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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
The funny thing about this book is that as I read it my rating of it fluctuated rapidly and broadly, from one star to five stars and back and back and back again. And that's a little strange as there isn't a whole lot that happens in the novel. The story is an imagining of the Romanov family's last days while imprisoned in Yekaterinburg. After some thought, I finally ended up deciding that I kind of loved this book.
The bulk of the novel consists of in-depth descriptions of the Tzarist family's days spent in imprisonment, of the narrator reminiscing and discussing the revolution and his feelings regarding the royals. #1 important kudos to the author: his research is impeccable. This is someone who didn't just read some books and talk to some folks, Alexander really immersed himself in Russian culture and history and it shines through brilliantly in this novel.
The things that made me consider giving this book a one star rating can be spoilers for the novel, so I won't mention any specifics, but just know that I was preparing my scathing review of this book tearing it apart bit by bit, citing references in footnotes and bibliography, and shaming Alexander for portraying the story in such biased shades of black and white when history clearly shows facts to the contrary. And then I read the ending, which not only redeemed Alexander's lack of bias, but showed what a skilled author he is. He committed himself so well to his narrator that he convinced me that his beliefs were Alexander's own. While I'd spend so much of the book thinking, "OMG, you're an idiot, how can you write such things when history clearly shows 'this' and 'this' and 'this' to the contrary?" by the end, I was like, "Ooohhhh, no wonder! You're not presenting a one-sided story, you're presenting a realistic portrayal of your character. Well done, my good sir!"
****However, a note of caution to the reader who doesn't know very much about turn of the century Russian history: this book does present a very biased view of the Tzarist family. This is not fact! This book is a work of fiction, so please keep that in mind. Keep your narrator and his motivations in mind as well. I really wish Alexander would have found a way to work in the causes of the Russian Revolution and not gloss over the "slight shortcomings" of the Tzar. I mean, the guy essentially murdered his own people. He let them starve, he allowed them to be worked to death, his imperial guard shot them down in peaceful demonstration when they came to beseech their Batushka Tzar's help and asylum. Lenin is called a murderer and is painted in the blackest of lights with 0 explanation for why he was brought to the cause to begin with. His orders killed children, but the Tzars orders did as well, including Lenin's brother who, like the Romanovs, was a political prisoner, just on the opposite side of things. The same way that Communist Russia painted the Tzar as evil, this book paints the Commies or "the Reds" as evil and cruel and heartless. Again, I wish Alexander was more careful with his shades of black and white and would have explained some of the gray area of the Revolution. Which is why The Kitchen Boy is receiving 4 stars from me instead of 5.****
But, overall, this was a very fun read. The ending is suspenseful, almost to the last page and while the book is not 100% accurate historically, it also doesn't necessarily lie.
The bulk of the novel consists of in-depth descriptions of the Tzarist family's days spent in imprisonment, of the narrator reminiscing and discussing the revolution and his feelings regarding the royals. #1 important kudos to the author: his research is impeccable. This is someone who didn't just read some books and talk to some folks, Alexander really immersed himself in Russian culture and history and it shines through brilliantly in this novel.
The things that made me consider giving this book a one star rating can be spoilers for the novel, so I won't mention any specifics, but just know that I was preparing my scathing review of this book tearing it apart bit by bit, citing references in footnotes and bibliography, and shaming Alexander for portraying the story in such biased shades of black and white when history clearly shows facts to the contrary. And then I read the ending, which not only redeemed Alexander's lack of bias, but showed what a skilled author he is. He committed himself so well to his narrator that he convinced me that his beliefs were Alexander's own. While I'd spend so much of the book thinking, "OMG, you're an idiot, how can you write such things when history clearly shows 'this' and 'this' and 'this' to the contrary?" by the end, I was like, "Ooohhhh, no wonder! You're not presenting a one-sided story, you're presenting a realistic portrayal of your character. Well done, my good sir!"
****However, a note of caution to the reader who doesn't know very much about turn of the century Russian history: this book does present a very biased view of the Tzarist family. This is not fact! This book is a work of fiction, so please keep that in mind. Keep your narrator and his motivations in mind as well. I really wish Alexander would have found a way to work in the causes of the Russian Revolution and not gloss over the "slight shortcomings" of the Tzar. I mean, the guy essentially murdered his own people. He let them starve, he allowed them to be worked to death, his imperial guard shot them down in peaceful demonstration when they came to beseech their Batushka Tzar's help and asylum. Lenin is called a murderer and is painted in the blackest of lights with 0 explanation for why he was brought to the cause to begin with. His orders killed children, but the Tzars orders did as well, including Lenin's brother who, like the Romanovs, was a political prisoner, just on the opposite side of things. The same way that Communist Russia painted the Tzar as evil, this book paints the Commies or "the Reds" as evil and cruel and heartless. Again, I wish Alexander was more careful with his shades of black and white and would have explained some of the gray area of the Revolution. Which is why The Kitchen Boy is receiving 4 stars from me instead of 5.****
But, overall, this was a very fun read. The ending is suspenseful, almost to the last page and while the book is not 100% accurate historically, it also doesn't necessarily lie.
This book was written in 2003 at a time when most of the Romanov bodies had been recovered, but two bodies were still missing. The bodies of Alexei and and Maria were found and identified using DNA in 2007. Reading through other reviews I have found that some people don't think the author provided closure because he didn't explain the discovery of those two bodies. If you are reading this book after 2007, just imagine that those final two bodies are still missing.
A couple of reviews seemed concerned that the author didn't mention Anastasia's escape, and that is because by the time this book was written, her body had been discovered, identified, and re-interred. So if you are looking for a fictional account of the happy escape of Anastasia, this will not be the book for you.
If you love history - especially Russian history, you will probably enjoy this book. If you aren't big on history, you may not like this book because it is packed with historical details, including letters recovered and archived in Russia. However, it isn't just a set of dry historical facts because Alexander creates such a sense of place of and well-developed characters. I found I didn't want to stop reading. I also felt this book blended history and fiction very effectively.
I loved that Misha constantly struggled with his perception of the Romanov family. He admired them, saw their strengths and weaknesses, but overall I think had an affection for them. At the same time he realized that poor choices and pride had in many ways lead them to their own downfall and brought Russia along with them. So he never entirely let's them off the hook for the situation in which they find themselves. It was terrible and degrading, and they handled it with as much dignity as they could, but ultimately Misha held the Tsar and his wife accountable for their poor choices.
There were several twists, and some you could see coming, but one totally caught me by surprise. If you like surprise endings, even surprises that might make you unhappy, you will likely enjoy this book.
As a fair warning, this is not a happy book. Even the bittersweet ending feels more bitter than sweet. The scene of the family being murdered is graphic, but based on non-fiction accounts I have read, the scene is horrifyingly accurate. Additionally there are other instances of people being tortured and murdered. An animal is murdered brutally as well. Near the end there is some coarse language, abuse of corpses, and a description of a sexually explicit image. None of this felt gratuitous because it seemed so reflective of the inhumanity of war.
A couple of reviews seemed concerned that the author didn't mention Anastasia's escape, and that is because by the time this book was written, her body had been discovered, identified, and re-interred. So if you are looking for a fictional account of the happy escape of Anastasia, this will not be the book for you.
If you love history - especially Russian history, you will probably enjoy this book. If you aren't big on history, you may not like this book because it is packed with historical details, including letters recovered and archived in Russia. However, it isn't just a set of dry historical facts because Alexander creates such a sense of place of and well-developed characters. I found I didn't want to stop reading. I also felt this book blended history and fiction very effectively.
I loved that Misha constantly struggled with his perception of the Romanov family. He admired them, saw their strengths and weaknesses, but overall I think had an affection for them. At the same time he realized that poor choices and pride had in many ways lead them to their own downfall and brought Russia along with them. So he never entirely let's them off the hook for the situation in which they find themselves. It was terrible and degrading, and they handled it with as much dignity as they could, but ultimately Misha held the Tsar and his wife accountable for their poor choices.
There were several twists, and some you could see coming, but one totally caught me by surprise. If you like surprise endings, even surprises that might make you unhappy, you will likely enjoy this book.
As a fair warning, this is not a happy book. Even the bittersweet ending feels more bitter than sweet. The scene of the family being murdered is graphic, but based on non-fiction accounts I have read, the scene is horrifyingly accurate. Additionally there are other instances of people being tortured and murdered. An animal is murdered brutally as well. Near the end there is some coarse language, abuse of corpses, and a description of a sexually explicit image. None of this felt gratuitous because it seemed so reflective of the inhumanity of war.
Interesting, but of course, we already know the ending...
3.5
With all the research and primary sources utilized by Alexander I’m surprised he didn’t just write a non-fiction novel in a narrative style. The best parts of the book (in my opinion) were those that read like historical accounts. All the ~dramatics~ that Alexander includes to make the story fit a fictional framework actually made the plot drag when it was otherwise suspenseful.
I think this is perhaps one of those cases where the topic the author is writing about is more interesting than the writing itself.
Also- the epilogue? What the hell was that? I mean mad props for working in a twist like that, but the amount of plot holes it creates? Idk man. It was a good time not a great time.
With all the research and primary sources utilized by Alexander I’m surprised he didn’t just write a non-fiction novel in a narrative style. The best parts of the book (in my opinion) were those that read like historical accounts. All the ~dramatics~ that Alexander includes to make the story fit a fictional framework actually made the plot drag when it was otherwise suspenseful.
I think this is perhaps one of those cases where the topic the author is writing about is more interesting than the writing itself.
Also- the epilogue? What the hell was that? I mean mad props for working in a twist like that, but the amount of plot holes it creates? Idk man. It was a good time not a great time.
Hmm. I spent the first 3/4 of this book going "ho hum" and the last 1/4 going "whaaaaa?" I can't really say I enjoyed it. I like gleaning bits about history from historical fiction when I can, and it always makes me want to go learn more about the subject and people discussed, but this book just didn't hold my attention.
This book will surprise you. I love to have my expectations for a book to be completely wrong.
Spoiler
Don't be fooled by the lukewarm beginning and the lenghty routine descriptions. It's description of the assassination and transport of the dead royal family is amazing, as well as the secret at the end.
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
slow-paced
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was so well written and compelling, it had me on the edge of my seat. I didn't realize until I read the author's note at the beginning that it was a work of fiction, something I kept in mind while reading the book, and now I'm driven to find non-fiction accounts of the Romanovs.