| Title | : | Elisabeth: The Princess Bride, AustriaHungary, 1853 |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0439266440 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780439266444 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 160 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2003 |
Elisabeth: The Princess Bride, AustriaHungary, 1853 Reviews
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A great introduction to this little-known royal of the Austro-Hungarian Empire! When my daughter was collecting/reading the Royal Diaries series, I wanted to check them out as well. Even though the diary focuses on Sisi before her marriage (these Diaries typically do this, I think, to relate to the intended reading demographic), her life after getting married is much more enthralling. This book got me reading Allison Pataki's novels about this empress, THE ACCIDENTAL EMPRESS and SISI: EMPRESS ON HER OWN. This book (and the entire Royal Diaries series) is a great start for young historical-fiction fans!
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I liked the diary part of this novel, but it really paled in comparison to the epilogue/afterword/historical note part that technically is not even part of the novel. The afterword is longer than the actual diary, and it really makes one wish that the novel had been based on her life after marriage, rather than on the few months between meeting the Emperor and marrying him. Elisabeth seems like such a tragic character and I think, basing my opinion on the afterword, that her life desearved much more of a commemoration than a the 93 pages dedicated to her diary. She sounds absolutely fascinating and intelligent. Despite being basically tricked and forced into marriage at sixteen, she became a becon of light for millions of oppressed in her husband's centuries old dynastic rule. She loved to ride, write poetry, and thumbed her nose at the useless conventions of the Habsburg court. She was also human. Her beauty had so long been haled as the epitome, that she was afraid to lose it. She spent hours getting ready for the day and tried countless methods to stay beautiful. She eventually became anorexic (by today's standards) she was so desperate to stay thin. At the age of 60 she was assinated by an anarchist while walking down the street. Such a tragic character surely desearves more.
This is one princess I definately intend to read more about. -
I loved the Royal Diaries books when I was younger, and along with the Dear America series and American Girls, they started a lifelong love of history for me. As an adult, I have no qualms about occasionally reading one or two when nostalgia kicks in, because they're generally well-done and I still enjoy them. Anyway, I'm on a search for good historical fiction about Empress Elisabeth ("Sisi") and thought this would be worth picking up (never got around to reading this particular RD volume when I was a kid, somehow).
It is quite short, even for a YA book--the story covers just 93 pages. The author chose to focus on the short time period when 15-year old Sisi caught Franz Joseph's eye and became engaged to him. Her "diary" details her time with her family, her meetings with the Emperor, and her bewilderment at being unexpectedly chosen as his bride. The author captured the viewpoint of a 15-year old girl well and incorporated some of Sisi's signature personality traits including her vanity, dreaminess, and independence. However, I didn't feel any real emotion in the narrative. For example, Sisi repeatedly states that she is attached to her father ("Poppy") and her siblings, but there aren't many scenarios (fictional or otherwise) presented to add depth to these assertions.
Additionally, I picked up on a bit of a disconnect between the girl presented in the "diary" and the woman the author discussed in the Afterword. Sisi was intelligent, gifted with languages, and passionately devoted to the cause of Hungarian independence, but these important aspects of her are barely touched on in the story. Perhaps my view of the novel is colored by the fact that I'm no longer the target demographic for this series, but I don't think that I would have been satisfied with it even as a younger reader. I'll allow that this would be a decent (and age-appropriate) introduction to a fascinating historical figure for a much younger audience, but I didn't find it satisfying. -
I wasn't sure who this one was about but I am glad I picked it up. I never realized how long the Hapsburg's ruled Austria. I felt kind of bad for Elisabeth's sister Helene because she had worked so hard to my a good empress and then when they arrived the Emperor didn't want anything to do with her it was all very sad. I had hoped that since Elisabeth and Franz Joseph actually started out in lust with one another that maybe they would be one of the few royal couples to have a happy ending but alas it was not to be. I disliked her Aunt Sophie and couldn't figure out what the big deal was with her dislike of Elisabeth. As far as I could tell Elisabeth was more polite than she had any reason to be to her husbands mother and it was also extremely frustrating that Franz Joseph wouldn't stand up for Elisabeth to his mother. Momma's boys are so unattractive. I also think it is sad that her life ended by being stabbed. I mean where were her guards at that crucial moment? I think I will have to start reading up on the Hapsburg's now. I didn't realize how important they were until this book.
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I used to adore the Royal Diaries series and I decided to pick this one up. It’s a very quick read with lots of potential. First off, this is one of the saddest RD’s I’ve read. I am embarrassed to say that I didn’t know anything about Elisabeth, and was very interested to hear about her sad life.
The reason that I gave this book only 3 stars is because it is relatively dull until the epilogue. The diary leads up to Elisabeth’s marriage by detailing her whirlwind engagement. The story was very sad and unsettling. Elisabeth and her sister go to the Royal court to meet the emperor of Austria, who is to marry Helene. However, the 23 year old emperor sets his eyes on 15 year old Elisabeth, and her life is changed forever.
I wasn’t a fan of the way Elisabeth was portrayed as reacting to this. She seems excited, happy, and in love with this fully grown adult who is forcing her to marry him, and it’s only occasionally that she expresses any hesitation. When she does, it’s about leaving her home and not about being a child bride. Heck, I show more apprehensive about my upcoming marriage, and I WANT to marry my fiancé!
I think it kind of comes down to Barry Denenberg, the author. I’ve never been a huge fan of his writing in the Dear America books. It just seems weird to have a man writing young girls’ experiences.
I was very interested in the epilogue. Elisabeth had such a sad and fascinating life. I wish the diary had focused much more on her life after marriage (even though it would be more of an adult book.) I am definitely going to do more research. -
who this is for: Girls who love diaries, old Austria, Princess Stories, Relatable Characters, slight romance. 10+
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”I think of myself, sold as a child of fifteen and taking an oath I did not understand and could never undo.”
When I was four years old, I was watching my mom iron clothes. Being a curious if somewhat naïve kid, I thought it would be a grand idea to touch the hot iron. My mom warned me that it was a bad idea and not to touch it, but being the defiant little toddler that I was, I touched it anyway.
Reader, it hurt.
I burned my hand and my mom got the opportunity to tell me that she told me it wasn’t a good idea. As usual, Mom is always right.
The tragic life of Elisabeth of Austria is like watching something very similar happen. At the tender age of fifteen, Elisabeth accompanies her mother and older sister Helene to the royal court. The reason? Their mother is trying to arrange a marriage between Helene and, Franz Joseph, the emperor of the Austrian empire. At the age of 18, Helene is the perfect age for marriage material. Elisabeth, being 15, is still a long ways off from marriage prospects.
And then the unthinkable happens. Franz Joseph falls in love, all right… but with Elisabeth. And he falls hard.
Elisabeth’s mother is thrilled, her father is overjoyed, she’s smitten… and Franz Joseph’s mother is worried. She warns her son that while she does like Elisabeth, she’s not Empress material. She’s too impetuous, not refined and graceful enough, and the marriage was going to be a disaster.
Reader, he didn’t listen.
He and Elisabeth get married in a lavish ceremony, and then everything immediately begins to fall apart. Just like his mother predicted.
This book follows the whirlwind courtship between Elisabeth and Franz Joseph and ends with their wedding. It’s one of the shortest installments in The Royal Diaries series, and it shows. The book moved at breakneck pace that you could hardly keep up with the thing. The epilogue was more in-depth than the actual diary entries. However, the entries do show you how towards the end Elisabeth starts to regret her decision.
Truth be told, Franz and Elisabeth were a good match aesthetically, but not a good match personality wise. Elisabeth was a country girl at heart, happiest with her beloved horses, siblings, and father. She liked riding, writing poetry, wandering the countryside and playing with the village folk in town. In many historian’s opinion, she was simply not prepared or meant for the strict rigidity of the royal court. It was too uppity, too formal.
To make a modern comparison, it would be like if the Franz Joseph were living in the present day but instead of marrying a Kate Middleton, he married a Meghan Markle. Hence the reason she and Prince Harry left the royal court.
Elisabeth’s story is ultimately a tragic one, as she did not live the happily ever after life that she so desperately wanted. She exerted great influence over her life and is still considered one of the most influential figures in Austrian history. However, that one fateful decision that was made changed the course of her life forever, and not in a good way.
This was one of the more disappointing entries in The Royal Diaries series, just because I felt that the author glossed over a lot of Elisabeth’s early life. Maybe this was because he was focusing on such a minute point in her life that he didn’t feel the need to dig any deeper. I as a reader wanted to read more about her and get more insight into her fictional thoughts, and I think other readers would agree. This paper thin book offers a quick slice into the life of a remarkable young woman who would ultimately live an extremely tragic life.
”I was forced onto center stage, compelled to play the starring role in a play I had not read, until I discovered wherein resided my destiny.” -
Fifteen-year-old Princess Elisabeth, called Sisi, is the daughter of Duke Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria and his wife, Princess Ludovica. She has had a carefree childhood in the Bavarian countryside. She spends as much of her days as possible horseback riding, her favorite pastime. But everything changes in the summer of 1857. Sisi's older sister, Helene, has been chosen to marry their cousin, Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria. Their mother is taking Helene to meet Franz Joseph, and has decided to take Sisi along in hopes of finding a husband for her as well. But when Franz Joseph meets Helene and Sisi, he decides it is Sisi he wants to marry. Sisi becomes engaged to Franz Joseph, but she is far too young for the responsibilities she suddenly finds herself facing as the future Empress.
This is not one of my favorites from the Royal Diaries series, but I still think readers who love the series will enjoy it. I liked the story, but I wish the book had been longer - it just felt too short, I would haved liked to read more about Elisabeth's life. (this is more like a 3.5 star read but they don't allow half stars so I ranked it up to 4) -
Must research all these female historical figures- they're all so cool
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For my next Royal Diaries book, I decided to read about Empress Elisabeth of Austria. I don’t really know anything about her, so I didn’t have any preconceived expectations or anything like that.
I’ve read a fair number of Royal Diaries books (including this one on Elisabeth, I have read 12 of the 20 books in this series), so from my experience so far, I think this book is the most put-together one. Some of the other diaries were just, well, diaries, where the princesses talked about their day to day activities and barely any plot happens. This series is meant to educate kids about not only these historical figures, but also about what life was like back in their respective time periods, so I understand why some of the books were written that way. I was very pleased to find, when reading this book, that it managed to fit in an actual story as well, instead of just talking about what Elisabeth did every day.
This book on Elisabeth begins with herself, her mother and her sister being summoned to meet the Emperor of Austria and his mother, Princess Sophie. The reality of the meeting is that the mothers have paired up the 23 year old emperor with Elisabeth’s 18 year old sister. However, when everyone met, the Emperor found himself smitten with Elisabeth instead. He asks for her hand in marriage, which shocks Elisabeth. She had not expected this at all, and what’s worse, she’s afraid her sister will hate her for this. However, she, too, really likes this handsome young emperor so she accepts — well, also because her mother really wants Elisabeth to accept so at least ONE of her daughters can become Empress of Austria.
Even though Elisabeth is happy to be marrying the Emperor, she is absolutely intimidated by her future duties as an Empress. As the day of the royal wedding approaches closer and closer, Elisabeth finds herself more and more uncomfortable with imperial life. Yet, she must endure …
Like I said, it was great that this book actually had a story and I enjoyed reading it. It’s extremely short, only about 100 pages — the rest of the book is the epilogue, historical notes, family tree and pictures, which is roughly 50 pages on its own! While the story presented in this book is interesting, Elisabeth’s life after she was married would have made an even more fascinating story, I think! In a tragic sort of way. Of course, the Royal Diaries series focuses on the princess’ and queens’ childhoods since it is a series aimed at children.
Anyway, I digress. This is definitely one of the better Royal Diaries books of the series, short and sweet! -
One of the shorter Royal Diaries, Elisabeth covers the engagement of the Empress of Austria, aka Sissi. And yeah, it's basically just that; it starts shortly before Elisabeth meets Franz Joseph and ends literally on her wedding night. The historical afterward is longer than the story itself, or at least it felt that way. More informative, too. I could wish we had more information about Elisabeth's early life, especially since it seems she was mentally ill; we could have seen some of the foundations of that, perhaps.
Like many other Royal Diary subjects, Elisabeth would eventually live a very tragic life, and I think Denenberg did a better job foreshadowing that than other authors in the series. She's smitten with her fiance but concerned about actually being Empress, and that overshadows all her happiness in the match much as the position itself would overshadow her whole life. While the story was very (too, in my opinion) short, I do think Denenberg packed a lot in there. It's worth reading, especially if you're interested in Sissi herself.
Side note: Denenberg is also responsible for When Will This Cruel War Be Over?, aka, let's try to make people feel bad for a slaveholder by blatantly lying. Elisabeth: The Princess Bride is much more historically accurate and much less... hmm. Heavy-handed in attempting to make its protagonist sympathetic. Probably because he doesn't have to try as hard. -
Sometimes when I read The Royal Diaries series I get most men wont pick it up because it says words like "princess", "royal", "diary" but look past that and realize these women had extraordinary lives and some, like the title character, die in an assassination. These are not the type of books for girls who think you life is easy if you're a princess (or similar titles). There are at least three other books in the series where the female monarch is assassinated or beheaded; something Disney would never allow in a princess life of false joy. Good book for historical value lousy book for your princess fantasy.
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I would have given this book 4 stars except I would have liked more backstory on Elisabeth's family and position and at 93 pages, the book definitely had space to do so. I mean, I didn't even know Poppy was her father until she mentions him having "other children". I also felt like there was a big disconnect between the diary portion and the historical note (and not just because the historical note doesn't really focus on Elisabeth). Elisabeth apparently became known as a fashion icon later in life, so why not introduce little nuggets like this in the diary part? Make a stronger connection to the actual historical figure.
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Wow. That was surprisingly short and depressing. This story is like the story of Cinderella if it had a sad ending. While it's not surprising and royal marriages in the past were rarely based on how the couple felt about each other. It is amazing that the emperor could be so impulsive and choose to marry a 16-year old girl more or less on a whim. Still, Elisabeth herself managed to live a fairly productive life as a style icon and stood up for herself and her children.
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To be completely honest, I wasn't sure I even wanted to finish this book. I found it quite dull and sad. I feel so sorry for Elizabeth, she lived such a horrible life. She was too young in my opinion, to get married. Especially to the Emperor of Austria. She fell in love and didn't understand what she was getting herself into. She spent her whole life trying to get as far away from Austria as she could. I just found this book really sad. :(
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I was really disappointed with this book and I'm sure I would have been had I read it when I was twelve.
I've just "discovered" Sisi or the Empress Elisabeth of Austria for a few years now and am aware of the basics of her life. I wasn't planning on reading this preteen book and getting an indepth look at Sisi but I was looking forward to reading carefree, happy child/preteen even as Denenberg chose to focus on the year leading up to her marriage to the Emperor.
Fine, Denenberg. Fine.
But Sisi had two attentive parents and seven siblings and countless staff and extended family but not one sibling is mentioned aside from Helene. Then he had the nerve to mention a random sibling about fifty pages from the last time he mentions them and uses their nickname on top of that so the reader has no clue who he's mentioning.
And poor Helene. Its bad enough that she ended up the jilted sister in real life but Denenberg casts her aside just as flippantly as the Emperor. He writes about the (understandable) rift between the sisters after Franz Joseph picks the wrong sister but never has them make up apart from Sisi mentioning it in the most offhand way.
There's no dialogue in this short story except a bit at the beginning and it really suffers for it. At the very least Helene and Franz should have their own voices. What's the reason Sisi falls in love with Franz other than he's the handsome Emperor? He's silent and bland and the only time he has a personality is when he scowls Elisabeth towards the end. What a jerk in real life and an awfully written character.
I'm not sure how this got past the editing phase. -
Title: Elisabeth: The Princess Bride
Author: Barry Denenberg
Series: Royal Diaries
Format: Hardcover
Length: 151 pages
Synopsis: Author Barry Denenberg brings us into the whirlwind that is the life of Princess Elisabeth of Austria. A free and impetuous spirit, Elisabeth is chosen at the age of fifteen (over her older sister) to be the wife of Franz Joseph, Emperor of Austria. From that moment on, she is thrown into an intimidating world of restrictions and tremendous responsibilities. Feeling lonely and alienated, Elisabeth is forced to rely upon her own personal strength, which eventually leads her down the aisle and into an uncertain future.
Favourite character: Elisabeth
Least favourite character: Aunt Sophie
Favourite line: N/A
Mini-Review: I loved how at the end, the last 1/2 to 3/4 of the book was historical notes about the real Elisabeth, with pictures of her and her husband, other family members. I loved finding out that her husband’s nephew and heir was the Ferdinand who was assassinated and basically started World War I. -
Easily the worst book in the Royal Diaries series. If you told me this book was the reason the series ended, I would believe you. Absolutely nothing of substance happens, which is a shame, since, given the information in the back about what really happened, there was totally room for a story here.
Sissi sounds nothing like her real-life historical counterpart, being a bland carachature of a teen girl. The "conflict" she has with her sister in usurping her presumed place as the one to marry the emperor is barely addressed besides some thoughts, and her sister isn't even mad about it anyway aside from avoider her a teensy bit. Too bad that is the ONLY ATTEMPT AT A PLOT POINT IN THE WHOLE BOOK. Nothing goes anywhere. Nothing pans out to anything. The story ends where it feels like it should have began.
All the other books in the Royal Diaries series have events that happen. Some come off better than others. This is the only one I would say is not worth reading. -
Summary: royal Elisabeth (daughter of a princess) is chosen to be the wife of the Emperor rather than her older sister. Elisabeth is enamored with the handsome Emperor but worried about leaving her family. She is overwhelmed by the work it requires to be an Empress - many languages, stuffy customs, and restrictions of her freedom. She has a beautiful awe-inspiring wedding for a marriage that was not so beautiful.
Reading as an adult. I do not think the diary pages prepared the reader for the reality of her unhappy marriage. I wish there had been more of a fiery spirit and tendency to shirk custom in the young character. She came across as somewhat simple- the country was at war but she was unaware of it? Seems also that she really had no idea what being an Empress would entail, although she was raised as royalty.
Regardless, an enjoyable and fun read and glad I grabbed it at the library! -
Fifth new Royal Diaries installment I read in 2018. Book #7 in my Reading Challenge.
I'm pretty disappointed by this one. Elisabeth seemed like such an interesting figure for the first few pages, but, honestly, despite being only about 90 pages, the book started to wear thin pretty quickly once she and the Emperor began falling in love. Almost the entire book is dedicated to preparations for their wedding. The author could have explored Sisi's relationship with Poppy or her love of poetry, or her riding abilities, but literally all of these aspects are brushed aside. The romance between her and the Emperor isn't even well developed, though at least there's a historical excuse for that.
This isn't really a bad book. I'm just sad about the fact that it threw away all that potential. It has a likeable character, but what good is that when the plot is so boring? -
When I started reading Elisabeth: The Princess Bride I was truly amazed at the life story presented by Barry Denenberg. The details were so precise! I found myself revelling in a new phase of history I had never considered before. It made me realize how minute my knowledge of historical fact really is and has sparked a desire to learn more about the rest of the world. I have already read a few of The Royal Diaries books. Now I will definitely search for more.
What I really enjoyed about this book other than the storyline were the extras found at the end: the family tree, the short bios of Elisabeth's immediate family, and especially the portraits and photographs that really brought the people to life for me. I am very impressed by the research compiled for this informative story. It will make a wonderful addition to the historical section of my library. Well done, Barry! -
Way, WAAAAY TOO SHORT. I finished this in an hour, and the entire book was yes, about Elisabeth being a,"princess bride," but nothing else about her life really is mentioned. Deneberg just gets "straight to the point" as it were. Why didn't he add more about her childhood?? More about how it was to BE Empress or how scared she is?? This wasn't a novel as much as a novella, and the epilogue gave us a better insight into her character than the entire book did. Unfortunately having read his other works in the accompanying Dear America series, I find that Denenberg's work is often dull, lacking in voice, and sadly, doesn't have the other warmth that other authors in this series have in their work. A grown man writing about young girls in challenging times smacks more of his wanting to write about them than actually understanding or empathizing what they were going through.
Three stars. -
I've been revisiting some of the books that ignited my passion for reading, which means a trip back in time with the Royal Diaries. I never actually read this one when I was a girl, so my memory may be elevating Elizabeth and Marie Antoinette higher than the books merit, but this one was somewhat disappointing. It covers Sisi's engagement and marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph and pretty much nothing else. You don't get a real feel for Sisi beyond this one event. What's in the book is great - well-covered and well-written - but you really are left wanting more.
Still, I love me some Royal Diaries! -
Empress Sisi was a very intriguing historical figure whom I feel this book didn’t quite do justice to. This is one of the shorter Royal Diaries in the series. Barry Denenberg portrays Sisi’s love of poetry, horses, and her slight figure well. However, I felt there wasn’t quite enough contemplation and personal interpretations that we see in other Royal Diaries. In particular, I thought there was too much glossing over of her feelings and interactions with her sister Helene, the original choice to marry Franz Joseph. Overall, it was a short, pleasant quick read and a good primer into the life of Empress Sisi.
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I have read a few books about Empress Sisi and this one is my favorite. I think this one, told from her POV, was the most honest and true to who she was and what she thought. I think this story is also more honest to how Helene was portrayed and the other characters. The other stories I read about Sisi and Nene always portrayed Nene in the most horrible light just because she was passed over in favor or Sisi. I can't help but feel so bad for sisi. She was so young and in love. Not realizing the crushing weight a crown can be. She would have been happier far from the public eye with her horses and pets. Though, she did manage to carve her own story and freedom.
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The afterward was better than the diary portion of this novel.
I have to reread this series and give my adult post graduate degree perspective but what I remember liking was:
-the characters in this series were roughly my age when I read the books (YA)
-it gave you an idea of what life may have been like back then
-they did have an afterword with historic information that gave you more context on their real lives and often photos or paintings -
Read this with my young niece to give her an idea of what it's really like to be royalty and how the barbie-fantasy of wanting to be a princess/empress usually glosses over a lot of details. My niece is very Sissi-esque, and this short little book made her feel grateful for all the freedom our times have accorded her. She had never heard of Austria nor Hungary before we started reading, so it made for an interesting social studies lesson as well.
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I would have liked to know more about Elizabeth. One of the things I love about the Royal Diaries is showing the princess interacting with her family before and after marriage. It seemed to not spend enough time before her marriage to even establish her family before she gets engaged and swept away from her family.
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Well, this was extremely short. And first of all, the author is a guy and the main character is Elizabeth. A big mistake. Although there are a few that can write like that, this author isn't one of them. Also, it was very fast paced and seemed like it was written in like two hours ( which was about how long it took me to read it). So pretty much just don't read it.
