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keimre734 's review for:
"[a:Helen Rappaport|146124|Helen Rappaport|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1393357021p2/146124.jpg] brings the four daughters of the last tsar to life in their own words, illuminating the opulence of their doomed world and their courage as they faced a terrible end.
They were the Princess Dianas of their day-perhaps the most photographed and talked about young royals of the early twentieth century. The four captivating Russian grand duchesses-Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia Romanova-were much admired for their happy dispositions, their looks, the clothes they wore, and their privileged lifestyle.
Over the years, the story of the four Romanov sisters and their tragic end in a basement at Ekaterinburg in 1918 had clouded our view of them, leading to a mass sentimental and idealized hagiography. From a treasure trove of dairies and letters written by the grand duchesses to their friends and family, we learned they were intelligent, sensitive, and perceptive witnesses to the dark turmoil within their immediate family and the ominous approach of the Russian Revolution, the night mare that would sweep their world away and them along with it.
[b:The Romanov Sisters|18404173|The Romanov Sisters The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra|Helen Rappaport|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1396818138s/18404173.jpg|26038032] sets out to capture the joy as well as the insecurities and poignancy of those young lives against the backdrop of the dying days of the late imperial Russia, World War I, and the Russian Revolution. Rappaport has set out to present a new and challenging take on the story, drawing extensively on previously unseen or unpublished letters, dairies, and archival sources, as well as photographs and other material in private collections. It is a book that will surprise people, even the Romanov aficionados." - Quote from inside front cover of my hardback copy of [b:The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra|18404173|The Romanov Sisters The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra|Helen Rappaport|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1396818138s/18404173.jpg|26038032]
This was the first book I have read by [a:Helen Rappaport|146124|Helen Rappaport|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1393357021p2/146124.jpg] so I was not exactly sure what to expect from her. I was pleasantly surprised when I began reading this book. [a:Helen Rappaport|146124|Helen Rappaport|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1393357021p2/146124.jpg] does an excellent job of using historical evidence to give her readers a peek into the Romanov's lives. There were times when I felt a bit embarrassed for the young duchesses, having had their dairies read, even though they had been dead for many years. I still doubt they would have wanted anyone to have read their personal and private thoughts. As I moved closer and closer to the end of the book, I obviously knew that the Romanovs were going to be murdered. I found myself feeling bad for the four young girls. They should have had their wholes lives ahead of them yet they were killed just because of what family they happened to be born into. Very sad indeed.
Overall, I would give [b:The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra|18404173|The Romanov Sisters The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra|Helen Rappaport|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1396818138s/18404173.jpg|26038032] a rating of 4.25 stars out of 5 stars. Since GoodReads does not allow their readers to rate books by the half or quarter star, I simply rounded down to a solid rating of 4 stars.
They were the Princess Dianas of their day-perhaps the most photographed and talked about young royals of the early twentieth century. The four captivating Russian grand duchesses-Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia Romanova-were much admired for their happy dispositions, their looks, the clothes they wore, and their privileged lifestyle.
Over the years, the story of the four Romanov sisters and their tragic end in a basement at Ekaterinburg in 1918 had clouded our view of them, leading to a mass sentimental and idealized hagiography. From a treasure trove of dairies and letters written by the grand duchesses to their friends and family, we learned they were intelligent, sensitive, and perceptive witnesses to the dark turmoil within their immediate family and the ominous approach of the Russian Revolution, the night mare that would sweep their world away and them along with it.
[b:The Romanov Sisters|18404173|The Romanov Sisters The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra|Helen Rappaport|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1396818138s/18404173.jpg|26038032] sets out to capture the joy as well as the insecurities and poignancy of those young lives against the backdrop of the dying days of the late imperial Russia, World War I, and the Russian Revolution. Rappaport has set out to present a new and challenging take on the story, drawing extensively on previously unseen or unpublished letters, dairies, and archival sources, as well as photographs and other material in private collections. It is a book that will surprise people, even the Romanov aficionados." - Quote from inside front cover of my hardback copy of [b:The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra|18404173|The Romanov Sisters The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra|Helen Rappaport|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1396818138s/18404173.jpg|26038032]
This was the first book I have read by [a:Helen Rappaport|146124|Helen Rappaport|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1393357021p2/146124.jpg] so I was not exactly sure what to expect from her. I was pleasantly surprised when I began reading this book. [a:Helen Rappaport|146124|Helen Rappaport|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1393357021p2/146124.jpg] does an excellent job of using historical evidence to give her readers a peek into the Romanov's lives. There were times when I felt a bit embarrassed for the young duchesses, having had their dairies read, even though they had been dead for many years. I still doubt they would have wanted anyone to have read their personal and private thoughts. As I moved closer and closer to the end of the book, I obviously knew that the Romanovs were going to be murdered. I found myself feeling bad for the four young girls. They should have had their wholes lives ahead of them yet they were killed just because of what family they happened to be born into. Very sad indeed.
Overall, I would give [b:The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra|18404173|The Romanov Sisters The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra|Helen Rappaport|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1396818138s/18404173.jpg|26038032] a rating of 4.25 stars out of 5 stars. Since GoodReads does not allow their readers to rate books by the half or quarter star, I simply rounded down to a solid rating of 4 stars.