Последняя Великая Княгиня

by Ian Vorres

When she died in exile in 1960, Olga Alexandrova was the last Grand Duchess of Russia, favourite sister of Czar Nicholas II, who was executed with his wife and five children during the Revolution. Born in splendour difficult to imagine today, she had endured a lifetime of relentless tragedy with courage and exceptional powers of adjustment. The Last Grand Duchess is a valuable account of the final decades of the house of Romanov seen through the eyes of its last surviving member. Through Olga, we see Queen Victoria, George V of England, Rasputin, Mrs. Anderson - on whose story the movie Anastasia was based - and other imposters who plagued the exiled grand duchess with false hope. In this official memoir, Ian Vorres captures the loneliness and violence of Olga's years in Russia, her loveless first marriage to Prince Peter of Oldenburg, her years of exile in England and Denmark and her final settlement with her second husband and family in Canada. Long out of print, Key Porter is proud to republish this classic account of an extraordinary woman, this time with photographs.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Russia, Biography, Romanovs, Royalty, Russian History

First published January 1, 1964

Reviews

[Zosi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this little book, even though parts of it have become outdated now. Olga really came across well and her experiences shone through; the author did a good job of not clouding her testimony and really letting her words take center stage. The siblings of the last tsar are rarely discussed (particularly Olga and Xenia) and this was one of the only bios I’ve been able to find on Olga. One feels for all that she had to go through and how her faith and courage kept her going through a loveless marriage and years of exile. Especially an interesting read now, after the fall of the Soviet Union. Although some of the smaller details ran contrary to what I’ve read in other books, I thoroughly enjoyed it as a personal memoir and a witness to history type story.

[Kiara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a gift. Vorres paints a beautifully honest portrait of Olga Alexandrovna, doing a great service to history by sharing her invaluable insight. The Grand Duchess’ memories of her family, country, and life are so precious. Vorres’ friendship is apparent and between his words and Olga’s, it’s safe to say I cried many times.

[Xenia0201 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was beyond excited I was able to find a copy on Amazon that was affordable. I took a while reading this book, realizing that so many books I already owned used this as a source so I carefully devoured its contents. Most of the information I already knew, but I found it so interesting to see things through the grand duchess's perpective when the world had changed so much since she was born and for her to end her life halfway around the world and never to return to her native country is a sadness you can see. What I found the most endearing were Olga's memories of her father Alexander III, which were retold with a grief that was evident 50 years later. She is not blind to his faults though, and for all her love for her father, she admits his biggest mistake was not educating her brother (the ill-fated Nicolas II) properly to handle the role of Tsar. There is a humanization of these people in history we have not seen. Vorres' personal friendship with the grand duchess is evident in his care to preserve her story and to give voice to the Romanovs who escaped the revolution. In a word - masterful.

[Helen Azar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rare authorized biography of the youngest sister of the last Tsar of Russia who survived the revolution and moved abroad, first to Europe and then to Canada where she died poor and almost abandoned in a walk up above a store... The author actually worked directly with the Grand Duchess shortly before her death, so a lot of information in this book is first hand. I would have liked to see more photos, but in general this is a good overview of her life and the life of the Russian imperial family coming from the direct source.

[Zsófia Bányai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was amazed to come across this rare book. It should be a must-read for anyone interested in the last days of the Romanov Dynasty.
Grand Duchess Olga seems to be a strong-willed, fairly proud but down-to-earth person, who made the right decision to trust her memories with Ian Vorres.
The writer treats the Grand Duchess with respect and his own task with serenity. Although he meticulously gathers data and historical evidence, he also tends to idolize Olga, at times elevating her almost to the level of sanctity. Interestingly, he would sometimes shy away from certain topics, such as the Romanovs' bad reputation or the Ekaterinburg massacre, however, the Grand Duchess herself is bold enough to bring those issues up.
The viewpoint of historical events is deeply biased, and that is exactly why you want to pick up this book! What does a granddaughter, daughter, and sister of Tsars think about the Bloody Sunday, about WWI, about the rise, rule, and possible downfall of Communism? How does she see her relatives, the Tsarist Regime, and other sovereigns? How does she deal with money, exile, family life, work, and poverty?
We step into the splendor and wastefulness yet strange abstinence of the Imperial Court, we follow her through wars and revolutions till the very humble end.
This firsthand account clarifies mysteries like Rasputin's influence and the Anna Anderson case.

[Amy Roebuck · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm always interested in stories of the Tsars, and/or of relatives/descendants of Queen Victoria. This applies on both counts, and also has an Ontario connection. and pictures.

[Fernanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life as Olga Alexandrovna lived it and understood it.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredible read. What the Grand Duchess and her family went through is something out of a nightmare. I don't think I've ever read a first hand account of reversed circumstances this horrifying. It's almost unbelievable that Olga could remain objective enough to give a fair account of her life, but she seemed to have come to terms to it very well towards the end of her life.

My only complaint is that it isn't long enough. It was disappointing that, despite being very close to Nicholas II and the children, that she only devoted 5-6 pages exclusively to the children, and mostly Anastasia at that. It would've been interesting to read some first hand stories of the children's misadventures.

Other chapters such as her time in exile in Denmark seemed really short, even though she was there for years, we don't hear much about it.

Overall, both Mr. Vorres and Olga do an excellent job in outlining the relatively peaceful time under Alexander III, then swiftly becoming turbulent with the rise of the bolsheviks and communist Russia. It's some of Olga's more personal memories I would have liked to have disclosed, but she's certainly entitled to keep those things to herself. Once a Duchess always a Duchess

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're interested in the family of the last Tsar of Russia, this book is a must-read (although a hard-to-find one). GD Olga told her story to Vorres, her biographer, and it is more than interesting to read her perceptions of the way history unfolded.

GD Olga talks about her memories of the last Tsar and his family, her father the Tsar, her own family, and the Russian court life of the turn of the century. She, like the reader, knows the story will not end well and Vorres does an excellent job capturing her emotions and memories.

Try borrowing this title from your library rather than looking for one to purchase and you'll save yourself some dough.

[Beenish Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came to know about the Grand Duchess in a somewhat serendipitous manner and so I had to track down her autobiography. I am touched by how gracefully she carried herself through the dramatic ups and downs of her life. It also gave a great insight into how Russia works or worked at the time. The copies of the book on Amazon are too expensive (almost 1000$) else I'd have loved to get a personal copy.

[Rebecca Huston · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better biographies out there about the Romanovs. This time, it's the memoirs of Olga Alexandrovna, the younger sister of Nicholas II, who had one of the more remarkable stories of the Romanov survivors after the Russian Revolution. She is very frank (and at times, very politically incorrect), but also very honest. Try to find the earlier edition of this one, as the photographs are in much better resolution than this revised edition.

For the complete review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_48530...

[Andrey Kohan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolute priceless source of historical information: sometimes objective, sometimes subjective, but what is an important - Grand Duchess or Mr.Vorres give us memories and after this there may be some personal subjective assessment.

This book gives us the excellent information about personality of Alexandr III of Russia and, moreover, about Empress Maria Feodorovna; about difficulties of relations between Empress Maria Feodorovna and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, between Nicolays II of Russia and the majority of Grand Dukes.

Easy to read.

[The Reading Dandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Last Grand Duchess is the authorised biography of Olga Alexandrovna, youngest daughter of Alexander III and sister of Nicholas II. Her life started in unimaginable splendor in the Russian palaces and ended above a barber shop in Canada. She survived wars and revolution, being the last link to Imperial Russia. This biography is based upon conversations the writer had with her.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

very readable, like a novel, but full of facts and photos you might not find in other sources. Very interesting and enjoyable to read the familiar history from a different (and first-person) perspective.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting viewpoint from this member of the Romanov family. Stamped Monticello Library--found it in the alcove.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed an insider's view on a tragic historical event