Reviews for Intimate Enemies: The Two Worlds of the Baroness de Pontalba

The average rating for Intimate Enemies: The Two Worlds of the Baroness de Pontalba based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-09-13 00:00:00 Darren Becker What an amazing story! I have had a long love affair with New Orleans. I think it is the most interesting city in the United States, such a tragic, romantic, chaotic history. And I didn't know the half of it! The history of this family is all bound up in the history of the city, which is one of the reasons I was so looking forward to reading this book. Well, it turns out that most of Michael's (the Baroness, pronounced "Mee-Kye-Ell") astounding story takes place in France, but she left her finest legacy, an architectural treasure (the designer of which is still unknown!), in the Pontalba buildings in New Orleans: I won't try to summarize Michael's biography because it is much too complex, but her life was as tragic and romantic and chaotic as the city she was born in. Throughout the book I was in awe not only of Michael's strength and determination but also of Christina Vella's impeccable research. I am one of those nerds who actually reads footnotes and endnotes, and this author pored through thousands and thousands of letters and legal documents (Michael was involved in some kind of litigation for most of her adult life, often against her father-in-law, who would eventually try to kill her, and her husband.) in both the United States and France. In addition to the meticulous narrative of the Almonester/Pontalba drama, this biographer (like the best of them) deftly (and with delightful wit!) describes the historical context in which the lives of her subjects unfold. This is possibly one of the best (in terms of subject matter and structure) biographies I've ever read. I am in awe of Vella's skills as a writer and historian, and I am more in love with New Orleans than ever!

Review # 2 was written on 2010-10-05 00:00:00 Tristan Williams Growing up in New Orleans, as I did, one becomes aware of the Pontalba Buildings at a young age. These 19th-century buildings flank Jackson Square (called the Place d'Armes at the time this book is concerned with) -- the iconic St. Louis Cathedral is in the center. It seems I've always known the name of the Baroness Pontalba as the woman behind the buildings, but that was all I knew about her. But once this book came out, her life between the marriage and the building of the Pontalba apartments was revealed; and the full story is a doozy. Once again, history continues to show me that the politics behind governments has not changed and that families with lots of money always seem to have at least one problem child, as was the Baroness's oldest son. This book is written in an engaging style, with the author's wit poking through in several places.