Reviews

The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar by Robert Alexander

ireitlitam's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

book_concierge's review against another edition

3.0

This is good historical fiction - at least up until the ending.
Leonka is the kitchen boy to Tsar Nicholas and Tsaritsa Alexandra. He eventually witnesses the slaughter of the Romanov family. This is obviously well-researched, and it's a fascinating glimpse into the life - in exile - of the Romanovs and the forces that brought them down.

But I thought the ending was contrived ... too bad.

Book club # 1 read it in January 2005; Book club #2 chose it in Oct 2005 - I didn't re-read it.

crazyredhead4's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

2.5

jficele's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

gabmc's review against another edition

3.0

Conspiracy theories abound on whether all the Romanovs were killed on the night of July 16 1918. This book contains amazing research, including excerpts of letters from the royal family as they spent their final days under house arrest in Yekaterinburg, Russia. The book is told from the perspective of the kitchen boy, Leonka, who was in captivity with the Romanovs. Eight decades after that fateful night in 1918, Leonka himself dies. He leaves behind a recording of his life story for his grand-daughter and she must decide what to do with his legacy. I really enjoyed this book - the peek into the lives of the Romanov family in their last days was beautifully told.

the_dire_raven's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

inesnow's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

mschrock8's review against another edition

1.0

Slow, slow, slow. I struggled to get through.

meme_too2's review against another edition

2.0

I'm a big fan of anything having to do with Nicholas and Alexandra. A harmless sweet book. It doesn't come from facts, so it's not quite as interesting as it could be.

ameserole's review against another edition

3.0

The Kitchen Boy was actually pretty interesting to read. It's definitely a version of what happened but with some unexpected twists. Don't get me wrong, I love a good twist thrown my way but at times it felt ridiculous and unbelievable. In another way, I could see that they were trying to keep my attention until the very last page.

Still, it was very interesting to see everything through the eyes of Leonid. Especially when things were completely brutal and chaotic. It was hard to look at and away from at the same time. I just wanted to know more about what happened on the day the royal family was murdered.

In the end, I'll just stick with it being interesting and entertaining to a point.