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“Daisy Goodwin has triumphed again. In The Fortune Hunter she weaves a rich and
textured tale of desire and ambition. Sizzling with energy and passion on every
page, Goodwin’s characters compel the reader to fall in love with them.”
— Amanda Foreman, author of the New York Times bestseller Georgiana
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“Daisy Goodwin returns with another captivating
historical novel, this one the dramatic story of a nineteenth century love
triangle entangling ‘Sisi’ (more properly, Elizabeth, Empress of Austria and
Queen of Hungary’), a handsome but impoverished British horseman, and a
resourceful young heiress. In The Fortune
Hunter, all three emerge as real people, perhaps the enigmatic real-life
wife of Franz Joseph I most of all.”
— Barnes&Noble.com, editorial review
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“Goodwin uses finely drawn characters and intriguing plot lines to
create numerous memorable scenes such as when the empress, accompanied
by Bay, visits and exchanges polite but pointed barbs with Queen
Victoria. Although readers who enjoyed The American Heiress will
be first in line to savor Goodwin's new novel, they will be followed
quickly by others who appreciate engaging and thoughtful historical
fiction.”
— Library Journal (starred review)
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“Goodwin’s second novel travels the difficult
protocols of Victorian-era fox hunting, as well as the even more complicated
protocols of love and marriage in the era, especially for an intelligent young
woman with a fortune…Goodwin manages to take the reader deep inside the characters’
longings and flaws in a way that makes the reader root for them. An enchanting,
beautifully written page-turner.”
— Publishers Weekly
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“With its witty dialogue, intriguing research and cameo appearances by
Queen Victoria and other royals, Goodwin’s latest is a pleasurable
excursion into Downton-land complete with high-society weddings, lavish balls and an exciting, all-or-nothing horse-racing finale.”
— Kirkus Reviews
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“A sumptuous, scrumptious confection, with
country houses, Austrian Empresses, and Victorian glamour galore.”
— Lucy Worsley, chief curator, Historic Royal Palaces
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“Goodwin’s Victorian-era grand
romance is beautifully narrated by Clare Corbett. The story is told by three
vivid characters: heiress Charlotte Baird, Empress Elizabeth of Austria, and
the roguish Captain Bay Middleton, who has a passion for both of them. Corbett
gives all of them distinct voices and personalities. Despite the number of
secondary characters, each is given a voice that fits his or her personality.
Corbett’s narration and Goodwin’s story give listeners an engaging audiobook
experience. J.L.K. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile
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“Goodwin has a gift for evoking the atmosphere of the era with well-researched period details. Readers will empathize with awkward Charlotte, trying to find herself, glamorous Sisi—who appears to have everything—and the enigmatic Bay, whose desires force the love triangle that gives the story its center and purpose. Fans of unconventional historical fiction can relish this novel.”
— RT Book Reviews (4 stars)
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“Beautifully narrated by Claire Corbett… a special and utterly engaging audiobook experience.
— AudioFile Magazine
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Dripping with acerbic affectation and perfect British and Newport upper-crust accents, Katherine Kellgren deliciously portrays wealthy, beautiful, naïve Cora Cash…This story is filled with a full cast of unlikeable characters…Kellgren delivers each perfectly and convincingly conveys the worst that lack of character has to offer on both sides of the pond.
— AudioFile Magazine on the Audiobook Edition of The American Heiress
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Ketherine Kellgren, a truly accomplished voice actress, affects a la-di-da intercontinental accent for the narration of this puree of Edith Wharton, ‘Downtown Abbey' and pulp romance.
— The Washington Post on the Audiobook Edition of The American Heiress
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This audiobook is full of historical detail about the lives of the rich and famous at the turn of the last century, from fashion and food to living spaces and manners. I think I listened to the descriptions of Cora's Parisian-made trousseau about five or six times so that I could picture each sumptuous, amazing gown clearly in my mind.
— Star-Telegram on the Audiobook Edition of The American Heiress
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This audio presentation, narrated by Katherine Kellgren, who moves with effortless authenticity from the haughty Mayfair drawl of the Prince of Wales to the self-important, Southern tinged cadences of a rich American society matron, is bound to top the list of super-summer-beach listens.
— BookPage on the Audiobook Edition of The American Heiress
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The characters are varied and lively and brought to life skillfully by narrator Katherine Kellgren. Those who read Daphne de Maurier and other authors in the genre will enjoy this title. Recommended.
— Library Journal on the Audiobook Edition of The American Heiress
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From the first plummy tones of Katherine Kellgren's voice, you know you're in for a guilty pleasure…This is ‘Upstairs/Downstairs,' ‘The Age of Innocence' and ‘Downton Abbey' rolled into one.
— The Winston-Salem Journal on the Audiobook Edition of The American Heiress