NAPOLEON

The Little Corporal's fascinating rise and fall are here chronicled, analyzed, glossed, and judged in a brisk, straightforward, listener-friendly style. Rather than reciting a litany of data, the book concentrates on the whys and wherefores of events. Author Paul Johnson, a British historian and journalist, sees Bonaparte as a gifted and ruthless opportunist, insatiable for power. Yet he doesn't begrudge the Corsican his virtues--at least as he sees them. John Lee reads in a British accent complete with rolled "r"s. His delivery is measured, well phrased, dispassionate, and very listenable. Y.R. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 02/ JAN 03]