Jac Jemc

The execution of this didn't quite live up to its premise. In part because what little I know of the two royals who are the central characters is so grandiose that it was hard for me to feel where the historical fiction ended and the true leaps of imagination begin. Would I have been more engaged if the novel had been *more* fictionalized? Change the names, and I wonder if I ever pick the book up at all? I visited one of Ludwig's castles last year, and that interest and familiarity put this at the top of my to-read stack. The king's homosexuality, the velvet cages both the king and his cousin live in, the relationships that entangle them seemed to call for a magical escape, a final scene akin to the windstorm that devours Macondo. But the book stays tethered by its reality, and the beautiful castles never quite transport Ludwig out of the world.… (mehr)

Reason read: haunted house challenge
I received this book in an Indiespensible box May 2017 and it was time to read it. It is the story of a husband and wife who buy a house which is haunted. The house nearly ruins their marriage and their health. It is told in back and forth very short chapters by her and then him.

The couple move from a city to a more rural location that is near a forest and a body of water. The house is large with a lot of secret rooms and strange noise. The forest is filled with children and/or birds. The water seems predatory. There's a cave. A lot of creepy things but none of it ever makes a unified connection at least to me.… (mehr)

The author took the real history of two of Europe's monarchs and dug deep into their weirdest tendencies and wrote a cross between a satire and a real history. King Ludwig of Bavaria and Empress Elizabeth (Sisi) of Austria were cousins (as were most of Europe's monarchs at this time. Ludwig was the spoilt oldest son of a family with mental issues. Elizabeth was a beautiful second to oldest daughter who was selected to be married to her husband Franz. Her care-free upbringing did not prepare her to be an Empress.

Ludwig is just over the top, selfish, short tempered, and completely uninterested in acting as a head of state. His obsession with the composer Wagner is interesting. Sisi, as the head of Austria, does endear herself to Hungary and does work to build hospitals. However, she too, is selfish, obsessed with her beauty and at times just sill.

As I read the book, it brought back "The Accidental Empress" which I remember parts of but apparently didn't write a review. This makes me want to go back and take another look at that.

In short, a bit of real history sprinkled on top with juicy tidbits of scandal and often times steamy fiction.… (mehr)