THAT SPANISH WOMAN

Eugenie, wife of Louis Napoleon, now joins the ranks of F. W. Kenyon's growing roster of women of history. He has chosen Emma, Josephine, Marie Antoinette, Nell Gwynne and others, but comparison here will be made to Hester Chapman's Eugenie. The Kenyon story is told in the first person by Eugenie herself, with resultant -- and deliberate -- lack of objectivity. Both books cover the full span of her amazing story, though the emphasis is different. Eugenie emerges as a fascinating figure, despite her eccentricities and her selfish goals. Stature is given to the biographical-historical novel by this author. History students will find it enlightening supplementary reading.