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A review by lukewhitestone
Nicholas and Alexandra: The Classic Account of the Fall of the Romanov Dynasty by Robert K. Massie
5.0
Nicholas amd Alexandra is an incredible book. Amazingly, the book rarely drags on, and the whole story is handled like just that - a story. Not a series of facts.
The personalities of the title couple are the main focus, but the major players in the political drama that unfolds are also given a psychoanalysis, to the point where I felt like I knew how the everyone would react to given events. Lenin, Rasputin, Kerensky, Grand Duke Nicholas, Youssoupov, and many others are given a full and fair run down. Their actions are analyzed and used as evidence for their motives, it is all done very scientifically and very unbiased.
Where the book really shines for me is its coverage of 5 main things: the story and impact of Alexis' hemophilia, the life and impact of Rasputin, the onset of World War I, the building tide of revolution leading and resulting in Nicholas' abdication, and the assassination in Yekaterinburg. I could spend hours talking about any of these, as I have been bestowed with awe inspiring detail and I feel I really understand the roots of each of these conflicts. Not an easy thing to say of any historical nonfiction.
Besides these, the background of all of the events is handled beautifully. The early lives of Nicholas and Alexandra, the story of Nicholas' coronation, the 1905 revolution and the creation of the Duma, the relationship between Nicholas and the Kaiser William of Germany. Each and more integral to the events that unfold, so thr reader never feels confused why something was occurring.
Massie does such an excellent job answer the whys of this story that I have no problem giving the book 5 stars.
The personalities of the title couple are the main focus, but the major players in the political drama that unfolds are also given a psychoanalysis, to the point where I felt like I knew how the everyone would react to given events. Lenin, Rasputin, Kerensky, Grand Duke Nicholas, Youssoupov, and many others are given a full and fair run down. Their actions are analyzed and used as evidence for their motives, it is all done very scientifically and very unbiased.
Where the book really shines for me is its coverage of 5 main things: the story and impact of Alexis' hemophilia, the life and impact of Rasputin, the onset of World War I, the building tide of revolution leading and resulting in Nicholas' abdication, and the assassination in Yekaterinburg. I could spend hours talking about any of these, as I have been bestowed with awe inspiring detail and I feel I really understand the roots of each of these conflicts. Not an easy thing to say of any historical nonfiction.
Besides these, the background of all of the events is handled beautifully. The early lives of Nicholas and Alexandra, the story of Nicholas' coronation, the 1905 revolution and the creation of the Duma, the relationship between Nicholas and the Kaiser William of Germany. Each and more integral to the events that unfold, so thr reader never feels confused why something was occurring.
Massie does such an excellent job answer the whys of this story that I have no problem giving the book 5 stars.