The Fortune Hunter

A Novel

By: Daisy Goodwin

Narrated by: Clare Corbett

Length: 14 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

Empress Elizabeth of Austria, known as "Sisi", is the Princess Diana of 19th-century Europe. Famously beautiful, as captured in a portrait with diamond stars in her hair, she is unfulfilled in her marriage to the older Emperor Franz Joseph. Sisi has spent years evading the stifling formality of royal life on her private train or yacht or, whenever she can, on the back of a horse. Captain Bay Middleton is dashing, young, and the finest horseman in England. He is also impoverished, with no hope of buying the horse needed to win the Grand National - until he meets Charlotte Baird.

A clever, plainspoken heiress whose money gives her a choice among suitors, Charlotte falls in love with Bay, the first man to really notice her, for his vulnerability as well as his glamour. When Sisi joins the legendary hunt organized by Earl Spencer in England, Bay is asked to guide her on the treacherous course. Their shared passion for riding leads to an infatuation that threatens the growing bond between Bay and Charlotte, and all of their futures.

The Fortune Hunter, the brilliant new novel by Daisy Goodwin, is a lush, irresistible story of the public lives and private longings of grand historical figures.

©2014 Daisy Goodwin Productions (P)2014 Headline Digital

Daisy Goodwin does it again!

Any additional comments?

Daisy Goodwin for the win! Again! Such a fascinating story and so engaging! I couldn’t help but tear through it! Never boring or predictable she is a wonderful story teller!!

Don’t Like the performance

The accents and voices are overdone. How the story teller performs the dialogue is very distracting.

Loved it!

I love history and I love historical fiction. This is a must for any Jane Austen fan. I was annoyed with Bay and the Empress, but I think many listeners would be able to imagine things from each characters perspective and consider why they may have acted as they did, even if you don't agree with their choices and actions. I love Charlotte I wish more was known about her true biography.

Just OK

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I wouldn't recommend this book. Far too little happened in the book. I never found myself wanting to pick it back up again. It finally got interesting near the end of the book.

Would you be willing to try another book from Daisy Goodwin? Why or why not?

I would not read another book by Goodwin based on her style of writing.

Delicious, Austen style entertainment

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book to any Anglophile who would enjoy a little bit of romance and intrigue, a dash of court gossip, and a mousy but plucky heiress . Beautiful Sissy, Empress of Austria and a dashing Cavalry Officer are also involved in this very entertaining and well written book.

What did you like best about this story?

The main characters were well developed and multidimensional. The story keeps on moving. Perhaps there are no major surprises but the author manages to keep us turning the page.

What about Clare Corbett’s performance did you like?

The narrator managed to make the three main characters very distinct. I enjoyed the dialogue, which is important to this story and an enjoyable part of it

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"The Empress, the officer and the mouse that roared"

Any additional comments?

Although there are a number of characters in this book based on well known historical figures, I did not approach this book as historical fiction. The facts are bent to suit the narrative, which is OK as long as the reader does not expect otherwise.

Disappointed

I was excited to find a novel that focused on Empress Sisi. However, the book did not have one character that was likable - except perhaps the American who we were not really supposed to like. The story was, sorry to say, fairly shallow. I need to find another novel quickly that includes Empress Sisi and/ or Queen Victoria so I can rid myself of this feeling of dislike for the both of them that this novel has left me with. Was not expecting this from Ms. Goodwin.

The true fortune hunter

As a father of two powerful daughters, I loved this book with two female lead characters. And through out the book, the lurking question is “who is THE fortune hunter?”. I absolutely cherished the answer to that question!

Loved it

Loved the story. Read very well! I will definitely listen to more by this author!

slow to start, didn't want it to end

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. I did enjoy the story once I got wrapped up into it

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Fortune Hunter?

The characters are detailed, I feel like I've met them

Have you listened to any of Clare Corbett’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, The Girl on the Train. I chose this book because of Clare Corbett. I enjoyed her performance but I have to say her American accent for the character Casper was kind of creepy.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Not every queen gets her wish

Any additional comments?

Listen to this book!

Listen to this one

I started out reading the print edition but couldn't find the time to just sit and read so I used a credit. So glad I did as the narration increased my enjoyment of this surprisingly quiet historical novel. For me it seemed the pace picked up a bit in the second half of the novel and I was quite happy to listen for large chunks of time.
Especially appreciated is the author interview at the end. Very interesting.