To mark the bicentenary of Napoleon's death, I decided to read this account of the extraordinary period in Napoleon's life between the ignominious failure of his invasion of Russia in 1812, through his temporary successes in restoring his fortunes and to his defeat and exile to Elba. Napoleon was a unique figure in Europe at the time, able to inspire huge loyalty in the rank and file soldier unlike his aristocratic counterparts in the allied countries he faced, who were far more distant from their soldiers, motivated by a desire to preserve their monarchies, despite the liberal rhetoric they used in the campaign against their French opponent. However, while this is well written, I found myself bogged down in the detail of the battles and I have stopped reading this for the moment, half way through the book. It's not the book, it's me, though and I will surely return to it at some point. I think I need some comfort reading at the moment. No rating.

I finished reading this book on 13 Aug 2004. It is a good book, even though I was not really caught up by the rather detailed retelling of the battles in 1813--culminating in Leipzig in Oct 1813. The account of the 1814 battles--usually given little attention--was of interest, and the account of the events leading to Napoleon's abdication was of high interest and was well-told. Delderfield is admiratory of Napoleon and even more so of the devotion he inspired. This is a spirited and clear account of an interesting period: 1813 and 1814. ( )