The Death of Napoleon by Simon Leys
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

But I Really Am He

Simon Leys has written an antidote to the What If Novel. What if Napoleon had used a double to escape from St. Helena? Well perhaps nothing significant except that he saves a failing fruit business in a Paris suburb and gets loved up by a plump widow. The fly in the strategic ointment is that by the time of his return to national politics there is an entire hospital devoted to men who believe they are Napoleon. Could have been, why not?

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