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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
I bought this book quite a while ago, along with some other his-fic on Russian royalty, but I haven’t gotten around to most of them till now. I’ve always been quite interested in the tragic Romanov family. Their story never ceases to pull on my heartstrings. With this book, The Kitchen Boy, I was particularly interested because for once, it wasn’t narrated by, or solely focusing on, the Grand Duchesses. (Maybe there are more books like that out there, but most I’ve come across have one or all of the girls as the main characters). I love the Grand Duchesses and all, but I have read their story from their perspective many times now, and kind of yearned for something a little different.
This novel is, as you you are aware by now, about the tragedy that befell the last royal family of Russia during the Russian Revolution. The time period focused on, in this book, is when the Romanovs were under house arrest in Siberia, up until their murder. What’s different about this book is that it begins by focusing on an old man named Misha, who is living in the United States, 1993. Misha feels so much remorse from the deaths of the Romanovs, even after all these years, and has decided to record his entire story on tapes for his granddaughter, so that she may know the truth. It turns out Misha’s real name is Leonka, and at the time of the Romanov’s imprisonment and death, he was a fourteen year old kitchen boy that voluntarily went into exile with them (along with a cook, a maid and some other servants). Leonka reveals the last days of the Romanov family and how, though he has been relegated to nothing more than a footnote in history books, he played his part in all of this.
It was kind of nice reading about the entire situation from an entirely different perspective. I’ve become quite familiar with the story of the Romanovs, so there’s always that risk, when I pick up a novel about them, that I’ll just be reading about the same things I’ve read about in other books, just slightly different perhaps. And of course, I did find the novel’s events for the most part quite predictable since I’ve read so many books about them and read up on the historical facts as well. So it’s nice reading about things I am familiar with from an unfamiliar perspective.
I really liked this book because the main narrator is not someone from the Romanov family, but rather, a loyal servant. Leonka is just a kid and doesn’t really know what’s going on but he is so fiercely loyal to the Romanovs — not because they are/were royalty (though that certainly plays a role), but because he sees them as genuinely lovely people who don’t deserve this treatment. Leonka also acknowledges that perhaps the Tsar and Tsarita, being the way they are, were not the best rulers, but certainly, they were wonderful people who loved Russia.
What I also really liked about this book was how it incorporated a lot of real diaries and letter entries that the royal family sent and received. Since this book is Misha/Leonka talking to a tape recorder, he is able to include these entries which are now archived in Moscow and the States. I thought that was really cool. I’m under the impression these are the real, actual diary entries and letters, which add some authenticity to this book.
I also really enjoyed the ending, even though it is obviously completely made up. It did kind of make me feel happier after all that gloom and doom. I don’t want to reveal anything, but the ending is a bit of a twist. It involves Misha’s granddaughter finding the tapes and her own reactions towards it. I really liked that because before the ending, the story seemed too straightforward. When the secret is revealed at the end, it adds to the many layers of complexities, and secrets, that the death of the Romanovs hold.
This novel is, as you you are aware by now, about the tragedy that befell the last royal family of Russia during the Russian Revolution. The time period focused on, in this book, is when the Romanovs were under house arrest in Siberia, up until their murder. What’s different about this book is that it begins by focusing on an old man named Misha, who is living in the United States, 1993. Misha feels so much remorse from the deaths of the Romanovs, even after all these years, and has decided to record his entire story on tapes for his granddaughter, so that she may know the truth. It turns out Misha’s real name is Leonka, and at the time of the Romanov’s imprisonment and death, he was a fourteen year old kitchen boy that voluntarily went into exile with them (along with a cook, a maid and some other servants). Leonka reveals the last days of the Romanov family and how, though he has been relegated to nothing more than a footnote in history books, he played his part in all of this.
It was kind of nice reading about the entire situation from an entirely different perspective. I’ve become quite familiar with the story of the Romanovs, so there’s always that risk, when I pick up a novel about them, that I’ll just be reading about the same things I’ve read about in other books, just slightly different perhaps. And of course, I did find the novel’s events for the most part quite predictable since I’ve read so many books about them and read up on the historical facts as well. So it’s nice reading about things I am familiar with from an unfamiliar perspective.
I really liked this book because the main narrator is not someone from the Romanov family, but rather, a loyal servant. Leonka is just a kid and doesn’t really know what’s going on but he is so fiercely loyal to the Romanovs — not because they are/were royalty (though that certainly plays a role), but because he sees them as genuinely lovely people who don’t deserve this treatment. Leonka also acknowledges that perhaps the Tsar and Tsarita, being the way they are, were not the best rulers, but certainly, they were wonderful people who loved Russia.
What I also really liked about this book was how it incorporated a lot of real diaries and letter entries that the royal family sent and received. Since this book is Misha/Leonka talking to a tape recorder, he is able to include these entries which are now archived in Moscow and the States. I thought that was really cool. I’m under the impression these are the real, actual diary entries and letters, which add some authenticity to this book.
I also really enjoyed the ending, even though it is obviously completely made up. It did kind of make me feel happier after all that gloom and doom. I don’t want to reveal anything, but the ending is a bit of a twist. It involves Misha’s granddaughter finding the tapes and her own reactions towards it. I really liked that because before the ending, the story seemed too straightforward. When the secret is revealed at the end, it adds to the many layers of complexities, and secrets, that the death of the Romanovs hold.
Well, this was certainly an interesting twist on the tale of the end of the Romanovs. I really had no idea how it was going to play out until the very end. Now I'm rather confused as to who my narrator really was. Huh.
I'm not a big fan of historical fiction, even though I have one or two books of this genre that I really love. I prefer to live in the "how" rather than in "what if". About the first third of the book, I didn't like this one either because it is advertised as something where you can feel the happenings of the last days of the last tsar through the eyes of a mere kitchen boy, but all I could see through the lines was a middle-aged American writer with his American views and style. Now, I was raised on the great Russian literature, where there is a distinct representation of "simple people", countrymen or kitchen boys. They may not have the intellectual knowledge, but they have a big heart, a big soul and a big philosophical wisdom. And even if this kitchen boy fled to America and learned more facts, this simple wisdom, this heart doesn't just go away. To me, he sounded much more like a researcher, not the person who thinks back and in a way projects himself back into this kitchen boy. He piles up facts, like: this is now in this museum and that is in that museum, and you, reader, can check it out afterwards. And I don't need facts, I learned them at school. And from the news. I want a believable character. Later in the book, I think, he gets a bit more philosophical, a bit more Russian. And the prospective changes very much of course at the end of the book when we realize that he was actually on the other side for a while. On the Red side. The Reds are more people of action and are more eager to give critics to the tsars, even if they end up to be on their side in the end. So that made me more in peace with the representation of the character, even if he still doesn't seem quite Russian to me and too researcher-like. But what I absolutely loved was the detective part of the story. It was exiting and still unexpected, even though I learned of course at school the rumors about Mary being alive. All in all, even tough parts of the story weren't how I felt them, I was left with a positive experience and with more knowledge both about the theme and about myself. And that's what I like about books.
good good, intriguing, and i read this a long time ago but it kept coming back to my mind because the storyline and the way it's written are really captivating. i didn't remember the exact title but i fooooound it.
I wanted to give this book four stars because of the great twist at the end, but overall I found it a bit redundant. I did not know much about the Romanov family history prior, so I did find the story interesting.
Hard to rate because the first half of the book was a 3 (repetitive, didn't add much to the story, slow) and the second half was a 5 (entertaining, unexpected twists, character development).
I don't like historical fiction based around real people, but I like this story.
I don't like historical fiction based around real people, but I like this story.
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Wow. I am absolutely blown away. By no means did I expect this book to be so wonderful, especially considering that it’s genre, historical fiction, is not a favorite of mine or one that I frequent regularly. But… fictionally exploring the history of the Romanovs? I just couldn’t pass it up.
Like many of you, watching the movie Anastasia as a child (no matter how historically inaccurate it may be, one must admit, it is a great movie!) sparked an interest in me for this fascinating royal family who was so gruesomely murdered that fateful July in 1918. The Kitchen Boy so perfectly gave me a window into the culture surrounding the Romanovs and also each family member’s personality and background.
I particularly enjoyed the beautiful incorporation of the Russian language in a way that was still easy to understand, as well as the use of historical documents and facts (letters, names of people, circumstances, etc). The book was both incredibly accurate and well-researched while also having touches of fictional wonder, including the major plot twist at the end which had me flipping the pages (on my Kindle nonetheless) like a crazy person.
Highly recommend. 4.5 stars (I seriously debated giving it 5 but decided on 4.5 because, as other reviewers have mentioned, some of the book was a bit repetitive and drawn out… but I promise the end is worth it all!)
Like many of you, watching the movie Anastasia as a child (no matter how historically inaccurate it may be, one must admit, it is a great movie!) sparked an interest in me for this fascinating royal family who was so gruesomely murdered that fateful July in 1918. The Kitchen Boy so perfectly gave me a window into the culture surrounding the Romanovs and also each family member’s personality and background.
I particularly enjoyed the beautiful incorporation of the Russian language in a way that was still easy to understand, as well as the use of historical documents and facts (letters, names of people, circumstances, etc). The book was both incredibly accurate and well-researched while also having touches of fictional wonder, including the major plot twist at the end which had me flipping the pages (on my Kindle nonetheless) like a crazy person.
Highly recommend. 4.5 stars (I seriously debated giving it 5 but decided on 4.5 because, as other reviewers have mentioned, some of the book was a bit repetitive and drawn out… but I promise the end is worth it all!)