Review: The Countess by Rebecca Johns

The Countess

Author: Rebecca Johns

Published: October 12th 2010

Publisher: Crown

Number of pages: 355

Source: Purchased

Purchase: Amazon, TBD, B&N

From Goodreads:

Was the “Blood Countess” history’s first and perhaps worst female serial killer? Or did her accusers create a violent fiction in order to remove this beautiful, intelligent, ambitious foe from the male-dominated world of Hungarian politics?

 

In 1611, Countess Erzsébet Báthory, a powerful Hungarian noblewoman, stood helpless as masons walled her inside her castle tower, dooming her to spend her final years in solitary confinement. Her crime—the gruesome murders of dozens of female servants, mostly young girls tortured to death for displeasing their ruthless mistress. Her opponents painted her as a bloodthirsty škrata—a witch—a portrayal that would expand to grotesque proportions through the centuries.

In this riveting dramatization of Erzsébet Báthory’s life, the countess tells her story in her own words, writing to her only son—a final reckoning from his mother in an attempt to reveal the truth behind her downfall. Countess Báthory describes her upbringing in one of the most powerful noble houses in Hungary, recounting in loving detail her devotion to her parents and siblings as well as the heartbreak of losing her father at a young age. She soon discovers the price of being a woman in sixteenth-century Hungary as her mother arranges her marriage to Ferenc Nádasdy, a union made with the cold calculation of a financial transaction. Young Erzsébet knows she has no choice but to accept this marriage even as she laments its loveless nature and ultimately turns to the illicit affections of another man.

Seemingly resigned to a marriage of convenience and a life of surreptitious pleasure, the countess surprises even herself as she ignites a marital spark with Ferenc through the most unromantic of acts: the violent punishment of an insolent female servant. The event shows Ferenc that his wife is no trophy but a strong, determined woman more than capable of managing their vast estates during Ferenc’s extensive military campaigns against the Turks. Her naked assertion of power accomplishes what her famed beauty could not: capturing the love of her husband.

The countess embraces this new role of loving wife and mother, doing everything she can to expand her husband’s power and secure her family’s future. But a darker side surfaces as Countess Báthory’s demand for virtue, obedience, and, above all, respect from her servants takes a sinister turn. What emerges is not only a disturbing, unflinching portrait of the deeds that gave Báthory the moniker “Blood Countess,” but an intimate look at the woman who became a monster.

My Review

Well, Elizabeth Bathory was an historical character that I knew nothing about and I won't lie to you, I did buy this book just for the creepy cover - I didn't even read the synopsis! But I'm really glad I did because I couldn't find a character that could encounter best my tastes!

I have always loved historical romances so getting along with this book was quite easy: the protagonist embodies the role of a strong matriarch: born and raised in wealth she soon learnes to take care of her family,her siblings and her house. Promised in marriage at a very young age she has to endure a long life of loneliness until a very special moment when a cruel event finally helps her to catch her husband's attention: the beating of a servant. Impressed by her violence in punishing the servitude, Ferenc learns to love her wife thanks to their shared passion: blood. Let's just say that from this moment on, my twisted side was expecting a whole lot of that.. of ..BLOOD! But the countess didn't turn out to be as bloody as I expected. 

Rebecca Johns decided to give us another side of the story and present Elizabeth under another, more humane light. Murders and tortures are just briefly mentioned, the focus of the book is actually Elizabeth's growth in a world where women were easily defeated and where respect had to be gained in order to survive. I really liked this narrative decision, even though I felt like the author, especially toward the ending, forcefully tried to insert some cruel scenes to be more coherent toward the character's history. 

After reading this book, I did some research on Elizabeth and I will tell you that I will certainly be searching for more works on her. I liked Rebecca John's book, but I also feel like she should have showed Elizabeth's wicked side a little bit more, considering that she is listed as one of the most bloody serial killer of the 17th century.

Overall though, it was a relly great read: interesting, engaging, well- written. When an historical romance manages to push you into learning more about that particular historical event, I guess it's a good one, isn't it?

Rated 4.3