Napoleon

By: J. Christopher Herold

Narrated by: Paul Woodson

Napoleon Bonaparte's rise from common origins to the pinnacle of power, as well as his defeat at Waterloo, still influences our daily lives, from the map of Europe to the metric system. Here's the fascinating story of the great soldier-statesman.

©2016 American Heritage (P)2017 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Good overview of Napoleon

Though I am left a bit lost after finishing. I may need to go back and re listen to a few chapters. But I enjoyed it overall.

Excellent

I got this audiobook to listen to during my trip to France. I thought it would be entertaining and provide some distraction if I ever had to wait in line at a museum or train station, etc. It was well beyond my expectations. I learned so much about France, Europe and events that shaped the modern world. Definitely a worthwhile book.

Good piece of history

Well told story of a great military leader and a terrible person. Worth the time

modern and cynical history of Napoleon

if you're looking for a military history, look elsewhere.
if you're looking for a well balanced account of his life, also look elsewhere.

this book is well written and the story told is fascinating, but the constant cynicism and total absence of traditional military history was disappointing to me.

Unbelievably Biased General Overview

First & foremost - This book is unacceptably biased. It legitimately borders on British propaganda and revisionist history at times in respect to it’s utter disrespect and, at times, cynical contempt for the historical figures & countries it is speaking about (except the British ones, interestingly).

That said, the overall account of the events involved is generally okay if you can handle it being presented as if the author holds the subjects in utter contempt. The grudging admissions of respect sprinkled throughout serve only to give a paper thin presentation of professionalism. There is little in the way of military specifics or details, likely due to the author being more interested in the geopolitical and socioeconomic aspects of the period. But even on these subjects the author’s blatantly biased viewpoints are difficult to digest.

The narrator is solid. I have no specific complaints. He even does a good job of bringing the biased contempt across by the manner in which he reads some of the chapters.