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Intimate Enemies: The Two Worlds of Baroness de Pontalba

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Intimate Enemies: The Two Worlds of Baroness de Pontalba by Christina Vella

Baron Pontalba was furious, and he would visit his fury on his daughter-in-law for the rest of his life. Micael was a lively young woman who found life in the French country-side rather dull. The Baron eventually put a stop to anything which gave Micael pleasure, while pressuring her to sign over all her property to her husband. She was able to convince her husband to take a home for them in Paris so that they could live their own life, out of the shadow of her in-laws.

Her father-in-law furnished his home as minimally as possible, unwilling to spend any more than was absolutely necessary. Once she had her own house, Micael took great pleasure in furnishing her Paris home comfortably and fashionably. With the exception of her maid, no one but her maid spoke to her, and she was kept nearly a prisoner in one of the smaller outbuildings on the estate.

By this time, Micael had decided to try to fight for her rights, though she had few as a married woman under French law. She was accused of frivolity and profligate and reckless spending in the furnishing of her Paris home, among other accusations brought against her by her husband at the instigation of his father. She spent some time in Paris, separated from her husband, before she sailed back to New Orleans to deal with her properties there. Meanwhile, litigation over who controled her wealth dragged on in both the French and the American courts.

She was forbidden to drive her carriage onto the estate, so she had to leave it at the gate-house and walk to the chateau. One day, the elder Pontalba apparently snapped under the stress of his anger and greed. Micael was struck by four bullets, but somehow, she managed to find the strength to flee the room and struggle downstairs to the drawing room, where she collapsed.

The Baron followed her, but apparently out of bullets, did not fire again. He locked himself in his study and later that evening, he took his own life with one of the same pistols he had used to shoot Micael. Remarkably, though the fingers of one hand were damaged and her left breast was badly disfigured, Micael survived this horrific shooting. Yet, even in the face of this attack by her father-in-law, Micael was not immediately able to get a separation from her husband.

Eventually, Micael was able to get a legal separation from her husband and gain control of her life and her fortune. In the end, her husband gradually lost his faculties and in an ironic twist of fate, she became his legal guardian. And, it is just steps away from the former home of Pauline Bonaparte , which is now the official residence of the British Ambassador to France.

After Micael returned to her native New Orleans in the s, she was responsible for the construction of the Pontalba Buildings , two of the most iconic structures in the famed French Quarter. The intricate and ornate iron-work balconies were just one of many special features which Micael directed be included in their construction.

Micaela Almonester Pontalba endured appallingly cruel and heartless treatment from her in-laws, in particular her greedy father-in-law, for the sole purpose of taking control of her wealth. Nor did she get much protection under the laws of either France or the United States for many years. I suspect few Regency romance authors would ever think to subject their fictional heroines to the horrendously brutal treatment which Micael had to endure in her real life.

Though she did not live in England, Micael was married in the first year of the English Regency, and though she was not shot until a couple of decades later, Regency authors might well want to read this book to get some idea of how women were treated in the first half of the nineteenth century, in both France and America.

Intimate Enemies is not only well-written, it is also very well-researched. The author, Christina Vella, paints a detailed picture of political, cultural and social life in both Louisiana and France from the end of the eighteenth century though much of the nineteenth. Sections of this book are difficult to read due to what Micael had to endure, since few of us in the twenty-first can even conceive that anyone could be treated so cruelly and unjustly. However, Regency authors will find this book a font of information on the harsh treatment of a wife and mother by a family desperate to take control of her wealth.

It also sheds a light on how little protection married women had under the law from the males of their families, particularly in France. Yet, despite all she endured, Micael persisted in her legal actions and eventually won the right to order her own life and manage her own funds. It is also rather frustrating in parts. Since Micael was so young when she married, it took quite some time for her to realize she needed to stand up for herself. Of course, considering her upbringing and her culture, it was not surprising, but her father-in-law and her husband were so obviously interested only in her money, I just wanted her to fight back right away.

I will be dedicating it to abused women as well as to her memory. We are so fortunate in this day and age to be encouraged to stand up for ourselves and to be raised without any question in our minds that there is any difference between men and women.

The Gun Seller

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Intimate Enemies: The Two Worlds of Baroness de Pontalba by Christina Vella

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An avid reader of novels set in that time, holding strong opinions on the historical accuracy to be found in said novels. One side of the heroine's family her family by blood were Spanish nobility, the other her family by marriage French nobility, and she goes back and forth in the book between New Orleans and France, investing heavily in real estate and inheriting property in both.

It's the best book I've read on the changing economics of the aristocracies of the time, and how that shaped the city. Literally -- the heroine's New Orleans holdings included the buildings around what is now Jackson Square. She was the architect. It's a deep look at property rights, the rights of women, the differences in marital law between France and Louisiana, urban planning, charitable giving, and a complicated love-hate relationship that defied both families in turn and inspired an opera.

I'm seeking out everything else the author has written -- apparently she's got a book on George Washington Carver coming out this year that I'm totally going to read. Any biography of Micaela Almonester is bound to be incomplete. She was a person of note in her time, but not on par with Andrew Jackson, and therefore much of her life is a mystery.

Vella succeeds by paying close attention to the worlds she lived in, the social milieu, and the personalities around her. The book is as much a biography of Micaela as it is of her father, her husband, and husband in law. The result is a thoroughly well written, at times witty book; Vella's observations are often com Any biography of Micaela Almonester is bound to be incomplete.

The result is a thoroughly well written, at times witty book; Vella's observations are often comedic. Her descriptions of New Orleans in the colonial period is particularly good. In the end though, the book does not quite become great. Much of this is the subject matter. Micaela was a tough businesswoman with an interesting life, but she herself was rather shallow. She owned no books outside of accounting papers. She was very much a product of her mother, who comes across as financially ruthless, and arguably the origin of Micaela's marriage woes.

The book is not about something deeper, beyond the perils of marriage. Micaela Almonester is most noted for her attempted murder and her building projects in New Orleans and Paris. Without the Pontalba Buildings, hardly anyone would care. Nov 04, Erin rated it liked it.

Micaela's story is remarkable. I picked it up after I read a Catholic short story that discussed how she was legally divorced to control her own money but remained loyal to Celestin and their marriage due to her faith. Very interesting history details. The family story and the helplessness of the central character is disturbing. If it was a novel, you might say impossible plot. But apparently it actually happened. Not an easy read.

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Very dense and a little too much detail about auxiliary people. Wish it had even trimmed to follow Micaela more closely. Mar 20, Jan Schindler rated it did not like it. I like reading books about New Orleans history but this was a snooze fest.

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There's something wrong when the author tells you in the intro to skip the first 3 chapters if you are not interested in the history of NOLA. Not a story teller's bone in this writing. I found out everything I needed to know from the book jacket. Oct 28, Michelle rated it it was ok. I only give it two stars because it was actually so dense I just simply couldn't get through it.

The subject matter was extremely interesting, but so many details and the lack of a strong plot line had me lost about pages in. Oct 31, Kristine rated it really liked it.

This is not for those who want fast paced history. It is for those who want to understand how New Orleans got to with some interesting wacky family dealings. No, crazy family dealings. Aug 09, Donna S rated it it was ok Recommends it for: The most interesting part was the discussion of New Orleans street names and the historical references. Oct 27, Marty D rated it it was ok. Jan 23, Oliver Hazan rated it really liked it. A divorce-battle so bitter it covers two continents. This is an interesting legal history book set in New Orleans and France.

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Apr 29, Corinne rated it really liked it. Being from New Orleans, I found this very interesting. I have always seen the Pontalba buildings in the French Quarter, but never knew the "back story" of the lady behind them.

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Her first book, Intimate Enemies: Vella's later books include The Hitler Kiss: Vella received her Ph. A professor of history for over twenty years, she now devotes most of her time to writing and lecturing.