libkatem's review against another edition
4.0
AMAZING.
Seriously. And as Smith points out, apart from the fate of the royal family, the nobles and boyars' fates aren't really told in the historiography of the Russian Revolution. It was very interesting to follow these families, some who left, but many who stayed.
Seriously. And as Smith points out, apart from the fate of the royal family, the nobles and boyars' fates aren't really told in the historiography of the Russian Revolution. It was very interesting to follow these families, some who left, but many who stayed.
innashtakser's review against another edition
3.0
Rather disappointing, I'm afraid. Admittedly my expectations were very high. Smith, after all, is the author of a wonderful book on Russian free masons Working the Rough Stone. In addition the topic is very interesting and the author was in possession of much data. I can also see why some people enjoyed the book - Smith is an excellent writer. The main problem I had was that he did not really attempt to analyze his data. He ended up telling a very sad story about the tragic fate of Russian aristocrats after the 1917 revolution, but did not really try to analyze the context. After reading this book I do not feel I can better understand what happens with the former elites after a social revolution. In a way the book reminds me of these novels dealing with human rights violations, but not attempting to understand these in political, rather than moral, context. While this is acceptable in a novel, I do feel a historian should have done better.
blauerbuchling's review against another edition
5.0
Ich bin generell eine große Freundin von Smiths historischen Sachbüchern zur russischen Geschichte, und „Der letzte Tanz“ hat mich wieder nicht enttäuscht. Mit dem gewohnten angenehmen Schreibstil führt Smith die Lesenden anhand der Schicksale zweier großer russischer Adelsfamilien durch die beschwerliche Zeit in Russland zwischen 1900 und den 1940ern und beschreibt den unglaublichen Fall und die rücksichtslose Auslöschung der Aristokratie. Sicherlich ist dieses Buch nicht für schwache Nerven; besonders die unfassbare Willkür während der stalinistischen Ära, mit der Leute verhaftet, ins Lager geschickt oder gleich umgebracht wurden, geht ordentlich an die Nieren. Aber es wurde brillant recherchiert, bietet eine großartige Bibliografie für weitere Nachforschungen und beschreibt die Tragödie über den Tod der russischen Aristokratie mit viel Respekt und Wärme.
msgtdameron's review against another edition
4.0
This is an excellent history/biography of the Russian Aristocracy from WWI through the end of WWII. It's part biography in that it follows two family's, the Shermatoves and Golystins. It's history as weaving the families lives through all the political upheaval of the Revolution, Civil War, NEP, the various show trials of the early thirties, the Terror of the purges, and The Great Patriotic War. This is also an excellent follow up volume if you have read The Romanov's by Simon Sebag Montefiore.
Former people is a great read to get the Russian Aristocracy from the death of the Tsar to the end of the WWII.
Former people is a great read to get the Russian Aristocracy from the death of the Tsar to the end of the WWII.
aislingoh's review against another edition
4.0
I found this book really riveting and couldn't put it down. This is a rare quality for a history book while they are usually interesting but not this well writen. The combination of the general history and the individual stories keeps it interesting. Although there are far too many characters to keep track of. This is an area which has been ignored, there has not really been a focus on this class of people who disappeared from Russia.
There is a definite bias towards the aristocracy in the book. It is highlighted how educated they are and how all the great writers and composers came from that class. Well of course they did, if you were an illiterate peasant toiling in the fields for your master you are not going to get much of an opportunity to use your talents even if you have them.
I didn't think that I had a much sympathy for the people in the book as other reviews, however the reason is not due to heartlessness (I hope) its due to the sheer numbers of characters. If I have one criticism of the book it is that there were too many and it was hard to keep track of who was being mentioned. Maybe if he had picked a smaller number and focused more on them I would have felt more sympathy for them. By the second half of the book I was loosing interest in remembering the story of each person and just took each anecdote in its own right. I couldn't remember who this person was who was being arrested or that person being shot. Although obviously the stories are saddening, there were many people who suffered in the great terror of the 30's and this has been widely documented, to increase interest a few stories would have been much more effective.
Obviously the treatment they received was not deserved but having read so much about what the ordinary people suffered it is hard to feel sympathy for those who were so incredibly rich before the revolution knowing the level of the poverty in Russia at the time. In no way am I excusing what went on but in some cases it explains the excess. Serfdom was not abolished long and this was slavery in exactly the same way as it was in other areas of the world. These people were only a couple of generations from that and lived in an incredible level of poverty while the aristocracy were living lives of huge riches from the rents the poor were paying for them. A bit more balance and context is needed.
So while there are criticisms of this book its a great read on a newish subject so 4 stars for me.
There is a definite bias towards the aristocracy in the book. It is highlighted how educated they are and how all the great writers and composers came from that class. Well of course they did, if you were an illiterate peasant toiling in the fields for your master you are not going to get much of an opportunity to use your talents even if you have them.
I didn't think that I had a much sympathy for the people in the book as other reviews, however the reason is not due to heartlessness (I hope) its due to the sheer numbers of characters. If I have one criticism of the book it is that there were too many and it was hard to keep track of who was being mentioned. Maybe if he had picked a smaller number and focused more on them I would have felt more sympathy for them. By the second half of the book I was loosing interest in remembering the story of each person and just took each anecdote in its own right. I couldn't remember who this person was who was being arrested or that person being shot. Although obviously the stories are saddening, there were many people who suffered in the great terror of the 30's and this has been widely documented, to increase interest a few stories would have been much more effective.
Obviously the treatment they received was not deserved but having read so much about what the ordinary people suffered it is hard to feel sympathy for those who were so incredibly rich before the revolution knowing the level of the poverty in Russia at the time. In no way am I excusing what went on but in some cases it explains the excess. Serfdom was not abolished long and this was slavery in exactly the same way as it was in other areas of the world. These people were only a couple of generations from that and lived in an incredible level of poverty while the aristocracy were living lives of huge riches from the rents the poor were paying for them. A bit more balance and context is needed.
So while there are criticisms of this book its a great read on a newish subject so 4 stars for me.