Review & Giveaway: The Romanov Sisters by Helen Rappaport


Pub Date: June 3, 2014 | St. Martin's Press | eBook, Hardcover
Acquired by: Publisher| Edelweiss

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★  
Genre: History/Non-Fiction

They were the Princess Dianas of their day—perhaps the most photographed and talked about young royals of the early twentieth century. The four captivating Russian Grand Duchesses—Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia Romanov—were much admired for their happy dispositions, their looks, the clothes they wore and their privileged lifestyle.

Over the years, the story of the four Romanov sisters and their tragic end in a basement at Ekaterinburg in 1918 has clouded our view of them, leading to a mass of sentimental and idealized hagiography. With this treasure trove of diaries and letters from the grand duchesses to their friends and family, we learn that they were intelligent, sensitive and perceptive witnesses to the dark turmoil within their immediate family and the ominous approach of the Russian Revolution, the nightmare that would sweep their world away, and them along with it.

The Romanov Sisters sets out to capture the joy as well as the insecurities and poignancy of those young lives against the backdrop of the dying days of late Imperial Russia, World War I and the Russian Revolution. Rappaport aims to present a new and challenging take on the story, drawing extensively on previously unseen or unpublished letters, diaries and archival sources, as well as private collections. It is a book that will surprise people, even aficionados.

My Review

Wow, what an incredibly fascinating and heart-wrenching read! I've long been intrigued by the story of the Romanov family and in particular, the four sisters, Olga, Tatiana, Marie, and Anastasia - collectively known as OTMA - so I immediately requested to review Rappaport's book as soon as it popped up on Edelweiss and I am so glad that I did!

Rappaport delivers a highly enjoyable and insightful read that was never dry or boring. The Romanov girls personalities shine through and the reader comes away with a sense of having known them intimately, which makes their ending all that more tragic with the final scene (be sure to have hankies at the ready!) Rappaport of course also touches on the politics of the time, their dominating mother Alexandra, and their brother Alexei's hemophilia.

I would recommend The Romanov Sisters to anyone wanting to learn more about the ill-fated Romanovs. It's one that will stay with you a long time after closing the book.

Giveaway

I have one copy of The Romanov Sisters up for grabs thanks to St. Martin's Press. Giveaway is open to US residents only and ends on August 3.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

28 comments:

  1. it does look like a fantastic read, i hope i get the chance t read it :)

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  2. What a wonderful and captivating novel.Thanks for this fascinating giveaway and feature. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  3. I am obsessed with Russian history so I'm definitely going to have to pick this one up!

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  4. Their sad story has fascinated me for years. Thanks for the review!

    Elisabeth Hallahan

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  5. I think everyone goes through a period of intense fascination with the Romanov's, especially OTMA. Such a tragic end. Looking forward to reading this one! Thanks for the chance to win!
    Beth

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  6. This sounds really interesting! Thanks for the giveaway!

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  7. While I know the very minimum about the Romanov sisters that most everyone knows given the shocking history of how they died I haven't read anything that deals with their actual lives. This sounds really good to me! Thanks for the chance to win a copy, Amy!

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  8. Love anything to do with Russian history, especially the doomed Romanov's.

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  9. Got to love family intrigue combined with mystery and history!

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  10. This looks like a thumping good read. I have always been fascinated by the Romanovs.

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  11. I was obsessed with the Romanovs as a kid and I loved the animated Anastasia movie, as historically inaccurate as it was :) This book sounds fascinating! Thanks for the great giveaway.

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  12. This looks like a good book to read. Thank you for the chance to win it.

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  13. I have been wanting to read this one when I first heard about it
    amyc

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  14. I don't know very much about the sisters so this looks very interesting to me.

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  15. Like you, I've been long intrigued by the story of the Romanovs. I would love to read this book. Thanks for the giveaway.

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  16. Such a sad ending for four innocent young girls. Their horror at their treatment must have been horrific. The Romanovs have long intrigued me as well and I would very much love to read their story.

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  17. This book sounds amazingly interesting. I would greatly enjoy reading it. Thanks for having this giveaway.

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  18. Always love to read about tThe romanovs.

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  19. I'd love to read this, too. Thanks.

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  20. sounds like a great read, love Russian aristocracy stories

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  21. It's amazing to look at these girls, isn't it. So modern except for the slightly dated clothes. They seem just like people we might know. Blows my mind.

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  22. I have always been fascinated by the Romanov sisters. I just added this to my reading list.

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  23. The Massies introduced me to Nicholas and Alexandra and I fell in love with imperial Russia. So glad you're focusing on the innocent victims of their parents desperate effort to save their son and their dynasty.

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  24. I am very interested in Russian history during this time period. Thanks for the giveaway! Raquel36m(at)gmail(dot)com

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  25. thanks for the giveaway, I'm really intrigued, partly as an Orthodox Christian. Emma ehc16e at yahoo dot com

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  26. I have also always been fascinated by the Romanovs. This sounds like a wonderful book. Thanks for the chance!

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  27. I don't know much about the Romanovs, but I do love historical fiction.

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