Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Seven Sisters:
Maria Theresa didn’t raise wallflowers.
Quick synopsis:
The story of the seven surviving daughters of Empress Maria Theresa.
Fact for Non-History People:
Maria Theresa had 16 children in total but only 10 survived to adulthood.
Fact for History Nerds:
Maria Theresa is the only woman to hold the title of Holy Roman Empress in her own right.
My Take on Seven Sisters:
Were there any rulers in 1700s Europe that were not Habsburgs? It certainly seems like the answer is no, especially if you read the excellent Seven Sisters by Veronica Buckley. The book follows seven daughters of the Empress Maria Theresa. All of them would be influential in various ways, but you may not know most of them. However, the name Marie Antoinette may ring a bell.
I’d like to first comment on the technical aspect of Buckley’s writing. This is a lot of main characters for one book. You can’t just count the seven sisters because you need to also account for their brothers, Maria Theresa herself, and then of course all of the spouses. I was initially nervous that I’d forget who was who and this would become a marathon of names without plot. I was (and usually am!) wrong. Buckley makes each of these people jump off the page, and, like any great author, will drop you a quick hint now and again to remind you who is who.
More importantly, Buckley has complete command of the narrative plot around each woman. Yes, it might sound reductive to say that each character is defined by who they do or do not marry. However, that is precisely what it was like to be a Habsburg. Your job was to continue to carry on the legacy of the family and (most of the time) your happiness did not enter into the calculations. This led to mostly complete calamity. Specifically, this time period meant each woman would have to reckon with the French Revolution and the Age of Napoleon.
Buckley lets all of these people be fully fleshed out beings. I personally hate it when authors fall so far in love with their subjects that they forget to let them be flawed. Not so with this one. Not only does Buckley point out the shortcomings of each, but she even takes the time to fill you in on what each sibling felt toward each other. It also helps that each is so different. Do you want to root for Marianna, who blazes her own path? Maybe you, like me, have a soft spot for the ultimate survivor, Caroline of Naples. You have plenty to choose from. Give this a read and take your pick.
(This book was provided as a review copy by Viking Books.)
Verdict:
A must read. Buy it here!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.