"Assured and compelling . . . Wondrous Beauty is a fascinating and perceptive account of love and scandal." --William Dietrich, New York Journal of Books
"An extraordinary story. . . . Berkin has researched the primary sources diligently and quotes judiciously throughout." --Sara Wheeler, The New York Times Book Review
From the award-winning historian and author of Revolutionary Mothers, here is the remarkable life of Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte, renowned as the most beautiful woman of nineteenth-century Baltimore, whose marriage in 1803 to Jérôme Bonaparte, the youngest brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, became inextricably bound to the diplomatic and politicalhistories of the United States, France, and England.
In Wondrous Beauty, Carol Berkin tells the story of this audacious, outsized life. We see how the news of the union infuriated Napoleon and resulted in his banning the then pregnant Betsy Bonaparte from disembarking in any European port, offering his brother the threat of remaining married to that “American girl” and forfeiting all wealth and power—or renouncing her, marrying a woman of Napoleon’s choice, and reaping the benefits.
Jérôme ended the marriage posthaste and was made king of Westphalia; Betsy fled to England, gave birth to her son and only child, Jérôme’s namesake, and was embraced by the English press, who boasted that their nation had opened its arms to the cruelly abandoned young wife.
Berkin writes that this naïve, headstrong American girl returned to Baltimore a wiser, independent woman, refusing to seek social redemption or a return to obscurity through a quiet marriage to a member of Baltimore’s merchant class. Instead she was courted by many, indifferent to all, and initiated a dangerous game of politics—a battle for a pension from Napoleon—which she won: her pension from the French government arrived each month until Napoleon’s exile.
Using Betsy Bonaparte’s extensive letters, the author makes clear that the “belle of Baltimore” disdained America’s obsession with moneymaking, its growing ethos of democracy, and its rigid gender roles that confined women to the parlor and the nursery; that she sought instead a European society where women created salons devoted to intellectual life—where she was embraced by many who took into their confidence, such as Madame de Staël, Madame Récamier, the aging Marquise de Villette (goddaughter of Voltaire), among others—and where aristocracy, based on birth and breeding rather than commerce, dominated society.
Wondrous Beauty is a riveting portrait of a woman torn between two worlds, unable to find peace in either—one a provincial, convention-bound new America; the other a sophisticated, extravagant Old World Europe that embraced freedoms, a Europe ultimately swallowed up by decadence and idleness.
A stunning revelation of an extraordinary age.
"Sobre este título" puede pertenecer a otra edición de este libro.
Gastos de envío:
GRATIS
A Estados Unidos de America
Gastos de envío:
EUR 2,37
A Estados Unidos de America
Librería: SecondSale, Montgomery, IL, Estados Unidos de America
Condición: Good. Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Nº de ref. del artículo: 00055587393
Cantidad disponible: 3 disponibles
Librería: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, Estados Unidos de America
Paperback. Condición: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.66. Nº de ref. del artículo: G0307476251I4N00
Cantidad disponible: 1 disponibles
Librería: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, Estados Unidos de America
Paperback. Condición: Very Good. No Jacket. Former library book; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.66. Nº de ref. del artículo: G0307476251I4N10
Cantidad disponible: 1 disponibles
Librería: Rye Berry Books, Diamond Springs, CA, Estados Unidos de America
paperback. Condición: Good. Former library book with â??From the library ofâ? labels/markings. Minimal wear. The binding is tight. The pages are free of markings. Nº de ref. del artículo: L00098-G
Cantidad disponible: 1 disponibles
Librería: Books Unplugged, Amherst, NY, Estados Unidos de America
Condición: Good. Buy with confidence! Book is in good condition with minor wear to the pages, binding, and minor marks within 0.6. Nº de ref. del artículo: bk0307476251xvz189zvxgdd
Cantidad disponible: 1 disponibles
Librería: HPB-Emerald, Dallas, TX, Estados Unidos de America
Paperback. Condición: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!. Nº de ref. del artículo: S_407583464
Cantidad disponible: 1 disponibles
Librería: GF Books, Inc., Hawthorne, CA, Estados Unidos de America
Condición: Very Good. Book is in Used-VeryGood condition. Pages and cover are clean and intact. Used items may not include supplementary materials such as CDs or access codes. May show signs of minor shelf wear and contain very limited notes and highlighting. 0.6. Nº de ref. del artículo: 0307476251-2-3
Cantidad disponible: 1 disponibles
Librería: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, Reino Unido
Paperback. Condición: Very Good. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Nº de ref. del artículo: GOR013659299
Cantidad disponible: 2 disponibles
Librería: Book Deals, Tucson, AZ, Estados Unidos de America
Condición: Fair. Acceptable/Fair condition. Book is worn, but the pages are complete, and the text is legible. Has wear to binding and pages, may be ex-library. 0.6. Nº de ref. del artículo: 353-0307476251-acp
Cantidad disponible: 1 disponibles
Librería: GreatBookPrices, Columbia, MD, Estados Unidos de America
Condición: New. Nº de ref. del artículo: 21647827-n
Cantidad disponible: 5 disponibles