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ravensandlace's review against another edition
4.0
Title: The Romanov Empress
Author: C. W Gartner
Genre: Historical Fiction
Format: hardback library book
Series: NA
Star Rating: 4 stars
tw: arranged marriage, death, child loss, injury, illness, infidelity, child abuse, blood, bombing, hanging, chronic illness (hemophilia), murder, murder of children
I have been making it a goal to read about different periods and while this book is still about the Romanovs, it’s about Tsar Nicholas II’s mother, someone who I know nothing about but I have always wondered what happened to her after the fall of tsarist Russia. I know that a lot of the royals fled to France and places like that but I did not know what happened to the extended family of Tsar Nicholas. I do not know much about the time between Catherine the Great and Tsar Nicholas so I figured why not take a crack at this book.
I truly enjoyed this book a lot. While reading it, I often wondered what would have happened if Minnie, the main character, had been able to rule after her husband passed. Would the Romanov dynasty still exist today? I know that descendants exist but would Russia still be under imperial rule today? Those are thoughts that sometimes keep me up at night. Even though I know monarchy is bad, I still couldn’t help but feel bad for the Romanovs—so much death and destruction. I truly feel like it could have been avoided if Nicholas’ father had just taught him to rule better but that’s just my thoughts.
Minnie was a great main character and I just loved her so much. I loved how she took no sass from anyone. She knew when to stand up for herself but also knew when to back down. She could play the court, when she was Tsarina, like a fiddle. As she got older, she got on my nerves a little bit but I could tell she was just trying to save her family dynasty. She certainly had that mentality of that the old way was the way to go but I couldn’t truly fault her for that. She did try to change but sometimes change is hard. I applaud her for at least trying.
Overall, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It’s from an author that I haven’t heard of nor have I read their books. It’s always a risk when I check out other periods and other authors. But I’m glad I took that chance. This was a great book, and I will be checking out more books by this author. And I'll also be checking out more books about Minnie. Because I enjoyed her and her personality so much.
rseykora's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
There is a lot of history of the Romanov family in this novel. At times it moved slowly, but had valuable information to introduce.
cassiehelfer's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A classic historical fiction stolen from my mom’s library pile. Honestly I liked the russian aristocracy setting a lot - kinda downton abbey court drama vibes. It was really interesting learning about the Romanov family, especially the way disease, medicine, and producing a healthy heir had such an impact on the family holding onto power. Strong female lead for sure - the real power behind the ruling family.
Main character is definitely questionable. She’s got a spine and is entertaining I’ll give her that but as time went on I started getting frustrated by her immaturity. She has this vendetta against a character that she really should have grown out of and really looks down on anyone she sees as shy, weak, or physically unfit. She also seemed unwilling to really look at her role as ruling class and how it impacted her country. Very much a divine right we must hold our crown even as the suffering of her people grew more and more apparent.
The last part of the book also dragged a bit for me - so many characters and everything descending into war.
Overall cool historical fiction and wintery Russia vibes with an entertaining lead female character💪🏻
Main character is definitely questionable. She’s got a spine and is entertaining I’ll give her that but as time went on I started getting frustrated by her immaturity. She has this vendetta against a character that she really should have grown out of and really looks down on anyone she sees as shy, weak, or physically unfit. She also seemed unwilling to really look at her role as ruling class and how it impacted her country. Very much a divine right we must hold our crown even as the suffering of her people grew more and more apparent.
The last part of the book also dragged a bit for me - so many characters and everything descending into war.
Overall cool historical fiction and wintery Russia vibes with an entertaining lead female character💪🏻
bargainsleuth's review against another edition
5.0
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I’ll admit that I haven’t done tons of reading of Russian history, but what I’ve read has fascinated me. It all started with the book Nicholas & Alexandra, which I got from a thrift store when I was a teenager. There was a time when I read anything to do with the Romanov family and their demise. Then I discovered Catherine the Great and read about her quite a bit. Now I’m trying to fill in the holes before and after those reigns. The Romanov Empress: A Novel of Tsarina Maria Feodorovna tells the story of the mother of the last czar of Russia.
One of the reasons I got this audiobook, besides the subject content, was the narrator, Katharine Lee McEwan. I love her voice and all it’s inflections and ability to make her voice sound like a myriad of voices. Once again, she does a top-notch job and the story flew by with her deft narration.
Even though I knew the outcome of The Romanov Empress, I still found the book compelling. I learned a lot about Maria Feodorovna, the wife to one czar and mother to another, the last czar of Russia, Nicholas II. Gortner is able to show how Minnie, the Danish woman, developed a great understanding of the Russian people. She became shrewd about Russian politics, but still enjoyed Russian society, fashion, and interior decorating. The author also did a masterful job of capturing how I imagine St. Petersburg society operated during the time leading up to the Russian Revolution.
Core to the book’s heart is Minnie’s relationship with her daughter-in-law, Alexandra, in how Alexandra’s reclusiveness made her seem snobbish, to the way she kept the children away from others, to her reliance on the mystic Rasputin. It was the relationship with the “mad monk” that tarnished her to St. Petersburg society and no amount of counsel from Minnie makes Alexandra move from her position.
Minnie’s relationship with Nicky, Czar Nicholas II, isn’t much better. But once a man is grown and has a wife of his own, he’s not one to take his mother’s advice. Which is maddening because Nicholas keeps making one bad decision after another regarding the ruling of Mother Russia. Soon it is too late to turn back. Minnie knows it well before Nicholas realizes it. It’s hard to watch your children make mistakes with their lives and the lives of others, yet that’s exactly what Minnie has to do.
We all know how the book ends, After listening to the author’s afterward, I felt he mostly stuck with the facts known, pointed out where he took certain liberties, and then gave an account of what happened to the characters when the book ended. You don’t have to be a fan of Russian History to appreciate this well-written historical book.
I’ll admit that I haven’t done tons of reading of Russian history, but what I’ve read has fascinated me. It all started with the book Nicholas & Alexandra, which I got from a thrift store when I was a teenager. There was a time when I read anything to do with the Romanov family and their demise. Then I discovered Catherine the Great and read about her quite a bit. Now I’m trying to fill in the holes before and after those reigns. The Romanov Empress: A Novel of Tsarina Maria Feodorovna tells the story of the mother of the last czar of Russia.
One of the reasons I got this audiobook, besides the subject content, was the narrator, Katharine Lee McEwan. I love her voice and all it’s inflections and ability to make her voice sound like a myriad of voices. Once again, she does a top-notch job and the story flew by with her deft narration.
Even though I knew the outcome of The Romanov Empress, I still found the book compelling. I learned a lot about Maria Feodorovna, the wife to one czar and mother to another, the last czar of Russia, Nicholas II. Gortner is able to show how Minnie, the Danish woman, developed a great understanding of the Russian people. She became shrewd about Russian politics, but still enjoyed Russian society, fashion, and interior decorating. The author also did a masterful job of capturing how I imagine St. Petersburg society operated during the time leading up to the Russian Revolution.
Core to the book’s heart is Minnie’s relationship with her daughter-in-law, Alexandra, in how Alexandra’s reclusiveness made her seem snobbish, to the way she kept the children away from others, to her reliance on the mystic Rasputin. It was the relationship with the “mad monk” that tarnished her to St. Petersburg society and no amount of counsel from Minnie makes Alexandra move from her position.
Minnie’s relationship with Nicky, Czar Nicholas II, isn’t much better. But once a man is grown and has a wife of his own, he’s not one to take his mother’s advice. Which is maddening because Nicholas keeps making one bad decision after another regarding the ruling of Mother Russia. Soon it is too late to turn back. Minnie knows it well before Nicholas realizes it. It’s hard to watch your children make mistakes with their lives and the lives of others, yet that’s exactly what Minnie has to do.
We all know how the book ends, After listening to the author’s afterward, I felt he mostly stuck with the facts known, pointed out where he took certain liberties, and then gave an account of what happened to the characters when the book ended. You don’t have to be a fan of Russian History to appreciate this well-written historical book.
jbeen21's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
reka111's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
sarahbowling6608's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
I was so disappointed with this book. I'm not sure how it ended up on my TBR, but it was one I was most looking forward to this year. Sadly, what could have been an excellent story full of heartrending moments (I cried several times) and an interestingly told history of the fall of Imperial Russia was ruined by the copious sexual misadventures of the Imperial family. Never explicit, but attempting to get as close as possible, I feel it tremendously detracted from the story. Therefore, I cannot recommend this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Death
homosexualityschray32's review against another edition
3.0
This is good historical fiction but the beginning was better than the end. I have a small obsession with the Romanov family and enjoyed this but the end became more facts and less story.
katreadingbooks's review against another edition
2.0
Full of facts on the Romanov dynasty and its downfall. However, the book moved so slow that I struggled through it. It flows more like a diary being read than a novel.
scorpiemm's review against another edition
4.0
not terrible not awful, just a fictional biography but +1 for keeping me entertained the entire time