31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful Biography of a Difficult Woman, May 2, 2001
This review is from: The Reluctant Empress: A Biography of Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Hardcover)
Elisabeth of Austria has held a strange fascination for many people, because of her reknown beauty and her strange relationship with her husand and children. Married at 15 to the emperor of Austria, Elisabeth was under the domination of her mother in law. Her first two children are virtually raised by her mother in law and she has very little impact on their life. Feeling oppressed by the court atmosphere, Elisabeth escapes through numerous diversions, including exercise and horseback riding. Supporting a constitutional monarchy, she alienates herself from her husband, who nevertheless continues to love her desperately. Finally they are reconciled and she gives birth to her last child, a daughter who will be "her" child. Elisabeth becomes increasing erratic until she finally removes herself from court life completely. Her final years are marred by unhappiness with the suicide of her only son and her own death at the hands of an assassin.
Author Hamann does an excellent job of portryaing the life of this woman, who has often been compared to Princess Diana. What really becomes clear is that Elisabeth must have suffered from some sort of mental breakdown and without help, she chose to life a life that brought unhappiness to quite a few people, including her husband and children. The book is well written and captures the time period perfectly.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding, January 5, 2010
Having traveled to Vienna this past summer and touring both the Hofburg and the Schoenbrunn Palace, and unfortunately sleeping thru history class when I was in school, I'd never heard of the Habsburgs nor Sisi. After touring Elisabeth's quarters in the Hofburg, seeing her exercise room and her many jewels, dresses and other belongings, I became entranced with her and had to learn more about this beautiful but sad woman who was married and put into a gilded cage at the age of 15.
This book did not disappoint. I found the author's research, along with the addition of writings from diaries from her daughter Valerie, along with several of her "ladies in waiting" coupled with plenty of Elisabeth's own writings and correspondence, to be top notch. The author doesn't interject her own feelings about the life of Sisi, but lays out a fair analysis and leaves the reader to make up their own minds as to the state of mind of this beautiful, but troubled woman.
I really wish I had read this book before I traveled to Austria and Hungary, because I would have been able to tour Sisi's other palaces and castles, had I known about them. Luckily, I'll be traveling to Corfu this summer............and surprise, Sisi also built a palace there, and I can't wait to see it.
This is a must read for anyone traveling to Vienna, because it gives the tourist a better interpretation of what they are seeing. I also recommend "A Nervous Splendor, Vienna 1888/1889, by Frederic Morton, that goes into great detail with regards to suicide of Crown Prince Rudolph, Sisi's son, and the events surrounding the tragedy at Mayerling.
I highly recommend this book!
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12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating woman!, June 24, 2007
I purchased this book after touring the Schonbrunn Palace outside Vienna, the former Habsburg summer residence. After hearing a little bit about the Empress Elisabeth, I was curious to learn more. This book is a fantastically interesting account of Elisabeth's life. I urge you to read and enjoy!!
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