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 … 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.
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I absoluely loved this book Couldn’t put it down- interesting story with great surprise ending!!!!
a very clever plot
This book was so good. It’s one of those books you get sucked into. I could not put it sown I have wanted to read it for a long time. The way she waved the story was just amazing. It had a lot of history but it makes the story that much better.
Charlotte is one of those characters that just sticks with you the heiress to the Lennox fortune she really doesn’t care about normal girl things. She is into photography she just wants to enjoy her life. Everyone else has expectations for her on how to act and what to wear and what to say. She isn’t concerned until she meets the handsome Bay. Charlotte falls hard for Bay. He is also taken with her but when the Austrian Empress shows up fun and exciting and has the same love of horse back riding and hunting he has the story takes a sad turn. This book is so good it’s one that just sucks you back in time and you don’t want to leave. I wish there was more. A must read for historical fiction lovers.
Great romp!
I enjoy the inventive characters and storyline daisy Goodwin paints. I love the unique imagery she creates. Very entertaining,. A great beach or airplane read. Light and fun.
This is an excellent novel…very evocative of the period…all the characters realistic. I have read much about the Empress of Austria, Sisi, and this novel is exceedingly historically correct. Great fun with all the horse riding, too.
I really enjoyed the view of English society and the beginnings of photography portrayed in this story. The characters were very like-able and I felt that Charlotte was easy to relate to despite being an heiress to the Lennox fortune. It is also commendable that Ms. Goodwin based the story on real people, although the stories were her own. I also thoroughly appreciated the wit of Casper, who made me laugh out loud with is outlandish comments. Fun read!