JOSEPHINE A Life of the Empress

Davina Porter narrates this story of the transformation of young Rose, daughter of an established but impoverished family in Martinique, into Josephine, the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. Porter seems to savor the French place and people's names that are richly sprinkled throughout. She presents Josephine in sympathetic tones, first as a young innocent badly neglected and mistreated by her first husband, who has little regard for this gauche and provincial wife. Porter's presentation reflects the maturing of Rose through divorce, imprisonment during the French Revolution, and remarkable recovery to position and wealth. Porter never falters in maintaining a sense of engagement and interest in her story, particularly in her primary character. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/JAN 01]