Napoleon III tends to get overshadowed by his far more illustrious relative Napoleon I, so it's good to find a biography of Napoleon III with only the occasional reference to old Boney.

Bierman captures the full trajectory of Napoleon III's life, from rejection by his father who believed (possibly quite correctly) him illegitimate, through his rise to prominence as the descendant of Bonaparte and the inheritor of his legacy, Napoleon III's time as Emperor and his fall from grace. It must be hard to follow such an illustrious ancestor; the highest achievement of anyone in my family was my grandfather swearing in the presence of Winston Churchill, and it's not something I'm ever going to match, so having to live up to a family member who was one of the great military leaders of all time and who became master of Europe would be tough. ( )

'Our friend is an odd little chap. It is impossible not to like him.'
Uiterst boeiend en levendig portret van de opkomst en de ondergang van Napoleon III. ( )