History Corner: Book Review: The Second Empress by Michelle Moran

Michelle's new book comes out in stores on the 14th, 
so we were thrilled to be able to review it ahead of time!

The Second Empress cover


Synopsis: After the bloody French Revolution, Emperor Napoleon’s power is absolute. When Marie-Louise, the eighteen year old daughter of the King of Austria, is told that the Emperor has demanded her hand in marriage, her father presents her with a terrible choice: marry the cruel, capricious Napoleon, leaving the man she loves and her home forever, or say no, and plunge her country into war.

Marie-Louise knows what she must do, and she travels to France, determined to be a good wife despite Napoleon’s reputation. But lavish parties greet her in Paris, and at the extravagant French court, she finds many rivals for her husband’s affection, including Napoleon’s first wife, Joséphine, and his sister Pauline, the only woman as ambitious as the emperor himself. Beloved by some and infamous to many, Pauline is fiercely loyal to her brother. She is also convinced that Napoleon is destined to become the modern Pharaoh of Egypt. Indeed, her greatest hope is to rule alongside him as his queen—a brother-sister marriage just as the ancient Egyptian royals practiced. Determined to see this dream come to pass, Pauline embarks on a campaign to undermine the new empress and convince Napoleon to divorce Marie-Louise. 


As Pauline’s insightful Haitian servant, Paul, watches these two women clash, he is torn between his love for Pauline and his sympathy for Marie-Louise. But there are greater concerns than Pauline’s jealousy plaguing the court of France. While Napoleon becomes increasingly desperate for an heir, the empire’s peace looks increasingly unstable. When war once again sweeps the continent and bloodshed threatens Marie-Louise’s family in Austria, the second Empress is forced to make choices that will determine her place in history—and change the course of her life. 


Based on primary resources from the time, The Second Empress takes readers back to Napoleon’s empire, where royals and servants alike live at the whim of one man, and two women vie to change their destinies.


You can read an excerpt on Michelle's website!

Review: Chronologically, this is a 'follow up' to Michelle's previous book, Madame Tussaud, as Napoleon's reign comes after the French Revolution. At the end of that book the character is imprisoned with Rose Beauharnais, who later would become Napoleon's wife! Yup- the AHA moment for the reader! One would think Michelle would focus on her, but she saw more interest in his 19 year old second wife! 

As always, I can't wait to start one of Michelle's books, yet know that I will race through it, and it will end too soon! Her previous book was longer, so it took me 3 days, this one only 2! Even with 3 narrators (Marie-Louise, Paul and Pauline), the flow of the book is such that each narrator further's the story and provides insight into the characters, in their own way, which leads to a much richer telling of the story. By sprinkling actual letters from Napoleon and Josephine to each other, Michelle gives us a better understanding of the man behind the image. In fact, Michelle's books are always well documented and researched, which makes them even more compelling to me, with my love of history!

This was a wonderful book, and my only complaint was that I wish Michelle could have started with Josephine and Napoleon's marriage, so that we could have gotten a better sense of her, and her children. It would also have made the book longer, and I think more enriched with the additional back story added. Course I like long books, as long as they are interesting, and I know Michelle is a quality writer and researcher, so the possibility is tantalizing to me! 

But if you want to read a different take about Napoleon and the end of his reign, this is a great book to read!


About the Author:  Michelle Moran was born in the San Fernando Valley, CA. She took an interest in writing from an early age, submitting her stories and novellas to publishers from the time she was twelve.Following a summer in Israel where she worked as a volunteer archaeologist, she earned an MA from the Claremont Graduate University.Michelle has traveled around the world, and her experiences at archaeological sites were what inspired her to write historical fiction.This is her fifth novel.

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