joko88 's review for:

Tsar: The Lost World of Nicholas and Alexandra by Эдвард Радзинский, Peter Kurth, Peter Christopher

5.0

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

---

Ultimately rounded up to a 5 star. Liked this book more than expected; gives a good overview of the life of the last tsar and his family while also placing them in their historical contexts. While clearly pointing out the flaws of the rule of the tsar, it is not without sympathy for the tsar and his family. The choice of photographs - particularly the moments where there are examples of then and now - is well thought-out to help illustrate and bring to life the time period. Almost docked a quarter point because the book is outdated and starts to go in heavy on the Anna Anderson story - Peter Kurth has also written about her and has a bias in her favor - but it does include mention of DNA testing disproving Anna Anderson’s claim to be a Romanov. It is outdated because the discovery of the remaining missing members of the imperial family were found in 2007 and confirmed via DNA that the entire family was murdered, and the imposters are indeed imposters.