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lalawoman416's review against another edition
4.0
History is written by the winners and the story of Rasputin is no exception. So much here that I never knew about. So many more layers to his story than the hedonistic charlatan who pulled the wool over the Romanov"s eyes.
bigenk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
4.0
If you are studying Russia and/or Russian history academically, I have a hard time believing that this wouldn't be a required text. It's so well researched, and explained. To it's own detriment outside of that academic context. So much time goes into every little scrap of correspondence by anyone even remotely of note that somehow involves Rasputin. It can be tedious and even exasperating to a reader like me that wanted some more brevity. Brevity is clearly not something that Smith was interested in. If your goal is to have a nuanced and detailed understanding of the circumstances surrounding Rasputin, and the characters that were his contemporaries, this is the book for you. Despite the moments of tediousness, there were sections that were genuinely interesting that felt like breaths of fresh air and reinvigorated me enough to finish. I especially loved the portions of the book that were told through Rasputin's own words. These passages from him are few, simply because of his limited literacy and his lack of public sermons, but they are still eye opening when Smith uses them.
Smith seems to lean slightly towards trusting Rasputin believers more than his detractors. Several times he trusts implicitly the word of his disciples, even if they are proven to lie, and mistrusts every single negative thing ever said about him. Part of this makes sense, because one of the driving goals of this biography is dispel the legend and myth surrounding Rasputin that have crystalized and become hard to disprove over the last century. It's a tall order, and Smith takes great lengths to do so. I found though that Smith didn't take quite as much time examining the claims of Rasputin's disciples. Many times their words are taken at face value, even though it's clear that most everybody was at least bending the truth of their reality.
What Smith makes abundantly clear though is that while Rasptuin did accrue a lot of power over his years of associating with Nicholas and Alexandra, he did not have complete control. He was not the de facto leader of Russia at any point during his life, nor did he sin at the scale that many tales would have you believe. He was a devoutly religious person who grew up in Siberia, and just like anybody else was prone to bending to the temptations of his life in Petersburg. He was consistently a lecherous person motivated by women, booze, and partying. The myth surrounding Rasputin was a product of the time and place he lived in, a place of spiritual and monarchical decay that was headed towards revolution without him. Many have placed blame on the shoulders of Rasputin, but Smith argues that blame for the fall of the Tsar rests on his own ineptitude as a leader. Had Nicholas and Alexandra recognized that they could not be insulated from the responsibilities of the crown in their personal life, not attached themselves to mysticism, or poorly managed the empire, perhaps the reign of monarchs in Russia would've lasted longer. Regardless, change was coming to Russia. Rasputin happened to be a catalyst for that change, both because of his large character and because of the situation he found himself in, but the change was coming with or without him eventually.
Is all 600+ pages of this worth it for someone with a passing interesting in Russian history? Maybe not. I'm glad to be done with it, but I will say that it is without a doubt the most well researched biography I've ever read, and has left me feeling well versed in everything to do with Rasputin.
Smith seems to lean slightly towards trusting Rasputin believers more than his detractors. Several times he trusts implicitly the word of his disciples, even if they are proven to lie, and mistrusts every single negative thing ever said about him. Part of this makes sense, because one of the driving goals of this biography is dispel the legend and myth surrounding Rasputin that have crystalized and become hard to disprove over the last century. It's a tall order, and Smith takes great lengths to do so. I found though that Smith didn't take quite as much time examining the claims of Rasputin's disciples. Many times their words are taken at face value, even though it's clear that most everybody was at least bending the truth of their reality.
What Smith makes abundantly clear though is that while Rasptuin did accrue a lot of power over his years of associating with Nicholas and Alexandra, he did not have complete control. He was not the de facto leader of Russia at any point during his life, nor did he sin at the scale that many tales would have you believe. He was a devoutly religious person who grew up in Siberia, and just like anybody else was prone to bending to the temptations of his life in Petersburg. He was consistently a lecherous person motivated by women, booze, and partying. The myth surrounding Rasputin was a product of the time and place he lived in, a place of spiritual and monarchical decay that was headed towards revolution without him. Many have placed blame on the shoulders of Rasputin, but Smith argues that blame for the fall of the Tsar rests on his own ineptitude as a leader. Had Nicholas and Alexandra recognized that they could not be insulated from the responsibilities of the crown in their personal life, not attached themselves to mysticism, or poorly managed the empire, perhaps the reign of monarchs in Russia would've lasted longer. Regardless, change was coming to Russia. Rasputin happened to be a catalyst for that change, both because of his large character and because of the situation he found himself in, but the change was coming with or without him eventually.
Is all 600+ pages of this worth it for someone with a passing interesting in Russian history? Maybe not. I'm glad to be done with it, but I will say that it is without a doubt the most well researched biography I've ever read, and has left me feeling well versed in everything to do with Rasputin.
my_name_is_jess's review against another edition
DNF @ 27%. Too much speculation on the validity of reports of abuse against women and children. I understand he was already a sensationalized figure in his lifetime but this book paints a clear picture of an influential predator and then later asks why a victim didn’t speak up sooner. Obviously, these events can neither be proven or disproven at this point but the allegations and counter points could have been presented factually without accusation.
asl4u's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this book - and came away with a deep sense of the wrongness that killed Rasputin. I think, had time and place been different - he’d very well have been proclaimed a saint. but humans can be very devious in their intend to destroy other human beings -
its sad.
great book
its sad.
great book
fatvalkilmer's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
5.0
persikan_05's review against another edition
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
3.0