Customer Reviews

The Last Empress: The Life and Times of Alexandra Feodorovna, Tsarina of Russia

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My personal interest in the Romanov monarchy is relatively recent. Mr. King's book was the first of many that I have read regarding the subject of the Romanovs, particularly Empress Alexandra. I believe that the forenote by Nicholas Romanov says it best; That she must be viewed as two different women, the first as Empress, the second as wife and mother. I enjoyed this book so much that I have since read it 3 times, and on each occasion acquiring something more about her tragic past and upbringing. The direct influence of the British monarchy in the prior 2 generations had so much bearing on the developement of Alexandra's personality. Although her thought processes become somewhat twisted in adulthood, and her behavior having been so influenced by Rasputin, she was a desperate mother praying for a desperate answer. Even though there was so little information at that time regarding hemophilia, her self blame and lack of understanding led to her fanaticism with her faith. Nicholas simply was not the assertive man that she desperately needed and yet she pushed him so hard and isolated him from the people of Russia, that he knew no other way to lead, hence a tragic outcome. This text has a permanent place on my bookshelves. Excellent!

I just could not put down this book. It is exceptional. THis should be required reading for any history course on Alexandra and Nicholas. What I liked about it was how the author made history interesting and gave life to the people he wrote about. He brings compassion to the subjects and really explains the complexities of WW1. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in the last tsar and tsarina of Russia. It is a very intriguing read.

This book is a good retelling of the facts, with some new theories added (King's ideas about the influence of the Empress's childhood, for one) and some academic theses give the popular treatment for the first time. On the latter score, this biography, for example, is the first Romanov book which does not repeat the old stereotype that Rasputin was exploiting the trust of the Imperial family for political ends, but rather adopts the more credible line that he simply agreed with their own views. The political context is presented a little superficially, with no attention being given to the Empress's real reasons for selecting particular ministers, and the assumption made (all too easy with hindsight) that she was pursuing an illogical and doomed course. Dominic Lieven's "Nicholas II" is a good alternative picture, locating her strategies firmly in the populist tradition of the later nineteenth century. In some ways the book does not fulfill the promise of its introduction, which hints at a totally new picture. However, it is a good read and a good introduction for newcomers, and the character it presents, if less attractive, is a more lively and interesting one than that in the celebrated 'Nicholas and Alexandra'. It redresses the balance of the latter by actually discussing the Empress's work beyond the political sphere, in particular her interest in girls' education. For a fuller picture of her political role, see Joseph Fuhrmann's footnotes to her edited correspondence with her husband.

This book is the BEST biography on Alexandra Feodorovna. Very detailed information. I've been a Romanov fan for a long time and when I got this book, it had information I had never heard of before, from her childhood to her bloody end. This is a MUST-HAVE book if you're interested in Alexandra Feodorovna OR the Romanovs. Well done, Greg King!!!

This book is better than Erickson's in many ways. I did wish
King could have told us more about Alix's childhood and family.
Read Mager's bio of Grand Duchess Elizabeth for a better narrative on this point. Some of King's phrasing is awkward (he
repeats the word "pair" too often when referring to 2 people.
Overall, this is a pretty good book, as long as you consult
other books to flesh it out.

I'm a historical biography junkie, and this is one of the very best I've read. You really get to know who Alexandra was as a person, not just a title or a historical figure long distant. You can feel the love between her and Nicholas, and what an amazingly strong family life they had at a time when royals normally married for political reasons and barely tolerated each other. This book also gives great insight into the revolutionary pot simmering underneath them, and how their son's hemophilia and their subsequent dependence on Rasputin played into it. Fascinating book, really well written.

I read anything Romanov and I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. King's book. Alexandra Feodorovna was indeed a very complex character. Her life was tragic from childhood and her story sad. It is too bad she and Nicholas were Tsar and Tsarina, rather than just ordinary people. They led Russia down a tremendous fall and as a result lost not only their own lives but that of their children and many others. A good read!

In this wonderfully nuanced book, Greg King explores one of the most complex and contraversial figures in Russian history. Alexandra Romanov was universally reviled by the Russian people and scorned by the Russian aristocracy. King does an excellent job of exposing the woman beneath the legend. One the one hand you see the exceptionally devoted wife and mother who desperately fights to preserve her family and their heritage. On the other hand, you see an unyielding and essentially stupid autocrat who is unable and unwilling to accept wise counsel or clearly see the dangers all around her. The story of Rasputin is the perfect example. She remains desperately devoted to the Russian holy man because of her belief that he can save her hemophiliac son despite the overwhelming evidence that he is a serious threat to the empire.

Alexandra is a fascinating subject, and King's balanced analysis of her character and her impact on the history of Russia is excellent. King combines excellent research with complelling story-telling. This book leaves you with a sense of sympathy for such a misunderstood woman and a simultaneous frstration that she was so stubbornly misguided in her attempts to influence political events.

A sympathetic biography of perhaps the most unfit rulers in history. What makes this book noteworthy is its discription of Alexandra's behavior as a "comrade" after the revolution that deposed her and her family, which was perhaps the only time she did not act like a spoiled, unintelligent and undereducated brat. It is perhaps not as critical as one would expect of her actions prior to the revolution, and not very sympathetic to the apalling conditions that led to the Russian revolt against the monarchy, but it is a good portrait of perhaps one of the most priveledged upbringings in history