King In Prussia

by Raphael Sabatini

King in Prussia is a remarkable story of the formative years of the renowned king who has been hailed Frederick the Great. With vivid detail , powerful characterisation and a moving love story, Sabatini has created a masterly biography – and revealed an uncanny similarity between his subject and his modern counterpart, Adolf Hitler.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1944

Reviews

[Giulia Angelica · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Un flauto! Mio Dio! Ho per figlio un suonatore di flauto. La Prussia ha un suonatore di flauto come Principe ereditario. Du lieber Gott!"


Letto in un'edizione Sonzogno del 1947 un po' vetusta, la cui traduzione risente del peso degli anni, ma nel complesso è stata una lettura scorrevole e piacevole.

L'autore non ci prova neppure a mascherare la propria scarsa simpatia nei confronti di Federico II (probabilmente influenzata dal periodo storico in cui è stato scritto). Peccato che alla fine, nonostante gli sforzi per farlo stare antipatico, risulti il personaggio più interessante di tutta la storia. Di certo ben più del personaggio originale creato da Sabatini, un Gary Stu a tratti insopportabile. La prima parte l'ho trovata più coinvolgente della seconda.
Datemi più romanzi ambientati nella Prussia settecentesca.

[Chet · Rating 4 out of 5]

In many ways, this was a Sabatini classic. In a few, it broke the norm. Overall however, I found it to be exciting, insightful, and as always, to inspire many forgotten noble qualities.
Lord Alverley, a Jacobite in exile, has found employment in the militaristic Prussia of the 1700's. He soon realizes that the regime he now serves is no place for a man of honor, so when those closest to him come under the King's wrath, he is forced into a desperate situation that can seemingly only end in his ruin. Intrigue, romance, espionage and revenge make the story a satisfying read.

[Steve Goble · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of Sabatini's later novels, and so it is not a swashbuckler like "Captain Blood." It is high on intrigue, though. Our protagonist Alverley, who spends a good bit of the novel as an honorable English gentleman quietly aghast at the boorish behavior in the Prussian courts of King Frederick William and his son Frederick, reminds me in many ways of Jane Austen's famous D'Arcy.

I am not historian enough to judge whether the author is being fair in his depiction of the Prussian kings, but neither of them come off well in this story.

[Redsteve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad, but certainly not one of his best works either. Obviously Sabatini was not a fan of the early Prussian monarchs.