Paperback Castles

This is historical fiction at its best; with both feet placed on the solid ground of facts, Enquist has succeeded in writing a very thrilling and yet historically correct novel.
I have always been very fascinated with the grim tale of the English Princess, the German doctor and the Danish King, and have read several book based on the almost absurd history. However this was slightly different. Whereas the majority of authors always seem to be focusing on romanticizing the doomed couple and demonizing the insane King, Enquist seems to explore the depth and cause of King Christian's insanity and at the same time explaining Struensee's idealistic politics, giving this particular novel an almost scientific edge, compared to the rest of the material written on the subject.

My only complaint is Enquist's writing style. I guess it is just one of those cases where you either love it or hate it. In my opinion it was messy, confusing and distracting from the plot. It seemed like Enquist tried too hard to be poetic, rather than scientific. A hopeless struggle since the novel actually is rather scientific in its very form.

However it was an enjoyable and very informative novel to read. It was loaded with puzzling facts, and yet contained the perfect amount of fiction to keep the reader interested. I would definitely recommend it to any lover of historical fiction or anyone interested in the history of the monarchy.