Napoleon is a subject that can either be short (pun intended) or long because the impact Napoleon had on Europe and world history (and even American history!) can be tortuously long, or in the case of this well done biography by Andrew Roberts, detailed without exhaustion.

What I really loved about this book, clocking in over 600 pages with another 200 pages of notes, and such, is that the book is detailed enough, but not so much that an exciting story is relayed. This is a conventional biography, but one that does not suffer from being boring, Rather, this becomes an exciting account of this man's great life from start to finish.

I was amazed to learn so much not just about Napoleon, or for that matter France, but just how much the impact was of his career and how this translated into European intrigue. I also loved the romantic Napoleon, whether his romance with himself and what he was doing for France, but his actual romance with Josephine was also fascinating. A romantic in so many ways and a true man of his time.

Masterfully done, this is as detailed as the general reader would want, but not too much as to be uninteresting to the general reader.

Very well done and throughly enjoyable and I daresay an exciting read in many places. From Corsica to St Helena and exile and death, this book provides context, detail and an exciting narrative. Well worth reading.

Roberts's volume on Napoleon is a welcome addition to the large and expanding number of biographies on the famous French emperor. His work is readable and comprehensive, offering the reader a good historical foundation about one of history's most fascinating figures.

A well-written biography that attempts to rehabilitate Napoleon through the eyes of those who knew him, Napoleon: A Life manages the feat of making a 900+ book seem like a much shorter one. Fast-paced, engaging and full of interesting tidbits, this biography serves to cover the trials, tribulations, imperfections and contradictions of the man who forged the 19th century. Readable and comprehensive, it is well worth a read.