This was a disappointing book for me. While the title suggests that it is about the battle of Wagram, the battle only occupies the last 20 pages of the book. The blurb mentions a quote from a French general, who commented that two regiments belonging to the same colonel proprietor, Prince Albert of Saxe-Teschen, fought against each other in this battle.
From this quote the author has written a book where 1 officer is transferred from the regiment that he has trained and served in, to the other regiment and ends up fighting against his friends.
Most of the book is centered around that officer, Otto Apfelgrun and his illicit romance with the Prince's wife, Clemence. This romance does not start until 1/3rd of the way in.
I bought this book 7 years ago after reading a recommendation that was an excellent historical fiction novel with an intriguing premise. According to the blurb, it won the Gutenberg prize.
Among the distracting elements:
Duchess Gertrud, who is blind and has servants describe the outdoors in glowing terms,i.e, the sky must be blue
Professor Schwarzbrod, who is obsessed with wandering in the countryside looking for butterflies and flowers.
Retired Austrian General Weitzau, who tries to convince everyone that the real enemy is not Napoleon, the Turks, who are tunneling underneath Vienna.
The translation was very good, although a bit on the florid side. It took me 2 weeks to read this book, because it dragged on forever.
I rate this book 2.5 stars rounded down. ( )