LUCIA by Andrea di Robilant (non-fic) (biog)

In 1787 an aristocratic ambassador to Rome from Venice, Andrea Memmo, arranged a marriage between his beautiful daughter, Lucia, and Alvise Mocenigo, a son of one of the oldest families of Venice.  So begins the enchanting and interesting history of the life of Lucia Memmo, ancestor of di Robilant.  The story of her father, Memmo, and her lovely English mother was told in the author's previous book, "A Venetian Affair."
Lucia's story is fascinating in so many ways.  The period her life covered was immensely important politically and socially.  The American Revolution had just happened, Catherine the Great had been on the throne of Russia, the French Revolution was in full swing and, eventually, Napoleon was on the rise.  Lucia was witness to so many events which were important in Italy, France and Austria during her lifetime. 
Throughout her marriage, France and Austrian were vying for supremacy in Venice.  The once proud city state, was forced to capitulate to France when Napoleon marched into northern Italy.  For a while, Alvise was an ardent supporter of the French.  When Austria marched into Italy and took over Venice, Alvise and Lucia changed allegiances and moved to Vienna to join and active government and social life.  Then Napoleon was on the rise again and again Venice changed hands.  At that time, Lucia was appointed a lady-in-waiting to the wife of Prince Eugene, Napoleon's step-son.  His base was in Milan, and Lucia had to leave her family to take up residence there.  Eventually she moved to Paris where she was a confident of Josephine, the divorced wife of Napoleon.  This was the most interesting part of the book for me.  Lucia was a prolific letter writer and diarist, and her first hand account of the the siege of Paris in 1814 is fully absorbing.
In the middle of all this history, Lucia also carried on an affair with an Austrian officer, Col. Plunkett and had a child by him.  That child, Alvisetto was accepted by her husband, Alvise, and brought up as his own.  The only child of Lucia, Alvisetto, inherited the vast Mocenigo property, and is the ancestor of di Robilant.
I highly recommend this book as an eye witness account of history, and one which is interesting and never dull.  Lucia was a grand dame in every sense of the word, a strong woman, who kept her family together, despite the constant threat of war.  The confusing history of northern Italy, which changed hands so often in this period, was made more understandable to me, having read this well-written and interesting biography.