I may have used this title once before, but hey if it’s good once, it’s good a second time. It’s back to the Historical Fiction books this week and once again, two of the best in the business are the authors. As I’ve mentioned before, Alison Weir is recognized as one of the top Historical Fiction writers. In her own right however, Allison Pataki is very good in the genre as well. And just like in my last review of Historical Fiction novels, these two books span very different, but are good in their own way.
Book Three in Alison Weir’s brilliant Six Tudor Queens series follows the story of Jane Seymour. This book is just as excellent as the previous two in the series. I think that this book is by far my favorite so far. The storytelling in this book is top-notch, and overall the story of Jane Seymour is fascinating.
What I love most about this book is Jane Seymour herself. Unlike the two previous queens, Jane never wanted royalty. She wanted a peaceful life and originally wanted to be a Nun. However, her family wanted more for her. So she served in the court of Katherine of Aragon, Henry’s first wife. She wanted to be good to her people, while at the same time, keeping her religious faith. While she wasn’t queen for very long, her story leading up to being queen is a truly fascinating one. And once she was there, the shadow of Anne Boleyn loomed over her which really adds a measure of complexity to final part of her story.
As with her previous books, Weir’s prose is world-class. She really makes you feel for Jane in this book The writing, the story setup and imagery in this book are all world class.
Weir has done it again with this book. It paints a fascinating picture with excellent prose and beautiful storytelling. 3 for 3 in my book.
Verdict- 5 Stars. If you liked the previous 2 books, you can’t go wrong with this one.
We move from Tudor England, to the mid-nineteenth century and the Austro-Hungarian empire. The Accidental Empress tells the story of Emperor Franz Josef’s popular wife Elisabeth, known as Sisi. This book is told through the perspective of Sisi and tells the story up till the empire became a dual-monarchy. This book is a little more tricky to review, because on one hand it has a lot of good things going for it, but on the other hand there is a very big issue that I have with the book that clouds my review.
Lets start with the good things. The writing in this book is outstanding. The first-person narrative style really suits this book. You really get a glimpse inside the mind of Sisi as events unfold. The imagery, cast of characters, and the story in general are excellent.
But my one problem with this book is Sisi herself. The portrayal is accurate to her real life counterpart. And while her story is very interesting and kept me interested, Sisi as a character never seemed to grip me the way other Historical Fiction portrayals did. To this day, I am still not able to quite say way I never really liked the portrayal. It might have been her attitude but I’m not 100% sure. Either way, when the main character, especially in a Historical Fiction portrayal, is unlikable, it makes it hard on the reader.
For me, the book was a solid read. The story, the writing, the imagery, everything was there for a fantastic book. But, the main character is not really likable, that tends to drag the score of the review down for me.
Verdict- 4 stars. Had everything but a likable portrayal of Sisi. Still, it’s a good read.
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