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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
this book was absolutely wonderful. The writing was amazingly compelling. Rappaport wrote this in a way that made it easier to follow
this is the first book i've read that's actually put the four sisters at the forefront of the romanov tale (one that i've revisited and, i'm sure, will continue to revisit!), and i found that very refreshing!!
I was 4 years old when the movie Anastasia came out, and for the last 21 years I have held the story of the Romanov's close to my heart.
While over the years I have spent much of my time reading over journals and articles about the Romanov family and their lives, this is the first historical book I have read about the family and it has left me with a need to read more. Sometimes, while reading history, I have found that authors tend to remove themselves from the narrative (for good reason) and simply relay facts and circumstances. While Rappaport does both, I feel as though she was quite involved in the narrative in the best way. It was easy to read because of how seamlessly everything flowed together. I could feel how invested she was in learning about the Romanov's based on how descriptive the book is. That made it all the more
wonderful to read.
I loved this book and it has made me love the Romanov's even more. My heart continually breaks for them and everything that they went through. For so long the world saw them in a way that was completely contradictory to who they actually were, much to I'm sure the pleasure of the Bolsheviks, and while there have always been those of us who believed otherwise, through the letters referenced in this book it is proven that the Romanov family was not everything that the public assumed them to be. At the end of the day, they were simply a family that was passionately devoted to each other, their faith and their country and stayed that way until their dying day.
While over the years I have spent much of my time reading over journals and articles about the Romanov family and their lives, this is the first historical book I have read about the family and it has left me with a need to read more. Sometimes, while reading history, I have found that authors tend to remove themselves from the narrative (for good reason) and simply relay facts and circumstances. While Rappaport does both, I feel as though she was quite involved in the narrative in the best way. It was easy to read because of how seamlessly everything flowed together. I could feel how invested she was in learning about the Romanov's based on how descriptive the book is. That made it all the more
wonderful to read.
I loved this book and it has made me love the Romanov's even more. My heart continually breaks for them and everything that they went through. For so long the world saw them in a way that was completely contradictory to who they actually were, much to I'm sure the pleasure of the Bolsheviks, and while there have always been those of us who believed otherwise, through the letters referenced in this book it is proven that the Romanov family was not everything that the public assumed them to be. At the end of the day, they were simply a family that was passionately devoted to each other, their faith and their country and stayed that way until their dying day.
Great book! I never knew much about the Romanov family, but have always been fascinated by them. This book was a great look into the lives of the sisters.
very informative--though when it gets to the actual Revolution, it assumes the reader is well informed about the politics and repercussions--I could have used more information on this aspect.
I don't know a lot about the Russian Revolution. I know the basic facts and I know about some of the family that was murdered oh so long ago. So I thought this book could fill in some blanks and help me understand who these girls were and what their life was like in that gilded world that disappeared under the weight of the war.
Yet, I don't feel that this book was really about them as much as it was about their parents viewpoint of them. I can't tell you much about the Maria at all. I can tell you that, in the end, Olga was sad. She might have married had things been differently. Once Tatiana became a nurse she found her calling. Anastasia was feisty and a brat. I can tell you endless facts about the sameness of their life, about their cloistered family existing that kept them out of the circles of the nobility. I can even tell you about Rasputin's death. But, about the girls, well, I still don't know a lot.
For that, it is only three stars. It was a great easy read and I learned a lot but it was more a story of the years before the Revolution than really about the 4 sisters.
Yet, I don't feel that this book was really about them as much as it was about their parents viewpoint of them. I can't tell you much about the Maria at all. I can tell you that, in the end, Olga was sad. She might have married had things been differently. Once Tatiana became a nurse she found her calling. Anastasia was feisty and a brat. I can tell you endless facts about the sameness of their life, about their cloistered family existing that kept them out of the circles of the nobility. I can even tell you about Rasputin's death. But, about the girls, well, I still don't know a lot.
For that, it is only three stars. It was a great easy read and I learned a lot but it was more a story of the years before the Revolution than really about the 4 sisters.
dark
informative
medium-paced
I'm not sure when my interest in Russian history/culture started, but this book went a long way in feeding that interest and answering a lot of questions I had about the Romanovs. Finishing this book wasn't the cheeriest start to my Christmas Eve though.
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Really well written, drawing from many primary sources. Have always been fascinated with the Romanovs, will read more of her books.