Venus of Empire: The Life of Pauline Bonaparte

Description

Celebrated for her beauty and notorious for her passions, Pauline Bonaparte Borghese was a fascinating woman. Considered by many to be the most beautiful woman in Europe at the turn of the nineteenth century, she scandalised the continent with the boldness of her love affairs, her opulent wardrobe and jewels and, most famously, her decision to pose nearly nude for Antonio Canova's sculpture. But just as remarkable was Pauline's deep loyalty to her brother, the emperor. She was witness to Napoleon's great victories in Italy, and she was often with him and her rival for his loyalty, the Empress Josephine, at Malmaison. In Venus of Empire, Flora Fraser casts new light on the Napoleonic era while crafting a dynamic, vivid portrait of mesmerising woman.

Flora Fraser is the author of the bestselling biography of Queen Caroline, The Unruly Queen, as well as Princesses and Beloved Empire. She lives in London with her husband and three children.

Fraser cleverly contrasts Pauline's callous offloading of successive lovers ... The success of a biography of an un-improving subject like this is whether or not we miss them at its close ... Pauline, with or without marmoreal buttocks, was clearly irresistible company * Literary Review *