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“Irresistible—completely impossible to put down . . . Allison Pataki reimagines the reign of the nineteenth-century Princess Diana in this stunning book.”—Michelle Moran, bestselling author of Rebel Queen
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 finds solace at her estate outside Budapest, where she rides her beloved horses and enjoys visits from a man with whom she’s unwittingly become enamored. But tragic news brings the empressout 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.
Through love affairs and loss, dedication and defiance, Sisi struggles against conflicting desires: to keep her family together, or to flee amid the collapse of her suffocating marriage and the gathering tumult of the First World War. In an age of crumbling monarchies, the empress 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?
Featuring larger-than-life historic figures such as Bavaria’s “Mad King Ludwig” and the tragic Crown Prince Rudolf, and set against many of Europe’s grandest sites—from Germany’s storied Neuschwanstein Castle to England’s lush shires—Sisi brings to life an extraordinary woman and the romantic, volatile era over which she presided.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
March 8, 2016 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780399566929
- File size: 500444 KB
- Duration: 17:22:35
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Narrator Elizabeth Knowelden captures the formal personality of the Empress Elizabeth of Austria and Queen of Hungary, affectionately known as Sisi. Using crisp, droll tones that roll off the tongue, Knowleden reads the account of Sisi's years as Queen of Hungary, when she lives on her estate in Budapest. Sisi entertains visits from the handsome, charismatic Hungarian statesman Count Andr�ssy and her longtime friend and horse-riding companion, Prince Nikolaus Esterh�zy. While both men vie for her attention, Sisi struggles with her role in the court and with her husband, Emperor Franz Joseph, during their years of estrangement. While Knowelden reads the companions' parts with warmth and charm, her choice of a cool and haughty tone for Elizabeth is exactly what listeners expect an empress and queen to sound like. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
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