In the Shadow of the Empress

Reviews

"A fascinating saga... Adding wry humor to her lucid narrative, Goldstone clarifies the era’s complex politics and pinpoints how these commanding women helped give shape to modern Europe. This mesmerizing history isn’t to be missed.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “A panoramic history of 1700s Europe… Goldstone vividly depicts a resplendent, glittering milieu. Her fast-paced, populous narrative teems with gossip, court intrigue, and head-spinning political machinations… A colorful collection of dynamic, prodigiously researched portraits.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Compelling and redefining… [An] expert account of the lives of the extraordinary Habsburg Empress Maria Theresa and three of her most illustrious daughters, Maria Christina, Maria Carolina, and Marie Antoinette. Goldstone employs colorful secondary-source accounts and strong, character-driven narration to present fresh insights into the personalities, attitudes, gifts, and fatal flaws of this family of powerful, now legendary women.”—Jasmine Liu, Booklist “Meticulously researched… A dizzying and dazzling foray into the intricacies of 18th-century European history… A masterful look at a long-gone era.”—Marie M. Mullaney, Library Journal “Nancy Goldstone has the amazing ability of taking on huge subjects and turning very complicated stories into a thrilling and coherent narrative. Her deep knowledge of the period, her clear-eyed empathy for her subjects, and her effortless style make for a riveting, entertaining, and enlightening book.”—Anka Muhlstein, author of The Pen and the Brush: How Passion for Art Shaped Nineteenth-Century French Novels

“Maria Theresa is a study in contrasts. She was an extraordinary female power in a man’s world, the creator of a vibrant and warm family life from which daughters were farmed out to the highest-paying prince, and a bold leader brought to her knees by insecurity and fear. Goldstone pulls all the messy, human incongruities of a pugnacious late eighteenth-century Europe together into a page-turner of a book.”

—Kara Cooney, author of When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt “Engrossing historical storytelling, filled with suspense, tantalizing mysteries, intimate family drama, and details of terror, cruelty, courage, and passion, set in the revolutionary cauldron of eighteenth-century Europe.”—Adrienne Mayor, author of The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women Across the Ancient World “Brilliant, delightful, and fun! Centered on the remarkable Austrian empress Maria Theresa and her diverse brood of daughters, this book reveals events engineered by these intelligent and powerful women in all their complexity, ingenuity, and, ultimately, fatal error. Chock full of penetrating modern insights into the psychological failings that bedevil the human condition.”—Kirstin Downey, author of Isabella: The Warrior Queen “Rich storytelling… humane and balanced portraits… In the Shadow of the Empress is elegantly written, in a brisk style that plays to Ms. Goldstone’s strengths in portraiture and the theatrical set-piece. The author deftly interweaves the ups and downs of Maria Theresa’s running contest with Frederick with the vicissitudes of her life as Europe’s most prolific procreator.”—A. Wess Mitchell, Wall Street Journal “If you like biography, if you like history, this wonderful tome is for you. Deeply researched, In the Shadow of the Empress is written with a light hand and occasional humor.”—Ana Daniel, East Hampton Star “Entertaining and thoroughly researched… you’ll get a new perspective on these women who changed the course of history.”—Nina Garin, San Diego Union Tribune “A vivid exploration of four female royals who altered the course of history.”—People “A virtuoso performance, Goldstone at the peak of her creative abilities… The interlocking lives of these formidable women are played out against a turbulent century of social unrest, revolution and war… the depth of her research and the acuity of her insights are outstanding.”—Gerard DeGroot, The Times (UK) Expand reviews