Review: What a rollercoaster of a book
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 25, 2013
I did not expect the ride that this history book gave me. I thought it would be rather dull. Mark Black is one of those rare historians who can make the personalities of the past live in front of you. The book was a very fast read and of course covers all the big events of Napoleon.  With a couple of hours you will be able to talk like a Napoleonic history professor. Which is why I needed this book.  An annoying cousin of mine is going to be shocked speechless when he starts talking about the new classes he is teaching. I can hardly wait for the reunion.  Most of all the details about Napoleon are wonderful.  I will not be a spoiler but Napoleon never mastered spelling.  He was a combination of a genius and a monster.  Can you guess what action he arranged to continue slavery in the US. When he was angry about his mediators being killed he asked his men to rape the women of the city for three days. He was raised as a strict Catholic but spoke of doubts about Jesus.  He was proclaimed the anti-Christ by one major religious group. Was he killed by his wall paper?  Why was no name put on his tomb?  Do we have Napoleon the member of the French Academy of Science to thank for the metric system?  These are the details Mark Black has written to give you a wonderful understanding of the real man Napoleon Bonaparte. And along the way you get the major events you need to know.  A helpful book for any one in a European history class. I wish the author had been around when I was in college.