Napoleon The Great Paperback – International Edition, October 15, 2015

Fabulous book. Well written. Entertaining. Insightful. Napoleon was a great general and a polymath but a flawed emperor. Roberts strikes a perfect balance between his brilliance and his flaws.

This is a monumental effort by a recognized historian and the result is an excellent biography of Napoleon. This is a sympathetic biography of the French Emperor and it ranks right up there with the 1971 biography of Napoleon by Vincent Cronin and the new biography of Napoleon by Michael Broers.The author gives Napoleon what the Emperor deserves-a fair and impartial look and gives Napoleon his due both militarily and as a civilian head of state. The author definitely demonstrates that Napoleon was neither tyrant nor military dictator (agreeing in fact with the eminent French historian Thierry Lentz) and also demonstrates that Napoleon was both a lawgiver and a reformer not only for France, but for those allies and satellites that either belonged to or were allied to the French Empire.What is also quite evident when reading the book that Napoleon as a head of state was vastly superior to his fellow monarchs. No other head of state in Europe or Russia guaranteed to his citizens freedom of religion, equality before the law, basic civil rights, and a law code, the justly famous Code Civile, also known as the Code Napoleon. Further, none of Napoleon's fellow monarchs even attempted the social and governmental reforms achieved by Napoleon, many of them in his first four years as French head of state.And even though Napoleon's fantastic career ended in defeat and exile, he was still recognized as the best soldier of his age, and was recognized as such by Wellington.This excellent volume is a must for anyone interested in the period and is enthusiastically recommended. It is a great read and excellent history and the author is to be greatly commended for both the effort and the product. This volume is definitely a keeper.

It is a fascinating read. It is written in a style where not only, historical accuracy is at the forefront but throughout the text, are inserted vignettes that gives the reader insight into the personality of this amazing historical figure. The battle descriptions are very well done for someone who is interested in historical warfare. I found these somewhat long but I can understand their importance given the magnitude of the armies involved and the swath of territories that were at stake. In fact, I have since bought the paper copy so that I can glance at the photographs and maps at length.

This is a brilliant book - so well researched and so well written. My motivation to read about Napoleon was a visit to St Helena and as I know next to nothing about Napoleon I wanted to have an appreciating for his life, motivations and accomplishments before visiting the island. I am so pleased I chose this book - very grateful. It answered so well the key question I was wondering about Napoleon - how does a kid from Corsica become emporer of France?! One finishes the book being very impressed by Napoleon - as a broad thinker, highly intelligent, military genuis and accomplished law-maker. I was sorry when I finished the book! Congratulaitons to Mr Roberts for such an phenomal work.

This is a long book that is (because of its length and weight) eminently suited to a Kindle, although if you have a tablet as well you will appreciate the fine colour illustrations and get more out of the maps.It is extremely readable and, quite often, becomes gripping. The author's style is distinguished both by clarity of expression and a mastery of the narrative art. I found it difficult to put down.Not only are Napoleon's battles depicted clearly and with an uncanny sense of the topology of a battlefield, but the author involves us in the Emperor's personal and family life, often with amusing or interesting anecdotes. The book also, without ever flagging, examines Napoleon's contribution to the fields of law-giving and the social reform that was necessary after the stagnation under the Bourbons and the excesses of the French Revolution.I can not recommend this book highly enough.

Took me 2.5 years to finish and I loved every bit of this tale. I'm a RN but I take great interest in history. The point of what I'm saying is that the author writes in a way that is engaging to anyone with interest and passion

Many books are written on Napoleon, but this one is a very fresh new look, backed by extensive research and many little-known facts of his life, that opens a new page in the understanding of his life and actions. Well-written and pleasant to read.

A great book about one the greatest personalities in recent history. I always thought he was similar to Hitler but after reading this I see there is no comparison. Napoleon was well versed in reading history. He lost 6 battles out of about 46. Some of the laws he established in France are still in use today.