Customer Reviews

Michael and Natasha: The Life And Love Of Michael ll, The Last Of The Romanov Tsars

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As an avid reader of books about the Romanov family, I consider Rosemary and Donald Crawford's dual biography one of the best.

Admittedly, much of my enthusiasm has to do with the heretofore lack of information about Michael, youngest brother of Tsar Nicholas. Except for the wonderful biography of the brothers' eldest sister Olga, mention of Michael often has been sketchy and/or flat.

However, this account skillfully represents Michael and Natasha as three-dimensional people -- flawed but sympathetic, occasionally admirable, and often (like most of us) guilty of errors in judgment.

In previously published books, Michael almost always comes off as little more than a handsome dolt. In this biography, however, we read that in addition to being the impetuous, charming and relatively carefree younger brother of Tsar Nicholas, Michael also was bright, well-regarded by many government officials, and possessed of considerable leadership ability. The beautiful Natasha, while definitely a "scarlet woman," matched and perhaps surpassed Michael in the charisma department, but -- unlike her lover and eventual husband -- possessed amibition and tenacity. Together, they were quite a couple, and today would be considered glamourous and trend-sitting.

Understandably, however, Nicholas and Alexandra -- being far more conventional, and the epitome of Traditional Family Values -- were highly intolerant of Michael and Natasha's relationship and marriage. This book explores many intriguing aspects of the Michael/Natasha liaison, such as the evolvement of their relationship, and the supposed disapproval of the Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, who also was involved in an unconventional relationship.

In checking other reader reviews of this book, I am surprised at the range. Some are completely lauditory, while others are completely condemnatory.The title should clue potential readers that the Crawford's book is, above all, a portrait of a romance. That it is played aginst the final years of Tsarist Russia is of course important, but those uninterested in family and social dynamics are advised to look elsewhere.

However, for those of us who are interested in the story of a relationship and are familiar with with Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, Michael and Natasha's story, like that of Anna and Vronksy, is fascinating, moving, and timeless. The Crawfords are to be commended for their excellent research and highly fluid writing style; this is a book I will want to return to again and again.

If you share an enthusiasm for the Romanovs, I invite you to contact me at whitcombj@juno.com.

While I question the authors' English usage at times, this is a good book that fills a large gap in the history of the fall of the Romanov dynasty. Whether the authors meant to show Nicholas and Alexandra as two of the biggest baddies who ever drew breath is another story, not to mention Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, usually seen as the ill used mouse of the Romanov family [due to her biographer Ian Vorres] but here, refreshingly portrayed as she was probably was; conniving and devious, with both eyes fixed on the main chance!

Michael & Natasha is a moving story of the ups and downs of Imperial fortune. A couple who were clearly in love. Natasha's foundering fortunes in exile make heartrending reading. The authors tell the story in a straigtforward manner, and the narrative flows well.

One point the authors don't quite clarify is the fact that Natasha's claim on Nicholas and Alexandra's bank account in Berlin in the 1930's was made as the beneficiary of her late son, not because she was on equal footing with the other relatives. As a morganatic wife of a Grand Duke she could not inherit, but as the mother of Michael's deceased child she could. Her action galvanized Anna Anderson's supporters to request the withdrawal of the certificate of inheritance which led to the ensuing court case to prove that Anna Anderson was Grand Duchess Anastasia. The authors claim Mrs Anderson's action failed in 1961, but in fact the case was finally abandoned in 1977, not before it was ruled 'non liquet' [that is, unsatisfactory to both parties,] in 1970. Interestingly enough, it was the bank which held the funds who wrote to Mrs Anderson to warn her of the action. Could they but have known!

I think the book is quite well researched, as the authors have been able to avoid the traps that Massie fell into in Nicholas and Alexandra.

I've read this book twice now, and it all seems so sad. That Russia was governed by such an unstable woman and that no-one could have possibly foreseen the outcome of her actions throughout the 20th century and beyond. Least of all by the remainder of the Romanov dynasty.

As an avid fan of Russian history and letters, I was delighted by the publication of Michael and Natasha: The Life and Love of Michael II, the Last of the Romanov Tsars, by Rosemary and Donald Crawford. I was first intrigued by Michael Romanov and Natasha Wulfert through Kyril FitzLyon and Tatiana Browning's superb pictorial volume, Before the Revolution: Russia and Its People Under the Czar, where the couple appears photographed together on the occasion of Natasha's birthday. Somehow, and despite the grandeur of their surroundings and attire -- the epitome of that majestic and romantic age -- they came across as very appealing and almost modern individuals. Their story is the moving saga of a love that was doomed, not merely due to differences in pedigree and status, but because of historic forces they (particularly Michael, with his unswerving belief in human kindness) unfortunately underestimated. Throughout this engaging work, the quality that most vividly comes across is the couple's deep and abiding love for one another -- a love that survived ostracism, political cataclysms, and, one is convinced, even the alleged finality of death. The lifestyle they exemplified, spent amid the grandeur of vast country estates, brilliant St. Petersburg salons, and the intrigues of the Romanov court, has been faithfully preserved by Russia's leading authors in enduring works of fiction, and, in fact, striking parallels exist between Natasha and Tolstoi's immortal Anna Karenina. That Natasha herself may have examined the similarities, with perhaps a mixture of dread and amusement, is a clear possibility, as she was a cultivated woman who, moreoever, moved in artistic circles. Status, rank, and privileged position notwithstanding, both Michael and Natasha reveal themselves, through letters and contemporary testimonies, as thoroughly decent human beings who found themselves (proverbially) at the wrong place and time in history, and whose love, courage, and integrity alone were no match against a harsh age. Foreknowledge of the events that conspired and ultimately triumphed over their hopes for happiness and, indeed, their very existence, is not a damper to the reader's obstinate hope that, despite history's well known verdict, they and their private world will endure. Natasha, noted for the beauty of her "sad eyes," perhaps always sensed that tragedy would one day overtake her, even when tangible evidence of that fact was still far in the future. Michael, an avid photographer, left behind a rich pictorial record of their brief time together, so as to capture and preserve moments that, in their poignancy, he perhaps sensed were too lovely and fragile to endure. Reading this excellent work of biography, one is again moved to sorrow by the fate of the Romanovs who, despite their political blindness, did not deserve the cruel and bloody end which, with rare exceptions, befell most of their lineage. If there is a flaw to the biography at all, it is that a story that was so consistently rich in intimate detail for nearly 400 pages is abruptly cut off with Natasha's acceptance of Michael's tragic fate six years after his disappearance in 1918. Her own later life, which encompassed nearly three decades, is quickly summarized in a few terse paragraphs that leave the curious reader somewhat disoriented. Though her own ending in poverty, loneliness, and illness is almost too disturbing to absorb after all she has had to endure, I believe Natasha (and those interested in her fate) deserved a more gradual and gentle farewell.

Rosemary and Donald Crawford present a little known adenda to the story of the Romanov Tsars. Their research and sympathetic presentation offers entrance for the reader into the great love story of Michael and Natasha. It quickly catches you up in a pace, all too fast, racing to a tragic finalle. The reader is plundged into the confusion and multiple currants of the Russian experience of the First World War and then, the following Revolution. You shout helplessly at the book, "flee for your lives!" during the short window that they had that opportunity. You pour over and over the wonderful pictures as you become more and more familiar with the characters. I was supprised at a new and revealing discription of Nicholas and Alexandra, showing them with all their weaknesses, bumps and warts. It was interesting that the brothers, Nicholas and Michael shared the trait of complete love and devotion to one woman. One wonders about the family dynamics that produced such a shared commitment. The book is another opportunity to examine the Russian capacity for ineptitude that still goes on today. In the sum, it is the account of a great love story, doomed by it's time.

I have read many books about the Romanov family over the years. Rosemary and Donald Crawford's "Michael and Natasha : The Life And Love Of Michael II, The Last Of The Romanov Tsars" is one of the best - certainly the most riveting. Although very well researched, documented and indexed, the book reads like a wonderful novel. It is an extraordinarily moving love story and gives the reader a bird's eye view into the lives of the Romanovs and the fall of their dynasty.

Grand Duke Michael, was the dashing youngest brother of the last Tsar of Russia. The book chronicles Michael's early life, giving a detailed account of his relationship with his family. He became involved with Natalia, (or Natasha) Cheremetevskaya, a commoner, while he was serving in the imperial army. She was 26, quite beautiful, and captured Michael's heart during their first dance. Natasha was twice divorced and was widely dismissed as a scheming social climber. Michael's romantic courtship of Natasha, their extremely close relationship, morganatic marriage and banishment from Russia is all documented here, along with observations by friends, family and actual letters. There are also never-before-seen photographs. Apparently Grand Duchess Olga, Michael's sister, not only knew Natasha, but evidently was a friend. Some of the unusual photographs in the book document this friendship. After the couple married, Olga turned her back on them. When Tsar Nicholas II abdicated, and abdicated for his young son, Michael was offered the throne, but he refused the opportunity to rule Russia because society and the Russian people would never have accepted his wife. There exists the possibility that if Michael had accepted the crown, there may have never been a Bolshevik Revolution.

One of the most fascinating books on the period that I have read. It is a powerful and tragic story and I highly recommend it.
JANA

It's official-I've lost my mind! I'm in love with a man who's been dead for 60 years. Michael Romanov was everything, apparently, a high-born nobelman was born to be; handsome, loyal, intelligent and completely besotted and in love with his bride. Unfortunately, she was a twice-divorced commoner. Therein the problems lay.

This wonderful and tragic story is so intriguing and meticulously researched that it reads like a novel rather than a biography. Donald and Rosemary Crawford play off each other's experience in journalism writing (she wrote about society, he is a hard-nosed newspaper man) to bring about an intriguing story of love and politics that takes us back to this gilded age where the rich, beautiful and tragic central figures play at being the second Russian court in exile. They have so much material (personal letters, telegrams, pictures, etc.) to use that you feel like you're a part of Michael and Natasha's lives. It's a pleasure to read and will definately be read again by me.

What a wonderful, easy read. The authors have done a great job of decsribing the background of both Grand Duke Michael and Natasha and their love for each other. It is so good to learn of the lives of the "lesser" Romanovs. Michael is raised with the commitment to service, yet unable to find true love. And while Natasha can be viewed as very cunning and self consumed, I, as a hopeless romantic, see her as committed to Michael and supporting him and her children. As with "Elizabeth, Grand Duchess of Russia" (Alexandra's sister), it is wonderful to get an insight into other members of the royal families other than Emperors, Kings, Queens, etc. I highly recommend this book and wish I were a playwrite or screenwriter for this could be a fabulous play/movie.

What I liked about MICHAEL AND NATASHA is that this biography is chock full of previously undisclosed details about the life of Michael, brother of Nicholas II, and Michael's extended family. Michael's childhood as the youngest Romanov son is throughly covered; his life as a spoiled young officer, and his loves before he met Natasha, who he clung to as tenaciously as Edward VIII clung to Wallis Simpson...with somewhat the same results!

Just about everything the reviewer John Cofield said is true: Michael and Natasha were probably selfish, somewhat shallow people, and yet, there is something touching about their story, and I think that's because they did love each other (even if that love went through some weird phases, given Natasha's need to flirt and to always be the apple of other men's eyes). Also, their lives both ended tragically. Michael's assassination was vicious and was a real blow for Natasha, who ended up penniless and alone. Then their son George died very young; a double blow for Natasha.

However, in one respect, I have to disagree with Mr. Cofield: Michael was unable, by virtue of his temperament, to provide consistent help to Nicholas II. Michael was, alternatively, spoiled; weak; pleasure-loving and prone to sudden falling in and out of love, not completely unlike his dead cousin, the Duke of Clarence. Nor was he given the training or education to overcome these character flaws. For that, the fault must lie with his indulgent parents, Alexander III and particularly Marie Fedorovna, who frankly seems to have been a hopeless sort of mother.

As much as Nicholas could have used help with his burdens, his needy and possessive wife Alexandra would probably always have prevented a closer relationship between the brothers, even if there hadn't been the seductive Natasha to come between them. Nicholas was pretty much a damned figure from the word go, in any case. The more one reads about Nicholas II, the more you see that nothing went right for this man! He came to the throne too soon; he married the wrong woman, and he was terminally stubborn, unable to change his view that autocracy was the only way of government for Russia. He was also, toward the very end, too resigned and apathetic, leaving everything to the "will of God", rather than actively trying to save his reign and his life.

As for the quality of the authors' writing, I liked it; the tempo is good, it's backed by solid research, and the reader gets a real flavor for life in the Imperial Russian family and extended family members. I recommend this.

I absolutely loved this book. Although the story is terribly tragic and sad in the end, this is the best love story I have ever read. Bravo to the Crawfords for writing this book because it's a story that needed and deserved to be written about. I too fell in love with Misha and Nastaha while reading the book and I cried at what happened to them in the end. They were doomed right from the start but it was all worth it, in my opinion. Even though this book has been out for almost seven years now, it amazes, and kind of saddens me that there is still little recognition and knowledge about these two extraodinary people. There definitely should be more. Nevermind the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Michael and Natasha were the real-life Romeo and Juliet and they paid a greater price for their love, and lives, then the Windsors did. It's kind of unfair too. Everyone knows about Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson, but what about Michael II and Nathalie Brasova? They gave up just as much in order to be together, were also banished and were just as disgraced and humiliated by society, maybe even more. And in my opinion, Michael and Natasha are much more intriguing and fascinating then David and Wallis. It was clear that the Duke of Windsor loved Wallis very much and was deeply in love with her, but her love for him didn't appear to equal to his and her loyalty to him was questionable. In Michael and Natasha's case, they both loved each other wholeheartedly, were madly in love with each other and were both very loyal to each other. They and their story deserves to be more recognized and noted in the world. If only I was a screenwriter, and knew how to go about writing the script for the story, so I could bring this fascinating story to the screen so then the whole world would finally know the love story of G.D Michael Aleksandrovich of Russia and Nathalie Brasova. Or at least know how to get a film company to produce such a film. Maybe it will one day, I hope. The middle part of the book however, when David Crawford took over, did get a bit boring, when the war and revolution started. But through and through, it was a compelling and fascinating story. The tragedy of the story though was that Michael and Natasha were the right people in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Michael and Natasha is a fascinating but deeply biased account of two nearly unknown members of the Romanov family. Granduke Michael (the actual final Tzar) and his mistress turned morganic bride Natasha. Giving us a glimpse into the life of the well-to-do in Edwardian Russia. The account of Michael's relationship with the Tzar certainly provides interesting insight into just how estranged the Tzar was from the rest of his family.

The book also gives us a glimpse into the life of one of Rasputin's assassins and an intimate of Tzar Nicholas' family the Granduke Dimitry. Dimitry was apparently one of Natasha's admirers and frequently visited her family. In my opinion this book gives a far better account of his life and character along with his motivations to kill then any other I've read. It helps you to understand his relationship with the Tzar. The only other comparable account of his life are in the memoires of his sister Marie (Once a Granduchess, etc.,)

My only annoyance with regard to this book was it's blatantly biased outlook. While well researched and very entertaining you get the feeling after a while that the authors fell almost as much in love with their book's real center piece (Natasha) as her husband Misha did. Anyone who didn't like or agree with Natasha is automatically branded a villain or a dullard.

While certainly beautiful and interesting Natasha was also a combative personality, self-centered, vain, manipulative, a shabby mother. Yet all of these faults are excused by the authors who merely go on to gush about her beauty and charm. How any man alive would have died to have her! It got nauseating at times and kept me from giving the book the five stars it otherwise deserved.

I'm afraid Natasha's charm eluded me in the midst of her many temper tantrums. I could never bring myself to sympathize with Natasha as I did with Michael. Nonetheless she was an interesting woman a deserved to be written about. Her one redeeming feature was her geniune (though not uninterested) love for the Granduke.

The description of the life led by lesser known members of the Romanov family after the Bolshevik coup alone made it worth reading. A must have for all Romanov aficionados!