
Sisi
Empress on Her Own: A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Elizabeth Knowelden
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By:
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Allison Pataki
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A sweeping historical novel that tells the dramatic story of Sisi, the empress of Austria-Hungary who fought for her family, her people, and her empire in a changing world
“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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Critic reviews
“[Allison] Pataki successfully juggles numerous political and personal plot lines while maintaining her focus on a fascinating central character. Extensive notes reveal the author’s attention to detail and explain where the novel diverges from the historical record. . . . Readers of Pataki’s first book will want to know the rest of Sisi’s story, but this novel stands on its own for historical fiction fans.”—Library Journal
“Sisi is a deeply moving book about a complex character.”—BookPage
“A satisfying saga of the late Habsburg period.”—Kirkus Reviews
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High Hopes
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Beautiful!
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wonderful
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This book is much more than the love story of an empress.
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Sad ending
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I truly adored this romantic tragedy
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Loved this!!
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Interesting historical perspective
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loved this book
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So beyond a real and lifelong love story ..... So applicable to our most current version of the Megan and Prince Harry controversy, being conceived and written long before the Megzit furore, but perhaps they should have read it in the beginning for a better understanding of the future of such an alliance!!!
Personally, I have been delving into many historical novels, particularly European and English where I have been spending over 30 years before returning to live in the US. I am finding so many parallels in history (which I never found interesting at school) to current problems and situations in life today which we seem to think are all new to us! History is always repeating itself!!! We are not the first to encounter very similar situations, but never seem to learn from looking back!! The 1st World War , and it's inception was known to me, but the 2 volumes of the lives of the real people who were instrumental in that history, truly make lifelike and fascinating reading/listening !!!
I always appreciate the author ending with the confession of what was documented and what was personally imagined ...
Finally, the description of the passing of the Empress Elizabeth was so beautiful and descriptive of the tone of death I will hope to imagine for myself and my loved ones!!!!
DEEPLY MOVING AND ENLIGHTENING
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