
The Queen's Fortune
A Novel of Desiree, Napoleon, and the Dynasty That Outlasted the Empire
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Narrated by:
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Justine Eyre
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By:
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Allison Pataki
About this listen
A sweeping novel about the extraordinary woman who captured Napoleon’s heart, created a dynasty, and changed the course of history - from the New York Times best-selling author of The Traitor's Wife, The Accidental Empress, and Sisi.
“I absolutely loved The Queen’s Fortune, the fascinating, little-known story of Desiree Clary - the woman Napoleon left for Josephine - who ultimately triumphed and became queen of Sweden.” (Martha Hall Kelly, New York Times best-selling author of Lilac Girls)
As the French revolution ravages the country, Desiree Clary is faced with the life-altering truth that the world she has known and loved is gone, and it’s fallen on her to save her family from the guillotine.
A chance encounter with Napoleon Bonaparte, the ambitious and charismatic young military prodigy, provides her answer. When her beloved sister, Julie, marries his brother, Joseph, Desiree and Napoleon’s futures become irrevocably linked. Quickly entering into their own passionate, dizzying courtship that leads to a secret engagement, they vow to meet in the capital once his career has been secured. But her newly laid plans with Napoleon turn to sudden heartbreak, thanks to the rising star of Parisian society, Josephine de Beauharnais. Once again, Desiree’s life is turned on its head.
Swept to the glittering halls of the French capital, Desiree is plunged into the inner circle of the new ruling class, becoming further entangled with Napoleon, his family, and the new Empress. But her fortunes shift once again when she meets Napoleon's confidant and star general, the indomitable Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte. As the two men in Desiree’s life become political rivals and military foes, the question that arises is: Must she choose between the love of her new husband and the love of her nation and its emperor?
From the lavish estates of the French Riviera to the raucous streets of Paris and Stockholm, Desiree finds herself at the epicenter of the rise and fall of an empire, navigating a constellation of political giants and dangerous, shifting alliances. Emerging from an impressionable girl into a fierce young woman, she discovers that to survive in this world she must learn to rely upon her instincts and her heart.
Allison Pataki’s meticulously researched and brilliantly imagined novel sweeps listeners into the unbelievable life of a woman almost lost to history - a woman who, despite the swells of a stunning life and a tumultuous time, not only adapts and survives but, ultimately, reigns at the helm of a dynasty that outlasts an empire.
©2020 Allison Pataki (P)2020 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“In The Queen’s Fortune, Allison Pataki chronicles Desiree, the secret lover of Napoleon Bonaparte. When Napoleon chooses Josephine over her, the heartbroken Desiree finds herself entangled with Napoleon, Josephine and the new ruling class. Pataki deftly weaves a tangled web of passion, deception and intrigue, set against one of the most tumultuous periods in history, making for a heady cocktail which readers will devour.” (Pam Jenoff, New York Times best-selling author of The Lost Girls of Paris)
“I absolutely loved The Queen’s Fortune, the fascinating, little-known story of Desiree Clary - the woman Napoleon left for Josephine - who ultimately triumphed and became queen of Sweden.” (Martha Hall Kelly, New York Times best-selling author of Lost Roses and Lilac Girls)
“Allison Pataki is a masterful historical author at the top of her game. From the very first lyrical lines of The Queen’s Fortune, I was wholly swept into the entrancing world of Desiree Clary Bernadotte. Painstaking research and page-turning prose placed me directly at the side of this remarkable yet lesser-known figure, journeying from innocent girlhood to seasoned royalty, a survivor of guillotine threats, palace politics, and strains of the heart. I absolutely loved this book from beginning to end.” (Kristina McMorris, New York Times best-selling author of Sold on a Monday and The Edge of Lost)
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Young, brazen, beautiful, and unapologetically brilliant, Margaret Fuller accepts an invitation from Ralph Waldo Emerson, the celebrated Sage of Concord, to meet his coterie of enlightened friends. There she becomes “the radiant genius and fiery heart” of the Transcendentalists, a role model to a young Louisa May Alcott, an inspiration for Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Hester Prynne and the scandalous Scarlet Letter, a friend to Henry David Thoreau as he ventures out to Walden Pond . . . and a muse to Emerson. But Margaret craves more than poetry and interpersonal drama.
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I must’ve missed this group of thinkers in high school being friends
- By Liesl on 04-20-24
By: Allison Pataki
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The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post
- A Novel
- By: Allison Pataki
- Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik
- Length: 14 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Mrs. Post, the President and First Lady are here to see you. . . . So begins another average evening for Marjorie Merriweather Post. Presidents have come and gone, but she has hosted them all. Growing up in the modest farmlands of Battle Creek, Michigan, Marjorie was inspired by a few simple rules: always think for yourself, never take success for granted, and work hard—even when deemed American royalty, even while covered in imperial diamonds.
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That's 10 hours of my life I'll never get back
- By Andrea L. Helms on 03-30-22
By: Allison Pataki
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American Duchess
- A Novel of Consuelo Vanderbilt
- By: Karen Harper
- Narrated by: Ann Marie Gideon
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Karen Harper tells the tale of Consuelo Vanderbilt, her “Wedding of the Century” to the duke of Marlborough, and her quest to find meaning behind “the glitter and the gold”.
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Surprisingly interesting life
- By labradoodler on 07-24-19
By: Karen Harper
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The Romanov Empress
- A Novel of Tsarina Maria Feodorovna
- By: C. W. Gortner
- Narrated by: Katharine Lee McEwan
- Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Narrated by the mother of Russia’s last tsar, this vivid, historically authentic novel brings to life the courageous story of Maria Feodorovna, one of Imperial Russia’s most compelling women, who witnessed the splendor and tragic downfall of the Romanovs as she fought to save her dynasty in its final years.
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Pure Excellence!
- By Bunny on 09-09-18
By: C. W. Gortner
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The American Adventuress
- A Novel
- By: C. W. Gortner
- Narrated by: Ell Potter
- Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Daughter of New York financier Leonard Jerome, Jennie was born into wealth—and scandal. Upon her parents’ separation, her mother took Jennie and her sisters to Paris, where Mrs. Jerome was determined to marry her daughters into the most elite families. The glamorous city became their tumultuous finishing school until it fell to revolt.
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Cw Gortner is amazing
- By Ris Gray on 02-13-23
By: C. W. Gortner
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The Secret Wife
- By: Gill Paul
- Narrated by: Laura Kirman, Thomas Judd
- Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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The stories of two very different women, linked by the secrets and lies of history, merge together as past and present weave together in this stunning story of love, loss and resilience. 2016. Kitty, fleeing from a devastating revelation in her own life, finds herself at her great-grandfather's cabin in Lake Akanabee. There she discovers a gorgeous necklace, which leads her uncover to long-buried family secret. 1914. Tatiana, Grand Princess of Russia, falls in love with Dmitri, a Russian solider, as she nurses him back to health.
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An unexpected jewel with refreshing perspectives
- By Amazon Customer on 12-17-16
By: Gill Paul
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The Girls in the Picture
- A Novel
- By: Melanie Benjamin
- Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
- Length: 16 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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It is 1914, and 25-year-old Frances Marion has left her (second) husband and her Northern California home for the lure of Los Angeles, where she is determined to live independently as an artist. But the word on everyone's lips these days is "flickers" - the silent moving pictures enthralling theatergoers. Turn any corner in this burgeoning town and you'll find made-up actors running around, as a movie camera captures it all. In this fledgling industry, Frances finds her true calling: writing stories for this wondrous new medium.
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Melodramatic
- By Kay on 02-12-18
By: Melanie Benjamin
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A Beautiful Rival
- A Novel of Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden
- By: Gill Paul
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan
- Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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They could have been allies: two self-made millionaires who invented a global industry, in an era when wife and mother were supposed to be the highest goals for their sex. Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein each founded empires built on grit and determination…and yet they became locked in a feud spanning three continents, two world wars, and the Great Depression.
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Not even if it were free
- By Amazon Customer on 07-06-24
By: Gill Paul
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The Lost Dresses of Italy
- By: M. A. McLaughlin
- Narrated by: Hope Newhouse, Melanie Crawley, Edoardo Camponeschi
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Verona, 1947. Textile historian Marianne Baxter comes to post-war Italy with one thing on her mind: three pristine Victorian dresses once owned by the famous poet Christina Rossetti. Hidden away in a trunk for nearly a century, they were recently discovered at the Fondazione Museo Menigatti and Marianne’s expertise is needed before they go on exhibit. Still grieving the loss of her husband, the trip is also a reason for Marianne to start over.
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Boring
- By Patpro on 03-05-25
By: M. A. McLaughlin
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The Glittering Hour
- A Novel
- By: Iona Grey
- Narrated by: Imogen Church
- Length: 14 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Selina Lennox is a Bright Young Thing. Her life is a whirl of parties and drinking, pursued by the press and staying on just the right side of scandal, all while running from the life her parents would choose for her. Lawrence Weston is a penniless painter who stumbles into Selina's orbit one night and can never let her go even while knowing someone of her stature could never end up with someone of his. Except Selina falls hard for Lawrence, envisioning a life of true happiness. But when tragedy strikes, Selina finds herself choosing what's safe over what's right.
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Give it a chance, it is beautiful.
- By Phoenix_Runner on 03-28-20
By: Iona Grey
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The Cloister
- A Novel
- By: James Carroll
- Narrated by: James Carroll
- Length: 16 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Father Michael Kavanagh is shocked when he sees a friend from his seminary days named Runner Malloy at the altar of his humble parish in upper Manhattan - a friend who was forced to leave under scandalous circumstances. Compelled to reconsider the past, Father Kavanagh wanders into the medieval haven of the Cloisters and stumbles into a conversation with a lovely and intriguing docent, Rachel Vedette.
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Reading Cadence
- By Barbara on 05-16-18
By: James Carroll
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The Romanov Brides
- A Novel of the Last Tsarina and Her Sisters
- By: Clare McHugh
- Narrated by: Yelena Shmulenson
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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They were granddaughters of Queen Victoria and two of the most beautiful princesses in Europe. Princesses Alix and Ella were destined to wed well and wisely. But while their grandmother wants to join them to the English and German royal families, the sisters fall in love with Russia—and the Romanovs.
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Captivating and delightful
- By Anonymous on 03-16-24
By: Clare McHugh
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America's First Daughter
- A Novel
- By: Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 23 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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In a compelling, richly researched novel that draws from thousands of letters and original sources, best-selling authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie tell the fascinating, untold story of Thomas Jefferson's eldest daughter, Martha "Patsy" Jefferson Randolph - a woman who kept the secrets of our most enigmatic founding father and shaped an American legacy.
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Great Story Great Narration
- By MissSusie66 on 03-30-16
By: Stephanie Dray, and others
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The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard
- By: Natasha Lester
- Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik
- Length: 13 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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French countryside, Present Day: Blythe Bricard is the daughter of famous fashion muses but that doesn't mean she wants to be one. She turned her back on that world, and her dreams, years ago. Fate, however, has a different plan, and Blythe will discover there is more to her iconic mother and grandmother than she ever knew.
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great read!
- By Kellie S. on 03-18-24
By: Natasha Lester
What listeners say about The Queen's Fortune
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- Volley
- 05-23-20
Magnifique!
A truly captivating story performed by an exceptional actress! I was enthralled by Désirée‘s story from the beginning to the end. It is amazing how one woman’s life was entwined with so many famous historical figures - and I’d never heard of her until reading this book. I admire Desiree for her long life and for surviving everything that had been happening in her world at the time. An incredible story of an incredible woman and of France!
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- jdd
- 05-18-23
Really fabulous!
Couldn’t put it down! I thought the writing was so good I felt as if I were there. Of course Justine Eyre is flawless! This book just zipped by so fast I intend to listen to it again!
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- Charlene Mickie Constantino
- 09-13-23
Excellent account of history
These historical accounts should be used in classes to capture young students instead of the history typically taught.
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- Anonymous User
- 01-20-25
Insightful, Detailed, Romantic Novel
The author creates an attractive depiction of the life of a woman who's risen from innocence to unexpected power, during historical times of great instability in Europe. Following the main events of Napoleon's ascension, the novel casts light onto characters from behind the curtains of officially famous mainstage. Enjoyed both the narative style and the pace of the story.
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- Mary Smiroldo
- 03-30-22
The Queen’s Fortune
Captivating story about the life of Napoleon Bonaparte and his loves. I thought the title was completely misleading. I enjoyed the story very much, but didn’t understand until the end just how the title fit. My only complaint was, as so many other reviewers have stated, the narrator. I have listened to her narrate other novels, so I knew what I was in for. I just really wanted to listen to this story, so I gritted my teeth, and bought this book. Unfortunately, she hasn’t changed. It was exactly as I remembered. Some of her pronunciations are laughable, and I had to take a few breaks while listening. That being said, I was very engrossed in the story from beginning to end. I don’t know how Justine Eyre became a narrator, but, in my opinion, she should find a new line of work.
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- Susan B
- 03-29-23
Great storytelling!!!
This is how I like my novels…engrossing and informative about historical events. One of the best I’ve listened to. Excellent narration!!!
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- Julie Swaab
- 01-16-24
Fantastic History And Story
Wonderful story about the lives of historic people you may not have heard about but are important to the bigger picture. Interesting connections to Napoleon and Josephine and the Swedish crown, to this day. I enjoyed the narrator’s different voices and intonations used for the different characters.
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- Noha Khalifeh
- 07-13-24
Captivating
Great story about women’s challenges and strengths throughout history. The narrator’s pronunciation and voice is captivating and warm that makes you connect with the character immediately.
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-09-25
Great Historical Fiction
Loved learning the history. Allison Pataki clearly does extensive research for each of her books. Highly recommend!
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- Kelly
- 04-12-22
Very Enjoyable!
I found this book very interesting from start to finish. Great Read! I always looked forward to having time to spend spend listening.
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