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Sign up todayThe Diamond
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Learn moreThis dazzling historical novel tells the story of the famous Régent diamond that links together the fates of some of the most powerful figures of European history. The exiled Napoleon and his biographer, the Count Las Cases, narrate the saga of the diamond as it is brought to the decadent courts of eighteenth-century France and passed through the hands of a glittering cast of characters. The diamond bestows an incredible power for good or evil upon its transient masters, a power that inspires passion, obsession, and lethal greed. Napoleon both loves and hates the gem, which represents his greatest success yet carries a dark shadow of murder and downfall.
Ambitiously conceived, rich with historical detail and nonstop drama, The Diamond is a towering work of imagination all the more fascinating for being based in fact.
Julie Baumgold is the author of Creatures of Habit. She is a former contributing editor of New York magazine, Esquire, and Vogue. She has been an essayist (Best American Essays 1996), poet (Mademoiselle Poetry Prize), and the columnist “Mr. Peepers” for New York magazine and Esquire. She lives on Amelia Island in New York.
Simon Vance is an award-winning actor and an AudioFile Golden Voice with over fifty Earphones Awards and thirteen prestigious Audie Awards. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009.
Reviews
“Baumgold’s Napoleon-centered historical features deft, magazine profile–like characterizations and a gracefully brisk pace…[An] absorbing and entertaining result.”
“Baumgold skillfully compresses outsize personalities, court intrigues, wars, and revolutions into an eminently readable narrative intricately woven by Napoleon’s memoirist and fellow exile…[a] beautifully nuanced portrait of the friendship between the emperor and his scribe.”
“The story is deftly told.”
“[Baumgold’s] command of her subject manner is impressive, and her ability to spin small, humanizing vignettes about courtly manners and palace intrigues is skillful…a regal, multi-faceted feat of historical fiction.”
“With her extensive historical knowledge and her ability to humanize her characters, Baumgold has brought to life well-known historical figures…this novel resonates with historical accuracy that underscores the captivating narrative.”
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