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237 reviews for:
Nicolau e Alexandra: O relato clássico da queda da dinastia Romanov
Robert K. Massie, Angela Lobo de Andrade
4.28 AVERAGE
237 reviews for:
Nicolau e Alexandra: O relato clássico da queda da dinastia Romanov
Robert K. Massie, Angela Lobo de Andrade
4.28 AVERAGE
Even if this book was written in 1967, it doesn't matter since the events it covers all happened a long time before that date. It was a very interesting read, I wanted to read this because I read [b:The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar|95141|The Kitchen Boy A Novel of the Last Tsar|Robert Alexander|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348060282s/95141.jpg|91726] and I found the fictitious part of the story very good, but I wanted to read the "real" story of the last Tsar. Mr. Massie did a good job, his style of writing is very interesting and his research was very well done. I think today we can answer some of the questions the book asks at the end, but it doesn't change the tragedy of the Romanovs lives... Yes, major mistakes on their part were made, but mostly they tried their best with what they were taught and history wouldn't be the same without that dynasty (300 years cannot be erased and I'm against revisionism and that has happened with the URSS since its fall).
Intimidated by his namesake 'herculean father', young Nicholas dreaded the inevitable day he would become Tsar. We are introduced to the Romanov dynasty before Nicholas II becomes Tsar. Instead, we get to know both him and his future wife, Alexandra as they grew up in their respective circles of royalty and privilege. Essentially you receive biographies of each, which, albeit bored me a smidge at first, but it really provided foundational understanding of who they are as people. We learn what drives them, what fears they have and how the two meet and, eventually, blend together. These are all important facets of the Romanov story that has magnetically drawn people.
Massie writes their stories as if it is fiction. While the Romanov dynasty has proven to be interesting on its own, he lyrically narrates their lives with aplomb. As a beginner in the world of historical reading and historical-fiction (which this is not), this is a great book for those who are wanting to dabble more into histories. I'd be certain that Massie is able to enrapture readers with any level of interest in history. I'll be sure to check out his other works.
Dazzling in royal opulence, thick with tradition and national pride, Nicholas and Alexandra desperately clung to their autocracy. I watched as Nicholas fought to keep the throne during a time when Russia was laboring under the ill effects of the Crimean War: food supplies running short when the population was doubling, and a new class of impoverished industrial workers. The timing for Nicholas' seat on the throne couldn't have been worse, especially for a man who didn't even want to be Tsar in the first place. As history tells us, from the Crimean War, to Bloody Sunday, to the Russian Revolution, and World War I all within just mere years of each other, the Russia that Nicholas was to rule over was falling to pieces quickly.
The story gains momentum as we see the fall of Russian autocracy and the rise of the Bolshevik revolution as Vladimir Lenin upstages the Romanov dynasty, bringing communism in the stead of autocracy in a style as violent as it was quick.
The secret of little Alexei's hemophilia was kept for quite a while, and is the driving force between the dependence Empress Alexandra has with the chilling Gregory Rasputin. I'll say no more because, truly, that thread of the story is captivating and weaved well by Massie. You'll have to read it yourself.
As diamonds and gowns are bled out from the Imperial family, we continue to follow them through the dark times as Nicholas steps down from the throne and he and his family are led through a horrifying series of, essentially, imprisonment camps. As the Bolshevik's gained momentum and Nicholas stepped away from the title of Tsar, the ending for the Romanov's was never going to end in their well being.
Authoritative and spell-binding. If you've the slightest interest in the Romanov's, you'll not regret reading this one.
Massie writes their stories as if it is fiction. While the Romanov dynasty has proven to be interesting on its own, he lyrically narrates their lives with aplomb. As a beginner in the world of historical reading and historical-fiction (which this is not), this is a great book for those who are wanting to dabble more into histories. I'd be certain that Massie is able to enrapture readers with any level of interest in history. I'll be sure to check out his other works.
Dazzling in royal opulence, thick with tradition and national pride, Nicholas and Alexandra desperately clung to their autocracy. I watched as Nicholas fought to keep the throne during a time when Russia was laboring under the ill effects of the Crimean War: food supplies running short when the population was doubling, and a new class of impoverished industrial workers. The timing for Nicholas' seat on the throne couldn't have been worse, especially for a man who didn't even want to be Tsar in the first place. As history tells us, from the Crimean War, to Bloody Sunday, to the Russian Revolution, and World War I all within just mere years of each other, the Russia that Nicholas was to rule over was falling to pieces quickly.
The story gains momentum as we see the fall of Russian autocracy and the rise of the Bolshevik revolution as Vladimir Lenin upstages the Romanov dynasty, bringing communism in the stead of autocracy in a style as violent as it was quick.
The secret of little Alexei's hemophilia was kept for quite a while, and is the driving force between the dependence Empress Alexandra has with the chilling Gregory Rasputin. I'll say no more because, truly, that thread of the story is captivating and weaved well by Massie. You'll have to read it yourself.
As diamonds and gowns are bled out from the Imperial family, we continue to follow them through the dark times as Nicholas steps down from the throne and he and his family are led through a horrifying series of, essentially, imprisonment camps. As the Bolshevik's gained momentum and Nicholas stepped away from the title of Tsar, the ending for the Romanov's was never going to end in their well being.
Authoritative and spell-binding. If you've the slightest interest in the Romanov's, you'll not regret reading this one.
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
Nicholas and Alexandra is a hefty book filled with tiny print, and it took me awhile to get through it, but it was definitely worth it. I haven't studied much Russian history, so this book was filled with new things for me to learn. Massie shows that the fate of the Russian Revolution was greatly affected by the fact that the heir to the Russian throne, Tsarevich Alexis, was born with hemophilia. His frequent near-death experiences made his tormented mother Alexandra susceptible to the influence of the "mad monk" Rasputin, who admittedly was repeatedly (and inexplicably) able to brink Alexis back from the brink of the grave. Alexandra and Tsar Nicholas had a strong marriage, and ruled together as true autocrats, so by gaining their confidence, and then dependence, Rasputin was able to wield inordinate power. Particularly when Nicholas was at the front during World War I, and Alexandra was ruling alone in St. Petersburg, the entire government was reorganized based solely on personal allegiance to the "holy man" (whose perpetual sexual depravities were then evident to everyone but the loyal Empress). This led to a government staffed by unqualified toadies, who proved completely unable to defuse the revolutionary proletariat. And into this vacuum stepped Lenin, and the rest is history.
So did Tsarevich Alexis's hemophilia cause the Russian Revolution? Of course there are many factors to be considered, but Massie makes a compelling case that one boy's genetic misfortune ultimately doomed the Imperial system. The partial revolution of 1905 and the creation of the Duma was moving Russia toward a "responsible government" before World War I. As late as 1916 Lenin wrote that he believed the revolutionary tension had been defused and that the rise of the proletariat would not happen in his lifetime. As Massie writes, "Had it not been for the agony of Alexis's hemophilia, had it not been for the desperation which made his mother turn to Rasputin, first to save her son, then to save the pure autocracy, might not Nicholas II have continued retreating into the role of constitutional monarch so happily filled by his cousin King George V? It might have happened." And how different the world might have been...
So did Tsarevich Alexis's hemophilia cause the Russian Revolution? Of course there are many factors to be considered, but Massie makes a compelling case that one boy's genetic misfortune ultimately doomed the Imperial system. The partial revolution of 1905 and the creation of the Duma was moving Russia toward a "responsible government" before World War I. As late as 1916 Lenin wrote that he believed the revolutionary tension had been defused and that the rise of the proletariat would not happen in his lifetime. As Massie writes, "Had it not been for the agony of Alexis's hemophilia, had it not been for the desperation which made his mother turn to Rasputin, first to save her son, then to save the pure autocracy, might not Nicholas II have continued retreating into the role of constitutional monarch so happily filled by his cousin King George V? It might have happened." And how different the world might have been...
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
It was very interesting and I view I'd not heard before that the blame for the fall of the Romanov dynasty was placed on Alexandra's shoulders. After reading this, I agree, sadly.
Although an interesting real story, there were too many details for everything and it made a slow and boring read.
didn't see this ending coming. little bit yucky. otherwise, v well written
emotional
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
This is one of those books that I have been meaning to read for what feels like forever, and now I finally have I wish I'd read it earlier. Massie is one of those authors who makes history not feel like history - he really brings it to life and makes it feel real and immediate. Reading this book, I really felt like I was reading about people, real flesh and blood people with thoughts and feelings and dreams. Too often history reduces people to 'historical figures', cyphers for the great events surrounding them.
And I liked these people, especially Nicholas. He definitely seems like one of those figures from history for whom inheriting a crown was possibly the worst thing for him. He reminds me of King Stephen in a lot of ways - he lost so much when he won the crown. Nicholas comes across as such a good kind man - a loving husband, a wonderful father, a man who truly and deeply loved hisw country and wanted the best for her. But he was not a good Tsar, he was not a good leader. I found myself reading this book with increasing dread, knowing what was coming and wanting it to be different, for his sake.
What I found most fascinating about this book is how history can come down to the smallest of things. 'For the want of a nail', and all that. That one small boy's suffering and misfortune could shape the fate of the world... With Alexis' haemophilia there would have been no Rasputin; without his influence Alexandra would not have interfered in government so much; there would have been more stability, and the hatred that deflected from her to the rest of the family wouldn't have been so vicious and corrosive; had Nicholas not felt he needed to fight for his son's inheritance because his son was too weak to do it himself, Russia might have drifted naturally from autocracy to the kind of constitutional monarchy that England had. Had the monarchy not fallen there would have been no Revolution, no Bolsheviks, no Lenin and Stalin, no Soviet Union - and who knows what the world would have been then?
And I liked these people, especially Nicholas. He definitely seems like one of those figures from history for whom inheriting a crown was possibly the worst thing for him. He reminds me of King Stephen in a lot of ways - he lost so much when he won the crown. Nicholas comes across as such a good kind man - a loving husband, a wonderful father, a man who truly and deeply loved hisw country and wanted the best for her. But he was not a good Tsar, he was not a good leader. I found myself reading this book with increasing dread, knowing what was coming and wanting it to be different, for his sake.
What I found most fascinating about this book is how history can come down to the smallest of things. 'For the want of a nail', and all that. That one small boy's suffering and misfortune could shape the fate of the world... With Alexis' haemophilia there would have been no Rasputin; without his influence Alexandra would not have interfered in government so much; there would have been more stability, and the hatred that deflected from her to the rest of the family wouldn't have been so vicious and corrosive; had Nicholas not felt he needed to fight for his son's inheritance because his son was too weak to do it himself, Russia might have drifted naturally from autocracy to the kind of constitutional monarchy that England had. Had the monarchy not fallen there would have been no Revolution, no Bolsheviks, no Lenin and Stalin, no Soviet Union - and who knows what the world would have been then?
I liked the book, though at times it felt like just another account of the Russian revolution, what angered me was the total disregard for Anastasia, she was such a huge part of the family, there was only a paragraph written about her! Someone needs to write an updated book.