Désireé is a historical romance, looking at the life of Désirée Clary (1777 – 1860). A silk merchant's daughter from Marseilles, Désirée was at one time the fiancée of Napoleon Bonaparte, later she became Queen of Sweden and Norway as the wife of another French general. The novel takes the form of Desiree’s diary, covering the years from 1794 to 1829. All the passions and intrigues of Bonaparte's court are seen through the eyes of an ordinary girl who finds herself caught up in the great events of history. “This is a fascinating panorama, from the blood-and-sawdust reek of Robespierre's guillotine to the final collapse of the Hundred Days.” - New York Times “An astonishing story told with verve and a swift, fluent and deeply feminine charm. The Napoleonic background is vivid and accurate” - Evening Standard Annemarie Selinko (1914 – 1986) was an Austrian novelist who wrote a number of best-selling books in German from the 1930s through the 1950s. Published by The Reprint Society in 1954. Book is in good condition. Binding intact. With dust jacket.