Désirée by Annemarie Selinko

[Misfit]

Anyone know anything about this one (http://www.amazon.com/D%C3%A9sir%C3%A9e-Annemarie-Selinko/dp/1842125214/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1YR4OLT8OUGAG&colid=3QFLLIS3JPVCN)? I just got a recommendation from a commenter on Amazon and might have to put this one on the list.

[boswellbaxter]

I read it and didn't care for it, but I think on the old board there were a few fans. It's been several years, so things are a bit hazy, but as I recall what irritated me most was that everything Napoleon did was somehow related to his feelings for Desiree, and he kept constantly reappearing to ask her advice or to get consolation or something from her--it felt very contrived. On the other hand, the title, Desiree, certainly wasn't a misnomer, because hardly anyone was allowed to have a non-Desiree-related thought or action. Again, though, it has been a while since I've read it. I might have liked it better if I hadn't read Sandra Gulland's trilogy first.

[Misfit]

Thanks, I might be OK then since I haven't read Gulland's books. Library has it so it's not a great loss if it's not for me.

[MLE]

Desiree was # 3 on the bestseller list for the year 1953. It has the two-chapter setup pattern of most HF if that decade. I, for one, am glad to see it come out again.

I read this as a teenager and the plot still sticks with me. I remember enjoying it very much, although at the time I wasn't much of a critic, writing-wise. But it was at the same period where I was reading Gwen Bristow, for whatever that's worth.

Certainly the rejected fiancee of Napoleon ending up as the queen of Sweden was an interesting bit of history I might never have known otherwise.

[donroc]

I read it back in 1953 and enjoyed it at the time. You might want to see the film after you read it.

[trueblood]

Desiree was # 3 on the bestseller list for the year 1953. It has the two-chapter setup pattern of most HF if that decade. I, for one, am glad to see it come out again.

I read this as a teenager and the plot still sticks with me. I remember enjoying it very much, although at the time I wasn't much of a critic, writing-wise. But it was at the same period where I was reading Gwen Bristow, for whatever that's worth.

Certainly the rejected fiancee of Napoleon ending up as the queen of Sweden was an interesting bit of history I might never have known otherwise.

I also read it as a teen, and I really enjoyed it then! You'll have to tell us how it stands up for adult readers, if you did get around to it, OP! :)

[Misfit]

I read it, review here (http://www.historicalfictiononline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1589).

[Chatterbox]

I quite liked it, perhaps because I first read it as a teenager when it was last reissued in the 70s. Kind of read it at the same time as the Angelique novels, etc. It's a potboiler of sorts, but then it doesn't aspire to be literature, so that doesn't bug me. (Pretentious books always bug me!) I also liked the outsider's view of Josephine; and found that the author did a pretty good job of showing how self-centered Desiree really was, despite the first-person narrative. You can see just why people get exasperated with her! And since it's written in the form of a diary, somewhat, the "everything is about ME" perspective made sense.

Ended up with two copies somehow, I think one of mine is now posted at PBS (same moniker as here.)

[love_uk]

Read it as a teenager & loved it - it provided my first Napoleonic experience!

Must re-read one of these days.

:)

[tsjmom]

I just finished this and thought it was so-so once Desiree moved to Paris and married. There was too much military planning for my taste, and her relationship to Napoleon grew tiresome.

[elena maria vidal]

I read it in college and loved it for the descriptions of the Bonaparte clan. I especially loved the portrayal of Josephine. The film with Marlon Brando and Jean Simmons is good, too.

[Nickie]

I read that book in the seventies, and must say quite like it. The style is of course a lot different than nowaday writing, but is that bad? Such novels were immensely popular back then, and I keep hoping that time will come again.


Nickie

[Margaret]

I haven't read Gulland's books

Gulland is a fabulous writer. I've reviewed the first in her Josephine trilogy, The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. (see review (http://www.historicalnovels.info/Many_Lives.html)), and keep meaning to read the other two. The first one absolutely brought Josephine to life for me, and if the other two are even half as good, these are the definitive novels about Josephine.

[LoobyG]

I've devoured all of Gulland's books, her Josephine trilogy is compulsive reading - and her 'Mistress of the Sun' about Louis XIV's mistress Louise de Valliere is great too. I can't wait to see what she does next :) I've got Desiree on my TBR pile but haven't got round to it yet.

[princess garnet]

I've devoured all of Gulland's books, her Josephine trilogy is compulsive reading - and her 'Mistress of the Sun' about Louis XIV's mistress Louise de Valliere is great too. I can't wait to see what she does next :) I've got Desiree on my TBR pile but haven't got round to it yet.
She periodically mentions her upcoming novel (for now The Next Novel) on her blog and her progress on it.