The Flight of the Romanovs: A Family Saga [Paperback]

John Curtis Perry (Author), Constantine V. Pleshakov (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 5, 2001

A saga of love and lust, personal tensions and rivalries, antagonisms and hatreds, The Flight of the Romanovs describes the last century of the Russian imperial dynasty-a century that saw the greatest social and political upheavals in all of recorded history. Drawing upon a wealth of untapped resources from Russian, British, and American archives, including unpublished diaries of many of the principal characters and never-before-published photographs, Perry and Pleshakov render an indelible portrait of a family and their time, from the youth of Alexander III in the 1860s to the death, one hundred years later, of his daughter Olga Alexandrovna, the last Grand Duchess.Set against the backdrop of this most cataclysmic century, The Flight of the Romanovs is a must-read for anyone interested in this fascinating dynasty, Russian history, and the history of European royalty.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This history examines the Romanov dynasty as it careened into the 20th century, taking a healthy chunk of Russian tradition and society along with it. Perry, who teaches at Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and Pleshakov, director of the Geopolitics and Pacific Studies Center at the Soviet Academy of Sciences, make no bones about placing blame for the Russian Revolution squarely on Romanov shoulders: "The failure of the Romanov will and ability to lead caused many millions to die and shattered a brilliant culture." From the assassination of Czar Alexander II in 1881 to the adventures and misfortunes of the Romanov ?migr?s, the authors make every effort to view historical events from a personal vantage. Even those well-versed in Russian history will find this a refreshing treatment of events, fleshed out by oral histories of royal family members, experts, eyewitnesses and literary accounts by the likes of Bakunin, Bulgakov, Lermontov, Dostoyevski and Chekhov. The Russian public's lack of confidence in Nicholas II is described in gory detail, as is the first family's brutal extinction (the grand duchesses had to be finished off with bayonets because bullets ricocheted off diamonds sewn in their garments). Remarkably, this saga manages to keep its focus on the Romanov family without becoming distracted by the dramatic tales of Rasputin, Lenin, Stalin or other well-documented figures. The result is a compelling treatise on how royal power literally played itself out of modern Russia. 40 b&w photos. (July)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This latest addition to the expanding library of works on the Romanovs begins its "saga" with the murder of Alexander II in 1881, then offers a quick survey of the imperial clan as it hurtled toward disaster in 1917. This is largely a tale of privileged parasites. Seventeen members of the family escaped from revolutionary Russia, and we learn details of their lives in exile. With few exceptions (Grand Duchess Olga), they had no survival skills; they offered nothing other than charm and the faded glamour of their name, which were enough to attract quite a few. Perry (Fletcher Sch. of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts Univ.) and Pleshakov (Soviet Academy of Sciences) amplify some of the details presented in Robert Massie's The Romanovs: The Final Chapter (LJ 10/15/95); their book reads like an interesting museum catalog of a deservedly vanished species. For all public libraries.ARobert H. Johnston, McMaster Univ., Hamilton, Ontario
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (February 5, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0465024637
• ISBN-13: 978-0465024636
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #719,351 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars From a Romanov's point of view, February 11, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Flight Of The Romanovs: A Family Saga (Hardcover)

I will not comment on the accuracy of the book other than the very end. I comment on this part only as I was there and witnessed the events the authors so inaccurately describe. On page 359 the authors describe the recent funeral of my cousin Nicholas II; "the apathy greeting the funeral cortege as it moved through the city to the cathedral, the procession outnumbering the spectators; by the beer-drinkers and the smokers among those holding coveted cards of invitation; and even by some members of the Romanov family wearing brightly colored scarves and ties instead of the conventional black". They further went on to say "And the military, with which the Romanovs identified so closely, sent only a poorly trained honor guard and no bands to play funeral marches." What I saw as the procession moved from the airport to the cathderal, was an amazing turnout of people lining the streets of St. Petersburg for the entire route. This was something we had not thought of and found it to be very humbling and moving. To say the honor guard was poorly trained is not only inaccurate but insulting as well. There were no bands playing funeral marches for good reason. This was not the funeral of a reigning Tsar but of a Tsar who had abdicated the throne. I find the descriptions of "Beer drinkers and smokers" as inflammatory and can only figure poor judgement and deep prejudice by the authors. Finally, the comment regarding my family's wardrobe should more appropriately be found on the pages of the National Enquirer. Though I choose not to attest to the accuracy of the entire book, I must question it in light of the inaccuracy of the authors description of the above mentioned current events. Respectfully submitted, Michael Romanoff Ilyinsky

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating reading !, May 17, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Flight Of The Romanovs: A Family Saga (Hardcover)

I am a relative newcomer concerning the history of the Romanov family, but this has changed now. This book is just incredibly fascinating, there are so many facts as well as samll anecdotes that it is just pure delight to read this well written and extremely well researched book. The book demonstrates the lavish lifestyle of the last Romanovs, describes all the relationships between the European royal families in the late 19th and early 20th century, and goes into every single detail of the relationships within the Romanov family. The second half of the book describes the hardships hte Romanovs had to endure under the Bolshevik regime and how all their lives changed so drastically after Tsar Nicholas II abdicated and the Bolsheviks came to power.

The only slightly negative thing which came to my mind while reading this book was the vast number of names in some parts of the book. It sometimes hapens that there are eight different names in one sentence, referring to three different generations from three different parts of the Romanov family.

But this still does not cloud the impression from reading this extremely informative book which is absolutely readable for non-historians who are just interested in this topic.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the flight of the romanovs, a family saga, February 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Flight Of The Romanovs: A Family Saga (Hardcover)

Having read all the available books on the Romanov family at the local library, I was shocked to actually find a book that was written within the last few years about the Russian royal family. It was fascinating to read how the grand dukes survived after the fall of the house of Romanov. It was very easy reading, well written and very informative as to the outcome of the extended family members. highly recommend!