Napoleon III: A Life

This is a sparkling portrait of the man who ruled France from the aftermath of the 1848 revolution until his catastrophic defeat by the Prussians in 1870. Louis Napoleon, benevolent dictator and sexual addict, is rescued from the shadows of his more famous uncle and more esoteric academic studies. Journalist and biographer Bresler (The Mystery of Georges Simenon) tells his story with verve: his narrative is vivid without extravagance, and meticulous without losing momentum. After a childhood in exile and a series of bungled military conspiracies, the daring young Louis escaped from prison dressed as a workman. His beautiful English lover helped subsidize his rise to power as prince-president and later as emperor. During Louis's reign, bloody revolution gave way to ballroom festivity. At one dance in the Tuileries Palace, Louis saw his future empress, the Spanish beauty Eugenia de Montijo, enter in a ""flamboyant gown of ivory brocade"" with a wreath of orange blossoms in her hair. He oversaw a dramatic expansion in the rail network, masterminding the modernization of France and the embellishment of Paris by Georges Haussmann. Bresler is anxious to counter the ""black legend"" of Napoleon III, but is not blind to his protagonist's complicity in the brutal repression of 1852, and points to imperial self-indulgence as a cause of disaster at Sedan in 1870. This is a masterpiece of popular history, combining serious purpose with a refreshing lightness of touch. (Dec.)