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Napoleon the Great
- Narrated by: Stephen Thorne
- Length: 37 hrs and 23 mins
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Napoleon the Great
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Summary
Napoleon Bonaparte lived one of the most extraordinary of all human lives. In the space of just 20 years, from October 1795, when as a young artillery captain he cleared the streets of Paris of insurrectionists, to his final defeat at the (horribly mismanaged) battle of Waterloo in June 1815, Napoleon transformed France and Europe.
After seizing power in a coup d'état, he ended the corruption and incompetence into which the revolution had descended. In a series of dazzling battles, he reinvented the art of warfare; in peace he completely remade the laws of France, modernised her systems of education and administration, and presided over a flourishing of the beautiful Empire style in the arts.
The impossibility of defeating his most persistent enemy, Great Britain, led him to make draining and ultimately fatal expeditions into Spain and Russia, where half a million Frenchmen died, and his empire began to unravel.
More than any other modern biographer, Andrew Roberts conveys Napoleon's tremendous energy, both physical and intellectual, and the attractiveness of his personality even to his enemies. He has walked 53 of Napoleon's 60 battlefields and has absorbed the gigantic new French edition of Napoleon's letters, which allows a complete reevaluation of this exceptional man.
He overturns many received opinions, including the myth of a great romance with Josephine: She took a lover immediately after their marriage, and, as Roberts shows, he had three times as many mistresses as he acknowledged.
Of the climactic Battle of Leipzig in 1813, as the fighting closed around them, a French sergeant major wrote, "No-one who has not experienced it can have any idea of the enthusiasm that burst forth among the half-starved, exhausted soldiers when the Emperor was there in person. If all were demoralised and he appeared, his presence was like an electric shock. All shouted 'Vive l'Empereur!' and everyone charged blindly into the fire."
Andrew Roberts is a biographer and historian of international renown whose books include Salisbury: Victorian Titan (winner, the Wolfson Prize for History); Masters and Commanders; and The Storm of War, which reached number two on the Sunday Times best seller list. Roberts is a fellow of the Royal Societies of Literature and Arts. He appears regularly on British television and radio and writes for the Sunday Telegraph, Spectator, Literary Review, Mail on Sunday and Daily Telegraph.
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Critic reviews
"Magisterial and beautifully written.... A richly detailed and sure-footed reappraisal of the man, his achievements--and failures--and the extraordinary times in which he lived." (Jeremy Jennings, Standpoint)
"Roberts tells his story with vigour and aplomb. And even critics of the emperor will recognize that there is much new information in Roberts’s 814 pages, while the frequent complaint that is made of a tendency among authors to foreshorten the military narrative is not suitable here." (Charles Esdaile, Literary Review)
What listeners say about Napoleon the Great
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Garym213
- 27-12-16
Comprehensive and engaging book
What made the experience of listening to Napoleon the Great the most enjoyable?
I loved the pace, subtle humour and attention to detail. Writing a book on one of the greatest leaders in world history was an ambitious undertaking. Heartily recommend.
What did you like best about this story?
The story of humble beginnings and the notion of someone with profound ability meeting opportunity. Also, while the greatness of Napoleon shines through, so does his humanity.
What does Stephen Thorne bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
He has managed to condense so much about the life of Napoleon, yet, brings a large degree of context which helps give perspective to why he is rightly called "Great".
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No, it is a meaty book.
Any additional comments?
Great book, thoroughly enjoyed listening to it being read.
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13 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Andrew
- 10-05-16
Just Great
This is currently the single longest book I've listened to, and more than worth it, fact come thick and fast, but it's all very absorbing. From start to end I now do truly believe the Napoleon was Great, even Wellington had to admit it!
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3 people found this helpful
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- gearoid amazon
- 02-09-20
Leabhar spéisiúl faoi Napoleon
Bhí maith liom an leabhar. Is geall le úrscéal an leabhar stair i seo.
Oibrionn an leabhar a bhfad níos fearr le físeain ar Youtube [Kings and Generals]
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2 people found this helpful
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- A. J. Taylor
- 09-03-21
Napoleon the Remarkable
Excellent book by Andrew Roberts. Very well written, thorough and moves at a decent pace. Narrator is also very good and easy to listen to. Napoleon was a remarkable man and one of the titans of history and anyone should be interested in his life. Even if you do not agree with what he did you can admire the story.
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- Justin Feltham
- 05-11-18
all the detail and the story
the book gives all the information you need and has the story telling skill to tie it all together
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Phil
- 03-02-22
Great listen, in-depth and interesting
Overall I'd definitely recommend this audiobook. Great depth and interesting detail. My only issue is that sometimes the audio editing leaves in distracting breaths from the narrator. At one point in the chapter on Waterloo, I'm fairly certain the narrator takes pause to lightly belch which somehow ends up being left in the audio?
That being said, the book being almost 40 hours long makes these odd distractions basically moot so doesn't affect my overall recommendation.
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- Kindle Customer 007
- 06-01-22
Truly The Great
So pleased to have listened to this biography of a truly great man of his time. The lack of malice and forgiveness astounded me. The Napoleonic code has done much to further the world and the rights of individuals. RIP Emperor Napolean, your time was short but glorious.
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- A. Curtis
- 25-05-22
Superb
For anyone who has any interest in Napoleon, this is the must listen to book. Detailed, fascinating and very well read.
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- daniel o.
- 15-12-22
loved every second
Very well written and very well read, great detail throughout and very informative book
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- Daniel Swinburne
- 29-03-23
Very detailed and entertaining
I’ve read that Andrew Robert’s spent 13 years researching this book. As a result it’s packed with great information and insight as was an entertaining listen. Would recommended. Vive L'Empereur!
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