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There are currently 25 member reviews
for The Fortune Hunter
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Carole A. (Denver, CO)
The Eternal Triangle
If you love historical fiction based on fact you will enjoy this latest effort by Daisy Goodwin. Loosely based on and around the Empress Elizabeth of Austria better known as Sisi. Sisi, along with a handsome young officer and a naive sheltered young heiress provide an entertaining tale of the eternal triangle. There is delightful description of "the" hunt and life of the upper class in England during this period of time. Like many novels today a good editor could have tightened the prose and probably cut the length by 100 pages. That being said, and with summer being in full swing at the release time of this novel, I would say buy the book - it will provide a pleasant passage of time at the beach or the lake.
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Judith W. (Brooklyn, NY)
A guilty pleasure...
Don't know why I feel guilty about enjoying romantic novels, but I do. I really enjoyed this book so much that I went to look up the actual facts about the story. Each of the main characters was sympathetic and I found it hard to put the book down. I have not read this author previously and will not look for her books in the library.
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Annette S. (Duluth, GA)
The Fortune Hunter
The Fortune Hunter is an engaging story of a passionate love triangle between the beautiful Empress of Austria, a handsome but impoverished cavalry captain and a wealthy English heiress. The story takes place in 1875 England during the reign of Queen Victoria. Included in the story are historical details, and a whirlwind romance. It is a fast paced novel that gives readers a good look at the late Victorian age in England. An interesting read that incorporates many historical characters and illustrates the development of the female role in society.
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Virginia P. (Tallahassee, FL)
The Fortune Hunter
The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin was a delightful, easy to read tale about a man entranced by two women. Mixing a bit of European history with romance, this story kept me interested to the end. Well written it should appeal to someone looking for a relaxing, non taxing read. It is a good break from reading heavier fiction and non fiction and quick to get through. I would not recommend it to book clubs as there is nothing to discuss. It is just a pleasant escape.
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Alice S. (East Haven, Ct)
Interesting Historical Novel
I enjoyed this book and thought the characters were well thought out if not a little one dimensional. After reading this book I was very glad that I did not live during the period this book takes place.
There was so little freedom and so many rules and standards that women of the upper class had to live with. First her brother and his snobby future wife were controlling Charlotte's inheritance but upon marriage her husband would control the money. It certainly made me appreciate that in today's world there is such a thing as a pre-nup.
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Rosanne S. (Franklin Square, NY)
The Fortune Hunter
Based on true historical figures The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin is a novel of good imagination. Charlotte Baird, the heiress of the Lennox fortune, meets Bay Middleton a soldier known for his skills with horses and women. While Charlotte finds herself falling in love with him, his attentions are shared with the Empress of Austria, Sisi. A love triangle of sorts ensues.
While I greatly appreciate historical fiction, I was not thrilled with Goodwin's novel. Once again, as in her first novel, The American Heiress, her writing gets bogged down with irrelevant details…. details of prancing and jumping horses and fox chases become way too much. She quickly establishes the "affair" between Bay and Sisi and honestly didn't need all the extras.
Characters of history can sometimes be boring but Goodwin's imagination prevents that from happening. Her characterizations are what drove me to continue reading. Every character was full of personality.
The author's enthusiasm for the subject is evident in her thorough research. In the end, I became familiar with someone I would not have known. I would recommend this novel to those that enjoy this genre. For me less would have been more allowing me to give more praise rather than less.
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Carol N. (Indian Springs Village, AL)
The Fortune Hunter
Having enjoyed Ms. Goodwin's first book I was excited to read this latest one, The Fortune Hunter. I enjoyed this one as well although not quite as much. I think it is because I viewed several of the main characters as selfish and self-centered with not many redeeming qualities. It is hard to make someone come alive on paper and Ms. Goodwin does a commendable job of that but the Empress was not one of my favorites. I think that some of the description of her life was to try and make her a little more sympathetic but I found her tedious and quite selfish and spoiled. I did enjoy the book, especially Charlotte and her photography hobby quite a bit and wish we had more information about her and her brother. All in all though this was a good read and a quick one for me so the story kept me interested enough to continue to the end.
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