1815

The 17 months from April 1814 to August 1815 represent one of the key periods in European history; a period which saw Paris besieged (twice), the outbreak of civil war in Italy, international war in Belgium and the compete revision of Europe's political frontiers. Dallas tells the story of those extraordinary times through the events unfolding in three great cities - the post-revolutionary fervour of Paris, the seething, fog-enveloped metropolis of London and the baroque, coffee house elegance of Vienna - and through the eyes of its major players: the would-be peacemonger Viscount Castlereagh, the wily old hand Charles Talleyrand, the scheming Prince Metternich, self-appointed 'liberator' of Europe Tsar Alexander, the battle-hardened Duke of Wellington (fresh from the killing fields of Spain) and, of course, Napoleon Bonaparte, who though in exile on Elba still dreams of ultimate power. Dallas brings the same scrutiny and passion which marked 1918 (his earlier account of the aftermath of the Great War) to bear on these larger-than-life characters, and on the day-to-day life, both social and cultural, of lesser citizens. This impressive work tells us as much about the novels of Tolstoy, court fashion and the popular press of the time as it does about the machinations of states and power-thirsty individuals. Therein lies its strength, for a vivid and comprehensive picture emerges of Europe from top to bottom, a world rushing headlong towards the bloody denouement of Waterloo, on which lie shattered the last, desperate dreams of a despot. This is, as Bryan Forbes remarked, 'history as it should be written: scholarship married to narrative skill'. Read it and marvel. (Kirkus UK)