The Lonely Empress: Elizabeth of Austria

by Joan Haslip

Consort to Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria, Elizabeth was a modern woman who fled the confines of Habsburg to roam free--she fancied dangerous riding, sailing and poetry--but her life ended with her assassination in 1896. "Haslip writes with vividness and immediacy... a serious book which is highly readable." -- Edward Crankshaw .

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, European History, Royalty, 19th Century, Biography Memoir

462 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Joan Haslip was an author of historical books, often focusing on European royalty. She was born in London and educated in London, Paris and Florence. Her first book, Out of Focus, appeared in 1931; among her other notable publications are Lady Hester Stanhope (1934) and Parnell (1937). She also wrote for the London Mercury, the Daily Mail and Evening News, and the Illustrated London News.
She also worked for the Italian section of the BBC from 1940 to 1944. Her books were generally regarded as accurate and fairly complete although at times falling prey to "outdated interpretations".

Reviews

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Empress Elizabeth was considered the most beautiful woman in Europe. Joan Haslip shows her living life on her terms, ignoring the wishes of her husband, the needs of her children and the responsibilities of her position. Doing what she wanted did not make her happy and her maintenance and emotional requirements imposed on everyone in her wake.

With each chapter, you see Empress Elisabeth become more and more self- involved. In the end while she is loved by the Emperor and, perhaps, admired for her (former) beauty by many, but she loves no one but herself. She has no happiness, no fulfillment and no real life.

At age 16 she left her childhood in the Bavarian countryside anticipating her sister’s betrothal to the Emperor of Austria. The Emperor chose her instead and loved her for the rest of her life. She may at one time have loved the emperor, but hated court life and her role as empress - always. Her initiation to her new life by an overbearing mother-in-law did not help. As Elisabeth slowly gained control of her life and her children, she satisfied herself and ignored the needs of her children.

Haslip’s significant research shows the Emperor pining for his wife as she gadded about Europe. He approved the trips and their expense (the entourage, the horses and yachts) and sometimes had houses built for her. He ignored her serious flirtations with Hungary’s Count Julius Andrassy and her British riding instructor Capt. Bay Middleton and many lesser episodes with tutors and those met through happenstance. She ignored the protocol expected by her position, visiting countries where Austria had delicate relationships and often snubbed friendly host royals.

Of her surviving three children, two Crown Prince Rupert and Princess Gisela, were basically ignored except for the intentionally undesirable marriage Elisabeth engineered for Gisela. The third child, Valerie, was doted on. Prince Rupert lived a fast life, suffered an arranged marriage (Princess of Belgium) and eventually died in a suicide pact. In this, he finally got his mother's attention.

Today, we would call her anorexic. Until her 50’s its results seemed to contribute to her allure. Her 10 hour walks (which her ladies in waiting had to join) took place rain or shine. She weighed herself 3 times a day. Her obsessive riding may have been part of it.

For me, her attitude is summed up in two vignettes. One is a costume party that she attended incognito. She flirted with a handsome commoner picked out by one of her costumed ladies and later sent him anonymous messages that were all about her. The other is her attraction to unfortunates whom she invited to social outings to amuse guests as oddities.

You wonder, with all this ego and extravagance, why the people who are paying for all this cheered for her. Apparently not everyone did. Her life surely provided the imagery that inspired the anarchists, one who took her life and 20 years later another ignited the war that brought the end of the institution that supported and enabled her.

The introductory pages are a slog if, like me, you are not versed in this history. It reads better as she immerses you in the person. The text is sprinkled with untranslated German and French expressions. There are references to names and places that even when the Index shows a previous mention, require more context for understanding by general readers like me. Haslip covers the life and her diligent research is shows.

[Katri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm extremely interested in the Empress Elisabeth of Austria, and Joan Haslip's biography is one of the better books on her. I like Ms Haslip's balanced approach to the people she is writing about, the Empress as well as those around her. Haslip is both understanding and critical, she doesn't judge anyone extremely harshly but tries to also see their point of view, but neither does she make anyone seem perfect. Far too many books paint Sisi in either completely positive or completely negative ways, and the same goes for the other people around her, but Ms Haslip seems to have realised that we are all human, even the people who have died.

Still, sometimes she likes to romanticize things a bit too much and let her imagination run away with her, especially when it comes to Elisabeth's possible romantic interest in men like Guyla Andrássy. She also tries too often to tell what someone is feeling in a particular moment, without telling how she can know this. I really wish that Haslip had used footnotes and clearly credited her sources, so that a reader might know from where she has got her information and what is based on research, what on imagination. The book seems pretty well researched regardless, although by now the research is a bit outdated. I like it that she also tells a lot about the other people around Elisabeth, as they are also extremely interesting and help to understand her personality. She has a good deal of information on the Crown Prince Rudolf as well, and I was happy to discover she didn't fall into the trap of imagining that his affair with Mary Vetsera was a great true love.

I'm rather annoyed by the anglicized versions of everyone's names, though I guess it was the custom at the time of writing. The book could also use better editing here and there. But generally it reads easily and is quite informative. I still think Brigitte Hamann's biography on Elisabeth is better, as it's better researched and more professionally written, and of course more up-to-date as it's newer. But if you can't find that book or if you want to read something else besides it, perhaps get another viewpoint to some events, this book is a good choice. But you should not pass up on Hamann's book if you really are interested in Elisabeth, as that book tells you much more.

[Jordy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prima biografie over een nog steeds onbegrepen, rusteloze vrouw die de keizerin van Oostenrijk was. Dat een redelijk verouderd werk uit de jaren 60 nog steeds goed uit te lezen is, kan alleen worden toegeschreven aan de auteur die zichzelf niet verstopt.

Biografen hebben soms de neiging om zichzelf volledig weg te cijferen en slechts de feiten te presenteren zoals we ze op het moment kennen. Haslip kiest voor een persoonlijkere aanpak door ook in te gaan op Elizabeths karakter, samen met de negatieve grillen en engelachtige kwaliteiten die daarbij horen. Het boek kwam op mij daardoor over als goed gebalanceerd in het eindoordeel. Sisi was volgens de auteur een egoïstische, rusteloze schoonheid die op haar sterkst was in noodsituaties waar ze de rol van heldin of martelares kon spelen.

Wel heb ik iets langer over het boek geschreven dan gedacht. Zelf was ik niet erg bekend met de keizerin, dus een auteur die de meeste details vermeldt, dwingt mij er automatisch toe om wat langzamer te lezen. Soms worden details op elkaar gestapeld, zodat je als lezer even de rode draad moet terugzoeken.

De kritiek van andere recensenten op het eenzijdige portret van Franz Jozef acht ik onterecht en enigszins onrechtvaardig, aangezien dit boek niet over de keizer gaat, maar over de keizerin. Het is logisch dat Haslip zich minder heeft beziggehouden met de complexe Apostolische Majesteit, aangezien haar eigen onderwerp al ingewikkeld genoeg in elkaar stak.

Concluderend, zeker een aanrader, met daarbij de opmerking dat dit werk wel verouderd is. Voor een goed actueel beeld van Sisi is het waarschijnlijk ook aan te raden om een recenter werk te lezen uit de 21e eeuw.

[Bogdan Liviu · Rating 3 out of 5]

A vivid, wild beauty trapped in the royal cage, full of boring conventions. A woman whose happiness consisted in riding horses and being in nature, was condemned to lifeless, royal meetings full of hypocrisy and lack of a natural, fresh air. She had too much passion for a royal life, and if that wasn't enough, all her life she was followed by melancholy - her shadow.

[Ghost of the Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having long been fascinated by the Romy Schneider movies portraying the very "pink" version of Elizabeth´s life i over the years read and heard bits and pieces of information that gradually made me realise there was more there than just 3 movies, stunning gowns and the evil mother-in-law/aunt Sophia.
a few years back i stumbled upon a spanish novel - VALS NEGRO by Ana Maria Moix - that, although short and somewhat romanticized, gave a very engaging and interesting description of Sissi´s life and times - my personal "obsession" thus began.
Over the years i have bought, read and come accross quite a few titles regarding the empress so this one did eventually find its way to my bookcase!
Haslip does a decent enough job of describing the facts we all already more or less know from the movies - she was in the wrong place at the right time and ended up charming Franz Joseph so badly that he faced his formidable mother to marry her! then the bad honeymoon, the hard relationship with her mother-in-law, the constant travels, the never ending dread of Vienna and the court life!
in what Haslip fails is that she delves too much into feelings and possibilities, what Elizabeth could have done, what she was thinking, how should she have reacted and all such stuff...hardly the ideal road to follow in writting a bio on any subject, much less a woman with such a fascinating personality that no conjecturing is needed....let the proven facts speak for themselves and each reader will have his/hers own opinion.
all in all it is an easy to read, even if it clearly shows its age...unlike some other books on the same matter.
For a light introduction, perhaps not a bad choice, but if you really want to know more about her i would recommend the french historian Jean des Cars who has some absolutely wonderful books on both Elizabeth and the Hapsburg Dinasty and then of course, the essential book - Count Egon Cesar Corti´s Bio of the empress, its dated yes, but it tells the story of her life admirably well, with access to great sources and it lets the facts do all the talking! - these may not be be easy to find (i got my copies from amazon france). but they are worth it.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it, but would recommend it with reservations. The chief necessity is that you are interested in Elizabeth of Austria before you read the book, because you won't be when you finish it. Haslip, who specialized in this kind of biography, has basically deconstructed the romance of Elizabeth's life to let the reader grasp how essentially empty both her interior and exterior existences were. She also lays partial blame for Rudolf's suicide at his mother's feet, and rather thoroughly destroys the entire Mary Vetsera romance. Essentially the Crown Prince was looking for a companion in death, and the poor 18 year-old bought into it (she was naked and holding a rose when Rudolf shot her, and then spent eight hours with the corpse on the bed before finishing himself off). Haslip will occasionally try and excuse Elizabeth, but it is a half-hearted attempt at best. By the end of the story, what story there is --- if Elizabeth accomplished anything worthwhile at all in her aimless life, Haslip doesn't mention it --- the reader is fed up with the reality, and longing for Ava Gardner or Romy Schneider, who both played her in the movies.

[Gloria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another family whose "nervousness" created political and social upheaval for their countries. This is what results from all the intermarrying cousins.

Elisabeth probably merits an updated, scholarly study of her life and legacy. This book is a work of historical fiction rather than a biography. There are big leaps in the logic, speculation about what happened and disregard for missing or available evidence.

Since it was written in the 60s, it also needs an additional filter for the prejudices and racism of the time. Haslip's blatant dismissal of the Mexican statesman, Benito Juarez, is appalling.

But if it's your first foray into the history of this period, it lays out a good basic framework.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow 🙏🙏🙏

[Nicki · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely horrid history of Elisabeth. Spare yourself. Haslip despises her subject and takes away every ounce of agency the poor girl had. Her bias infuses every chapter with a bizarre, confused narrative as she attempts to turn even minor infractions into empire ending faults.

Although the book is rich with primary sources, everything Elisabeth said about her own story is treated as lies, overreactions, and a product of hysteria even for things as simple as saying that her mother -in-law sometimes asked her awkward questions.

Haslip again and again justifies Francis’ mistreatment of Elisabeth as the result of him being a “full-blooded male,” a phrase that she uses more than once. Haslip implies that Francis gave his wife syphilis (unlikely), but reassures her audience that this is not the fault of the Emperor, but for pathetic Elisabeth because, after all, it is only natural that a “full blooded male” would cheat on his wife (though she writes that sleeping with these women can ‘hardly be termed affairs’) when she suffers from depression.

I am beginning to believe that there is no satisfactory biography of Elisabeth but I will keep looking. This one deserves to be hurled at the sun.

[Lauralee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elisabeth of Austria is considered to be one of Europe’s most beautiful queens. At the age of 15, Elisabeth caught the eye of Emperor Franz Joseph, who was at the time courting her sister. The Emperor immediately fell in love with her and decided to marry her. At first Elisabeth’s marriage seemed to be a fairy-tale. However, her love for Franz Joseph quickly deteriorated. Suffering from an overbearing mother-in-law and a stiff court, Empress Elisabeth left her husband, her family, and her duties as an Empress. Over the course of 35 years, she traveled the countries of Europe, sightseeing and going to spas. This is the story of the Empress who was never happy with being queen.

I came away from the book intensely disliking Elisabeth of Austria. While the author gives us the impression of the Empress having a mental illness that was inherited from her mother's side, she was still a very unsympathetic figure. Mrs. Haslip portrays Elisabeth as self-absorbed, vain, and narcissistic. She did not care about her husband and her two eldest surviving children. She did not care for her country, and politics bored her. The Empress only cared about her beauty and her personal pleasures. She spent millions traveling the world and even built a palace that she quickly tired of. She wanted everyone to fawn over and worship her like a goddess on Mount Olympus.

Mrs. Haslip also paints a one-sided portrait of Franz Joseph. The author shows that he does not have any flaws. Even when he has affairs, Mrs. Haslip quickly dismisses it and blames the Empress’s sentimental behavior. Franz Joseph is described as a lonely man. He always misses and longs for his wife. He writes her many letters during her absence. He is overindulgent and never refuses the Empress anything. He spends millions trying to make her happy, much to the disapproval of his subjects.

Overall, this was a very unsympathetic but fascinating look at Elisabeth of Austria. Elisabeth is a very complex figure and it is hard for anyone to try to understand her. However, The Lonely Empress was very well-written and meticulously researched. It shows the splendor, glitz, and glamour of the Austrian court. The Lonely Empress tells a tragic tale of a woman who longed to escape the harshness of reality into a world of a dreams and fairy tales.

[Doris · Rating 1 out of 5]

horrible, finished it only for historic value. very romanticized. author makes a lot of naive assumptions.

[Lisbeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lonely Princess is a biography about Elizabeth of Austria. Known as Sisi she has mesmerised a whole world and it was with great anticipation I started to read. I think a lot of people, including myself, have a somewhat romantic image of her, but you realise rather quickly that you are wrong. She is far from a romantic princess, rather the contrary. But let's start from the beginning.

She was one of a big family of siblings in the Wittelsbach family. Growing up rather freely, close to nature and away from binding court protocol, her future life came as a shock to her. Emperor Franz Joseph's mother Sophia and Sisi's mother Ludovica were sisters and planned to marry off the young emperor to the oldest Wittelsbach daughter, Helen. As it happened, Sisi was accompanying her sister to the first meeting with the crown prince, and, as they say, the rest is history. He fell madly in love with Sisi and persuaded his mother to change her mind about who should become his wife.

"Neither Ludovica nor Sophia seems to have given a thought to the fact that Francis Joseph and Elizabeth were not only first cousins, but that Elizabeth was a child of second cousins, both of them Wittelsbachs - a dangerous inheritance for the heirs to the Austrian throne."
After their first meeting in the spa resort of Bad Ischl Sisi had to go back home.

"In the most romantic of all Austrian towns they said good-bye, and it seemed as if the Emperor would never tire of kissing Elizabeth's tearstained face. But it was two strangers who said good-bye, two people who as yet knew nothing of one another, and who would only gradually discover the incompatibility of their characters, the divergencies of their tastes. But whereas Francis Joseph's love would be strong enough to survive all the vicissitudes of their married life, Elizabeth's love, fragile and ephemeral as a dream, would fade in the first hour of disillusion."
The last sentence above more, or less, sums up the character of Elizabeth. She lived in an imaginary dream, suffered from melancholia, was very shy and had physiological problems of various kinds. A little bit of paranoia added to it makes a troubled life. Although she did love her husband for some years, it slowly disintegrated. "The tragedy for Elizabeth was that she was married to a man with no imagination." Two souls that never really met. Elizabeth had very little empathy and could not even give love to her own children, the exception being her last child Marie Valerie. She was a worried soul which made her travel around Europe for most of her life. Elizabeth and Franz Joseph were married for forty-four years, but it seems they only spend around four years together. Elizabeth went from one place to the next, without finding any peace. She got easily bored and ventured on another trip.

Part of the problem was the Habsburg court which kept the most rigid etiquette in Europe. Strict rules on how to spend the days, both with the family and the court itself. It came as a shock to Elizabeth who had grown up in a rather unruly household. She never took to Vienna and only reluctantly stayed there when she had to for political reasons. She loved Hungary and even learned Hungarian. She took their political course into her heart and this was the only time she engaged in the politics of the Habsburgs and Austria.

Elizabeth was considered the most beautiful woman of her time. She could be very charming when she wanted to and people fell for her spirit. In a way, it turned out to be her curse. She came to worship her own beauty which took peculiar turns. She spend hours every day to do her hair, she let the maids make face cream out of strawberries and she slept with raw meat on her cheeks, just to keep her beauty. She was a fanatic for exercise and walked hours every day. Her main love seems to have been for horses and she was considered an excellent rider and hunter. She could easily compete with any man on a hunt. Her restless energy made it difficult for most people to keep up with her pace. Afraid of becoming fat she dieted most of her life and sometimes only ate an orange or two during the day. I think today she would have been diagnosed with anorexia. All these factors did not improve her health.

Elizabeth often talked about how she wanted to die: "I would like to die alone, far from my loved ones, and for death to take me unawares." In this sense, her wish was fulfilled. She was stabbed by an anarchist on the Montblanc quay in Geneva and died soon afterwards. The Habsburg family suffered many losses of loved ones and various accidents during their lives. When Emperor Franz Joseph received the news that the Empress had passed away he said: "'Is nothing to be spared me on this earth?' Count Paar was the only one to hear the harsh and bitter sobs of a broken-hearted man questioning his God. Then raising his head, Francis Joseph looked across at the portrait of the woman he had worshipped but never understood. And speaking to himself, rather than to Count Paar, he said, 'No one will ever know how much I loved her.'"

The biography covers not only Elizabeth but also part of the life of Franz Joseph and the family. The Mayerling drama is here, as well as political events during the latter part of the 19th century. "The tragedy of Francis Joseph was that he was never prepared to make sacrifices until it was too late." The political upheaval in Europe during the latter part of the 19th century might have needed an Emperor who was more flexible and not so bound to traditions.

The biography makes for fascinating reading, both on a personal account of the Habsburg family and their, somewhat, doomed heritage. When looking back on the personal lives of Franz Joseph and Sisi, I think Franz Joseph turns out to be the nicer person of the two. His love lasted a life-time and must have caused him a lot of sadness, considering how Sisi spent her life. Sisi on her side, should not have been an Empress. She would probably have been happier in an ordinary marriage, living a simpler life, close to nature. Having said that, she definitely enjoyed the lifestyle of the rich. That is, she was free to choose the lifestyle she wanted.

Joan Haslip has managed to capture the life of a lost soul and a tragic life. The biography is very well researched and documented and gives an in-depth view of the life of the royals at the time. The difficult balancing between private and official lives, having to adapt to external circumstances. Joan Haslip treats the story with great respect, documenting their lives and showing sympathy to the people she is writing about. An excellent biography.

(PS I have used the Austrian (and Swedish) spelling of the names of Habsburg and Franz Joseph (except for quotes from the book). It seems in English you can use both b and p for Habsburg and the biography uses p. Franz Joseph is Francis Joseph in English.)

[Brendan Steinhauser · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished this book about the Austrian Empress Elizabeth, or "Sisi" as she was known. After visiting the various imperial palaces in Vienna, I wanted to read more about the Habsburg dynasty. This book is a good read, but sometimes meanders through her life.

Sisi is a tragic figure in European history, spending most of her life being miserable and unhappy, before she is murdered by a self-proclaimed anarchist in Switzerland. I got to know the Habsburgs and Wittelsbachs a bit in this book, and will definitely read more about them. "The Lonely Empress" is a decent start to exploring this topic, and I hope to find more books that are slightly better reads.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somehow the author doesn't seem to be able to decide if she thinks Elisabeth was a misunderstood poor little thing or a horrendous bitch, and both opinions affect the narrative quite a lot - too much for a biography, if you ask me. Haslip gets too much into Elisabeth's head, telling what she must have thought when this or that happened, which makes the book feel more fictive than biographical.

[Bronwyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

it is about the life of elizabeth, empress of austria, who married the emperor of austria only to face his infedelity, and his mothers hostility, to become a much loved member of europes monarchys

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve seen a number of articles and books that describe Empress Elizabeth of Austria-Hungary as the “Princess Diana of her time.” I have even seen a book with this very premise at its foundation.
This book, written king before Diana was even born could not be influenced by what is now known about Diana, and it is therefore far more startling how similar these two women were in many ways.
Elizabeth was from a minor branch of the Bavarian Royal house (the Wittlesbachs), a Royal family renowned for the number of mentally deranged family members. What you have to live about European royalty in the 19th century (and before) is the extent to which this known phenomenon did nothing to prevent unending marriages into this house. In fact, Elizabeth was the 23rd marriage between just the Haps urge and the Wittlesbachs in the 19th century.
In fact, Elizabeth was the first cousin of her husband (his mother being a Wittlesbach) and his daughter was slated to marry back into the Wittlesbach line. Even the Windsors had a bit more diversity than this!
I appreciated the reappraisal of Elizabeth’s mother in law - the Archduchess Sophia - who has gone down in history as the “archetype” horrible mother in law. Haslip presents a relatively sympathetic portrayal of her, while being honest to how overbearing she could be.

[Candida · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a few paragraphs about this family years before and found the story of the murder suicide involving her son so interesting that when I found this biography in the library I had to read it. This book did not disappoint. Reading it explains many things in the history of Europe. I had seen some of the amazing castles built in Austria in that time and was fascinated with the crazy guy that built it and it was interesting to learn more about him. Like I said this book fills in lots of blanks.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this back in the 70s and it is this book which inspired me to find out more about Elisabeth of Austria. I recently managed to track this copy down in the library store. It is so very dated, which of course didn’t come across to me at my first reading of it. Too much bias too! But I’m finally visiting Vienna and it is this book which started my fascination with Vienna and the Hapsburg Empire

[Cliff · Rating 5 out of 5]

a most worthy addition to my collection of "Sisi" books. An obsession I have had since visiting Schonbrunn many years ago. Then years later Achilleion in Corfu. I was hooked on the life of this enigma Elisabeth (Sisi) of Austria .

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative biography of Empress Sisi of Austria. Very readable, non-fiction that reads like a novel. There are times when the story seems to be a bit subjective but overall, a great story of a unique woman in history.

[L'aura · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's by all means one of the best biographies of Empress Elisabeth out there, it only doesn't get 5 stars because it doesn't explore much of her verses, which probably offer more genuine insights than most letters, and because some of the language/mindset has aged quite poorly.

[Lily · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author wasn't objective; wrote with obvious disdain for poor Sisi. It may seem a minor thing, but the anglicised names (particularly Elisabeth to Elizabeth) bothered me.

[Cristel Verhaegen · Rating 3 out of 5]

een tweede fascinatie naast Hatjsepsoet

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Restless beauty, tied down by hidebound tradition, obsessed with her waist and a fear of aging. Not as interesting as it sounds, but hard to turn away.

[Doris R. Souto · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s extremely informative and entertaining. It’s proving to be a good read.

[longtimewish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es una buena biografía para la época que salió pero POR DIOS JOAN CITAME ALGO cómo voy a saber de dónde sacaste la info si no??

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I s'pose this book really deserves five stars, for I read it - small print and 441 pages - in four days. That's how good it was.

[Lil · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading books focusing on Vienna during this time, and then the end of the Hapsburg reign, it was interesting to read one centred around Elisabeth. Having that context was extremely useful; this attention to the minutiae of her life might have been very confusing without it. I think one of the things I appreciate in Elisabeth's story is that it was never a neat and tidy arc. She moved wherever the winds took her, and in a sense, this book followed like one of her long-suffering ladies in waiting. Leaving out what was happening in the surrounding world made it feel, at times, as aimless as the restless Empress.

But that wasn't its purpose - this book sets out to illuminate the characters around Elisabeth, and in that it succeeds for the most part. The rivalry between Elisabeth and her mother-in-law is debunked, with Sophie's letters and comments revealing that she was as charmed by Elisabeth as everyone else. Her attendants, especially Marie Festetics and Ida Ferenczy, are fleshed out as well as the courtiers and royalty. So many seemed to share a strange co-dependency with the Empress, which is as fascinating as it is disturbing.

But I appreciated how this went beyond Elisabeth's charm and recognised her intelligence, which was something that felt minimised in the previous books I've read. Elisabeth might have flowed from obsession to obsession, but when in one's throes she devoted her entire mental capacity, which might not have been unbiased but was nonetheless formidable. Haslip's account helped me get past my own scepticism of "poor me, it's hard to be a princess" and realise the tragedy of the Empress' life: that here was a woman who, had she been given a mission that engaged her, could have done great things. That's apparent in how she embraced everything having to do with Hungary. Unfortunately, it seemed that her duties were presented in such a negative way that she rebelled at them, while the causes she took up were treated as pet projects for which she was patronised and dismissed. Haslip talks about Franz Joseph's "lack of imagination" and blames it for his inability to understand his wife; I think this extends to Sophie and the ministers and all the other people in Elisabeth's life who were unable to see what a valuable contribution this person could have made, if she'd been given something real to do, something other than attending balls.

On the whole, I found this a very interesting account, well-researched and accessing a variety of Elisabeth's contemporaries, while clearly noting which are less reliable. *coughMarieLarischcough* It doesn't glamourise Elisabeth - she's shown as a self-absorbed, often petty, vain and contradictory woman. At the same time, she feels much more real to me now, whose reactions and vanities aren't so terribly different than my own. Except I'm not building a palace on Corfu.

However, one final comment on this book: I hated the name changes. They were distracting and unnecessary. There is no reason that people intelligent enough to read this book would have their poor English eyes assaulted by seeing Sophie instead of Sophia, Franz Joseph instead of Francis Joseph, or Elisabeth instead of Elizabeth. Sometimes the translations don't even make sense, such as Charles Theodore for Karl Theodore. I'm sure this was a publisher's decision, but it was a bad one.

[Marieke · Rating 1 out of 5]

Joan Haslip's book is best proof that women don't need men to tear them down. We are perfectly capable of doing it ourselves. Though the description of politics and life at court is quite interesting, everything else is full of miss Haslip's judgement. If it is because this book is quite outdated, it being written in the '60 s or because miss Haslip simply didn't like the empress Elisabeth, will probably always remain a mystery. Though many books and movies are overflowing of the romantic view people have towards this deeply troubled empress, miss Haslip takes ripping a person apart to a whole new level. She obviously did her research, she looked up facts and has an interesting, easy way of writing. Seeping through her pages is her disdain and impatience for a woman who was far from perfect, who could be selfish, cruel, harsh and depressed, yet who was also loving, caring and bright. There is no need to romanticise Elisabeth, she was after all only human in an extraordinary position, that most of us would have been unable to handle like a saint. (And shall we forget that her genetics didn't help much either, since she came from a long line of cousins marrying cousins?)
In trying to understand Elisabeth's motives, miss Haslip lacks one vital piece that makes a good biography... being objective.
I couldn't care less for her judgmental, petty opinions on what she wanted people to do, versus their actual behaviour.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I became interested in Sisi after a trip to Europe this year where she came up in our visits to Budapest, Munich and then of course Vienna where we saw her palace and exercise equipment. She seemed really interesting, not necessarily likeable, and I asked my husband to get me what's considered the best biography of her (his parents did, so thanks Stan and Tudy.) I have a weird thing for royal biographies from bygone eras so this was right up my alley. Haslip was practically bitchy in the way she wrote this, everyone's ugly or inbred or insane--and it was great! I think she was at once sympathetic to Sisi but also clearly saw her critically which was great, because I think I would have been annoyed if she tried to convince us all Sisi was just a poor misunderstood gentle soul. I dog-eared a lot of pages of references to other 19th century European nobles and palaces that sounded tantalizing to look up. I just wished it had ended a bit later after Sisi's (spoiler alert) death. I loved reading this book!