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A review by halkid2
The Tsarina's Daughter by Ellen Alpsten
3.0
I have always found Russian history fascinating, particularly the relationship between the Tsar and the people. So, after reading and enjoying Ellen Apsten's earlier novel, TSARINA (about Catherine I -Russia's first female ruler), I was psyched to get early access to this follow-up novel. As it turns out, three stars is a bit of a gift.
I expected from the book description that this one would tell the story of Catherine I's daughter, Tsarina Elizabeth, but it appears that THE TSARINA's DAUGHTER is just the second of a three-novel series Alpsten plans about the Romanovs. And since this one ends with the accession of Elizabeth as Tsarina, I imagine the third novel will track her 20 years as Tsarina. Unfortunately, the story of Elizabeth's first 30 years (before her accession) just didn't hold up for 467 pages.
It's NOT that this isn't an interesting period in Russian history. After the 1725 death of Elizabeth's father, Peter the Great, and during the following 16 years, there are no fewer than five different Tsars on the throne. So the story of Elizabeth during this period is all about being in and out of favor under different rulers and their ministers. She's in, she's out. She struggles, she prospers. But even while she's overlooked by some Tsars, she remains popular among soldiers and people and is therefore a potential threat.
That in a nutshell is the core of this historical novel -- the changing status of Elizabeth. And it just wasn't interesting enough to me to hold up for the entire book. Perhaps to make up for the repetitive nature of the action, the author instead has, in my opinion, included an excessive amount of flowery detail and description, some of which seem not only UNnecessary but occasionally, downright strange. A couple examples:
Chapter 59: "The gaze of her sour-cherry eyes was impenetrable."
Chapter 84: "The sky over St. Petersburg looked like a badly wrung dishcloth, the clouds hanging low in the shade of stained yellow."
Even with my interest in this country and subject matter, I think this novel would have benefitted by telling Elizabeth's full story, including her two decades on the throne. And a good editor could have helped cut a good 100 pages out of this manuscript. I can't say I recommend this one, even those who share my interest in Russian history. Very disappointing.
I expected from the book description that this one would tell the story of Catherine I's daughter, Tsarina Elizabeth, but it appears that THE TSARINA's DAUGHTER is just the second of a three-novel series Alpsten plans about the Romanovs. And since this one ends with the accession of Elizabeth as Tsarina, I imagine the third novel will track her 20 years as Tsarina. Unfortunately, the story of Elizabeth's first 30 years (before her accession) just didn't hold up for 467 pages.
It's NOT that this isn't an interesting period in Russian history. After the 1725 death of Elizabeth's father, Peter the Great, and during the following 16 years, there are no fewer than five different Tsars on the throne. So the story of Elizabeth during this period is all about being in and out of favor under different rulers and their ministers. She's in, she's out. She struggles, she prospers. But even while she's overlooked by some Tsars, she remains popular among soldiers and people and is therefore a potential threat.
That in a nutshell is the core of this historical novel -- the changing status of Elizabeth. And it just wasn't interesting enough to me to hold up for the entire book. Perhaps to make up for the repetitive nature of the action, the author instead has, in my opinion, included an excessive amount of flowery detail and description, some of which seem not only UNnecessary but occasionally, downright strange. A couple examples:
Chapter 59: "The gaze of her sour-cherry eyes was impenetrable."
Chapter 84: "The sky over St. Petersburg looked like a badly wrung dishcloth, the clouds hanging low in the shade of stained yellow."
Even with my interest in this country and subject matter, I think this novel would have benefitted by telling Elizabeth's full story, including her two decades on the throne. And a good editor could have helped cut a good 100 pages out of this manuscript. I can't say I recommend this one, even those who share my interest in Russian history. Very disappointing.