Journey [Hardcover]

Robert K. Massie (Author), Suzanne Massie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1975

A dramatic narrative, buoyant with courage and a passion life. The authors now share their own journey through 18 years out of the claustrophobia or person tragedy and bitterness into strength, into ever widening worlds of the mind and spirit

Product Details

• Hardcover: 363 pages
• Publisher: Knopf : distributed by Random House; 1st edition (1975)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394490185
• ISBN-13: 978-0394490182
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #929,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The story behind the story..., March 11, 2004

By 

Cynthia K. Robertson (beverly, new jersey USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Journey (Hardcover)

Having been a Romanov fan for over 30 years, I don't know how Journey by Robert and Suzanne Massie escaped my notice for so long. Written in journal style, both authors alternate entries that detail their experiences with hemophilia on many different levels.

First, their oldest child, Robert Jr. (Bobby) was born in 1956, and was quickly diagnosed with hemophilia. Journey chronicles their experiences in dealing with this disease on a first hand basis for the first 18 years of their son's life. Second, it shows how they educated themselves about this chronic, debilitating and sometimes fatal disease. At that time, the treatment of hemophilia was not very sophisticated, and they were often at the cutting edge of pioneering treatment. Thirdly, in the course of their research, they became fascinated with the story of Queen Victoria and how hemophilia (that was passed through her) affected so many of the royal houses in Europe. This led them to the last Tsar and Tsarina, Nicholas and Alexandra Romanov. The Tsarevich Alexei was a hemophiliac and how Nicholas and Alexandra dealt with this crisis changed the course of Russian history and the Russian monarchy. The Massie's also give great details about the different forms of hemophilia-some more severe than others. We learn that Alexei had a relatively mild form of the disease. While the only treatment available in the early 1900's was ice and immobilization, Bobby Massie required hundreds and hundreds of transfusions to get him through childhood. And finally, Journey details the politics of the American Red Cross, and various government agencies and private companies in dealing with the treatment and manufacturing of blood agents for hemophiliacs. Don't believe for a minute that their first priority is what is best for the patient.

This book also relates the story of how their research led to Robert's writing the classic, Nicholas and Alexandra. This was the book that hooked me on the Romanov's while still in high school, and is still today one of the best written on this subject.

Journey was published in 1973 and much has happened since then. There are now many more treatment options available in the treatment of hemophilia. Unfortunately, much of the blood supply used for treatment was contaminated by HIV in the 1980's and many hemophiliacs ended up with AIDS. But the good news is that Bobby has grown into a brilliant man. After receiving degrees from Princeton, Yale, and Harvard, he is now an Episcopal priest and a published, award winning author in his own right. He is married with several children. The bad news is that for whatever reason, Robert and Suzanne Massie's marriage did not survive. Still, despite being published so long ago, Journey is a good book to read for those wanting to know more background about how the Nicholas and Alexandra story came about.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An opus of parental love, August 27, 2011

By 

Martha Schwope (Concord, MA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Journey (Hardcover)

As soon as I finished this heartfelt story, I donated a pint of blood to our local hospital. The insights and dogged dedication of both Massie parents are awe-inspiring. As a fellow mother, I was especially moved by Suzanne, who shares her emotional roller-coasters with generous depth. Readers will be thrilled to know that Bob was is now a tireless advocate for economic and social justice, cured -- yes, cured! -- of his hemophilia in his forties by way of a liver transplant.