The Hunger Countess

TOSSED LIKE A LEAF INTO THE CURRENT OF TROUBLED TIMES, A WIDOW FIGHTS FOR HER RIGHTS

Countess Louise Juliane of Sayn-Wittgenstein is a name hardly remembered, but her legacy is alive in today’s nobility, reaching even the British throne.

Beside herself with grief over the death of her only son, Louise signs her county over to a distant relative, despite the will in which her late husband left it to his daughters should anything happen to his son. She soon comes to regret her decision and embarks on an unprecedented fight for her daughters’ rights, undaunted by the odds stacked against her.
In a time ruled by power-hungry men, Louise uses her wit, her unshakeable faith, and every legal measure at her disposal to get back what is rightfully hers.
Told through the eyes of her daughter Ernestine, you will learn the true story of an unusual woman whose impressive stance is bound to inspire women to this day.

Reader’s voices:

• This is a beautifully written novel based on the true story of a German countess in the 1600s. The author has done an extraordinary amount of research to bring the characters to life, creating a rich narrative that transports you to another time. (…) The characters are so vividly written that you can see them in your mind’s eye as you read, following the young countess from her days as a spoiled child to a compassionate adult. The setting and the history give the story added depth that will delight lovers of historical fiction. Highly recommend. Helen Pryke
• A great asset of this novel are its well-defined characters. Their personalities are depicted in a manner that makes you feel you know them. It’s thrilling to learn about the circumstances of times long past. Once started, it was hard to stop reading, and knowing it’s a true story made it even more fascinating.
• The story is full of tension and suprises, perfectly capturing the atmosphere of the time. This is definitely no dry account of historical events, but a great, lively novel offering entertaining reading hours. Ernestine’s character development was convincing and wonderful to follow. My true favorite is her mother, though, who fought with so much passion for her rights. The author made her relatable and humane. I couldn’t help rooting for her.

Background Information

The story setting moves back and forth between three castles in the former county of Sayn, all three of which still exist. The Freusburg fortress was turned into a youth hostel, where I have spent a few nights some years ago. Friedewald castle is privately owned and was closed to the public for a long time. It was re-opened in 2022 and turned into an event location. It was a marvellous experience to be invited to read from the book in the castle courtyard. For the occasion, I dressed in 17th century garb and was able to reproduce the German book cover!

Hachenburg castle was destroyed in a fire in 1654 and rebuilt on a much grander scale. In the 1970s it almost got demolished. Luckily, the German Federal Bank stepped in and turned the castle into a college. This year, they opened the doors to the public for a day.

From left to right (top to bottom): 1 – the archway connecting the church and the castle, 2 – inner courtyard of the castle, 3 – outer courtyard looking at the entrance gate, 4 – myself in front of an old guilded mirror, 5 – excerpt of the pedigree depicting my protagonists and their coats of arms, 6 – close up of the archway looking down onto the market square. Looks like some truck driver overestimated the height of the arch.