I received this book from the author as a member of Rosie Amber’s Review Team., ‘#RBRT

 I gave In a Gilded Cage  4* out of 5*

Book Description:

In a Gilded Cage is a B.R.A.G. Medallion winner! Sisi enjoyed a carefree lifestyle in the hills of Bavaria until she was chosen by Franz Josef to be his wife. At the age of sixteen she became Elisabeth Empress of Austria and moved into the imperial palaces of Vienna, where a hostile court disdained her for her low birth, and strict protocol ruled her every act. She had no other purpose than to adorn the emperor’s arm on ceremonial occasions and to make babies who were taken from her at birth to be raised by her domineering mother-in-law. Of too sensitive a spirit, and dazzlingly beautiful, she was often ill and anorexic and had to flee the court to distant places in order to heal. She struggled to adjust to her new life in an alien environment until she found a cause into which she could pour her heart and soul: Hungary. Like Sisi herself, Hungary struggled to find its place in the world, where it would not be subsumed by a soulless empire. Having found her salvation, she also found a man she could love in the great patriot, Count Andrassy.

My review:

This is the second novel I’ve read of Susan Appleyard’s; the first was  Queen of Trial and Sorrow:  http://amzn.to/2pGiV77

I like this author’s style of writing; In a Gilded Cage is a compact, detailed read that need a lot of concentration but is so worth it. And, as in Queen of Trial and Sorrow it is obvious that the author has research in great detail has preceded the writing of this book. It is an enthralling read of the time and the two countries.;the sense of the politics and machinations, threaded throughout reveal the tumult that the characters live through

Told in first person point of view from Elisabeth Empress of Austria The reader lives through all the emotions the protagonist feels: the uncertainties, the ,contentment, the wretchedness, the distress,the love. It’s easy to empathise with the changes in ‘Sisi’s’ life.

At the front of the book there is a long list of the principle characters that is quite complex and I often had to go back and refer to it which interrupted my reading. But that’s a small quibble. On the whole the characters are well rounded and believable; I liked those the author intended me to like and disliked those who made the protagonist unhappy or afraid. If a book does this for me as a reader… it works.

Susan Appleyard has a knack for capturing the sounds and syntax of an historic period; she doesn’t disappoint in this novel. For me the dialogue gives a real flavour of the era as I imagine it to be.

Again, as in Queen of Trial and Sorrow, although there is a wonderful sens of place through the descriptions of the countries, the buildings, the costumes, I did feel that they were sometimes a little arduous and I was tempted a few times to skip through them. (although I didn’t, knowing I needed to review honestly and fairly)

Would recommend In a Gilded Cage? Yes, I would; the book suit readers who enjoy first person accounts of historical fiction

Buying Links:

Amazon .co..uk: http://amzn.to/2q9XEQ2

Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/2rrpGLD