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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
Loved it! I read this without knowing too much about the Romanovs and their imprisonment and subsequent execution. Well, I knew enough to understand what happened and (sort of) why, but this book definitely piqued my interest and has made me curious to read more, and more factual, accounts of this time period. This was a great read, and a quick one, too.
Tantas vezes procurei este livro na biblioteca, mas estava sempre indisponível. Finalmente apanhei-o e, oh, fantástico!
Este livro foi realmente algo! Eu sabia que realmente ainda havia algo por descobrir!
É uma leitura dolorosa, mas aquele epílogo foi realmente bom. Factos misturados com a imaginação nem sempre correm bem, no entanto, acho que resultaram neste livro. Há quem ache que possa ser demasiado o final escolhido pelo autor, mesmo que seja, esta lufada de esperança foi realmente saborosa no fim.
O facto de eu pouco saber sobre esta família, para além do óbvio, ajudou a manter-me interessada e agarrada à história. Definitivamente quero ler mais sobre os Romanov.
Este livro foi realmente algo! Eu sabia que realmente ainda havia algo por descobrir!
É uma leitura dolorosa, mas aquele epílogo foi realmente bom. Factos misturados com a imaginação nem sempre correm bem, no entanto, acho que resultaram neste livro. Há quem ache que possa ser demasiado o final escolhido pelo autor, mesmo que seja, esta lufada de esperança foi realmente saborosa no fim.
O facto de eu pouco saber sobre esta família, para além do óbvio, ajudou a manter-me interessada e agarrada à história. Definitivamente quero ler mais sobre os Romanov.
sad
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
It’s an interesting way to tell a historical event. The mingling of truth and fiction is still difficult for me to read. My problem though, not the book.
I am in no way a history buff, but this period in Russian history has always interested me. Ever since I saw an A&E special years ago on the Last Tsar I was hooked. The story of the Royal Family, their rise and fall is incredibly intriguing; it's full of mystery, strange twists, fantastic characters and unanswered questions.
The Kitchen Boy had the potential to take an already amazing story and make it a spectacular read. But author Robert Alexander (who has written many non-fiction books on the same subject) did not take it far enough or make it interesting enough for my tastes. The novel reads like a work of non-fiction, a recollection of historic facts with some unspectacular dialogue thrown in. There's an interesting twist at the end (enough to categorize this as a work of fiction) but it's not enough to redeem the 200-pages that come before it. The book does well to showcase Alexander's extremely deep well of knowledge on the last days of the Romanovs, but he could have paid better tribute by simply sticking with the history texts.
The Kitchen Boy had the potential to take an already amazing story and make it a spectacular read. But author Robert Alexander (who has written many non-fiction books on the same subject) did not take it far enough or make it interesting enough for my tastes. The novel reads like a work of non-fiction, a recollection of historic facts with some unspectacular dialogue thrown in. There's an interesting twist at the end (enough to categorize this as a work of fiction) but it's not enough to redeem the 200-pages that come before it. The book does well to showcase Alexander's extremely deep well of knowledge on the last days of the Romanovs, but he could have paid better tribute by simply sticking with the history texts.
I really expected this book to be good, or at least interesting. Needless to say, I am extremely disappointed.
Most of the novel is very repetitive. Basically, all we get are endless descriptions of how the Romanovs hid their jewels, how expensive they were, and what good, brilliant people the Emperor and the Empress were. According to the author, they were simply misguided. Having in mind that their rule was marked by extreme poverty and hunger, after such statements I just couldn't take this book seriously.
Still, I would have given it 2 stars had it not been for the ending. The last 20 or so pages include probably the worst plot twist I've ever heard of. It's not just unrealistic - it's stupid and pointless.
Most of the novel is very repetitive. Basically, all we get are endless descriptions of how the Romanovs hid their jewels, how expensive they were, and what good, brilliant people the Emperor and the Empress were. According to the author, they were simply misguided. Having in mind that their rule was marked by extreme poverty and hunger, after such statements I just couldn't take this book seriously.
Still, I would have given it 2 stars had it not been for the ending. The last 20 or so pages include probably the worst plot twist I've ever heard of. It's not just unrealistic - it's stupid and pointless.
I feel like it could have been better. It was nice, but it needed more depth, I think. So many aspects of the story was left unexplored, and I think that the ending was so hastily done just for the sake of adding a twist, that ultimately, it ruined the book for me. It was a nice read, but not at all the most encompassing of historical literature that I have read in a while. Almost, but not quite.
This extremely well written novel reads like a true life adventure story. It's a tale of the murder of the Russian imperial family in 1918 in their place of exile in Siberia, told by one of the people who was present at the time. The plot ranges from revolutionary times up to the present day, and involves a deep, dark mystery: why were two of the bodies never discovered? The reader is quickly drawn into the story, and the writing is such that, even though you know the terrible fate which awaits the last Tsar and his family, you keep hoping the ending will be different. This last part of the book is excellent with some unexpected plot twists, which brings the tale to a bittersweet conclusion.
The author often is lengthy in his writing and provides the reader with a rich feel for Russian culture and history.
While Alexander tells a fictional story he does so while drawing heavily from historical events. Real people did real things, and some of those things were heinous. Looking back through nearly 100 years of history it is easy to see what was not clear then, which is that in murdering the Romanovs the Bolsheviks were revealing their true colors as ruthless murderers, willing to do anything to grasp and maintain power. And in doing so they paved the way for profound brutality and ruthlessness that continue today.
The author often is lengthy in his writing and provides the reader with a rich feel for Russian culture and history.
While Alexander tells a fictional story he does so while drawing heavily from historical events. Real people did real things, and some of those things were heinous. Looking back through nearly 100 years of history it is easy to see what was not clear then, which is that in murdering the Romanovs the Bolsheviks were revealing their true colors as ruthless murderers, willing to do anything to grasp and maintain power. And in doing so they paved the way for profound brutality and ruthlessness that continue today.
Maybe a 4.5 but I boosted it to 5 because the author did an incredible amount of research and gained access to private Russian archives to hunt down facts for this fictionalized account of the last days of the Romanovs. This book did what good historical novels should do; it made me curious about the actual history surrounding the time period while also providing an entertaining story.
This was very good historical fiction. I'm fascinated by royalty especially the Romanov family since they met such a mysterious demise.