Napoleon: A Life From Beginning To End (One Hour History Military Generals Book 1) by Henry Freeman

Napoleon: A Life From Beginning To End (One Hour History Military Generals Book 1) Reviews

• 
  Stephanie (Bookfever)

  Everyone in the world has got to know who Napoleon Bonaparte is. I've always taken in interest in historic military generals but I don't know a whole lot about Napoleon actually, just the basic facts about him. And that Victor Hugo wrote about the battle of Waterloo, of course. So this was a pretty interesting read.
  
  Now this book wasn't my top favorite or anything but it was still great if you want to know more about Napoleon. The first chapter about his early life really intrigued me. And I also thoroughly enjoye the chapter of 'Exile and the Napoleonic Last Stand.'
  
  I also can't help but compare Napoleon to Julias Caesar (I've also read the One Hour History book about him.) I feel like there were many similarities in both their lives and how they come to power, which is actually really interesting to think about.
  
  Overall, Napoleon: A Life From Beginning To End was a good read. There's a lot of information as well as interesting facts about Napoleon's life that I didn't know before. But I think even people who are more familiar with the general will also enjoy it a lot.
• 
  Cheryl

  This is a very short book, which is why I chose it. I know almost nothing about history and I wanted to find out more but I didn't fancy committing to a weighty tome on the subject. As an introduction this book was great and packed quite a lot in within the few pages there were, without feeling like it was a list of dates and battles, far from it. I found it interesting and nicely written in an easy way to follow which didn't feel like homework! I would actually consider reading more on this subject on the back of this book. I would recommend if you just want to dip your toe in - it is a short history well done.
• 
  Ajit Panicker

  An awesome short read on the Great Napolean
  
  This was a quick , nasty and fiery biography on Napolean Bonaparte. A man of great will and determination enfused with undying attitude to never give up in life, till the very last breath of his life.
• 
  Thom Swennes

  One of the most written about, dissected, analyzed, and occasionally demonized character in history is undoubtedly Napoleon Bonaparte. Master on the battlefield, expert in organization, and a specialist at diplomacy, Napoleon made his mark on both Europe and the world. He is the founder of an age, much shorter than Queen Victoria’s, a half a century later, but just as profound and intense.
  Oddly enough, like Adolph Hitler (Austria), Joseph Stalin (Georgia), Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Corsica, a territory claimed by France. Unlike the first mentioned, Bonaparte’s stranglehold over Europe left many improvements in its wake.
  He was born in Ajaccio, Corsica on August 15. 1769. At the age of nine, Napoleon traveled to France and was enrolled in one of France’s most prestigious military schools, the College of Brienne. Ten years later he left the school and as one of the youngest commissioned officers in an artillery unit in Valence. This was the beginning of one of the top military organizers, strategists, and leaders of modern history. To say that opportunity and luck didn’t play a role in his career, would be a gross falsehood, but his abilities and ambitions would also play a vital role in his hegemonic status in Europe.
  
  I have always been fascinated with both the life and times of Bonaparte. It was an age of turmoil, enlightenment, and change. Napoleon has often been called a megalomaniac and narcissist but he was much more than that. His civil, educational, and military organization skills are second to none. After his final defeat at Waterloo and subsequent banishment to the island of St. Helena, countless innovations initiated by him were still in place, and have remained so even today. This is a very short synopsis of a man and life that is comprised of many layers. I really enjoyed this book.
  
• 
  Young Kim

  The book describes fairly well about Napoleon’s life-time struggle as a minority from tiny island Corsica, stuck between Italy and France, along with his dramatic path towards the power and fall. But the book makes one huge mistake: It suddenly moves from Russian campaign in 1812 to Napoleon’s abdication and exile to Elba in 1814 without any explanation, not even a simple chronological course of events in-between them.
  
  As a matter of fact, throughout our Human history, many empires have fallen after their most ambitious military campaign failed; not to mention the one of Napoleon’s we’ve just learned about, one of the world empires built in modern-day China, Sui Empire, did collapse after its grand campaign over the hegemony of the ancient Far East region, and so did Toyotomi's regime in Japan after its invasion of the continent failed.
  
  The reason’s clear because a long war without any success only makes the invading country people mad due to their burden of excessive tax and physical sacrifice in military service in a foreign soil, which makes them stay far away from their home, family and daily work for living.
  
  But after Napoleon's failure of his Russian campaign the author mentions nothing about the angry French people's sentiment, but only their never-dying love of Napoleon.
  
  There are also many rules that didn't perish after a disastrous military campaign like Tang Taizong's invasion of [ancient] Coree'o (Co Dynasty), Khitan-Liao Emperor's disastrous failure in [medieval] Coree'o (Wang Dynasty), Persian Empire of Darius I and his son Xerxes after their ambitious war on Greece, and so forth.
  
  Therefore, it is not clear if Napoleon's failure in Russia was the real reason for his downfall. The book doesn’t even mention about anything happened in that period leaving a big, disappointing hole in this significant event of our history.
  
  Nevertheless, the value of the book is priceless: Let’s explore and take a look at some important facts and lessons we learn from this book page by page. From this point, anyone who really wants to see a new approach in fresh analysis of history events is welcome to proceed.
  
  You can read the full review here:
  https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
• 
  Prakhar Prateek

  Napoleon Bonaparte, a competent general, who started with little, became the emperor of France. Though ridiculed by many, he has set of impressive accomplishments including the Napoleonic code, military advancements and strategies, etc.
  One of the few who could challenge the might of British Empire.
  He was an pragmatic man instead of being a idealist one. Whether it was aligning himself with Jacobins and robespierre brothers, or making various treaties.
  He received the reverence of his soldiers even in situations where defeat was a virtual certainty. And is known to inspire soldiers to fight armies much larger than his own and come out with paltry number of death on his side.
  One of the most studious, charismatic and powerful person of France.
• 
  Kevin

  Not quite what I was hoping for. I wanted something that would help me get a decent understanding of why Napoleon was such a big deal. This book had plenty of dates and accomplishments but they were just kind of loosely strung together with no real sense of why each event was important and many things that might have helped it make sense were flat out missing.
  I guess I am really looking for a history of Napoleon with an actual story line that flows from one scene to another and lets me know and understand the characters and political and social environment involved. This book could almost have been a bullet list.
• 
  Leah Angstman

  Very quick and undetailed overview of Napoleon's military career (not so much his life, despite what the title says). Quite Napoleonic-centric, almost apologist. Skims a lot of important things and leaves the impression that Napoleon was some sort of victim of his circumstances, which is ... eh. Gives some odd reasonings for occurrences that simplify motives and results to the point of almost dangerous revisionism. Only to be read for the briefest nonscholarly gist of Napoleon's military career, and for very little past that.
• 
  Bonnie Gleckler Clark

  Napoleon Bonaparte was definitely a contender. A well educated Corsican who was sent to France at the age of nine to attend military school. The sense of self he discovered there made him into a military genius.
  From Commander to General to Emperor, his was a life that has gone down in the annals of history. He has been will continue to be recognized by his bame and his accomplishment for infamy
• 
  EvilWebBoy

  Napoleon: A Life From Beginning To End
  I've been meaning to read more about Napoleon Bonaparte.
  I was reading The Room in the Dragon Volant by J. Sheridan Lefanu and this takes place after the battle of Waterloo, so I wanted to brush up on French / British relations which is a theme in the book.
  Very well organized like all the books in the "From Beginning to End" series.
• 
  William

  An exciting, brief look at the life of Napoleon. I was only cursorily aware of his life and history, so for me it was quite informative. I can’t say whether the information contained in this book would be informative to someone who’s spent any real time researching Bonaparte in the past, but most of it was new and interesting to me.
• 
  Ed Barton

  Napoleonic Overview
  
  It’s difficult to cover a life in a short biography-particularly a major player in history. You’ll get a baseline set of information on Napoleon’s life, rise and fall - with a touch on the military history that intertwines his personal life. It will whet the appetite for more.
• 
  Gaurav Prasade

  Small History
  
  Small history of Napoleon. Quick and crisp read, simple writing. Dosent dwell too much in details about the war but events that lead to the rise and fall of his empire.
• 
  Alyssa

  Good Knowledge
  
  I really enjoyed the new tidbits I didn't know before about Napoleon. In history books they made it seem like he was nothing but a jerk. This didn't make him look at all bad.
• 
  Randolph Rossu

  Napoleon Was One of the Greatest Military Leaders of All Time
  
  In this brief biographical book on Napoleon, I learned great deal about his earlier life and his major military campaigns. He came from almost nothing and became Emperor of France, a great accomplishment.
• 
  Bruce

  An amazing person!
• 
  Prakash Raut

  Excellent
  
  A historical book indeed. A great and interesting to read. I like it short and sweet language. One must read it.
• 
  Anurag Mishra

  Fast paced
  
  Every event in this fairly short book has been explained well enough , and this is well paced written and pushing us to read further about napoleon!
• 
  Jon

  For what it is, this book gives a nice summary of Napoleon's life and covers all the basics. If you need a crash course overview, it does a good job.
• 
  Denise Ortiz

  Napoleon A Man of The Times
  
  There was never a more opportune moment for a man to rise up and lead his adopted country to greatness
  
• 
  Gian Andrea

  Fast and short read that gives you a glimpse into the larger than life Napoleon, a man who accomplished the impossible and that inspired and keeps inspiring generation after generation
• 
  Darun

  Nice
  
  Nice book
  
  .
  
  
  
  
  
  
  . ...............
  .....
  .
  .
  .
  Napoleon the emperor
  Was great daring
  Person
  .
  Inspiring
  Man
  To
  Watch out