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A review by kathleenww
Enchantments by Kathryn Harrison
3.0
This was an interesting novel, and at times, it was very compelling reading. Masha, Grigory Rasputin's older daughter, is ensconced with the Romanov family after her father's hideous death, as they are taken prisoner by the Bolsheviks. She has become acquainted with the family over the years since her father has been very close to the Tsarina and the Romanov's only son, Aloysha, who is afflicted with hemophilia.
While Harrison is a very thoughtful writer with an wonderful prose style, I really felt like there were times in the story that she was really reaching. I understand adolescents will think about sex, and try to experiment. The few paragraphs of the novel addressing that aspect of the friendship with Aloysha and Masha just seemed too anachronistic and not true to life, as well as some of the other similar incidents in the book. I have not read very much about the Romanovs, only in a fictional setting, so I have no real clue as to what the relationship might have been like, although I do trust Harrisons' research and fascination with the Romanovs.
I did not know much about Rasputin's family going into this book, so I am intrigued. I will probably read more about the Romanovs and the Rasputins in the future, since their story is truly a fascinating one, and I felt some disappointment in this novel, it left me feeling like something was missing. I never quite felt I made a real connection with Masha, who tells her story in the novel. I read Robert Alexander's The Kitchen Boy a few years back, and it just really sang, whereas this novel left me feeling flat and unsatisfied at the end. Not a flop, but somewhat of a disappointment. I think Romanov buffs will want to read it for the different spin on Rasputin it presents. But story wise, it was weak for me, overall. The ending felt rushed and forced, and the story itself didn't flow. I was usually able to put the book down and simply forget about it.
While Harrison is a very thoughtful writer with an wonderful prose style, I really felt like there were times in the story that she was really reaching. I understand adolescents will think about sex, and try to experiment. The few paragraphs of the novel addressing that aspect of the friendship with Aloysha and Masha just seemed too anachronistic and not true to life, as well as some of the other similar incidents in the book. I have not read very much about the Romanovs, only in a fictional setting, so I have no real clue as to what the relationship might have been like, although I do trust Harrisons' research and fascination with the Romanovs.
I did not know much about Rasputin's family going into this book, so I am intrigued. I will probably read more about the Romanovs and the Rasputins in the future, since their story is truly a fascinating one, and I felt some disappointment in this novel, it left me feeling like something was missing. I never quite felt I made a real connection with Masha, who tells her story in the novel. I read Robert Alexander's The Kitchen Boy a few years back, and it just really sang, whereas this novel left me feeling flat and unsatisfied at the end. Not a flop, but somewhat of a disappointment. I think Romanov buffs will want to read it for the different spin on Rasputin it presents. But story wise, it was weak for me, overall. The ending felt rushed and forced, and the story itself didn't flow. I was usually able to put the book down and simply forget about it.