Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
Interesting look at their family life and individual personalities but I wish there had been more framing of the political atmosphere and history of the time to get a bigger picture and better understanding of the lives of this imperial family.
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
An excellent read with a uniquely intimate view on a group of children who are often mythologized into oblivion. It was cool to see them presented as silly, lazy, normal children. Also the handling of their death was masterful. I've read a lot of books that spend a lot of time on the horrors of their last moments, and I was relieved this book chose not to.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
I have always been interested in history, and the life and end of the Romanovs. Helen Rappaport very thoroughly describes the lives of the four sisters, the Grand Duchesses. Through sources, letters and diaries we follow their lives from childhood to growing up as young ladies. The lives they led and the hardships they endured. It was a story full of emotions and acts from the past.
I listened to the audiobook, and it took me a long time to finish it, but I'm glad I did.
I recommend this book to people who like historical biographies or memoirs and especially of the Romanov family.
I listened to the audiobook, and it took me a long time to finish it, but I'm glad I did.
I recommend this book to people who like historical biographies or memoirs and especially of the Romanov family.
This account of The Romanov's was not as good as I expected. I knew of the family's fate, but not much of their life prior, so some of it was very interesting. However, I struggled to not get distracted and finish, as much of it was boring. I gave it 3 ⭐ for the wealth of information it provided about this fascinating family.
Dry, boring account of the family and the girls' youth. It didn't actually become interesting until the last third of the book. It did peak my curiosity about the era in Russia and Nicholas and Alexandra.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Helen Rappaport does a great job in her book "The Romanov Sisters: The lost lives of the daughters of Nicolas and Alexadra." The book is comprehensive and weighty but still is incredibly readable.
I first became interested in Tsar Nicholas and his family way back in high school, when I read about the woman who was posing as the youngest daugther Anastasia. I've loved Russian history ever since and took a bunch of courses in college. Consequently, I'm not sure that Rappaport's book had a ton of new knowledge about the four daughters of Russia's last Tsar, as this is well explored territory, but it was nice to see the focus on the personal lives rather than the politics that drove to the Romanov family's unfortunate end. Rappaport takes a very sympathetic approach to the family, but not so much that she doesn't point out Tsar Nicholas II's flaws as a leader and Alexandra's thrall with the religious crack Rasputin.
It is an interesting time to read about the downfall of a whole style of government... and the numerous choices that the Nicholas and Alexandra might have made that would have at least given their family a better chance at survival.
I'm glad to have finally gotten the chance to read this book.
I first became interested in Tsar Nicholas and his family way back in high school, when I read about the woman who was posing as the youngest daugther Anastasia. I've loved Russian history ever since and took a bunch of courses in college. Consequently, I'm not sure that Rappaport's book had a ton of new knowledge about the four daughters of Russia's last Tsar, as this is well explored territory, but it was nice to see the focus on the personal lives rather than the politics that drove to the Romanov family's unfortunate end. Rappaport takes a very sympathetic approach to the family, but not so much that she doesn't point out Tsar Nicholas II's flaws as a leader and Alexandra's thrall with the religious crack Rasputin.
It is an interesting time to read about the downfall of a whole style of government... and the numerous choices that the Nicholas and Alexandra might have made that would have at least given their family a better chance at survival.
I'm glad to have finally gotten the chance to read this book.
This was an excellent look at the lives to Tzar Nicholas's daughters: Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia. Everyone "knows" about Anastasia, and sometimes it feels like the older three are overlooked. I was able to learn a lot about their lives as well as just the Russian monarchy. This is a very dense book, and there is a lot of information to absorb. I definitely found myself getting confused with all the people, places, and events throughout the book. I was particularly worried about reading about their deaths, but it was a small portion at the very end, and was handled in a tasteful way. Overall, a very insightful book on the Grand Duchesses.