Sisi: Empress On Her Own by Allison Pataki – 464 pages
ARC from The Dial Press in exchange for an honest review.
Book Blurb:
Married to Emperor Franz Joseph, Elisabeth—fondly known as Sisi—captures the hearts of her people as their “fairy queen,” but beneath that dazzling persona lives a far more complex figure. In mid-nineteenth-century Vienna, the halls of the Hofburg Palace buzz not only with imperial waltzes and champagne but with temptations, rivals, and cutthroat intrigue. Feeling stifled by strict protocols and a turbulent marriage, Sisi grows restless. A free-spirited wanderer, she finds solace at her estate outside Budapest. There she rides her beloved horses and enjoys visits from the Hungarian statesman Count Andrássy, the man with whom she’s unwittingly fallen in love. But tragic news brings Sisi out of her fragile seclusion, forcing her to return to her capital and a world of gossip, envy, and sorrow where a dangerous fate lurks in the shadows. In an age of crumbling monarchies, Sisi fights to assert her right to the throne beside her husband, to win the love of her people and the world, and to save an empire. But in the end, can she save herself?
My Review: 4 stars
Sisi is an empress I’m so glad to have learned more about in this well-done glance into her life. If you like the romance, tragedy and storytelling of Philippa Gregory then you should definitely invest your time in reading Sisi. A Princess Diana of her time, the story of the Austria-Hungarian princess will enrapture you right away. I learned a lot about the waning Hapsburg Empire without feeling like it was History textbook.
Sisi is caught between her love for travel and living life to its fullest, while also maintaining her duty to be the upstanding royal that Hapsburg court both expects and needs. Going from one adventure to the next, including the World’s Fair and her heart-breaking love affair, Pataki manages to paint a troubled protagonist that you root for even though she already “has it all”.
The book was definitely long and there were page long chapters that seemed out of place until they came together at the end, however I’m very glad I had the opportunity to read this book.
Quotes I liked:
Our dreams are always fairer when they are not realized.”
-“Precisely the point. I arranged that (flowers) so that if I have to dine with ugly guests, I don’t have to look at their faces. I wish only to be surrounded by beauty.”
-“And perhaps the only thing that might save them all now was a bit of magic.”
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This book is actually the sequel to “The Accidental Empress” by the same author.
yep! I know, loved that one too!