Annemarie SelinkoBesprekingen
Auteur van Désirée
Besprekingen
Ντεζιρέ door Selinko Annemarie
Román Désirée, čerpajúca z historických prameňov, si získal čitateľov na celom svete a bol aj sfilmovaný. Autorka s pôvabom a vľúdnym humorom rozpráva osudy Désirée Claryové, dcéry marseillského obchodníka s hodvábom a Napoleonovej prvej lásky. Prevratné historické udalosti, Napoleonova cesta ku sláve, jeho pád i drobné udalosti zo zákulisia - to všetko je videné stále trochu udivenými očami jeho mladučkej snúbenice. Désirée trvalo žije v Napoleonovej dôvernej blízkosti, vída ho v kruhu početnej rodiny Bonaparte a potom oficiálne na recepciách a slávnostiach ako manželka francúzskeho maršala Jeana Baptista Bernadotta, neskoršieho švédskeho kráľa. Vzťah Désirée a Napoleona si cez neustále zvraty uchováva zvláštne napätie a nostalgiu prvej lásky.
I’m giving it 4 stars, because I thought the story got a little redundant about midway through and there was too much emphasis on the political events that occurred at that time (although they did teach me a lot about the French revolution!). I’d recommend this to anyone who is interested in French history and royalty.
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frtyfour | 24 andere besprekingen | Jun 16, 2020 |
frtyfour | 24 andere besprekingen | Jun 16, 2020 | La trama e le recensioni di Désirée, romanzo di Annemarie Selinko edito da Neri Pozza. È il marzo del 1794 a Marsiglia e, davanti al municipio, la ghigliottina continua a tagliare nobili teste. Figlia di François Clary, un commerciante di sete che è riuscito a trasformare la sua bottega in uno dei più eleganti negozi di Marsiglia, Bernardine Eugénie Désirée non avrebbe nulla da temere da quei turbolenti anni seguiti alla grande rivoluzione. Ha natali borghesi e neanche una goccia di sangue blu in famiglia. Tuttavia, i capricci dei tribunali rivoluzionari, si sa, sono imprevedibili. Etienne, il fratello maggiore, è stato accusato di oscuri misfatti e Désirée, insieme con la cognata Suzanne, si è recata ieri alla Maison Commune per incontrare Albitte, l’illustre deputato giacobino di Marsiglia, e discolpare il primogenito dei Clary. Alla Maison Commune ha conosciuto il segretario di Albitte, Joseph Bonaparte, un còrso in possesso di invidiabili qualità: gli stivali lustri e l’aria decisa, la conoscenza personale di Robespierre e, addirittura, un fratello generale. Desiderosa di apprendere qualche dettaglio delle eroiche battaglie di Valmy e di Wattignies, Désiréee ha invitato Joseph e suo fratello Napoleone a casa Clary. Eccola, ora, seduta, insieme con la sua famiglia e i due giovani còrsi, intorno al grande tavolo ovale dell’elegante dimora del commerciante di sete. Davanti a lei, il generale. Piccolo, con addosso niente che luccichi, né decorazioni né cordoni. Solo delle piccole spalline dorate. Il volto magro, dalla pelle tesa e bruciata dal sole, è incorniciato da capelli rosso-bruni. I capelli arruffati cadono fin sopra le spalle senza nessuna traccia di cipria. Quando ride, la sua faccia sparuta assume improvvisamente un aspetto fanciullesco e allora sembra più giovane di quanto in realtà non sia. Così comincia questo romanzo che narra della straordinaria vita di Bernardine Eugénie Désirée Clary, ragazza di Marsiglia che infranse il cuore di Napoleone Bonaparte e, dopo aver sposato il maresciallo Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, divenne regina di Svezia e Norvegia col nome di Desideria. Pubblicato per la prima volta nel 1951, trasposto al cinema nel 1954 in una celebre pellicola con Marlon Brando nel ruolo di Napoleone, Désirée è uno dei più grandi bestseller della storia della letteratura con più di venti milioni di copie vendute.
Born Bernadine Eugenie Desiree Clary, daughter of a Marseilles silk merchant, Desiree is one of those incredible real life characters who are in the right place at the right time - or the wrong time, perhaps - to get caught up forever in the pages of the history books. Desiree was engaged as a young girl to Napoleon Bonaparte - and became his sister-in-law, through the marriage of her sister to his brother - but eventually wed one of his generals, Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, and became Queen Desideria of Sweden! You couldn't make this stuff up. Being slow on the uptake, I didn't even realise until halfway into the novel, that Desiree is not a fictional romance heroine (although some of the facts and dates have necessarily been 'embroidered' by Selinko) - finding her Wikipedia page made reading her story all the more exciting.
That said, the pace does flag in places - particularly towards the closing chapters - and Desiree's reporting of Napoleon's doings is slightly clunky at times, but all in all, an incredible life story well told. I might risk watching the film version, with Marlon Brando and Jean Simmons!
The King's General,
Desiree.
But destiny would not have Désirée as Napoléon's wife. Before the marriage Napoléon left for Paris in order to convince the political leaders of France of his plans for France. In Paris Napoléon also meets Joséphine de Beauharnais. While Désirée had a large dowry, Josephine has influence in Paris. Thus Napoléon dissolves his engagement with Désirée and marries Josephine instead. At first Désirée is devastated, but soon she finds a new love as well in General Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte. Jean-Baptiste even becomes one of the Marshalls of France under Emperor Napoléon.
This novel details Désirées life from her teenage years until her fifties. It is presented in the form of Désirée's diary entries. I'm always a bit ambivalent about books written as a diary, because this can go terribly wrong. However, in this case it seems to have been the perfect choice. Désirée writes entries whenever something decisive happened in her life. This gives a vivid picture of the time and Désirée's life without getting boring with too much detail (a problem quite a few historical novels have). It is easy to empthise with Désirée and I enjoyed her story very much. I can easily understand why this books belongs in the category of bestsellers.
The audiobook production lives up the the story. The narrator, Nicole Quinn, has a calm voice that is is pleasant to listen to. However, I had one problem with the audiobook: There were quite a few sudden volume changes. This is especially bad when one listens in the car or with headphones.
All in all this is a very enjoyable novel and I'll probably listen to the audiobook again some time and might even look for other books by Selinko. I'm torn between four and five stars in this case but tend towards four.
1 Zurpel | 24 andere besprekingen | Dec 21, 2012 |
Zurpel | 24 andere besprekingen | Dec 21, 2012 | I received a review copy of Desiree from the publisher in return for my honest review.
When it comes to Napoleon Bonaparte's love life, his tempestuous relationship with Josephine is almost always at the forefront. But did you know that before Napoleon met and fell in love with Josephine, he was engaged? Desiree Clary started out life as a silk merchant's daughter, but despite all of their differences, her life remained entertwined with Napoleon's - she was with him at his coronation and she was with him at his final abdication following Waterloo.
One of the aspects of this novel that struck me the most is how the writing voice changes. At the beginning of the novel, Desiree sounds very young. She sees things remarkably clearly - not for her the imposed complications of society's strictures. She simply wants to get things done. Headstrong and emotional, it is easy to see how she falls utterly for the brilliant charismatic young general despite his almost stand-offish aloofness. But as Desiree grows beyond her heartache, the writing style subtly matures along with her. It was gradually done and not overtly noticeable as I was reading until I had put the book down for a bit and returned to it.
I learned a great deal about Napoleon as well as about the Swedish royal family from this novel. I had never heard much at all about Sweden in the conflict, and I was utterly fascinated by the revelation that a French citizen was called upon to succeed as the Swedish heir to the throne. And I certainly sympathized with Desiree and the conflicting loyalties and expectations that she faces. What a very full life she led! But however interesting her life was, I did find that the novel was slow in parts - sometimes it seemed the character's limitations got in the way of the story. Desiree was not terribly interested in politics for much of the novel, and especially towards the end when political intrigue and strategy drive the story forward, it can be frustrating not to be shown what is going on because of Desiree's limited focus.
I found the balance between the human elements of love, generosity and jealousy and the more political historical side a bit off at times, but nonetheless, I enjoyed Selinko's story about Napoleon's first love a great deal. It's certainly something very different from the usual historical fare.
More posted at A Hoyden's Look at Literature.
Desiree Clary was the daughter of a Silk Merchant from Marseille, and when she was 14 she met the poverished Napoleon Bonaparte. Her sister married his brother, and that was sure a catch since these two girls had a great dowry. Napoleon asked Desiree to marry him and that would take place when she turned 16. But sadly before that he went to Paris where he meet the enigmatic and beautiful, and older, Josephine. Desiree would later meet Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte whom she would marry. By then totally mixed up in the Bonaparte family and Napoleon's need for more. Later the Swedish asked Bernadotte to become crown prince of Sweden. And so this simple merchant daughter from France become a real queen.
I do not need to say that this book was filled with history. Napoleon's struggle to the top, him becoming emperor and making all his siblings kings and queens. The years of wars, with the German states, Russia, and so on. And in the middle of all this stood Desiree. First as a relative to the family and then as a wife to one of the most known Generals in France, all of Europe. It was fascinating to see history unfold around her as she wrote in her diary and telling how it all was. I always did wonder. Napoleon and her, did they really never have an affair? This book makes it as she was deeply in love with her husband, who never strayed on her, and him only taking a mistress later on cos it was expected. But then I googled and read there was one maybe, and another man whose mistress she seems to have been. I am glad that was left out, because doing that this whole book is one romantic fantasy.
Desiree herself, well, she never gave Sweden a chance. Sure it's colder, and she was not a princess, but I felt she should have stayed cos of her son. Instead she left for France.
Other than the romance, there is the history, wars and political intrigues. This book never has a dull moment. It was very hard to put down in the end, even if it was really long. The author has of course taken artistic freedom but she stays true to the big picture.
One other thing, I have sure not read a book in a long while that mentions Finland so much, of course I enjoy that. The Swedes really wanted us back and hoped Bernadotte could go to war and conquer Finland back, alas no.
Final thoughts: A story about a fascinating woman who lived in an interesting period of time.
1 blodeuedd | 24 andere besprekingen | Oct 10, 2010 |
blodeuedd | 24 andere besprekingen | Oct 10, 2010 | After Napoleon breaks off the engagement to marry Josephine de Beauharnais. Desiree marries Jean Baptiste Bernadotte and they have one child, Oscar. Desiree had not desire to be involved in politics, but due to her relationship with Bonaparte, she ended up being the go between and messenger between her husband and Napoleon. As her husband rises up the ranks, she is perfectly happy to have a simple life. That all changes when her husband is adopted by the King of Sweden as the king has no heirs. In 1810 Desiree goes to the Swedish court but feels that she is not treated well and returns to Paris. In 1818 her husband becomes King of Sweden but Desiree does not go to Sweden until 1823, when she goes with her daughter-in-law and at her own request is crowned Queen in 1829. I had not read a lot about Napoleon and the Napoleonic Wars and I did enjoy this book. This is a story based on the history of France in the 1800's. A great story about a very courageous woman of her time.
I'm not sure my words can do this book justice. Désirée's story brought me to tears on several occasions with its raw emotion. She endures profound heartbreak both personally and as an observer of her country's pain yet is never defeated. You will root for Désirée and be completely captivated by her story. We readers are indebted to Sourcebooks for bringing this book back into print. Désirée is a beautiful and triumphant piece of historical fiction. I urge you to read it whether you are a fan of this genre or not.
1 iubookgirl | 24 andere besprekingen | Oct 8, 2010 |
iubookgirl | 24 andere besprekingen | Oct 8, 2010 | L'avevo letto da ragazzina, però anche adesso non mi ha deluso nonostante alcuni palesi errori storici.
But for the fact that she went to get her brother out of jail, Bernardine Eugénie Désirée Clary, a wealthy silk merchant's daughter, would not have met young impoverished Napoleon Bonaparte and how different her life might have been. Enchanted by the young officer, she invites him and his brother Joseph to her home - where Joseph finds himself attracted to her sister Julie and her very generous dowry. Still too young to wed at fourteen, she and Napoleon are engaged, but the older Joséphine de Beauharnais has something to say about that. Although heartbroken, Désirée recovers and eventually marries French General Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, although he spends much of their marriage away from Paris in service to the now Emperor of France. Eventually Bernadotte is nominated to become Crown Prince of Sweden, and subsequently King with Désirée as its reluctant Queen.
Written in diary format from Désirée's POV, her story give the reader an inside glimpse at the young Napoleon and his family, through his opulent days as Emperor lavishing gifts and titles on his family, on to his final defeat at Waterloo. As interesting as much of this history was, I found myself snoozing off at times as the author lost me with a too busy cast of characters, too many of which were always called "your royal highness" and nothing else that I had a hard time following who was who. Worse yet, the diary format really painted the author into quite a corner and she had a hard time getting herself out of it at times - frankly she fell out of that corner on more than one occasion. Writing in your diary and you quote verbatim a long long letter from your son? I don't think so. If you're a big fan of anything and everything Napoleonic and want to read more I'd go for it, but definitely not for a first time reader of this period in France's history.
First of all I have a degree in European History and it angers me when people try to judge history through the eyes of political correctness. This book was written in the 1950s so don't judge its content by today's distorted rewriting of history. I doubt very much that people living through a great moment in history see their lives in that context. Enjoy the book for its fictional insight into people's lives during this turbulent time. The framework of the story is historically correct, however, the author has taken literary license to spin us a story of love and betrayal and love found again. The author brings alive Paris and its bridges, homes and palaces.It is an account of Citizeness Desiree Clary. The author states "the novel has its own reality". Women, even Josephine, were powerless to impact the course of men's lives, wishing otherwise is fantasy. (There are a few exceptions but they were not the rule.) I recently visited the Royal Palace in Stockholm, and there they were up on the wall in the palace-Desiree and Jean Baptiste. The irony in this historical story is that their family still rules Sweden today. I reread this book every ten years or so and walk the streets of Paris in my mind and envision the actual passage of great historical moments played out there. The Tuileries palace is gone, but the Seine, the streets and the city are still alive and vibrant. This novel brings them alive.
1 kis | 24 andere besprekingen | Apr 21, 2009 |
kis | 24 andere besprekingen | Apr 21, 2009 | 
Skøn, skøn historisk roman om silkehandlerdatteren der ender som dronning af Sverige. Jeg har læst den mindst 5 gange og den er lige dejlig hver gang.
What a strange experience to read this book 45 years after it was written. I read it not as a novel, but as a cultural artifact.
It was decently written, though there is no soaring prose, memorable dialogue or good characterization. It was workmanlike, but perhaps I miss the author's talent, as Desiree is supposed to be essentially uneducated.
This was written in German in 1952. Was the author in need of money after the war? Was she really discussing Hitler and his conquests and responsibility for the death of millions?
The most distressing thing about this, right up until the last 50 pages or so, was the "naturalness" of the idea that this young woman had absolutely no interest in the great events of her time. She is written as a consummate twit. Her husband constantly refers to her by diminutive nicknames. Did the author believe this stereotype? Did her readers? Was this deliberate or unconscious? How irritating to see women portrayed so!
This brings me back to my first statement -- this is indeed a cultural artifact.
3898. Desiree, by Annemarie Selinko (read June 8, 2004) This is a fictional bestseller of 1953, which gives a vivid account of Desiree Clary, reputedly the first love of Napoleon, who eventually ends up as Queen of Sweden. As with such historical fiction, one wonders what is true and what is fiction. But it weaves an interesting story, though with more emphasis on things I thought women might be interested in than was I, and I do not regret the time spent reading it--though at times I thought Anthony Adverse, the sheer fiction I read 30 March 2003, (also with Napoleon as a figure therein) was a more exciting book.
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