Josephine: A Life of the Empress by Carolly Erickson

In this elegant and deeply human portrait, Carolly Erickson brings to life the extraordinary rise and tragic fall of Joséphine de Beauharnais, the woman who captured Napoleon’s heart and became Empress of France. Born into obscurity in Martinique, Joséphine survived the guillotine during the Revolution and ascended to the glittering heights of the imperial court. With passion, grace, and political instinct, she navigated a world of ambition and betrayal, ruling beside Napoleon even as their marriage unraveled. Josephine: A Life of the Empress is both a sweeping history of an era and an intimate look at one of history’s most captivating women.