Born into wealth in New Orleans in 1795 and married into misery
fifteen years later, the Baroness Micaela Almonester de Pontalba
led a life ripe for novelization. Intimate Enemies, however, is the
spellbinding true account of this resilient woman's life -- and the
three men who most affected its course.
Immediately upon marrying C?lestin de Pontalba, Micaela was
removed to his family's estate in France. For twenty years her
father-in-law attempted to drive her to abandon C?lestin; by law he
could then seize control of her fortune. He tried dozens of
strategies, including at one point instructing the entire Pontalba
household to pretend she was invisible. Finally, in 1834, the
despairing elder Pontalba trapped Micaela in a bedroom and shot her
four times before turning his gun on himself.
Miraculously, she survived. Five years later, after securing
both a separation from C?lestin and legal power over her wealth,
Micaela focused her attention on building, following in the
footsteps of her late, illustrious father, Andr's Almonester. Her
Parisian mansion, the H?tel Pontalba, is today the official
residence of the American embassy in France; and her Pontalba
Buildings, which flank Jackson's Square in New Orleans, form
together with her father's St. Louis Cathedral, Presbytere, and
Cabildo one of the loveliest architectural complexes in
America.
As for C?lestin, he eventually suffered a total physical and
mental breakdown and begged Micaela to return. She did so, caring
for him for the next twenty-three years until her death in
1874.
In Intimate Enemies, Christina Vella embroiders the compelling
story of the Almonester-Pontalba alliance against a richly woven
background of the events and cultures of two centuries and two
vivid societies. She provides a window into the yellow fever
epidemics that raged in New Orleans; the rebuilding of Paris, the
Paris Commune uprising, and the Second Empire of Napoleon III;
European ideas of power, class, money, marriage, and love during
the baroness' lifetime and their inflection in the New World
setting of New Orleans; medical treatments, legal procedures,
imperial court life, banking practices, and much more.
Combining the historian's meticulous research with the
biographer's exacting knowledge of her subject and the novelist's
gift for narrative, Vella has crafted a rare cross-genre work that
will capture the imagination and admiration of every reader.
General
Imprint: |
Louisiana State University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
2004 |
First published: |
2004 |
Authors: |
Christina Vella
|
Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 21mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
440 |
Edition: |
New edition |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-8071-2962-3 |
Categories: |
Books >
Humanities >
History >
General
Books >
History >
General
|
LSN: |
0-8071-2962-3 |
Barcode: |
9780807129623 |
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