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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
It truly took me a while to get through because I was going through (and still am) some personal problems and didn't feel like reading during the whole month. I decided to really put some effort into reading and finishing it before the end of the month, mainly because it is huge and I wanted to get it over with. I still read only two books in November which is the least since maybe like ten years ago but who cares, honestly. My mental health comes first. It was a really good read, though. With me you can do no wrong with the Romanovs. I read another book about them which focused more on the sisters so it was interesting to read something which focused more on the tsar and tsarina. It was also very thorough and talked about things in more details. Only putting one star down (it's difficult to rate non-fiction books because you can't rate it based on your enjoyment) because it included some historical discrepancies, mainly about age and other things which was a little annoying. I only noticed the main problems (Olga being 20 years old before the war when she was 18 at most, Maria being born in May when she was actually born in June) which were factual and I could look them up easily so who knows if there were more of them.
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
A fantastic read. History that reads like fiction, a heart wrenching story of a family. Loved the author’s writing style and fairness.
I forgot to write a review when I read this book. I enjoyed reading this book about the last Romanov rulers. Worth reading.
I wanted to like this book, and in a sense I did. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about a period of history I came to realize I knew very little about, and it gave a thorough picture into people only really spoken of in legend (Romanovs, Rasputin, Lenin, etc).
However, in an effort to be thorough the author spends so long discussing very trivial matters that it is exhausting. I hit the 50% mark and couldn't believe after all of that reading I still had so much to go. I enjoyed the writing style of the author, just not the lack of brevity around (what I at least considered) trivial matters. I hate giving up on a book I started, but at 50% I was for too interested in reading other things and wikipedia made an acceptable summary of the action yet to come.
However, in an effort to be thorough the author spends so long discussing very trivial matters that it is exhausting. I hit the 50% mark and couldn't believe after all of that reading I still had so much to go. I enjoyed the writing style of the author, just not the lack of brevity around (what I at least considered) trivial matters. I hate giving up on a book I started, but at 50% I was for too interested in reading other things and wikipedia made an acceptable summary of the action yet to come.
medium-paced
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
This is a story to which everyone knows the end, but the fascination to be had is in the slow burn of building tensions that eventually leads to the ultimate conclusion, brick by damning brick. Russian history is not a great love of mine, so there was lots of fresh and interesting information to be had here, and although the book is fifty years or so in print at this point (meaning that there are at least a few new pieces of information that are not addressed), most of the history is pieced painstakingly together from journals and letters and other contemporary accounts, and remains illuminating. The author seemed to like the people he was studying - at least, he induced me to like them as well. Even their flaws seemed to be laid out with the gentle honesty of a friend. Maybe that isn't the most objective reading of Nicholas II's reign, but as someone without a great deal of background in the subject matter, I found it more reasonable than a heated diatribe against the couple.
4.5
As I approached the final chapters, and thus the fate of the Romanov family, I grew so sad. Massie does an excellent job of creating a vivid image of Imperial Russia and the many characters who appear in the book. Massie is sympathetic to the Tsar and Tsarina and allows the reader to understand these complex historical figures. In Massie's depiction, the Tsar is a kind family man but is ultimately unable to meet the challenges Russia faced effectively. Alexandra is not an incompetent woman in over her head but a caring Mother who desperately wanted to ease the pain her son felt due to his hemophilia.
Overall, this is a very good general biography for those who are interested in the Romanov family. It explains the historical and cultural context necessary to understand this time period and is written in a very engaging way that makes it very easy to turn the pages.
As I approached the final chapters, and thus the fate of the Romanov family, I grew so sad. Massie does an excellent job of creating a vivid image of Imperial Russia and the many characters who appear in the book. Massie is sympathetic to the Tsar and Tsarina and allows the reader to understand these complex historical figures. In Massie's depiction, the Tsar is a kind family man but is ultimately unable to meet the challenges Russia faced effectively. Alexandra is not an incompetent woman in over her head but a caring Mother who desperately wanted to ease the pain her son felt due to his hemophilia.
Overall, this is a very good general biography for those who are interested in the Romanov family. It explains the historical and cultural context necessary to understand this time period and is written in a very engaging way that makes it very easy to turn the pages.
Well written and researched book that made me feel like I had actually had the chance to meet Nicky and Alix & their kids. It was interesting to think about how various factors influenced their overthrow -- they married for love, but would a different spouse have allowed Nicholas to remain as tsar, given how many Russians hated his wife for being German, or because of her devotion to Rasputin? The older daughter had the opportunity to marry and move out of Russia, and therefore would have lived, but wanted to wait to marry for love, etc.
The only part I didn't enjoy was the fact it wasn't entirely chronological & that sometimes made events a little confusing to place into a timeframe with the other events I'd learned about in other sections of the book.
In sum, well worth reading. I have a new-found interest in visiting Russia.
The only part I didn't enjoy was the fact it wasn't entirely chronological & that sometimes made events a little confusing to place into a timeframe with the other events I'd learned about in other sections of the book.
In sum, well worth reading. I have a new-found interest in visiting Russia.
Massie is great. This book brings the story of WWI alive and the tragedy of Nicholas and Alexandra and their sad lives.
Helps you understand modern day Russia a bit more.
Helps you understand modern day Russia a bit more.