Historians, and historical fiction readers for that matter, are sure to love Seven Sisters: Captives and Rebels in Revolutionary Europe's First Family by Veronica Buckley (Christina Queen of Sweden; The Secret Wife of Louis XIV). Seven Sisters recounts the captivating story of the surviving daughters of Habsburg empress Maria Theresia, who was an extraordinary political strategist who looked to secure her family through advantageous matches for her daughters. Two of the sisters held key religious roles as abbesses, while the remaining five sisters were all a part of illustrious marriage contracts.
Marie Christine, her mother's favorite, was permitted a love match: she married Prince Albert of Saxony. Amalie, Duchess of Parma, set her duchy afire with gossip about her wild ways. Josepha was affianced to King Ferdinando of Naples but died of smallpox mere days before the wedding. Her sister Carolina became Ferdinando's wife instead; the marriage made her queen of the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily and gave her syphilis. But the worst fate of all befell the youngest sister, the vivacious Antonia, who became world famous as Marie Antoinette after her marriage to King Louis XVI of France.
Meticulously researched and full of intrigue, Seven Sisters's gossipy narrative details the sisters' lives from 1764 to 1814 as war and revolution ravaged Europe. The Habsburgs were prolific letter writers and shared shockingly intimate details about one another's sex lives, as well as political strategies when their lands were threatened by Napoleon Bonaparte. Buckley does an excellent job of weaving personal details of the sisters' lives into the larger picture of the dramatic changes the 18th century brought about. --Jessica Howard, former bookseller, freelance book reviewer