Customer Reviews

The Flight of the Romanovs: A Family Saga

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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

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.

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!

I have to say that of all the books I've read on the Romanovs, this one just plain made me angry because it's not very impartial. I was under the impression that a historian would want to be as impartial & objective as possible in order to demonstrate "the truth." In this case, the author cakes the text with so much subjectivity, I couldn't even finish it. I'm as open as the next person when it comes to putting forth new ideas, but the book doesn't even do that. For anyone who's read anything about the dynasty, the author seems to have deliberately forgotten about anything else that's been written about it - including historical files and information already well known in history. His opinion is so prominent that it became more annoying the more I read. I got the distinct impression he was actually "siding" w/ particular family members - rather than looking from the outside in. NOT a good read for people who love the rich history of the Romanovs.

Like many of you, I am fascinated by the story of the fall of the Russian dynasty. I read everything I can find, from coffee-table books to serious scholarship, and have found no other book that so clearly explains the many threads of politics, world events, and family dramas that surrounded and contributed to the demise of the Romanovs. This narrative is clear and explanatory, and the information about the entire Romanov family was enlightening. After years of listening to me go on an on about the latest "Romanov book" I was reading, my historian father also picked up "The Flight of the Romanovs" and became hooked. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this topic.

This book provides a good view on the star-crossed Romanov family, as we see the downward spiral until much of the royal family is killed off and the remainder flees into exile. The volume features an extremely helpful genealogy at the beginning. I found it useful to refer to it from time to time to keep the "players" straight.

The story begins with Tsar Alexander II, a reformer, who was rewarded by assassination. In some senses, this was most unfortunate for Russia, since his efforts at reform moved a far piece from the backward, insular, autocratic system preceding his reign. His successor, Alexander III, learned a lesson from this: no more reform. As the text reads (page 29): "Alexander III checked the liberal course abruptly; extreme conservatism resulted."

He suffered from Bright's Disease and succumbed in 1894. The successor? Nicholas II (of Nicholas and Alexandra). With the Kerensky government and then the Bolshevik Revolution, the Romanovs were swept from power, and many executed by the Bolsheviks. Others escaped.

The volume follows the survivors over their life course. It also provides great detail on other of the Romanovs before the Revolution. Some were quite able; others were of little moment and possessed little talent.

The book provides a good picture of the family from Alexander II and his reform efforts to the death of the final "inside" members of the royal family in the late 20th century.

The book is a fascinating portrayal of a royal family. Sometimes, the detail becomes almost excessive, but that also enhances the richness of the historical perspective. All in all, a nice volume.

This book is an easy read for the non-academically inclined reader. I thought I was finished with books like this when I graduated from college, but now years later I realize that I do enjoy reading comprehensive books on intriguing parts of world history.

This book is gripping from the first page to the last & when the book is over, you almost feel like there should be more of a story to continue regardless that the family line has ended.

Very enjoyable!

This is one of the few negative reviews I've written and I'm sorry to say I think this book is sorely lacking in historical discipline and style! Well, not everyone is a William Manchester. Had I not been so fascinated with the Romanovs, I would never have finished this book. For one thing, it is very negative toward the Romanovs, in many ways slamming them in thinly veiled ways. For example, Nikolasha is called great "for a Romanov". Nicholas II's sisters Xenia and Olga are invidiously compared because Xenia chose to stay under the protection of the British monarchs while Olga went on to live a rather wretched life in Canada. The authors feel Olga was more honest. In fact, this book even goes out of the way to slam Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth II of England. Most people who read a book like this are supportive of Royals and I think would find the author's tone a bit difficult. I agree that the family tree at the front of the book is very helpful. I also found that it enabled me to get clear about the three branches of the family with claimants to the throne. The authors end by heaping praise on a very peripheral member of the Romanov family who rode daredevil motorcycle for a living. Especially for historians, these two men are quite shallow in their presentation of historical material about the war, the revolution and more. There is a lot of attention devoted to the murder of Rasputin and I did find this helpful. All I can say about this book in general, though, is, "I don't get it and you shouldn't either!" Sorry for such a negative review.

This is an excellent book that goes well beyond so many of the others about the Romanovs. Here we learn fascinating things not just about those who became Czar, but also about those members of the family following Alexander III who did not. Especially interesting are the stories of who lived, who died, and who vanished following the fall of Nicholas II. This is must reading for anyone interested in the Romanovs.

While most people consider the story of the Romanov's ended in the basement of the Ipateiv house on July 17, 1918, this wonderful description of the flight and plight of other members of the Romanov family held my attention continously. Unfortantely, because of my lack of familiarity of the uncles, aunts, cousins, children, grandparents, etc., etc., I kept returning to the concise family tree. The authors show a wide variety of activities of these relatives before and after the revolution and convey how some were "hanger-ons" and lived the life of royalty, while others kept the dream alive of returning to a czarist Russia. But all in all, I thoroughly enjoyed learning of the after affects of being driven out of Russia.