The Queen's Fortune: A Novel of Desiree, Napoleon, And the Dynasty That Outlasted the Empire by Allison Pataki
Desiree Clary was the first fiancé of Napoleon and later became the Queen of Sweden.
Overshadowed by history, this book sheds a light on her life.
Marseille, France, 1794: During the tumultuous times of the French Revolution, when in need, Desiree meets Joseph Bonaparte. He is interested in pursuing her, but when she meets his younger brother Napoleon, she is intrigued with the rough-mannered but well-read and brisk Napoleon rather than the handsome and funny Joseph.
Credited with averting a civil war, Napoleon is appointed Commander of the Army of the Interior. As he rises through the leadership of the army in Paris, his letters to Desiree dwindle with each day.
From a Parisian journal, she learns about Napoleon courting Josephine de Beauharnais.
And if that wasn’t insulting enough, Napoleon corners Desiree to marry a much older man. Duphot proposal is simply jaw-dropping. “Was the man proposing marriage or discussing the pragmatic exchange of market goods?” Stunning and yet so real of the time-period.
But it is Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte that captures her heart.
While Napoleon leads his troops in Egypt, the situation at home goes from bad to worse. People continue to be hungry and unhappy. It seems as not much has changed since the time of the last king and queen. There is a talk of overthrow. The government is teetering on collapse. “All of Paris is on edge with rumors of riots.”
And Napoleon comes through again as a man who knows when and how to capture the moment for his advancement. He captures, yet again, the crumbling power.
Paris, 1810: It comes as a surprise to Desiree and her husband to be offered a Swedish crown. But it makes sense for Swedes to align themselves with Napoleon against such power as Russia.
The story very well captures the violent times and uncertain days of the time period and gives a good outline of the rise and fall of Napoleon. And the hypocrisy of going back to the tradition of coronation and to the ancient tradition of great men being called the Marshals of France, bestowing names of royalty, which was supposed to be gone.
The historical background is like a rich cake with devouring layers. You bite into it slowly to savor its richness. Josephine had too much sugar, so she hides her brown teeth behind the sealed smiling lips. Her feet dressed in sandals instead of being fully covered is simply shocking. In setting new fashion, Josephine is not to wear muslin anymore as it’s made in India, which is a British colony. She is to wear silk and satin made only in France. Hmm, sounds as history likes to repeat itself. Even countess Marie Walewska makes a short appearance. The teeny-tiny details are marvelous.
As well as engrossing presentation of feelings between Napoleon and Josephine, and how different Desiree’s feelings were. The drama of Napoleon’s family, mother and sisters, not accepting his wife. And later the erratic outbursts of Napoleon toward his wife. It’s all so real.
Fully developed characters are intriguing: some very well-mannered and some simply don’t care how they come across. Some fear bad times, but they know how to cherries the good times and others simply complain and argue about everything and everywhere. Some are vigorously ambitious and some think the life should hand them entitlements on a silver plate.
In summary, masterfully written and richly imagined, the story captures the rich history of the France’s turbulent times, textured with fascinating characters, who captivate with their raw feelings.
The stunning and impeccable prose is a hook from the first lines of the first page. “When the snow falls at midnight, blanketing the empty cobbled streets, sugaring the gothic bell tower of the Storkyrkan church, it becomes easy to imagine. For me, a girl from the south, where the breeze carried with it the warm seaside brine and the faint scent of the hillside lemon groves, the sudden appearance of these white flecks never fails to dazzle and disorient.”
Release date: 11 February 2020
Source: Ballantine Books
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