The Fortune Hunter
Books | Fiction / Historical / General
3.7
(111)
Daisy Goodwin
A tale of forbidden love, passion, and the price of fame in 19th century Europe. Empress Elizabeth of Austria, known as Sisi, is the Princess Diana of nineteenth-century Europe. Famously beautiful, as captured in a portrait with diamond stars in her hair, she is unfulfilled in her marriage to the older Emperor Franz Joseph. Sisi has spent years evading the stifling formality of royal life on her private train or yacht or, whenever she can, on the back of a horse.Captain Bay Middleton is dashing, young, and the finest horseman in England. He is also impoverished, with no hope of buying the horse needed to win the Grand National—until he meets Charlotte Baird. A clever, plainspoken heiress whose money gives her a choice among suitors, Charlotte falls in love with Bay, the first man to really notice her, for his vulnerability as well as his glamour. When Sisi joins the legendary hunt organized by Earl Spencer in England, Bay is asked to guide her on the treacherous course. Their shared passion for riding leads to an infatuation that jeopardizes the growing bond between Bay and Charlotte, and threatens all of their futures.The Fortune Hunter, a brilliant new novel by Daisy Goodwin, is a lush, irresistible story of the public lives and private longings of grand historical figures, set against the backdrop of Victorian England's rigid class structure and the glamorous world of European aristocracy.
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More Details:
Author
Daisy Goodwin
Pages
480
Publisher
St. Martin's Publishing Group
Published Date
2014-07-29
ISBN
1466842245 9781466842243
Community ReviewsSee all
"I’ve seen a lot of variation in the comments if people like this book or not. It’s not meant to be a literary masterpiece, but the story line is compelling, the characters stay true to themselves, and this book definitely sets itself apart from other Victorian-era love stories. I appreciated the change of pace, and I appreciated the constance of the characters. It was within Godwin’s style. Overall, very well done."
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Nina Rice
"Started out strong but then it was all about hunting and horses. I can only feel interested in that for so long. The female protagonist was a lovely character, but the plot involving the Empress was less compelling. I found it hard to commiserate with her, especially as we mostly saw her through the eyes of society or her lover. In the end, I powered through the last 1/3 of the book just so I would be free to read something else."
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Bree Sarlati
"I liked the American Heiress by the same author. Also, just finished That Churchill Woman by Stephanie Barron. Enjoyed it"
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Jo St. John