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I just finished reading, Between Love and Honor. Its excellent-I highly recommend it! It is centered in the period of Nicholas I; and is the story of a Georgian Princess and a Muslim Prince.
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I always want to know the latest....but non-fiction.
Happy either way . . . Will add it to my "to read" list anyway but I only prefer to read fiction in this area when it is strongly based on fact.
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In honor of the 400th Anniversary of the Romanov Dynasty in 2013, I would like to donate a copy of my novel, "The Tsar's Masquerade" to the group. I will mail to administrator and then each member can mail to another when finished. I, like most Romanov fans prefer nonfiction when reading about the family. I became mildly obsessed with the family, read tons of books, and looked at the Alexander Palace website nearly everyday for updates. If you are a true fan(read all the books) you know the story by heart. Many can tell who was wearing what on which day and what they thought, felt, ate etc at any particular moment. As an author, it was a challenge to write this work while being faithful to the truth of the story. Although fiction, "The Tsar's Masquerade" takes the historical facts and intimate stories you know by heart and weaves a very complex tale based on a premise not seen in any other book. By the time it was finished I wondered myself if it could be true as so many of the "facts" added up to novel. The editor of the book, a former Professor of History at the United States Naval Academy stated, "This could have happened." Every charactor in the book is real except for two. Elena Motivlov is a compilation of various mystics and physics. The other was made up to facilitate the storyline. I hope you will enjoy reading The Tsar's Masquerade and I look forward to feedback from some true Romanov fans.
Robert K Massie's recent book on Catherine the Great is fantastic. I would actually read again as I went through it so quickly the first time.
I would love to read this book, even if it's fiction. 7notrumpxx@gmail.com
Hi, I'm new here! Has anyone read 'Blood red snow white'? Can you tell me if it's buying worthy? And relatively historical correct? Thank you! Lien.
Read "The Court of the Last Tsar" (or Czar). It's stupendously informative.
Thanks I will! And I'll probably try 'Blood red snow white' anyway. I'll report back later!
I'm getting ready to start reading Carolly Erickson's The Tsarina's Daughter & Alexandra: The Last Tsarina.
Do we have a post for June's read? I found a new book at the Friends of the Library sale, Fatal Passion:, A: The Story of the Uncrowned Last Empress of Russia. Can't wait to start reading it; Its about Princess Victoria Melita "Ducky" and her marriage to Grand Duke Kirill of Russia. She was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria as well as Tsar Alexander of Russia; and sister to Queen Marie of Romania.
I know that "aunt Michen", Vladimir's wife ( Nicky's uncle.) good old Maria Pavlova the elder, thought she should be the Czarina.She surely would have made a better one than Alix, anyway. I always thought it so hypocritical of Nicholas to grant a divorce to Alix's cousin, Melita, and Kirill, but not let his brother have one to marry the woman he loved. I have made the acquaintance of someone from Ekaterinburg. Very fascinating conversations. I just finished a good bio called Alix and Nicky...full of info of the times from diaries, papers, affidavits, etc. about their relationship. She certainly isolated the poor guy from everyone who could help him but he had no backbone anyway and she caught on early. He was a better hubby and father than Tsar,
Marjorie wrote: "I know that "aunt Michen", Vladimir's wife ( Nicky's uncle.) good old Maria Pavlova the elder, thought she should be the Czarina.She surely would have made a better one than Alix, anyway. I alway..."
I know a little bit of the story line from other books. I know she was kicked out because of a scandal! I get back to you as soon as I read the book. (couple of weeks).
Not sure about what scandal. Alix was jealous of her, I got the impression. She got out with the few Romanovs that escaped and died in Paris.
Marie Pavlovna the elder was very jealous of Alexandra (and Minnie) because she always felt that she and her husband should be ruling Russia. She was a notorious gossip and was the source of a lot of the ill-will towards Alexandra. Both Nicholas' brother Mikhail Alexandrovich and Kyril Vladimirovich married secretly, which angered Nicholas a great deal, and banished both of them for a while. As to Victoria Melita, the fact that she had divorced Alexandra's brother, Ernst, and then turned around and married Kyril, MP's eldest son, that set both Nicholas and Alexandra against her.
Personally, given what Nicholas witnessed during his childhood -- the gruesome death of his grandfather, the accident at Bjorki, and the assassination attempt in Japan -- would have left him with some pretty deep emotional scars, not to mention a bullying father and a mother who kept him infantilized. Then came the rather sudden death of his father, and very little preparation on Nicholas becoming Tsar.
Then you have Alexandra, and her emotional baggage to factor in -- losing two siblings at a young age, not to mention her mother, and a grandmother who ruled the world, but insisted on her own isolation from people and the government, it all adds up. I've read a few bits where it is suggested that Alexandra may have suffered from porphyria, which means a real medical burden, along the hemophilia gene getting passed along, and her own ill health with sciatica.
IMHO, Nicholas would have made an excellent constitutional monarch, but he was lousy as an autocrat.
Yes, and I wonder if Ella wasn't a bit 'touched' too...to marry Serge. It's a very sad story all around. Alix's symptoms are very like porphyria, which one of her father's people had...George 111. I had forgotten about Ernst and Melita divorcing. He was essentially a homosexual. What a family!!
There are some old books available on Kindle which are free and might make a good June selection. Here is an example.http://www.amazon.com/Rescuing-authen...
I downloaded the Kindle ap and read on my Ipad so there are other options to read it if you don't have a kindle
I don't have kindle. I wonder if this is fiction or an authentic diary...supposedly, the reds sent a fake letter to Nicky and wanted the layout of the house, get ready, etc so they had an excuse to shoot them and blame it on an escape attempt. Whose diary are these books from?
I'm in the process of reading, The Romanov Cross; and very much enjoying it! It a twist of ghost story, mystery and history of the final days of the Romanovs. It takes place in present day Alaska-the mystery revolves around the Romanov Cross; and how Anastasia and Rasputin wind up on the Isle of St. Peters (a Russian settlement). Has anyone else read the book? It is a refreshing change from the usual.I'm going to start on The Romanov Prophecy as soon as I finish Cross. Has anyone read it?
I read "The Romanov Cross" and enjoyed it. I felt the Romanov story line was a little off on the facts but other than that the story was good.
Raphael wrote: "I read "The Romanov Cross" and enjoyed it. I felt the Romanov story line was a little off on the facts but other than that the story was good."I agree; but I guess poetic licenses is allowed to extend the story line. I think it is amazing how many ways the story can be retold.
Julie