 1755， Corsica unilaterally declared its independence。 Genoa， which was already in a state of despair， struggled for 13 years， and finally chose to sell Corsica to France in exchange for 40 million francs。 Napoleon used the leader of the Corsican independence movement as his idol in the early years， but after studying and growing up in France， he gradually accepted the status of a French citizen。 Later， after conquering other regions， he also adopted this method to make new young citizens。 Accept France faster。 His military academy career taught Napoleon a very rich military philosophy。 Reading biographies of kings such as Alexander and Caesar from an early age planted the seeds of ambition in his heart。 The Italian War gave him confidence in his military skills， and the French Revolution gave him He has the opportunity to rise to the pinnacle of politics。 Of course， Napoleon's ability to become the master of Europe is closely related to his own ability。 Napoleon liked to read since he was a child。 He skipped classes many times to go to the library during school。 He loved history and literature。 He was familiar with Alexander the Great and ancient Greek and Roman history since he was a child。 His reading habit is also accompanied throughout his life。 In the palace， on the battlefield， and even during the expedition to Egypt， he also prepared a mobile library of 150 books， not only to read it by himself， but also to encourage his officers to study。 Goethe was the only author that Napoleon liked so much that he was still alive。 He read "The Troubles of Young Werther" countless times。 He had a good chat with Goethe in Weimar and invited Goethe to live in Paris， although the latter did not agree。 When he was in exile on St。 Helena， he still read more。 Napoleon was still an amateur writer。 Before the age of 26， he wrote about 60 reading essays， novels， fragments of philosophical essays， historical articles， essays， pamphlets and open letters。 The article expresses my political ideas and the novel expresses my yearning for love。 This reminds me of Stalin， who loves to write poetry。 He is even more of a letter writer。 He has sent more than 40，000 letters in ten years， an average of more than a dozen letters per day。 These letters contain not only care for his family， but also military analysis， as well as domestic Discussion of foreign politics。 During his time at the military school， Napoleon learned everything about the military。 He boasted that "there is no mission in the military industry that I can't complete independently。" Switched to using heavy cannons to fire blasting shells。 After joining the army， he and his subordinates studied and improved grape shells。 The biggest characteristic of the Napoleonic Army is that it grasps the two ends and not the middle。 At the strategic level， he controls the overall situation， but at the tactical level， he decentralizes power and gives the commanders of the marshals great autonomy。 To the soldiers， he was very close， eating and sleeping with the soldiers， and even after becoming the emperor， he often slept with ordinary soldiers。 Correspondingly， the soldiers loved him very much， called him "dad"， often said some witty things to him， and dared to complain to him。 Therefore， Napoleon can fully understand the status quo of soldiers from the grassroots of the army and understand what the soldiers need。 Therefore， the command of Napoleon's army is invincible。 In addition， Napoleon paid special attention to intelligence and logistics。 He has always analyzed intelligence himself， rather than handing it over to the chief of staff。 Only by mastering the truest military information can he defeat the enemy。 The logistics part is firmly connected with his unforgettable memory and the way of thinking in different categories。 In every war， he is very concerned about the soldiers' food， armaments and shoes。 The military system invented by Napoleon was to disperse the various armies in various places with a one-day travel distance between each other to ensure mutual support。 Each army has its own medical and logistics units， which are equivalent to an independent system， and at the same time the number is large enough for them to meet several times their own enemy forces for 24 hours。 This system works perfectly and is the only way for Napoleon to always win。 In terms of governance， Napoleon respected freedom of religious belief。 Islam was encouraged in Egypt， and Catholicism in Europe。 Anti-Semitism prevailed in Europe at that time， and he listed Judaism as the third largest religion in France， thus attracting wealthy Jews to support him。 He vigorously promoted the "Pact of State and Church，" and the "Napoleonic Code" that he formulated has been influential to this day。 This shows that Napoleon is not only a military strategist， he is also a very good politician。 In addition， Napoleon also had a keen interest in science。 Throughout his tens of thousands of letters， many of them have exchanges with astronomers， chemists， mathematicians， and biologists， not only respecting their research， but also participating in them。 During his time in power， he was even an academician of the French Academy。 Although there are political factors， his own research on science also rarely has other politicians able to do this。 Napoleon's ability to divide life is beyond the reach of most people。 "My brain is like a locker。 Different themes and different things are put in different categories。 If you don't want to continue thinking about something， you close its drawer and open the other。 When you want to sleep， you can fall asleep as long as you close all of them。" So he thought about things。 Time will not be disturbed by other things， probably this is a necessary quality for a great politician， and he has brought this ability to an extraordinary level。 Of course， Napoleon himself had many failures。 Openly turned against the Pope and even kidnapped each other; Can’t wait to establish a dynastic alliance， and offended the Czar; Did not completely resolve the war on the Iberian Peninsula， only arranged for troops who could not fight independently; He did not understand naval warfare throughout his life， so he has been unable to Completed the plan to conquer Britain; poorly employed people， arranged for his brothers and sisters to become kings of the country， betraying his own elitism; especially in the expedition to Russia， the battle of Leipzig and the battle of Waterloo， he committed a large number of military mistakes， which was the most direct cause of his failure。 reason。 But after all， Napoleon is a man or not a god， and everyone makes mistakes。 As a mortal Napoleon， he deserves to be one of the most important figures in history。 To a certain extent， he changed the world and is the well-deserved Emperor Napoleon。 。。。more
James Giammona
，
A sweeping， detailed biography of Napoleon drawing upon new source material that was unsealed after 200 years。I didn't know much about Napoleon's life or the history of this time period before this book and now have a much firmer grasp on European affairs at this time and the lasting changes that Napoleon brought to Europe。I found it especially interesting how undistinguished Napoleon was before his quick rise to power and how turbulent the government and military was at the time。 For example， N A sweeping， detailed biography of Napoleon drawing upon new source material that was unsealed after 200 years。I didn't know much about Napoleon's life or the history of this time period before this book and now have a much firmer grasp on European affairs at this time and the lasting changes that Napoleon brought to Europe。I found it especially interesting how undistinguished Napoleon was before his quick rise to power and how turbulent the government and military was at the time。 For example， Napoleon just went AWOL for a year to go back to Corsica and then the military just took him back both due to administrative error and because they desperately needed anyone with military experience。Napoleon was obviously a military genius， but I was surprised to see how he often won against larger enemy forces and how close to the action he was。 Many of his top generals died in battle over the course of his campaigns。Napoleon's constant energy and involvement with every part of the military government and campaign are astounding。 He would send thousands of orders and letters a day！ And competently reformed law， measurement， schooling， and many other aspects of French life。However， it is also shocking to see how cavalier he was in wasting so much human life on campaign after campaign。 This book offers a captivating portrait of one of the most influential figures of the 18th and 19th centuries showing both his extreme strengths and weaknesses。 。。。more
Shiloh Halsey
，
Gleaned some interesting information and background from this book but found it fairly boring and too long。
Josef Gottlieb
，
19th Century CaesarNapoleon Bonaparte was one of the most skilled political and military geniuses of European history。 His empire， at its peak， spanned from the Iberian Peninsula to the Dalmatian Coast。 His reforms changed the politics of Europe and the organization of modern armies forever。 He was， indeed， a conqueror and a dictator， but his sheer prowess brought him many admirers。 Andrew Roberts's biography of the man is extensive， detailed， and engaging。 If you ever wanted to learn about this 19th Century CaesarNapoleon Bonaparte was one of the most skilled political and military geniuses of European history。 His empire， at its peak， spanned from the Iberian Peninsula to the Dalmatian Coast。 His reforms changed the politics of Europe and the organization of modern armies forever。 He was， indeed， a conqueror and a dictator， but his sheer prowess brought him many admirers。 Andrew Roberts's biography of the man is extensive， detailed， and engaging。 If you ever wanted to learn about this extraordinary historical figure， his exploits， and his downfall， this book is an excellent read。 。。。more
Christian
，
Must be rare to have a life that forms such a perfect story。 A series of ever-shrinking islands marking the only inconsequential moments of your time in history。 I can only imagine them quaking with the potential energy。 Took me almost two years to read this， but it still feels like not enough time to spend with a such a person。
Scott J Pearson
，
This book is widely regarded as the definitive biography of Napoleon Bonaparte in the English language。 After listening to this book， I find no reason to disagree。 Napoleon was and is a huge figure in European history。 He conquered swaths of territory and reformed national systems。 He can only be compared to Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great in terms of impact。 He did not wrestle England， his archenemy， to the ground economically or militarily。 After losing to Wellington at Waterloo， he died This book is widely regarded as the definitive biography of Napoleon Bonaparte in the English language。 After listening to this book， I find no reason to disagree。 Napoleon was and is a huge figure in European history。 He conquered swaths of territory and reformed national systems。 He can only be compared to Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great in terms of impact。 He did not wrestle England， his archenemy， to the ground economically or militarily。 After losing to Wellington at Waterloo， he died in exile at St。 Helena， an island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean。 Here， Roberts captures the drama of his life in detailed terms and makes an epic subject into an epic book。Many， many biographies of Napoleon exist in many languages across many decades。 The only reason not to read this one is that it is unfailingly long。 Its length becomes its strength because it thoroughly treats every salient subject of Napoleon’s life with fairness and erudition。 However， many readers might prefer a smaller treatment for the sake of time。 That desire is fair， for life is short。Nonetheless， Napoleon was a genius of a statesman， and Roberts gives this man his historical due。 Napoleon reformed legal systems and won around 90% of his dozens of battles。 Were it not for a few mistakes， he might have also conquered Russia or defeated the English at Waterloo。 Roberts provides detailed analysis of every such subject。 Had he listened to Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations （found with him at his death on St。 Helena）， Napoleon might have devised a better economic system than the Continental system designed to exclude England。As an American， I cannot help but feel that Napoleon spent too much of his life warring as a egotistical king rather than reforming as an enlightened man of the people。 He did bring the Napoleonic Code to the legal systems of just about every European country except for England。 Had he accepted peace instead of desiring Empire， he might have contributed even more lasting things。 Certainly， he epitomized the French nationalism that grew out of the French Revolution， but he also epitomized what went wrong about that – by becoming an autocrat and dictator。Overall， Roberts’ treatment enchants readers in the English language and inspires fanciful dreams about a myriad of possible trajectories of the modern world。 Fans of history and admirers of modern politics should especially be attracted to this masterful account。 I had learned much about him in history classes in school， but while learning， I became aware that I was missing some depths of an interesting subject。 This book， at 1300+ pages， filled that hole with animus。 Even though it took months to listen through， I am glad I spent hours contemplating this great man of history。 。。。more
Kevin Gatdula
，
Exceptional book or simply an exceptional life - difficult to say。 Fantastic overall， it is impossible to not be swept up by the romantic retelling of Napoleon's incredible life。 Much like how Napoleon strived to join the pantheon of the greats such as Caesar， Alexander et al。， this biography does much the same with regards to the biographies of those great figures of history。Criticisms:- The book's use of French for important historical/memorable phrases - presumably to remain faithful to its s Exceptional book or simply an exceptional life - difficult to say。 Fantastic overall， it is impossible to not be swept up by the romantic retelling of Napoleon's incredible life。 Much like how Napoleon strived to join the pantheon of the greats such as Caesar， Alexander et al。， this biography does much the same with regards to the biographies of those great figures of history。Criticisms:- The book's use of French for important historical/memorable phrases - presumably to remain faithful to its sources - might be seen by some as somewhat inaccessible。 - The author spares no detail - it's clear that Roberts has read nearly everything to read on the man， and it sometimes disrupts the flow of the book e。g。 interrupting the recollection of a famous battle to discuss how Napoleon wrote a letter discussing hygiene practices at his home- The recollection of battles can be difficult to follow， but I can understand how complex they are such that it can scarcely be expected to follow the ebbs and flows of a long battle over a simple two-page spreadPraise:- Roberts spares no detail - every plot is laid out， opinions of other contemporaneous writers are always shared， and Napoleon's mind is laid bare thanks to the meticulous coverage of his important letters。 If the reader is confused by the politics of the time， then this is merely a function of the complexity of the plot itself rather than by any defect of the author- Even so， it is plain to see that Roberts has cut out a lot of the fat in certain areas for benefit of the reader;- Further， I was appreciative of how Roberts contextualises the political and military actions of the time。 In contrast to his use of French - which leads me to believe that he expects his audience to some basic grasp of it - Roberts makes no expectation on the reader's knowledge of 18th/19th century Europe and is happy to hold the reader's hand in explaining the more abstract but relevant political intrigues and movements of the time， especially in making more dated concepts accessible in the 21st century。As Napoleon was the right man for the time time， this was a perfect book for the Grand Lockdown of 2021。 。。。more
Garrick Infanger
，
I knew bits and pieces of Napoleon's life， but to have it all unfolded in one telling is remarkable。 Exhaustively researched and written in a pro-Napoleon bent this biography was excellent。 I knew bits and pieces of Napoleon's life， but to have it all unfolded in one telling is remarkable。 Exhaustively researched and written in a pro-Napoleon bent this biography was excellent。 。。。more
Josh Hamacher
，
Exhaustive - and exhausting。 Generally well-written and it held my interest， but by about page 600 I started to realize that I was much less interested in Napoleon than I thought I was。 Still well worth a read for historical perspective， if nothing else。
Mari
，
Loved all but the epilogue。 John Lee is a great reader and the scope of this book is monumental。
Juan Buenaventura
，
Detallada historia de los eventos de la vida de Napoleón quien parece haber vivido varias vidas absolutamente extraordinarias。
Hendrik Van
，
Excellent ！ Bien qu en anglais， tout à fait accessible。 Un ouvrage très complet sur la vie de Napoléon ！ Sauf sur la fin : la 100 jours et saint Hélène sont rapidement passés en revue par rapport au reste du bouquin
Kushal Karwa
，
Fell in love with the writing style of Andrew Roberts！ The book is a good amalgamation of battle description， humour， sarcasm and fact finding through consolidation of various sources。 Having heard anecdotes about Napoleon since childhood， I have always had a great fascination for knowing him more。 Andrew Roberts brings out different aspects of Napoleon's life very pleasantly and underlines the philosophical concepts behind his actions。 Have ordered Andrew's other book on Lord Salisbury after re Fell in love with the writing style of Andrew Roberts！ The book is a good amalgamation of battle description， humour， sarcasm and fact finding through consolidation of various sources。 Having heard anecdotes about Napoleon since childhood， I have always had a great fascination for knowing him more。 Andrew Roberts brings out different aspects of Napoleon's life very pleasantly and underlines the philosophical concepts behind his actions。 Have ordered Andrew's other book on Lord Salisbury after reading this！ 。。。more
G。
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3。5
Kayiris
，
Well written and researched。 A little to much time on the battles; yet it did help explain what was different about Napoleon。 I felt this was balanced and certainly the histories that compare him to Hitler are not correct。
Rindis
，
Andrew Roberts spared no effort in writing a new biography of Napoleon。 He spent a lot of time with the archives， toured many of the sites of Napoleon's battles （the vast majority of them， in fact）， and just spent a lot of time meditating on the subject and being a general fanboy。 Certainly， there is something to admire in an introduction that admits， "I would also like to apologize profoundly to Jérôme Tréca and the staff of Fontainebleau Palace for setting off the burglar alarms in Napoleon’s Andrew Roberts spared no effort in writing a new biography of Napoleon。 He spent a lot of time with the archives， toured many of the sites of Napoleon's battles （the vast majority of them， in fact）， and just spent a lot of time meditating on the subject and being a general fanboy。 Certainly， there is something to admire in an introduction that admits， "I would also like to apologize profoundly to Jérôme Tréca and the staff of Fontainebleau Palace for setting off the burglar alarms in Napoleon’s throne room no fewer than three times。"He is， probably deservedly， a little too self-congratulatory for having access to more source material than previous authors。 Napoleon III had his uncle's correspondence published， and that has been the main source for Napoleon's letters ever since。 Unsurprisingly， he had edited the collection for content， and it turns out that only about 2/3ds of the surviving letters had been published。 The Foundation Napoleon embarked on a project to publish it all in 2004， and Roberts availed himself of this fifteen volume collection。 I imagine the missing third was overall less important than what had been available， but it's still an impressive expansion of available resources。Roberts is undoubtedly sympathetic to， and an admirer of， Napoleon but he certainly does criticize as well。 He also points out early on that while Napoleon was undoubtedly the author of his own success， that there were other very talented people around him， some who helped teach and mold him， and some that were capable of handling all the detailed work required for his campaigns。 I do think he lets Napoleon off too easily on some of the more controversial subjects （most notably to me is the departure from Egypt; the analysis was sound—he couldn't really do any good there， and was needed in France—but leaving without even telling your immediate subordinates is still deserting them）。The book is massive， slightly over 900 pages， not including illustrations and bibliography and index。 It starts with defining the Buonapartes' position in Corsica， and the family's troubles with the incoming French administration of the island， before focusing squarely on Napoleon himself。 An epilogue gives a quick guide to what happened to just about everyone involved after his death。 In between there is a a very full， if not terribly long， life。 One nice bit is that Roberts' has visited most of Napoleon's battlefields， and there's often an aside or two about where a landmark is compared to the current terrain。 In a book like this， he doesn't go into a lot of detail for many battles， but he does give a good overview of the important actions。Overall， the book never drags， never gets lost in minutia。 Roberts is enthusiastic about his subject， and that enthusiasm helps carry the book along， even if it seems to gloss over a few things that could stand some serious appraisal （which would drag out the book）。 The reliance on letters， and secondarily memoirs helps bring his character to some degree of life， with complexities， contradictions， humor， and of course a large degree of energy and determination。 I'd say it's the best biography of Napoleon I've read， but really so far it's in a class by itself， and it is hard to imagine there are many others that can begin to live up to its scope。 。。。more
Blake
，
A comprehensive biography of one of the most impactful figures in the last few centuries。 The author does a good job of providing sufficient detail with some context， but not so much to bore the reader。 There are literally dozens （hundreds？） of great books on single battles that Napoleon fought in， so this was no small feat。 I listened to it， but I found myself making extra time for it so I could find out what happened next。 I knew little about Napoleon， which is a shame because of his interesti A comprehensive biography of one of the most impactful figures in the last few centuries。 The author does a good job of providing sufficient detail with some context， but not so much to bore the reader。 There are literally dozens （hundreds？） of great books on single battles that Napoleon fought in， so this was no small feat。 I listened to it， but I found myself making extra time for it so I could find out what happened next。 I knew little about Napoleon， which is a shame because of his interesting life and impact on humanity for ~20 years at the turn of the 19th century and beyond。Napoleon is fascinating - he was one of the most successful generals ever， but was also an inspiring leader who leveraged his military fame to become Emperor of a world power。 He invented the "corps" system of organizing an army， which led to many of his victories， and he often beat superior forces。 He only lost 7 of his 60 engagements。 He also instituted many civil reforms， some of which continue to influence governments。 It's incredible that so many soldiers willingly followed him despite the carnage they faced over dozens of battles。 He was a micro-manager with seemingly endless energy。My son asked me if Napoleon was "good" or "bad"。 I'm a little torn by that question。 He certainly wasn't good by modern standards， and even in his own time he did plenty of things that were aggressive， prideful， and hurt others。 He was no George Washington -- Napoleon constantly sought for more power rather than willingly giving it up。 However， I don't think he was "bad" to the degree that some other military greats or dictators were。 He didn't seem mean-spirited and didn't necessarily seek war， although he fell into war over and over because of pride and the desire to retain his conquests。 He hoped for peace， especially prior to his last few， bloodiest campaigns， but he seemed to get pulled back into war in order to protect his and France's "honor"。 His sense of pride and honor and his willingness to go to battle， not to mention his multiple mistresses， seems to reflect the values of the times as much as anything -- although that doesn't make it right。 There were other great men in the same age who lived much more moral lives。I plan on listening to this book again as it was interesting， insightful， and often captivating。 I also want to reread Waterloo again and find good biographies on Nelson and Wellington。。。 。。。more
Brent Davies
，
Thoroughly research and amazing accomplishments; however， either it was the writing style， focus of the author or maybe Napoleon’s personality or his life focus that turned me off。 I am not inspired by someone who has no problems being responsible for 10 plus years of all out warfare and millions of deaths on both sides of the campaign just to expand their borders。 I know that the United States did a similar thing。 I don’t justify what the United States did either to the people on the lands we t Thoroughly research and amazing accomplishments; however， either it was the writing style， focus of the author or maybe Napoleon’s personality or his life focus that turned me off。 I am not inspired by someone who has no problems being responsible for 10 plus years of all out warfare and millions of deaths on both sides of the campaign just to expand their borders。 I know that the United States did a similar thing。 I don’t justify what the United States did either to the people on the lands we took。 At least after Napoleon took over a country he either left the government officials as local leaders in his broader empire or tried to improve less progressive governments and improve life for the common people and the Napoleonic Code was impressive in it depth and breadth and longevity。 。。。more
Marshall
，
Excellent overview of the career of Napoleon
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Napoleon: A Life
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Napoleon: A Life&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Napoleon: A Life&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0