Lucia

Lucia: a venetian life in the age of napoleon by Di Robilant, Andrea

Lucia is the remarkable story of a woman who was born to a prestigious Venetian family, and traces her rise in Venetian society and then the downfall of the Venetian Republic by Napolean. This book intertwined politics, romance, and history - and told a story about a very interesting woman.

Lucia moved from Venice to Vienna to Paris and back to Venice - and was forced to balance her political alliances with the Venetians, then French, then Austrians. She was a committed daughter and wife - and later in her career became the head of her household, entrepreneur, and farmer.

Lucia's commitment in handling relationships in her life was particularly interesting. She created a personal notebook CRM to keep track of her interactions with various people and dates of interactions when trying to establish herself in a new society. She consciously picked the top 100 people in a new place, and made a point to bring gifts and visit each person individually. Her persistence and relationship skills would make any sales person jealous. She befriended Napolean's wife, and eventually became the uncrowned "queen" of the Venetian Republic.

This book is easy to get into and a fun read. I highly recommend it.

Rating: 5/5

Date Read: 8/7/2010