Napoleon (TEXT ONLY)

There are insights aplenty here. I just read Waterloo by Bernard Cornwell so already had some ideas about Napoleon. But this book was a revelation. It ends up being a lesson on power corrupting but starts with someone fairly simple, who becomes a soldier by chance and who has not much ambition. He gradually discovers what is possible and takes the whole of France along.It is a clear commentary but does rather leave a lot out and gives a slanted view. For example it gives the impression that he was the saviour of Egypt. People there remember a terrible massacre and have a very different view. (I was reading it while in Egypt in 2015) Read Simon Schama, Citizens, for an explanation of the French revolution which put France in such a mess that Napoleon was welcome. Read Waterloo to find out why he in the end failed. Read this book to find out why he tried.

I enjoyed reading this book and learning what a great general, administrator, leader of his country and hero was.Napoleon Bonaparte.I thought however the author was far too brief in his explanations in providing background information relating to the important people who were his advisers and opponents and especially his relationship with his own family.Most deserving of greater detail however were the women in his life for example his mother, sisters, wives and mistresses. They needed to be covered in greater detail as I felt they impacted greatly on his ambitions and objectives.

A good biography about Napoleon's life.A bit dated and archaic here and there but overall a reasonably good one.I would recommend "Napoleon The Great" over this one though.

This biography is easy to read and so far as I can judge accurate and well researched. It is however prejudiced in Napoleon's favour to a remarkable degree. Much of its argument is a useful counter-balance to the hostility of many English historians, but in my view it does napoleon too much justice.

Excellent .A first class biography from a well respected and meticulous researcher.

This is a good a book to begin your journey to discover, "Napoleon", as there is; factual and accurate but with a narrative that will capture your imagination and make it easier to understand the man and the myth.

Splendid biography of a very great man-much reviled in the British memory

The book is very well written easy to read very informative. But the quality of the printing is very bad.

Hasta ahora, una introspectiva única al "pensar" de Napoleón. También encontramos insights de sus mejores decisiones, dándonos perspectiva acerca del porque era tal personaje.

Well written, and was useful for my report in my history class.

Answer this question to know if you should read this book: "Should history be objective?" Napoleon is a hurricane, a force of nature, intelligent, dramatic, hopeful and sincere. He held firmly to the principles of the French Revolution. He threw kings off their thrones,destroyed the "nobles" who enslaved millions of peasants and established democracy. This just scratches the surface of a truly amazing book on the life of Napoleon. If the criticism of Vincent Cronin is that he is to "pro" Napoleon then he is easily forgiven. Cronin brings us as observers to the massive vortex that is Napoleon and all we can do is hang on to the rail with both hands and hope that WE can remain objective in the face of it.

Im about 1/2 way though the book but I decided to write this review. This book reads not like a history but like an adventure story. The author did a great job at making history interesting to a non-history person. Im loving this book so far, if you want to learn about Napoleons life and why he did some of the things he did, from his perspective, this is a great book.Also, another reason I like this book is it allows the reader to view Napoleon's actions as a matter of circumstance and the environment he was born and grown in. Totally awesome read so far.

great book really understood napoleon and his way of thinking and learned that he was not short at allkk

This book reads very smoothly. For me, it was a revelation on the life of a truly great man. The intrigue and parrying between Napoleon, his loves, and his adversaries seems more amazing than any novel you could read or movie you could see. It IS a long book. Nevertheless, it is divided into manageable chapters that allow you to take a breather here and then.

Excellent rendition of Napoleans life and was very easy to read and follow.

Great book! I feel like I know everything about the larger-than-life character of Napoleon now. Everything from his childhood to his death is vivid, well-written and memorable.

I looked around and around for this book. I am happy that I found a copy for this price. This book is out-of-print. Very Pleased.

Drags on a bit in some areas and becomes a little clinical but still SO interesting.

bought it for a friend. he loves it

I consider Cronin's biography of Napoleon to be the best ever written on the great man. It is detailed without being boring. The amount of research is astounding. This is the first book to buy for any study of Napoleon. You may want to check out the books by J. David Markham also.

Gave me a whole new slant and respect for Napoleon. Going to retread it, too much to soak in with one reading!

Totally changed my understanding of Napolean! Great read!

Great book