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epearly's review
5.0
Absolutely fantastic! I'm a huge history buff, and this family has always intrigued me. Almost everyone knows the legend of Anastasia escaping her death, but not much more. Miss. Fleming has done incredibly thorough research to bring the story of the Romanov's downfall to such an intimate and personal level, everything from the first meeting of Nicholas and Alexandra to the discovery of their bodies is covered. And the story isn't one-sided, either; accounts from peasants, commoners, and communists are peppered throughout the story so the reader understands why revolution occurred in the first place. The first-hand accounts of the Romanov family and the pictures make the story very real, although it honestly felt sometimes that I was reading a Shakespearean tragedy. Highly, highly recommend to anyone hesitant to read non-fiction or history!
tiedyedude's review
4.0
A comprehensive, thoroughly researched, and accessible history of the last of the Romanov dynasty and imperial Russia (though the reign of Putin does not go unmentioned). If anything, it was maybe overly sympathetic to a very violent tsar.
alaynamendoza's review
Incredibly entertaining for a book concerning history. Had a hard time putting the book down. Loved the comparison of the splendor the Romanovs experienced versus the peasant’s lives. Made for a human understanding of how everything unravelled.
kirstenrose22's review
5.0
This book deserves all the buzz it has generated. I don't know much more than the average bear about this time period - but it does an excellent job of summarizing and contextualizing everything. I especially loved the sidebar sections which offered great contrast to the wealth/opulence/willful ignorance of the tsar's family. I thought it was interesting how Nicholas went from weak and sheltered to bloodthirsty and vengeful, and would have liked more exploration of his personality and how that affected things. Also, this book has all the things needed for a great non-fiction book: genealogy tables, maps, and pictures. :)
logan08's review
4.0
This was such an amazing book and it read almost like a novel. It was beautifully written and really interesting. I couldn't put it down, but there were a few things that confused me a bit. Again, this book was amazing and I absolutely loved it.
lajones1_23's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25