The Second Empress by Michelle Moran was the perfect blend of history and storytelling as the author recounts the final years of Napoleon’s reign. The story unfolds through the eyes of various characters such as Napoleon’s sister, Pauline, her black chamberlain, Paul Moreau, and of course, Napoleon’s second empress, Marie-Louise.

Austrian princess, Marie-Louise is only 18 when she is chosen by Napoleon to be his second wife. She was basically being brought to France to be the mother of his children as Josephine was unable to provide him with heirs. All of the Bonapartes come off as very selfish, vain and dominating people with no regard to the feelings or concerns of others. Napoleon seemed unable to control his ambition and his decision to embark on a war with Russia and it’s devastating outcome led to his downfall. Marie-Louise tried to be the wife that Napoleon needed but when he was forced to abdicate she was able to rely on her father to spirit herself and her son away from France and eventually she was able to live a peaceful life. I actually most enjoyed the parts of the story that were told by the unreliable narrator, Pauline Bonaparte. With her obsession over her brother, her extravagances and her need to be the centre of attention at all times her story certainly livened up the book.

The Second Empress is a well written, well researched story that totally held my interest. The author kept her focus on the relationships rather than the actual political history so it is quite a light read. Personally, I didn’t think the third narrator, Paul Moreau was needed. I suspect he was added as a counter-balance to the crazy antics of Pauline but I didn’t feel that he added much value to the story. This book paints a vivid picture of the last few years of Napoleon’s rule, but I advise future readers to remember this is a work of fiction so not all the details are exact. ( )

The historical fiction account of Empress Marie Louise from the time she is betrothed to Napoleon. This tale is told from three perspectives: 1) Marie Louise, 2)Paulene Bonaparte (Napoleon's VD riddled sister) 3) Paul--so called because Paulene insisted he be called this, a former slave from Haiti, serving as her chamberlain. The Bonapartes were certainly a dysfunctional family. I didn't learn many new things about Napoleon, but learned much about his family members, Josephine, and Prince Metternich. The story ends with Napoleon's death on St. Helena. This was a great read! ( )

Much has been written about Napoleon's life, his loves, his court, his conquests both military and sexual. Moran, however, turns her attention to Austrian archduchess Marie Louise, who became Napoleon's second wife because of his desire for a male heir to the empire he was building.

It is a well-written historical fiction, plausibly illuminated characters, and good material and historical detail. Altogether a good bit of escapist literature. ( )

i love michelle moran’s writing style; she manages to evoke every era she chronicles. however, i was pretty underwhelmed with this novel. the pacing and characterization seemed rushed and the alternating narrators didn’t add much to the story. also seemed a bit historically iffy, but i don’t know much about the french empire so Who’s To Say ( )

Just when I thought the Tudors were the ultimate dysfunctional family, along come the Bonapartes. I will say that they were very resourceful! Also selfish, egotistical, and greedy. Napoleon was an unpleasant character, even if he was a military genius. Until he allowed his huge ego to stand in the way. This is the story of his second marriage to an Austrian princess, Marie-Louise. Comsidering her great aunt was Marie Antoinette, I am sure she truly had incredible misgivings about this marriage.
I have read some of the negative reviews of this book and I must respectfully disagree with them. I enjoyed the historical detail in the beginning. I also found the book extremely easy to read. The author switched seamlessly between three different personalities for narration: Marie-Louise, Pauline Bonaparte, and her chamberlain Paul Moreau.
This is the second of Michelle Moran's books that I have read. I will continue reading her other novels. This is a definite recommendation! ( )