Antoinette's Sister

Starred review from November 15, 2021
Giovinazzo (The Woman in Red) offers an exceptional portrait of 18th-century Austria’s Habsburg royal dynasty through the eyes of spirited archduchess Charlotte, who becomes queen of Naples and breaks with France after her younger sister Marie Antoinette’s execution. After Charlotte’s older sister Josepha dies of smallpox, Charlotte takes Josepha’s place at 15 as the bride of King Ferdinand, a weak and immature monarch. When Charlotte gives birth to a male heir in 1777, she is allowed to join Naples’s ruling body, as stipulated in her marriage contract; she assumes control of the kingdom from her disinterested husband, modeling her reign after her ambitious mother, ruler of the Austria-Hungary Empire. With Prime Minister Sir John Acton, her confidante whom she loves deeply, Charlotte creates a legacy of wealth and beautification by cultivating wasteland with olive groves, completing dormant projects for gardens and palaces, and launching French-style salons with artists, authors, and musicians. Then the execution of Marie Antoinette leads a grieving Charlotte to join an English fighting coalition against France. Charlotte also repeatedly snubs the French ambassador and bans the speaking of French, and in 1798, Charlotte sees the fall of Naples to Bonaparte. Giovinazzo vividly depicts a formidable monarch from a turbulent era of European history. This sprawling tale of power, intrigue, and ambition is a winner. Agent: Johanna Castillo, Writers House.

December 15, 2021
"There is something about sisters that goes beyond the connection that you have with any other living soul." No one ever said ruling Europe would be easy. The Habsburg children have been taught since birth to put kingdom and country above everything else, even their own happiness. The Empress Mother rules her family the same way she runs her kingdom of Austria: with an iron fist. For her impetuous and headstrong daughters Charlotte and Antoinette, nothing matters more than their bond of friendship and sisterhood. This historical fiction novel follows the tale of Maria Carolina Charlotte's marriage to Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies, and her beloved sister's fateful marriage to the dauphin of France. Told from Charlotte's point of view, it's interspersed with letters to and from her various family members, giving the reader a peek inside the machinations of this famous family. Philippa Gregory fans will love this story's mix of real history and drama, made personal with the strong and relatable voice of the queen of Naples and Sicily.

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December 17, 2021

As the Empress of the Holy Roman Empire in the 18th century, Maria Theresa, a Habsburg of Austria, wields her children as political pawns to increase her power in Europe. In order to ally with Spain, she arranges for her daughter Maria Carolina, called Charlotte, to marry Ferdinand of Naples. After becoming Queen of Naples and Sicily at 15, Charlotte finds her new husband ill-equipped to be king. Charlotte, however, has been raised to rule, and she eventually gets her chance when she takes her seat on the governing council after giving birth to a male heir. She forges a relationship with Ferdinand and works to institute reforms and bring culture to Naples, despite resistance from some of the nobility. Meanwhile, her more famous sister, Marie Antoinette, suffers in France, and revolution is spreading across Europe. Charlotte desperately tries to rescue her sister and to ally Naples with England and Austria against France, but ultimately fails. VERDICT With a narrative focused on Charlotte and interspersed with letters from her siblings and mother, Giovinazzo's (The Woman in Red) captivating novel highlights the rise and fall of a strong female monarch against the backdrop of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars.--Melissa DeWild, Comstock Park, MI

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