You know when you pick up an old book and it surprises you with how juicy it is? That's exactly how I felt reading Joseph II. and His Court. It's like L. Mühlbach got a front row seat to the steamier side of 18th-century Austria and decided to give us the beautiful dirt.

The Story

At its heart, this is a tale of an emperor in a bind. Joseph II is the new kid on the imperial block, trying to do something radical for his time—make life a bit freer for everyone in Austria. But here's the catch: his mother, Empress Maria Theresa (who is a legend in her own right) has these courtly jackals wrapped around him, and everyone expects him to act just like the inflexible nobility they are used to. Cue the palace intrigue! We've got illegal marriages (that stir up whopper rebellions), a crew of vengeful nobles who want to pull his hair out, and high stakes political games where the price of losing is, well, your life. Mühlbach throws us straight into a world where people will smile to your face while sticking a knife in your back over land and power. Really, it's a top-notch historical soap opera.

Why You Should Read It

Besides that chill of secret deals and back-stabbing in beds of silk, I love that this book champions a guy with terrible connections. Joseph isn't exactly a hero for the ages—he's stubborn, a bit over his head, and too clever for his own good. Yet, you root for him. I read this novel feeling that there's something truly current about a leader fighting a bunch of dusty fossilys who care more about prestige than anyone's actual life. The women are knockouts, too: fierce Maria Theresa pops in to steal the show in a few scenes, and the quiet love story belongs to common hearts. Mühlbach’s detail about customs, insane clothing, and the day-to-day stress of a massive court lets you almost smell the candles melting at their source.

Final Verdict

Stop waiting if you fell in love with anything from the Wolf Hall crowd, those huge French court memoirs made popular by just audacious dramas, or you found the BBC's regalia a bit soothing. This book is its own showy paradise for anyone who thinks a tightly history-novel in the 19th-century style—rich with ethics, flirtations, and drama—is dinner for the mind. It reads like a spy thriller of great clothes. Perfect for people who love history but also love being told a dam good story to make it live. It's a beautifully weird time machine, and my lord, did Mühlbach dig up some addicting episodes for us all.