As I get older, I find more and more that history is very fascinating. I want to know about my ancestors. I want to know about the people who ruled different countries. And I want to know about the people who survived wars. In Allison Pataki’s Sisi series, I learned a lot about the Emperor and Empress of Austria-Hungary during the 1800’s.
Allison Pataki does a wonderful job bringing to life the Golden Age of the Habsburg Court in her two books The Accidental Empress and Sisi: Empress on Her Own. Elisabeth, or Sisi to those close to her, is 15-years-old when she travels to the Austria-Hungary palace with her sister Helene, who is betrothed to the Emperor. But Sisi and Franz Joseph quickly form a bond and Franz decides he wants to marry Sisi instead of Helene.
Sisi is a free spirit who doesn’t like all the strict rules that must be followed like everyone has to wear gloves when eating. No one speaks at meals until the Emperor speaks and you can’t wait the same slippers twice. If the Emperor is done eating, everyone else is done eating. The rules are so stifling that Sisi needs to leave court for months at a time, sometimes for years just to feel like herself.
Sisi’s mother-in-law, her aunt (because of course you marry a cousin), the Archduchess Sophie, is very critical of everything Sisi does. She even takes the children as soon as they are born and won’t let Sisi raise them. This throws Sisi into a depression and sends her running away from her duties and her family.
I enjoyed this story so much, I was constantly Google searching the different characters to find out more about them. I even searched the locations they talked about like the Neuschwanstein Castle built by Sisi’s cousin King Ludwig who was known as the Mad King. While doing the research, I found out my sister toured the castle and said it was amazing. In Sisi, she visits the Althorp Palace in England who my ancestors used to own.
Allison weaves a tale showing how hard it is to be a royal with spies always watching your every move and reporting back about all your missteps. This is such a wonderfully written story that kept my attention and made me want to know more about this family. If you like historical fiction, the is definitely worth your time.
Book Description:
The Accidental Empress
New York Times bestselling author Allison Pataki follows up on her critically acclaimed debut novel, The Traitor’s Wife, with the little-known and tumultuous love story of “Sisi” the Austro-Hungarian Empress and captivating wife of Emperor Franz Joseph.
The year is 1853, and the Habsburgs are Europe’s most powerful ruling family. With his empire stretching from Austria to Russia, from Germany to Italy, Emperor Franz Joseph is young, rich, and ready to marry.
Fifteen-year-old Elisabeth, “Sisi,” Duchess of Bavaria, travels to the Habsburg Court with her older sister, who is betrothed to the young emperor. But shortly after her arrival at court, Sisi finds herself in an unexpected dilemma: she has inadvertently fallen for and won the heart of her sister’s groom. Franz Joseph reneges on his earlier proposal and declares his intention to marry Sisi instead.
Thrust onto the throne of Europe’s most treacherous imperial court, Sisi upsets political and familial loyalties in her quest to win, and keep, the love of her emperor, her people, and of the world.
With Pataki’s rich period detail and cast of complex, bewitching characters, The Accidental Empress offers a captivating glimpse into one of history’s most intriguing royal families, shedding new light on the glittering Hapsburg Empire and its most mesmerizing, most beloved “Fairy Queen.”
Sisi
In this sweeping and powerful novel, New York Times bestselling author Allison Pataki tells the little-known story of Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary, the Princess Diana of her time. An enthralling work of historical fiction set during the Golden Age of the Habsburg court, Sisi is a gripping page-turner for readers of Philippa Gregory, Paula McLain, and Daisy Goodwin.
Married to Emperor Franz Joseph, Elisabeth – fondly known as Sisi – captures the hearts of her people as their “fairy queen,” but beneath that dazzling perception 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 also with temptations, rivals, and cutthroat intrigue. Sisi grows restless, feeling stifled by strict protocols and a turbulent marriage. A free-spirited wanderer, she finds solace at her estate outside Budapest, where she enjoys visits from the striking Hungarian statesman Count Andrássy, the man with whom she’s unwittingly fallen in love. But tragic news brings Sisi out of 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, Sisi struggles against the 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, 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?
Until next time…enjoy the view from your passenger seat
Views from the Passenger Seat 