DesireeDesiree
Score Classic
What it's about
Désirée Clary is the daughter of a silk merchant in Marseilles when, at fourteen, she falls for a young, penniless officer named Napoleon Bonaparte and becomes engaged to him. He drops her for Josephine. Through her diary, the novel follows Désirée's life as she marries one of Napoleon's marshals and finds herself, unexpectedly, becoming Queen of Sweden.
Why it's worth reading
It spent 32 weeks at #1 on the New York Times list, and the 1954 film starred Marlon Brando. It's a charming historical romance based on a real woman's life.
You'll love it if you liked
Gone with the Wind
Memoirs of a Geisha
War and PeaceGood to know
It's told as a diary, and Désirée's voice stays girlish for much of it. Some events are invented.
By the numbers
- Readers72 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller49 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
Why it made the list
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Quick answers
Is Desiree worth reading?
Yes. It spent 32 weeks at #1 on the New York Times list, and the 1954 film starred Marlon Brando. It ranks #990 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 73.1 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Desiree about?
Désirée Clary is the daughter of a silk merchant in Marseilles when, at fourteen, she falls for a young, penniless officer named Napoleon Bonaparte and becomes engaged to him. He drops her for Josephine. Through her diary, the novel follows Désirée's life as she marries one of Napoleon's marshals and finds herself, unexpectedly, becoming Queen of Sweden.
How long does it take to read Desiree?
About 13 hours (518 pages), or about 4 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Desiree?
If you liked it, try Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden or War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.