Historical fiction book · Curated
Désirée
Annemarie Selinko · historical fiction
In 1794 a Marseille silk merchant’s daughter opens a diary the day her brother is arrested, and the pages follow an engagement to Napoleon Bonaparte, marriage to General Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, and his election as Crown Prince of Sweden in 1810, through to her coronation as Queen Desideria in 1829. Annemarie Selinko’s 1951 novel (English 1953) is Regency romance historical fiction of the Napoleonic years as a merchant’s daughter lived them, from the Terror to a Stockholm crown.
Why read it: A widely searched Napoleonic romance—the Selinko title readers look up by name (and the 1954 film), and a Marseille-diary counterpart to Vanity Fair already on the shelf.
About this historical novel
Désirée by Annemarie Selinko is historical fiction set around 1794–1829 in the Regency / Napoleonic period with key settings including Marseille, Paris, Stockholm, Sweden. In 1794 a Marseille silk merchant’s daughter opens a diary the day her brother is arrested, and the pages follow an engagement to Napoleon Bonaparte, marriage to General Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, and his election as Crown Prince of Sweden in 1810, through to her coronation as Queen Desideria in 1829. Annemarie Selinko’s 1951 novel (English 1953) is Regency romance historical fiction of the Napoleonic years as a merchant’s daughter lived them, from the Terror to a Stockholm crown.
On HisFic we tag it under 2. Historical romance and 4. Biographical fiction so you can pair it with similar story types. Recurring themes include napoleon, love, marriage, royalty, and revolution. A widely searched Napoleonic romance—the Selinko title readers look up by name (and the 1954 film), and a Marseille-diary counterpart to Vanity Fair already on the shelf.
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Plot summary
In 1794 a Marseille silk merchant’s daughter opens a diary the day her brother is arrested, and the pages follow an engagement to Napoleon Bonaparte, marriage to General Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, and his election as Crown Prince of Sweden in 1810, through to her coronation as Queen Desideria in 1829. Annemarie Selinko’s 1951 novel (English 1953) is Regency romance historical fiction of the Napoleonic years as a merchant’s daughter lived them, from the Terror to a Stockholm crown. A widely searched Napoleonic romance—the Selinko title readers look up by name (and the 1954 film), and a Marseille-diary counterpart to Vanity Fair already on the shelf.
Subgenres
Eras
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Regions & places
Europe
Marseille · Paris · Stockholm · Sweden
Themes
- napoleon
- love
- marriage
- royalty
- revolution
Tags
romance · bestseller