Recollections of the Revolution and the Empire
Henriette Lucie Dillon, marquise de La Tour du Pin Gouvernet
Read by Barbara Baker
An aristocratic Frenchwoman's personal record of the dazzling extravagance of the Ancien Régime, of the court of Marie Antoinette, of the Revolution, of her life in exile (partly in Upstate New York) and of the court of Napoleon Bonaparte. This famous historically valuable memoir, written for her son, ends with Napoleon's return from Elba in 1815. (Summary by barbara2) (12 hr 36 min)
Chapters
Reviews
good reading
berenike
I can understand the other reviewers frustration with the French but a) I got to page 65 before I found a spoken phrase that might have been translated and b) from decades of reading French I know that the two biggest problems with demanding translations are the impossibility of finding one English word that actually equates to the French (spirituelle does _not_ mean spirited) and the large number of times translators fall into "false friends" mistakes that my high school teacher of French warned us about nearly 50 years ago. Finally, if you are going to read about France, have a little gumption and learn some of the language instead of insisting that somebody a century ago cater to modern ignorance of languages. And French, too, which every high school "teaches". It's much easier listening to Ms. Baker than listening to somebody who knows nothing about French butchering liaison.
Sneak Peek Into History
TwinkieToes
This was a nice look into different eras of French history through the eyes of one in high society. However, I really wish the translator had done his job more thoroughly. The original was written in French. It was translated in the early 1900s. At that time, one would have the bright idea that not everyone understands French, yet he still left all dialogue untranslated. Important dialogue! So those of us with no French knowledge walk away missing important parts of the narrative. :( I know LV records text as written, but this is one case in which I really wish we allowed translation of parts that were left in the original language. The reader is excellent. Thanks for the hard work putting this together!
fascinating
katamorrow
What a story! The reader and the text are well paired.
very interesting
clp
lovely reader great story