In Secret Lives of the Tsars, Michael Farquhar takes us on a whirlwind tour of the Russian monarchy. We start with Ivan the Terrible who really in truly earned his name and work our way up through the Romanovs all the way to the terrible end in 1918. The writing on this is very casual. It's kind of like Russian history in People magazine form. The focus is more on the personal than policies and public works. There is a chapter for each Tsar and Farquhar is not exaggerating with Autocracy, Debauchery, and all the rest. There is plenty of each of the adjectives in the title!
If you're looking for a detailed book on Russian history this isn't the book for you. However, if you want an overview of each of the Tsars and all the madness this makes for a seriously entertaining read. The format is very logical and Farquhar takes us ruler by ruler in chronological order with a brief explanation of who they are. This was a fascinating read and while it's not a definitive guide for Russian history it provides a great starting point. I think my family is very glad I've finished the book so I'll stop regaling them with the extravagant misdeeds of the Romanovs. 4 Stars
The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra by Helen Rappaport
After looking at the Romanov dynasty as a whole I focused down a little with The Romanov Sisters. After all the madness and mayhem of the previous book this book was just simply heartbreaking. While the title of the book is The Romanov Sisters the focus of the book seems to be mostly on the Romanov family as a unit with a more detailed look at Alexandra. Rappaport did a good job of setting the scene with taking the reader through a tour of the family's Alexander Palace with it's homey, family oriented, and decidedly non-royal interior. While I was familiar with the basic outline of the story I knew nothing of the girls individually as I've always thought of them as a block. Seeing their characters more developed was interesting as was seeing how they lived as a family. The truly heartbreaking part was how unsuited Alexandra and to a lesser extent Nicholas were for the job of rulers of Russia and how that played a part in the terrible end. Well researched and very readable this is an excellent read if you're interested in learning more about the Nicholas, Alexandra, and their family. 4 Stars
I really enjoyed reading these two books together. While written in completely different styles with one being a short overview of 300 years and the other being an in-depth look at 20 years, Secret Lives of the Tsars really provides a background and deeper understanding for the world that the Romanov girls and their parents lived.
After looking at the Romanov dynasty as a whole I focused down a little with The Romanov Sisters. After all the madness and mayhem of the previous book this book was just simply heartbreaking. While the title of the book is The Romanov Sisters the focus of the book seems to be mostly on the Romanov family as a unit with a more detailed look at Alexandra. Rappaport did a good job of setting the scene with taking the reader through a tour of the family's Alexander Palace with it's homey, family oriented, and decidedly non-royal interior. While I was familiar with the basic outline of the story I knew nothing of the girls individually as I've always thought of them as a block. Seeing their characters more developed was interesting as was seeing how they lived as a family. The truly heartbreaking part was how unsuited Alexandra and to a lesser extent Nicholas were for the job of rulers of Russia and how that played a part in the terrible end. Well researched and very readable this is an excellent read if you're interested in learning more about the Nicholas, Alexandra, and their family. 4 Stars
I really enjoyed reading these two books together. While written in completely different styles with one being a short overview of 300 years and the other being an in-depth look at 20 years, Secret Lives of the Tsars really provides a background and deeper understanding for the world that the Romanov girls and their parents lived.
I'm interested in both of these books! The Romanov Sisters is already on my wish list, but I should investigate Secret Lives of the Tsars, too.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed both of these! Secret Lives is a great overview and I really enjoyed learning more about the Romanov girls.
DeleteIsn't it funny how something so simple can spark an interest in someone? These both sound like good books.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed both! It is always funny what sparks a fascination!
DeleteI love all things Russia and have always been curious about the Romanov Sisters, Imperial Russia etc. I have added both books to my wishlist. Thanks Katherine for sharing these finds.
ReplyDeleteIt was the movie Anastasia that got me interested in the Romanov's. The animated musical. :-) These both sound really good--such an interesting time period and family. I can see why they go well together, given how different they are. I will have to look for both of these.
ReplyDeleteThese books sound good. I've read a little about the Romanovs and some of the Tsars through the years and they are really interesting. Of course the Romanovs end story is very sad. They were an interesting group of people.
ReplyDeleteHa, my dad must have left a book called Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert Massie in the bathroom, so over my teens I read parts of their story. I think the book was there for years!
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