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A review by thecurlybookworm
The Romanov Bride by Robert Alexander
2.0
Although the story of “Ella” is fascinating and a lesser-known aspect of the Russian Revolution, the writing is, quite frankly, awful. At points seeming very modern, at other times full of awkward metaphors or too-often-repeated phrases (such as “as well”), the writing’s one strength was creating different voices for Ella and Pavel. The overall failure of the writing style contributes strongly to the two-star rating.
It was interesting to read about this time period from two very different points of view. Alexander, the author, is very well-versed in this revolution (he has two other books on the subject) and has obviously put a lot of time and effort into historical accuracy. The easy story to focus on – that of the Tsar and his family – was only briefly touched upon and it was assumed the reader had a basic background of the Revolution; this worked very well and allowed the reader to focus on the new story, that of Ella and Pavel.
A quick read, this novel is worth picking up. The audience gains a deeper understanding of the role religion – or loss of religion – plays in the face of difficult times, and learns the story of a very amazing, caring woman of the royal class. It also demonstrates a basic theory that (as Alexander says in the reader’s guide section) “people are born essentially good and the it’s only events and/or situations that corrupt and darken the soul”. Similar events can have very different effects on people, and this novel explores that successfully in the context of the Russian Revolution.
It was interesting to read about this time period from two very different points of view. Alexander, the author, is very well-versed in this revolution (he has two other books on the subject) and has obviously put a lot of time and effort into historical accuracy. The easy story to focus on – that of the Tsar and his family – was only briefly touched upon and it was assumed the reader had a basic background of the Revolution; this worked very well and allowed the reader to focus on the new story, that of Ella and Pavel.
A quick read, this novel is worth picking up. The audience gains a deeper understanding of the role religion – or loss of religion – plays in the face of difficult times, and learns the story of a very amazing, caring woman of the royal class. It also demonstrates a basic theory that (as Alexander says in the reader’s guide section) “people are born essentially good and the it’s only events and/or situations that corrupt and darken the soul”. Similar events can have very different effects on people, and this novel explores that successfully in the context of the Russian Revolution.