Memoirs of the Empress Josephine, Vol. 1 of 2

A young Claire de Vergennes grew up amid the turbulence of the Revolution, losing close relatives to the guillotine before finding refuge in the peaceful valley of Montmorency. There she formed a lasting friendship with the future Empress Josephine, eventually joining the imperial household as a lady‑in‑waiting. Her memoirs capture the intimate rhythms of court life, the glitter of coronations, and the shifting fortunes of those who surrounded the Bonaparte dynasty during its early years.

Written with a candid eye, the memoir offers a rare glimpse of Napoleon’s presence at court, filtered through the author’s steadfast loyalty to Josephine. After the empress’s fall, the writer withdrew to retirement, only to begin a new manuscript driven by a “love of truth” and a desire to challenge contemporary opinions. Though the work lay hidden for decades, its eventual publication reveals a clear‑sighted, sincere portrait of an era that still feels distant to modern listeners.