An excellent academic biography of an unusual person who through fate and privilege found herself in an extraordinary situation, as the Empress of the Austrian Empire during its long decline. Although she viewed herself as imprisoned in a gilded cage, her position allowed her to indulge her whims and live in a way she chose. Despite being hurt by the non-acceptance of the Austrian court, she learned to tune out the noise and proceeded to do exactly what she wanted. And exactly what she wanted, though normal for women today, was decidedly not de rigueur in the second half of the 19th century. She was clearly born well before her time. Brigitte Hamann does an excellent job portraying the effects Sissi's non-comfority had on her family, friends, country, and ultimately on the woman herself. The story of Empress Elisabeth, Sissi, is truly tragic as is her shocking death.

I found this book dragged on in sections, but the clever arrangement by subject rather than straight chronology made it easy to skim over the parts of little interest to me while still getting a well-rounded account of Sissi's life.