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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
I read a lot of historical biographies, but this is the first one that made me cry. That is a good thing. Rappaport really paints a vivid picture of the girls' personalities and by the end of the book you not only feel like you know the Royal family but you care about them and really feel for their final days.
dark
informative
medium-paced
Read by Xe Sands
"Princess Diana's of their time"
a story of the Romanovs girls and their family.
"Princess Diana's of their time"
a story of the Romanovs girls and their family.
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.5 stars, this is fascinating and detailed and so sad. I would have liked some perspective from the peasants and lower class of the country regarding their feelings towards the Romanovs, as they are painted quite innocent and gentle here. I don't doubt that they were, and their time helping in the hospital is admirable, but I wonder how much privilege they realized they had.
Anastasia was a favorite movie when I was little, so this is even more sad knowing it is all fiction.
Anastasia was a favorite movie when I was little, so this is even more sad knowing it is all fiction.
informative
sad
medium-paced
I had an interest in the Romanov family when I was around 7 or 8 and the animated film came out, to the point I had books and photos of them and knew the gist of their story. This book really brought their story to life and I can now think of them all as individuals with their own lives and personalities rather than just the Imperial Princesses. It was very well researched and well written and I devoured it. Such a tragic end to the Romanov dynasty, but very interesting to read about the family and their daily lives. Loved the details given about Olga & Tatiana and their roles as nurses during WW1.
This book has made my work-life miserable and grouchy for weeks now. Today it ends. A sample footnote about Anastasia's dog Jim:
"The dog has often been named elsewhere as Jem or Jemmy but the Katya letters confirm its name as above. There has also been discussion - based perhaps on the faulty recall of Anna Vyrubova - that Jim belonged to Tatiana, but again Anastasia's letters to Katya make abundantly clear that the dog was hers."
Having read that, try to go back and read it again with a straight face. It can't be done. Multiply by 400 pages.
(Just saw that someone called this "fast-paced." I've been reading about their captivity in Tobolsk, which was mostly spent writing letters about how every day there was the same. For about fifty pages. Reading similar letters about how nothing is happening. Fast. Paced. Meanwhile, offstage, a hastily mentioned Revolution.)
"The dog has often been named elsewhere as Jem or Jemmy but the Katya letters confirm its name as above. There has also been discussion - based perhaps on the faulty recall of Anna Vyrubova - that Jim belonged to Tatiana, but again Anastasia's letters to Katya make abundantly clear that the dog was hers."
Having read that, try to go back and read it again with a straight face. It can't be done. Multiply by 400 pages.
(Just saw that someone called this "fast-paced." I've been reading about their captivity in Tobolsk, which was mostly spent writing letters about how every day there was the same. For about fifty pages. Reading similar letters about how nothing is happening. Fast. Paced. Meanwhile, offstage, a hastily mentioned Revolution.)
Rappaport does justice not only to the four sisters but their family too, this was such an informative and touching account of their beautiful and tragic lives (…my heart hurts now), I will definitely be reading some of her other books!