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    The Accidental Empress
    The Accidental Empress
    The Accidental Empress
    Audiobook18 hours

    The Accidental Empress

    Written by Allison Pataki

    Narrated by Madeleine Maby

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    *NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * Discover the “captivating, absorbing, and beautifully told” (Kathleen Grissom) love story of Sisi, the Austro-Hungarian empress and wife of Emperor Franz Joseph—perfect for fans of the Netflix series The Empress!

    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 “another absolutely compelling story” (Mary Higgins Clark) with this 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.”
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateFeb 17, 2015
    ISBN9781442377059
    The Accidental Empress
    Author

    Allison Pataki

    Allison Pataki is the New York Times bestselling author of five adult fiction novels, one nonfiction memoir, and two children’s books, Nelly Takes New York and Poppy Takes Paris. Allison’s books have been translated into more than twenty languages. A former news writer and producer, Allison graduated cum laude from Yale University with a major in English. An avid traveler and reader, Allison lives in New York with her husband, children, and rescue pup. To learn more and connect with Allison, please visit AllisonPataki.com.

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    Reviews for The Accidental Empress

    4.5/5

    84 ratings4 reviews

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    • 1/5
      The narrator’s pronunciation of the names and landmarks was abysmal. Anyone narrating a book about Vienna should at least know how to pronounce Schönbrunn, Danube, and the name, Gisele to list only three. I will avoid all books with this narrator in the future.

      2 people found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This left me definately interested to learn more of the history behind the novel. I loved the author interview at the end,
    • 5/5
      This is my all time favorite book! It’s rich with emotion and history.
    • 3/5
      This book was very triggering for me as I related with SiSi on so many levels: from Sisi the care-free girl to Sisi the ill-fated daughter-in-law. Sisi who started as this vibrant, exuberant girl full of life, thinks that she has found the love of life only to realise that love alone is not enough. She is soon thrust into a world that she was ill prepared for. For every small win that she gets, there are a hundred set backs until finally she seems to give up and surrender to her fate. However, all is not lost. I am happy that she was able to find herself again, that she was able to find some semblance of self but it's just so tragic that she had to be completely broken to get there.
      All in all this was a good book. I didn't enjoy listening to the audio book so much as the narration was a bit too slow for my liking but still well worth the read.