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jandi's review against another edition
3.0
A very interesting, although inconsistent account of the lives of the Romanov dynasty. It includes as much debauchery and betrayal as the title suggests, and the author conveys what could be a dry topic in a rather humorous manner. I was a bit disappointed by the uneven coverage received by the different tsars. Nicholas II and Alexandra receive a lot of attention, covering not just gossip, but the series of events and environment surrounding them that led to their downfall. Alexander I gets a very lengthy section on the Napoleonic Wars, however, his chapter ends after Napoleon's defeat. On the other hand, of Catherine the Great all we get is a (long) list of lovers, with little mention of her achievements. Peter the Great doesn't get much better either - too much debauchery and too little of what happened in his time. Worth a read tho, specially for the last few chapters.
katsmiao's review against another edition
4.0
Wow, those Russians were a rough bunch.....no shortage of debauchery, betrayal, murder and madness, and when you think you've read it all, there's more.
A really interesting fun read, if you're not to squeamish. Not like the author gets graphic with his descriptions, but those guys were no shrinking violets. If you have a vivid imagination, you will cringe like I did, while reading.
The tone of the book is factual and more like story telling, without sensationalizing or going for shock value. I recommend this book.
A really interesting fun read, if you're not to squeamish. Not like the author gets graphic with his descriptions, but those guys were no shrinking violets. If you have a vivid imagination, you will cringe like I did, while reading.
The tone of the book is factual and more like story telling, without sensationalizing or going for shock value. I recommend this book.
avalydia's review against another edition
3.0
This was way more entertaining than your average nonfiction history book. Not too crazy on the political details, but full of amusing/terrifying anecdotes about the Romanovs. aka, I'm sure anyone who has more than a cursory knowledge of Russian history wouldn't learn too much from the book, but to a more-or-less newbie like myself, it was a great introduction that didn't get bogged down with dates, footnotes, etc (there's a bibliography at the back if you want to check your sources).
I did find that it got somewhat less interesting towards the end, right before the last Romanovs were arrested, but that might have just been because I had been reading it for a while and nonfiction is really just not usually my thing.
I did find that it got somewhat less interesting towards the end, right before the last Romanovs were arrested, but that might have just been because I had been reading it for a while and nonfiction is really just not usually my thing.
iambartacus's review against another edition
3.0
This book was mainly helpful to me in painting a timeline of when the various tsars and tsarinas ruled. I have read quite a bit about them individually, but this books gave a good timeline of their reigns and also helped me piece together the complex family trees (is it too much to ask for some of them to have different names?!). It's a quick read, probably not recommended for serious historians, but anyone who wants a brief overview of Imperial Russia should pick it up.
mindsplinters's review against another edition
3.0
Like all of his books, this is a fairly easy read and he does a pretty good job of separating all of the endless Maries and Ivans and Peters and Alexanders and Catherines. It presents the good and bad of all parties, the beautiful and ugly. It's more than a little sobering to realize how some lives were destroyed over just one or two poor decisions.
jakobmarleymommy's review against another edition
3.0
While I enjoyed reading Mr. Farquhar's witty review of history, many of these stories had been covered in his previous books. I didn't really learn anything new, which was a disappointment.