From New York Times bestselling author Paul Johnson; “a very readable and entertaining biography†(The Washington Post) about one of the most important figures in modern European history: Napoleon Bonaparte In an ideal pairing of author and subject; the magisterial historian Paul Johnson offers a vivid look at the life of the strategist; general; and dictator who conquered much of Europe. Following Napoleon from the barren island of Corsica to his early training in Paris; from his meteoric victories and military dictatorship to his exile and death; Johnson examines the origins of his ferocious ambition. In Napoleon's quest for power; Johnson sees a realist unfettered by patriotism or ideology. And he recognizes Bonaparte’s violent legacy in the totalitarian regimes of the twentieth century. Napoleon is a magnificent work that bears witness to one individual's ability to work his will on history.
#677289 in Books Davies; Norman 2005-10-04 2005-10-04Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.50 x 1.90 x 5.40l; 1.57 #File Name: 0143035401848 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Recommended; but with some reservationsBy Danny OrbachThis book has great merits; but also weaknesses that readers have to be aware of. Bottom line: I recommend it and applaud the author; notwithstanding my reservations.On the plus side; this is a thorough study; rigorous; well documented; fascinating; absorbing. Davies' retelling of the heroic; doomed Warsaw Rebellion is rich in detail; moving and sometimes even heart wrenching. The author is in full command not only of Polish sources; but is also well familiar with the British side; making his research even more valuable. Davies is able to breath humanity into these men and women; and the numerous personal testimonies he brings are invaluable. In such a tragic book; there are also amusing moments; such as the description of the difficulties British statesmen had in pronouncing Polish names. The final conclusions are also illuminating: I especially like Davies' point that the tragedy of the Warsaw Rebellion marks a greater failure of the grand alliance.And yet; I have criticism as well. Davies is too bound and too invested in the self-celebratory; self-pitying Polish emigre narrative. He presents the Poles as heroic fighters and betrayed victims; which undoubtedly they were. But in doing so; he skims; ignores or whitewashes many of their shortcomings: the often predatory nature of the prewar regime; antisemitism which did not die out even during the war; the collaboration of many Poles with the German occupation regime. For example; he is pushing away the arguments on the Jedwabne Massacre with one short and inadequate paragraph. I recommend reading Joshua Zimmerman's book on the Polish underground and the Jews along with this one in order to balance the picture. Also; his remarks on revisionist Zionism are venomous without being nuanced or grounded enough. As an Israeli historian; I did not like that.I am also a military historian specializing in resistance. From my perspective; Davies is far too apologetic to mistakes and misjudgment in the AK leadership; especially by Bor and Monter; the two commanders of the uprising. To understand their misjudgments in a really complex military situation; one has to read Alexandra Richie's study of the uprising which is (in my opinion) better and more balanced. I do not intend to slight the heroism of the AK and its commanders; decent men who had to take decisions in impossible conditions. But we must learn from past military mistakes; and that necessitates bold criticism even on people we appreciate and adore.Finally; Davies' weird decision to use shortcuts for Polish names is irritating. Yes; Polish orthography is difficult. And yet; I want to know the real names of people and not only their nom de guerre (Bear Cub for General Okulicki) or weird shortcuts such as Premier Mick; Count R or Major K. And not; I don't want to look at the appendixes in order to find out the real names. Please write them in the main text; as almost all authors do.It is also enough to write once or twice that Poland was Britain's first ally in order to convey the sense of betrayal. Referring to Poland all throughout the first chapter as the "first ally" (the first ally's ambassador; the first ally's pilots) is annoying and a bit of an overkill. Narrate; Prof. Davies; don't preach. We get your point and appreciat it even without such cliches.Bottom line: I recommend this book notwithstanding the above reservations.6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. A brilliant historical studyBy GrouchoMarxistExhaustively researched and even-handed; "Rising '44" is; in my opinion; the definitive English-language book about the 64 days in 1944 when the Polish Underground --primarily the Home Army -- rose up against their Nazi oppressors with no help from their allies. After the war; their reward was vilification and imprisonment by the Soviets while the West pretty much looked the other way. If I have a complaint about this book; it's Mr. Davies' use throughout the text of nicknames and/or Anglicized forms of Polish names -- I don't think he gives the reader enough credit. However; it's a minor issue (all full names are listed in an appendix) that doesn't lessen the impact of this important work. The Uprising should never have been relegated to a mere footnote in the history of WWII as a result of misinformation or no information at all. Mr. Davies has helped to ensure that the heroes of the Uprising receive their true due. Thank you; Mr. Davies.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Excellent bookBy L. P.This book should be a required reading (lektura) for all Poles and people with any part of Poles in them. It is not a dry description of what happened on day 1; day 2; etc. It was written for an English language reader and as such it assumes very little previous knowledge of the events. I believe this is its strength; it provides a true context/overview of geopolitical situation during WWII and especially in the summer of 1944. It very well portraits the deteriorating Poland's position vs. allies (UK and US) from 1939 on and the actuall sell of of Eastern Europe by UK and US after Stalin assumed the weight of the war. There was no victory for Poland in 1944/45. The occupation continued intil Solidarity was born in 1980 and free elections were held in 1989. This was the real end of WWII for Poland. Thank you Mr. Davis.
