Hmmm, well this is tricky to rate.
Interesting - check.
Engaging - check.
Large sections that had me side eying and questioning the bias of the author - also check.

What this book did do was help me place a lot of events into the timeline of events I already knew. It also has made me very interested to read other books about Maria Theresa and her children so I can sort out fact from presumption.
( )

I picked up this biography of Empress Maria Theresa, who ruled the Habsburg Empire in the 1700s, because I was traveling through Austria, Prague, and the Netherlands, and because I knew Nancy Goldstone's historical writing is entertaining and fairly easy to read. I got just what I wanted - a look at a strong female ruler and a focus on 3 of her daughters, Marie Antoinette - Queen of France, Maria Carolina - Queen of Naples, and Maria Christina - Governor-General of the Netherlands.

Goldstone writes history that is fun to read because she focuses on what I'm most interested in - the human side of things like family relationships, ruling challenges, personal strengths and faults, rivalries with other rulers, etc. I think her work is well-researched, but I also think she tends to take fairly well-known research and use it to create a good story. I don't think her books generally reveal much new research or enlighten the historical record. ( )

This book is entertaining. I think that's the best I can say for it. I became very nervous when I read in the genealogical table at the beginning that two of Marie Antoinette's children were fathered by Count Fersen. In fact, the whole of the sections about Marie Antoinette seem to me to be a bit far-fetched. There is absolutely no evidence that Count Fersen and Marie Antoinette were lovers. Yet, the author goes to great pains to describe how Count Fersen was never far from the ill-fated queen's bed. Her husband, Louis XVI, is labeled as being on the autism spectrum. The author indicates that she contacted a professional about this diagnosis. One wonders what information she didn't send to the professional. The sections on Marie Antoinette give me cause to doubt the rest of the veracity of the book. I enjoyed reading about Maria Christina, Duchess of Teschen, as I had never read anything about her. However, the author's style of writing doesn't suit a legitimate biography. Footnoted and annotated throughout the book are the author's personal opinions in response to some of the happenings of the day. Completely unprofessional.

If you're looking to be entertained, this book is for you. If you're looking for a serious biography of the daughters of Maria Theresa, I'd look elsewhere. Unfortunate coming from Nancy Goldstone. ( )