Reviews
The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra by Helen Rappaport
canadianbookaddict's review
5.0
This is the second time I have read this book and I still love it.
I highly recommend.
I highly recommend.
byashleylamar's review
3.0
After finishing The Romanov Sisters I feel pleasantly deceived but deceived nonetheless. The Romanov Sisters by Helen Rappaport is presented as a book about the lives of the four young Romanov girls – Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia – however much of the book isn’t about them at all. The book focuses very heavily on their parents, their brother Alexei and the political turmoil of Russia. The first 15%-20% of the book details the background of their mother, Alexandra, rather than introducing the girls themselves. The awkwardness of this is only compounded by the lack of background on their father, Nicholas. While I did indeed enjoy this glimpse inside the lives of the Romanov family and it does feel thoroughly and accurately researched I can’t help but feel that readers who are seeking a book about the sisters (affectionately referred to as OTMA by combining the first letters of their first names) may be disappointed.
wanderaven's review
4.0
I spent so much of this book thinking about fate. When we hear stories about ill-fated glamorous lives like the Romanovs, or Princess Diana or Phillip Seymour Hoffman, it seems like we always become enamored with what could have been, what might have been. If only they'd lived.... we think, and then imagine how Russian history or William and Harry's lives or films might have been altered.
I can certainly understand this sort of thinking but I don't typically go down that path. Instead, I end up thinking, WHY so much focus on the lives and time that simply doesn't exist? Why so much focus on their tragic ends instead of deeply and richly appreciating the time they did spend in this world? I don't sit around philosophizing about fate or whether we all have one, or anything like that, but in these instances I find myself considering the idea of us all having a purpose and a set amount of time to exist, and that's just how it is.
In The Romanov Sisters, Rappaport takes the opportunity to introduce and help us to understand the lives and personalities of the four Romanov sisters, Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia. She explores the insular lives they lived (cut off from society by both their birth and their mother's health/social phobias) but also the richly intimate family life they all shared with one another, their parents, and their brother.
I've always been fascinated by the Romanovs but haven't read much about them, in part because most narratives are focused on the political and war aspects (and rightly so, obviously). I grew up with the conspiracy theory about Anastasia having escaped (do you really think that those intent on assassinating the whole family would've been so careless?), learning about hemophilia because of Alexey, and their assassinations. The four sisters (other than those wishful tales about Anastasia) were pretty much identical blanks slates to me.
But in The Romanov Sisters, we learn the distinct personalities of each:
OLGA: "... was curious and full of questions. Once when a nursemaid reprimanded her for her grumpiness, saying that she had 'got out of bed on the wrong foot', the next morning Olga had pertly asked which was 'the right foot to get out with' so that the 'bad foot won't be able to make me naughty to-day'."
Olga grows up (don't forget, these sisters were all young women when they died, not children) to be simultaneously dignified and puppy-love starved for multiple soldiers who crossed her path.
TATIANA: "...was deeply altruistic and sensitive to what others did for her. On once discovering that her nursemaid and Miss Eagar were paid for their services because they had no money of their own and needed to earn a living, she came to Eagar's bed the next morning and got in and cuddled her, saying 'Anyway, you are not paid for this.'"
Tatiana was strong, empathic, and when the war hit, clearly a born nurse.
MARIA: Was considered pudgy and clumsy (at least compared to her sisters) and "was not especially bright." But she was "open-hearted and sincere" and "when she once sheepishly admitted to stealing a forbidden biscuit from a plate at teatime (her father) was relieved for he had been 'always afraid of the wings growing'. It had made him 'glad to see she is only a human child'."
ANASTASIA: Sounded like she was quite the hellion and in some ways reminds me of my own niece. "Anastasia balked at doing anything she was told; if ordered not to climb on things she did precisely that. When told not to eat apples gathered in the orchard to be baked for nursery supper she deliberately gorged herself and when reprimanded was unrepentant: 'You don't know how good that apple was that I had in the garden', she told Margaretta teasingly."
All people and all parents, no matter their status in life, have faults, but Alexandra and Nicholas at least seemed to love one another and raise their children as best they could. The decisions they made in life started first with what was best for their family. After realizing Alexey was a hemophiliac and even a mild bruise could mean the end of an heir they'd tried for so many years to produce (and loved), they still gave orders that he should be allowed to play as he wanted, unless the situation looked truly dangerous. When Nicholas was contemplating abdicating, he took two primary things into consideration. He could abdicate for himself but not for his son, but that meant that his son would remain in Russia and he and his wife would be exiled and separated from at least Alexey, if not the rest of their children. His further candid conversation with Alexey's pediatrician illuminated that Alexey might live for some time more but likely not for long, and so he chose to abdicate for both himself and his son. However power hungry some other texts may paint Nicholas and Alexandra to be, it does seem as though love and care for their children and one another triumphed. They also seemed helpless in the face of a damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't situation: During the war, Alexandra built numerous hospitals and she and the two older daughters spent every day, all day, nursing the wounded. They were criticized for stepping down off their pedestals and neglecting to provide untouchable, shining beacons of hope when they were most needed.
This narrative is very sympathetic to the family, as well it should be because the point of this history is really to tell the story of the four sisters and their family, nothing more. There is very little narrative spent on their assassination, and Rasputin is relatively auxiliary, though we do gain a sense of how he influenced Alexandra (through her love for her children). Those stories have been told elsewhere. In The Romanov Sisters, we are gifted a better sense of how these girls were as fascinated with the world around them as the world was with them, and how the years they did live were mostly rich with love and sunlight.
I can certainly understand this sort of thinking but I don't typically go down that path. Instead, I end up thinking, WHY so much focus on the lives and time that simply doesn't exist? Why so much focus on their tragic ends instead of deeply and richly appreciating the time they did spend in this world? I don't sit around philosophizing about fate or whether we all have one, or anything like that, but in these instances I find myself considering the idea of us all having a purpose and a set amount of time to exist, and that's just how it is.
In The Romanov Sisters, Rappaport takes the opportunity to introduce and help us to understand the lives and personalities of the four Romanov sisters, Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia. She explores the insular lives they lived (cut off from society by both their birth and their mother's health/social phobias) but also the richly intimate family life they all shared with one another, their parents, and their brother.
I've always been fascinated by the Romanovs but haven't read much about them, in part because most narratives are focused on the political and war aspects (and rightly so, obviously). I grew up with the conspiracy theory about Anastasia having escaped (do you really think that those intent on assassinating the whole family would've been so careless?), learning about hemophilia because of Alexey, and their assassinations. The four sisters (other than those wishful tales about Anastasia) were pretty much identical blanks slates to me.
But in The Romanov Sisters, we learn the distinct personalities of each:
OLGA: "... was curious and full of questions. Once when a nursemaid reprimanded her for her grumpiness, saying that she had 'got out of bed on the wrong foot', the next morning Olga had pertly asked which was 'the right foot to get out with' so that the 'bad foot won't be able to make me naughty to-day'."
Olga grows up (don't forget, these sisters were all young women when they died, not children) to be simultaneously dignified and puppy-love starved for multiple soldiers who crossed her path.
TATIANA: "...was deeply altruistic and sensitive to what others did for her. On once discovering that her nursemaid and Miss Eagar were paid for their services because they had no money of their own and needed to earn a living, she came to Eagar's bed the next morning and got in and cuddled her, saying 'Anyway, you are not paid for this.'"
Tatiana was strong, empathic, and when the war hit, clearly a born nurse.
MARIA: Was considered pudgy and clumsy (at least compared to her sisters) and "was not especially bright." But she was "open-hearted and sincere" and "when she once sheepishly admitted to stealing a forbidden biscuit from a plate at teatime (her father) was relieved for he had been 'always afraid of the wings growing'. It had made him 'glad to see she is only a human child'."
ANASTASIA: Sounded like she was quite the hellion and in some ways reminds me of my own niece. "Anastasia balked at doing anything she was told; if ordered not to climb on things she did precisely that. When told not to eat apples gathered in the orchard to be baked for nursery supper she deliberately gorged herself and when reprimanded was unrepentant: 'You don't know how good that apple was that I had in the garden', she told Margaretta teasingly."
All people and all parents, no matter their status in life, have faults, but Alexandra and Nicholas at least seemed to love one another and raise their children as best they could. The decisions they made in life started first with what was best for their family. After realizing Alexey was a hemophiliac and even a mild bruise could mean the end of an heir they'd tried for so many years to produce (and loved), they still gave orders that he should be allowed to play as he wanted, unless the situation looked truly dangerous. When Nicholas was contemplating abdicating, he took two primary things into consideration. He could abdicate for himself but not for his son, but that meant that his son would remain in Russia and he and his wife would be exiled and separated from at least Alexey, if not the rest of their children. His further candid conversation with Alexey's pediatrician illuminated that Alexey might live for some time more but likely not for long, and so he chose to abdicate for both himself and his son. However power hungry some other texts may paint Nicholas and Alexandra to be, it does seem as though love and care for their children and one another triumphed. They also seemed helpless in the face of a damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't situation: During the war, Alexandra built numerous hospitals and she and the two older daughters spent every day, all day, nursing the wounded. They were criticized for stepping down off their pedestals and neglecting to provide untouchable, shining beacons of hope when they were most needed.
This narrative is very sympathetic to the family, as well it should be because the point of this history is really to tell the story of the four sisters and their family, nothing more. There is very little narrative spent on their assassination, and Rasputin is relatively auxiliary, though we do gain a sense of how he influenced Alexandra (through her love for her children). Those stories have been told elsewhere. In The Romanov Sisters, we are gifted a better sense of how these girls were as fascinated with the world around them as the world was with them, and how the years they did live were mostly rich with love and sunlight.
ailurophile_bibliophile89's review
3.0
3 1/2 Stars
This was really well written and much more detailed than I initially thought it would be. The facts were presented clearly, though one can't help but feel for the girls at the end. It is truly a tragic story and I admit I had a hard time finishing because of how the tale ends.
The Grand Duchess' ability to remain cheerful and optimistic despite the political climate turning against their family makes their story all the more tragic. I am sure deep down, they knew what was going to happen but it can't be blamed they chose hope over despair and fear. As the treatment allotted them and their conditions worsened over time, it would grow increasingly difficult to remain so and I admire their resilience. That they were so young and knew so little of the world makes their disastrous end more devastating.
However, their mother, the Empress, I have a hard time feeling sympathetic for her overall. I did not know she suffered from sciatica (a condition not unknown to me, which is probably why I read all the time) which in many ways humanized her. But I think she was a fearful, silly woman, and her upbringing did not give her the advantages that was required for her exalted position. She was ill-equipped to be Empress of all the Russias from the start and it's no wonder the Imperial Family disliked her.
On Nicholas, I won't say much, as the main focus of the book is the women of the family rather than the the men, but he was clearly weak and ineffectual. They say love blinds, and while I don't always agree with that statement, I think in this case it is true. He was deeply fond of his wife and that is where he erred, as his fondness allowed her to take control over matters where she had no clear understanding; ultimately, this is part of the root that ended a dynasty of several hundred years.
All in all, this was a well-written biography, with clear facts that gives an insight into the world of the Romanovs that I had previously unknown.
This was really well written and much more detailed than I initially thought it would be. The facts were presented clearly, though one can't help but feel for the girls at the end. It is truly a tragic story and I admit I had a hard time finishing because of how the tale ends.
The Grand Duchess' ability to remain cheerful and optimistic despite the political climate turning against their family makes their story all the more tragic. I am sure deep down, they knew what was going to happen but it can't be blamed they chose hope over despair and fear. As the treatment allotted them and their conditions worsened over time, it would grow increasingly difficult to remain so and I admire their resilience. That they were so young and knew so little of the world makes their disastrous end more devastating.
However, their mother, the Empress, I have a hard time feeling sympathetic for her overall. I did not know she suffered from sciatica (a condition not unknown to me, which is probably why I read all the time) which in many ways humanized her. But I think she was a fearful, silly woman, and her upbringing did not give her the advantages that was required for her exalted position. She was ill-equipped to be Empress of all the Russias from the start and it's no wonder the Imperial Family disliked her.
On Nicholas, I won't say much, as the main focus of the book is the women of the family rather than the the men, but he was clearly weak and ineffectual. They say love blinds, and while I don't always agree with that statement, I think in this case it is true. He was deeply fond of his wife and that is where he erred, as his fondness allowed her to take control over matters where she had no clear understanding; ultimately, this is part of the root that ended a dynasty of several hundred years.
All in all, this was a well-written biography, with clear facts that gives an insight into the world of the Romanovs that I had previously unknown.
bibliotequeish's review
4.0
I knew the sad story of the Romanov's, but the insight into the actual family dynamic, the personalities of the children and the pure innocence made their fate even harder to grasp.
A very informative read.
A very informative read.
aristeegan's review
4.0
I was surprised at how every page of this book engaged me. Full of interesting detail, this is a fascinating and comprehensive look inside the lives of the Romanov sisters.