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236 reviews for:
Nicolau e Alexandra: O relato clássico da queda da dinastia Romanov
Robert K. Massie, Angela Lobo de Andrade
4.28 AVERAGE
236 reviews for:
Nicolau e Alexandra: O relato clássico da queda da dinastia Romanov
Robert K. Massie, Angela Lobo de Andrade
4.28 AVERAGE
I needed to read a book about a world leader for the 2020 Pop Sugar Reading challenge so i ended up choosing this one. At the 40% mark, I decided to call it quits. This is a THOROUGH deep dive into Russia around 1900-1918. I realize that it is hard to condense books like this but it really felt as if Massie had researched this subject and then put ALL OF IT into his book. It just felt dense . There is so much military history which is definitely not my jam. I felt deflated before I'd even pick it up to keep reading and finally just called it done. I don't recommend this.
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
I don’t have a lot to say here as I’m not sure if I’m qualified to review this book as it was the first piece of nonfiction I’ve read in years. It definitely wasn’t an easy read (but that’s because it’s academic) and some chapters (like the military ones) were harder than others, but parts of it were, I guess the right word would be, enjoyable.
I liked learning about OTMA and Alexis. And I enjoyed reading about Nicholas and Alexandra as a father and mother to their kids. The look this book gives into the character and personal lives of the Imperial Family—all backed by primary sources—was fascinating. To learn of their personalities and especially their strong faith was inspiring. I also loved learning about Pierre Gilliard’s devotion to the family.
Does the book prove its point? I think yes and no. In the beginning, the author tells you that he’s laying out the case to show how Alexis’s hemophilia is the silent catalyst behind most of how the story unfolds. And I agree he’s correct in this—Alexandra would never have been so desperate to put her faith in a man like Gregory Rasputin if she hadn’t felt like her own efforts and prayers as a mother were in vain. She never would have been vulnerable enough for this narcissist to take advantage of if she hadn’t been overwhelmed by love and desperation for her son. And even the Romanov dynasty might have survived in power if Nicholas had felt he could have abdicated the throne to his son, but he didn’t because of Alexis’s disease. On this point, I think the author proved his point.
The cover of the book, and the marketing of it, however, sells the main argument as Nicholas and Alexandra’s love for each other that destroyed the dynasty. I think this is a bit of a stretch (and clearly a marketing misstep since it’s not what the author clearly tells you his goal is). This book does give a fascinating look at the relationship between Nicholas and Alexandra—and it’s certainly heartwarming how much these two loved and trusted each other especially with everything going on around them and the cultural norms of society at the time—but it doesn’t really argue it’s their love story that ruined Russia (unless of course you’re making the argument that had they never gotten together, hemophilia would never have been a problem, but that’s really sinister.)
If you’re a typical fiction reader looking to challenge yourself, I feel this is a good choice. If you’re a nonfiction reader, you’ll probably thoroughly enjoy this.
I liked learning about OTMA and Alexis. And I enjoyed reading about Nicholas and Alexandra as a father and mother to their kids. The look this book gives into the character and personal lives of the Imperial Family—all backed by primary sources—was fascinating. To learn of their personalities and especially their strong faith was inspiring. I also loved learning about Pierre Gilliard’s devotion to the family.
Does the book prove its point? I think yes and no. In the beginning, the author tells you that he’s laying out the case to show how Alexis’s hemophilia is the silent catalyst behind most of how the story unfolds. And I agree he’s correct in this—Alexandra would never have been so desperate to put her faith in a man like Gregory Rasputin if she hadn’t felt like her own efforts and prayers as a mother were in vain. She never would have been vulnerable enough for this narcissist to take advantage of if she hadn’t been overwhelmed by love and desperation for her son. And even the Romanov dynasty might have survived in power if Nicholas had felt he could have abdicated the throne to his son, but he didn’t because of Alexis’s disease. On this point, I think the author proved his point.
The cover of the book, and the marketing of it, however, sells the main argument as Nicholas and Alexandra’s love for each other that destroyed the dynasty. I think this is a bit of a stretch (and clearly a marketing misstep since it’s not what the author clearly tells you his goal is). This book does give a fascinating look at the relationship between Nicholas and Alexandra—and it’s certainly heartwarming how much these two loved and trusted each other especially with everything going on around them and the cultural norms of society at the time—but it doesn’t really argue it’s their love story that ruined Russia (unless of course you’re making the argument that had they never gotten together, hemophilia would never have been a problem, but that’s really sinister.)
If you’re a typical fiction reader looking to challenge yourself, I feel this is a good choice. If you’re a nonfiction reader, you’ll probably thoroughly enjoy this.
informative
medium-paced
Perhaps a bit too sympathetic to the Romanovs, but at the same time, a good contrast to books that seem to despise Nicholas and Alexandra while devoting a thousand pages to their plight. Massie makes the story fly by, almost like sitting down and having an older relative tell you the stories of yesteryear.
challenging
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
I didn't have any massive hope when I picked this book up, thinking that since this book was published some years ago, I figured some of the contents would be irrelevant or nothing new to me, but, boy, was I always wrong over and over again when I judged a book before I read it. This book is amazing! First off, don't lead the title fool you, this book does not centre its stories only on Nicholas and Alexandra, though they were definitely the centre of attention, but it covers massively about the turmoil and the history that centres Russia before, during, and ultimately (a little bit of) the end of World War I. It also tells a bit about the history of the early Romanovs, the Russian Orthodox Church, some historical key figures during the captures of the Imperial family that we were familiar with the names but didn't get to know more. What's amazing was the fact that it also tells about what had become of these people after the execution of the Imperial family.
I like the fact that this book started of as trying to understand a family's struggle in having a hemophiliac son (seeing that the writer also had a hemophiliac son), it expands beautifully into a weave of intricate piece of history. The story-telling was very smooth, that at some point I thought I was reading a novel instead of a history book. It also puts Empress Alexandra in a light that everyone at that time seen her, but reading about in this new century it still brought question about her true nature in the last years before the Tsar's abdication. And true to every story about this particular Imperial family, there will always be a story about the ever mysterious figure of Rasputin. People perceive him as this evil looming figure of the downfall of the Romanov dynasty, but at the same time he was surrounded by this huge shroud of mystery that even today no one can definitely say for sure of his true nature. Not to mention his last letter to the Tsar before his murder, whatever does that mean? No one will no for sure. Luckily for me, the author took the time in telling Rasputin layer by layer while still leaving it up to the reader what to make of Rasputin's role in Russia.
For me personally, though he may not be the Man of God that the Empress see him to be, he definitely was not that cunning in trying to actually bringing the dynasty down for political reason.
I like the fact that this book started of as trying to understand a family's struggle in having a hemophiliac son (seeing that the writer also had a hemophiliac son), it expands beautifully into a weave of intricate piece of history. The story-telling was very smooth, that at some point I thought I was reading a novel instead of a history book. It also puts Empress Alexandra in a light that everyone at that time seen her, but reading about in this new century it still brought question about her true nature in the last years before the Tsar's abdication. And true to every story about this particular Imperial family, there will always be a story about the ever mysterious figure of Rasputin. People perceive him as this evil looming figure of the downfall of the Romanov dynasty, but at the same time he was surrounded by this huge shroud of mystery that even today no one can definitely say for sure of his true nature. Not to mention his last letter to the Tsar before his murder, whatever does that mean? No one will no for sure. Luckily for me, the author took the time in telling Rasputin layer by layer while still leaving it up to the reader what to make of Rasputin's role in Russia.
For me personally, though he may not be the Man of God that the Empress see him to be, he definitely was not that cunning in trying to actually bringing the dynasty down for political reason.
Emotionally heartbreaking and tragic story of two beautiful and worthy people and their children, who in any other country would be respected and appreciated, but in Russia they were tortured and brutally killed by the monsters, who called themselves Bolsheviks and who later slayed millions of people and tortured in camps even more. Humanity is pitiful, if it allowed such monsters to exist for so many years.