Anastasia's Album: The Last Tsar's Youngest Daughter Tells Her Own Story [Hardcover]

Hugh Brewster (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

An award-winning author uses Anastasia's own photos, watercolors, letters, and diaries, long hidden in Russian archives, to reveal an engaging portrait of Russia's last princess, her family, and their difficult exile in Siberia after the Russian revolution.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Designed to resemble a scrapbook, this striking, profusely illustrated volume presents a sympathetic and affecting portrait of the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, the last Romanov ruler (see Children's Books, Oct. 7). Brewster juxtaposes remarkably pristine period photos (some artfully hand-colored by Anastasia) with Christopher's carefully composed shots of the palaces the family inhabited and of several family possessions: a doll, a Faberge egg, a Red Cross uniform worn by one of Anastasia's sisters. His prose is equally atmospheric: Anastasia at three is "a blue-eyed whirlwind." Well-chosen excerpts from Anastasia's own correspondence and from memoirs by Romanov friends and staff heighten Anastasia's very real presence in these pages. This immediacy renders the sudden end to the siblings' carefree youth, and eventually the Romanovs' violent deaths in Siberia in 1918, all the more tragic and haunting. Ages 7-up.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up-It would be difficult to find a more engaging portrait of the Romanovs. Black-and-white photographs from family albums are complemented by exquisite contemporary photographs of restored palaces. In addition, there is an articulate text and a generous use of quotes from letters and diaries written by family members or their close friends. The focus is on the youngest daughter and her story. Although a few references are made to historical events and the hardships of the Russian people during the first two decades of the 20th century, the book concentrates on presenting an intimate portrait of the last ruling family of the aristocracy. It succeeds very well. Readers looking for photographs of a broader spectrum of Russian society toward the end of the empire may wish to consult Mikhail P. Iroshinkov's Before the Revolution: St. Petersburg in Photographs: 1890-1914 (Abrams, 1992).
Elizabeth Talbot, University of Illinois, Champaign
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786802928
• ISBN-13: 978-0786802920
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 9.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,073,123 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The life of a princess, October 27, 2003

By 

Inger Watts (Trondheim, Norway) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Anastasia's Album: The Last Tsar's Youngest Daughter Tells Her Own Story (Hardcover)

I know that this is a children's book, but I think it is also an interesting book for adults. It includes many photos of Anastasia's family.

What I find is special about this book, is that it describes the world that the Tsar's children grew up in. The children had it all: their parents loved their five children, and Tsar Nicholas was able to give them all they wanted. Anastasia and her siblings were not confronted with the injustice that took place outside the palace walls.

The revolution changed it all though, and it is sad to see the photos and read the story of how their lives ended.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice, June 22, 2002

By 

E. Duncan "lanied86" (Simi Valley, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Anastasia's Album: The Last Tsar's Youngest Daughter Tells Her Own Story (Hardcover)

It's a nice book, with excerpts of letters, and many photographs; although geared towards children, I at sixteen found it adorable. Although when you look at it, it's sad--how an innocent girl, caught up in politics, was shot. It's a nice look into the "eyes" of Anastasia, and I bet 'Shvyzbik' would be pleased.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Loved It!!!!!!, April 26, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Anastasia's Album: The Last Tsar's Youngest Daughter Tells Her Own Story (Hardcover)

It was the best Anastasia book I've read! I loved all the pictures and all the information! AWESOME BOOK!!!!