Customer Reviews

Rasputin's Daughter (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition)

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1 star:		(3)

 

 

Robert Alexander spent nearly thirty years traveling to Russia, where he attended Leningrad State University and worked for the U.S. government. For this reason, he proves to be the perfect author to tackle the task of fictionalizing the story of the last of the Romanovs. In "The Kitchen Boy", Alexander exquisitely blended fact and fiction to tell the story of Nicholas II's execution and provided an intriguing "What if?" end to the story. Now, in "Rasputin's Daughter", the author tackles an even more fascinating and controversial subject - that of Father Grigori Rasputin, the much-hated madman who "cured" Alexei Romanov and played a key part in bringing about the downfall of Mother Russia. Told from the point of view of Rasputin's eldest daughter, Maria, this novel traces Gigori Rasputin's final days leading up to his brutal execution by Felix Yusupov and several other Romanov royals who felt threatened by Rasputin's power. Robert Alexander poses his own theories on what might have happened the night Rasputin died and whether the "Mad Monk" really possessed healing abilities, or whether he was just out to harm the Romanov reputation. The result is a novel that I couldn't put down. Alexander obviously loves Russia and manages to perfectly evoke the political and social climate of pre-Revolutionary Russia and the controversy that constantly surrounded the royal family. "Rasputin's Daughter" grips you until the very end and leaves you wanting for more!

The problem with reading historical fiction is that you are never quite sure what constitutes truth versus fiction. Unless you are a noted expert on the book's subject matter, you are bound to be iffy on which particulars are 100% true versus those that have been stretched and pulled for dramatic effect.

In Robert Alexander's new novel, RASPUTIN'S DAUGHTER, the minutiae of Grigori Rasputin's (the Russian religious healer and trusted advisor to Tsar Nicholas and Tsaritsa Alexandra) last days are recounted with vivid detail and what seems like stunning accuracy, as if the book were a biography and not fiction. Retold from the perspective of Rasputin's eldest daughter Matryona Grigoevna (Maria), the myths of how Rasputin died are dispelled and a proposed answer to the question of how he was actually killed is spelled out. Much like his imagined (yet impeccably researched) account of the Romanovs' hideous executions during the Russian Revolution in the bestselling THE KITCHEN BOY, the story of Rasputin's final hours is riveting, fast-paced, and almost too comprehensive to be historical fiction. At times, you just want it all to be proven fact.

The novel opens as Maria is being questioned by the Thirteenth Section in April 1917 about her father's mysterious death. Through a succession of flashbacks, Maria describes the last week of her father's life in December 1916, set against the backdrop of a highly unstable Russian empire that is fraught with political upheaval and civil unrest. She recounts in great detail his numerous excursions to the Imperial Palace, and more than hints at the direct correlation between Heir Aleksei Nikolaevich's miraculous recoveries from hemophilia-related injuries and Rasputin's curative powers. She gives reports of his disgraceful sexual appetite and reveals his secret extramarital relationship with their longtime live-in maid, Dunya, yet also insists that he was both kind to and forgiving of his many petitioners and did what he could to alleviate their suffering. Through Maria's eyes, Rasputin is portrayed as a tortured and complex character --- spiritually gifted and fallibly human.

Possibly one of the book's greatest fallacies (and yet, paradoxically, what will probably make it more palatable to those who prefer his mysteries, written under the name R.D. Zimmerman) is Alexander's devotion to Maria's supposed romance with the mysterious Sasha, whom she meets on a boat while traveling with her sister and Dunya, and whom she "runs into" throughout the next few years of her life. Although certainly an endearing plot thread, at times it reads almost too much like a romance novel and some readers might wonder when the plot will focus again on meatier subject matters --- the "historical" behind the fiction.

All mushy romantic encounters aside, it is without question that Alexander has done his research when recreating pre-revolutionary Russia. There is much talk of princes and empresses, courts and royal feasts --- all intricately examined and lavishly portrayed. Vodka is consumed in copious amounts and secret, mysterious plots are being hatched behind every dark corner. Like every good Russian novel, the threat of deceit is always in the air and, in the end, what unfolds is a plot twist (as much as a novel based on fact can contain a "twist") that will delight even the most knowledgeable of readers.

Overall, RASPUTIN'S DAUGHTER is certainly enjoyable and enough to digest in one sitting, if given the time. What the book might have benefited from is an addendum that aims to separate conjecture from documented history, so readers (like this reviewer) will not be left with nagging questions about the book's legitimacy long after the excitement of the story dies down.

--- Reviewed by Alexis Burling

This historical fiction is the story of the last weeks of the life of Grigori Rasputin, the mythic Russian religious healer and advisor to Tsar Nicholas and Tsaritsa Alexandra, in the years before their execution.

An illiterate and uneducated peasant from Siberia, he became both beloved and reviled by the powers in Russia, and by the people. Rasputin's daughter, Matryona Grigorievna, or Maria, was only 18 when her father was murdered. She had always adored and respected her father, but during the last months of his life, she discovered some distasteful truths about him.

She had a hard time reconciling the kind, generous man she had always seen, with the man who was sleeping with the housekeeper while his wife was at home in Siberia, and who abused some of his petitioners. Rasputin helped all who came to him, some with advice, some with one of his notes that asked that whatever the petitioner wanted should be granted; some with money. The powerful, the affluent and the nobility showered him with gifts of money and food, and they also came to him for influence.

The vast dichotomy of the disease, turbulence and poverty of the time, against the small but obscenely wealthy aristocracy living in their insular palaces and served by hundreds of retainers, is depicted perfectly.

Alexander's long familiarity with Russia, the language, the customs, and the history is evident here (he has been traveling there for nearly 30 years). Extensive research has paid off in a fascinating chronicle. Secretive, outlawed religious cults, and murderous plots by corrupt government officials and nobility are part of the narrative. Alexander has included snippets of the poetry of Alexander Blok and the beloved Pushkin, a rare pleasure. The book includes an epilogue, a chronology, and a glossary.

Check the web site www.rasputinsdaughter.com for photographs, narrative, and more background on the era.

Armchair Interviews says: With mesmerizing characters, and an evocative atmosphere Alexander has created an informative and enjoyable book full of historical insight into a tumultuous era. This would make an interesting book club selection

What an intriguing way to tell the story of death of one history's most enigmatic and fascinating figures - through the eyes of his eldest daughter. Alexander knows how to keep the pot boiling with this one, a fine follow-up to THE KITCHEN BOY, one of my book groups' favorite selections last year.

Maybe I want too much from fiction. I want it all to be literature, so I'm often set up for disappointment.

The author gives a good description of how Rasputin might have lived in St. Petersburg (Petrograd) and Siberia, and and how he might have healed his petitioners, but fails to describe the protagonist. The title hints that we will get to know her, but we don't.

The compressed time frame of the action interferes with our knowing her; so does the first person narrative. Maria spends a lot of time afraid while searching and being chased in dark places. We don't feel her terror, because we know she will survive and her father will die.

She quickly snaps out of horror and anger at her father's strange healing methods. She falls in love with Sasha who seems to stalk her. She bravely searches the city alone for her father to answer the Empress's call for help. She dines at the palace. The author tells us what she does, but gives us no sense of who she really is or why we should care about her.

An enjoyable and easy read and I learned a lot about the Romanov era as well. A twist of fate revealed at the end, although maybe somewhat predictable from the storyline. I did think that Maria Rasputin was somewhat mature for a teenager, but can't say that I was surprised after learning about the father she had - a man with a good heart and spirit, but misguided paths. I loved the epilogue and the factual histories of the story's characters at the end. I've had trouble locating historical fiction pertaining to this period, but this did the job and educated me at the same time.

Interesting reading knowing fact and fiction are interwoven. But at times slow, boring and simply unbelievable. Will I recommend this book to a friend as a great read, no. Now Alexander's "Kitchen Boy" was wonderful by all comparsions and I did recommend this book to many of my friends.

Robert Alexander's second novel "Rasputin's Daughter" focuses on the last week of the life of the Russian mystic Rasputin. Told from the viewpoint of Rasputin's eldest daughter Maria, the mystery and intrigue surrounding the last royal family of Russia and the mystic who had inflamed the country is recounted by a loving daughter who has questions of her own.

Robert Alexander's first novel, "The Kitchen Boy," was much better than "Rasputin's Daughter." This novel was good, but not as captivating as "The Kitchen Boy." I am tremendously interested in the last Tsar of Russia and the events of the Russian Revolution, so I was looking forward to this novel. I did enjoy it, but the novel was a let down. The plot was slow, the characters were well-developed but not particularly likeable. I would recommend this book, but only as a library loan.

Easily one of the worst books I've ever read, Alexander's take on Rasputin is drawn nearly exclusively from the 500 pages of testimony given by those closest to him to the Thirteenth Section in the months after his murder. The author's near abandonment of the revolution, despite it being a major player in the lives of all characters involved is a disappointment, not to mention that none of his characters show themselves in any sort of multi-dimensional way. The "shock" at the end is embarrassingly contrived and the narrative overly simple. Overall, the book is miserably plebian, its pages better served as a table leveller or fire kindling. For a book worth reading, read its source material in Edvard Radzinsky's 'The Rasputin Files.'

A little light, but still good, pretty much sums things up. It could have been a bit more involved, but it was still a good read and the speed keeps anybody from getting bored or asking too many questions. there was only one thing that bothered me that is kind of a puzzle as the author obviously did some research. Rasputin was a title, Father Grigori's last name was Novy. I'm not a history buff by any stretch--If I know Rasputin was not his family name, the fact couldn't be that obscure. Other than that I enjoyed the story a great deal and wished it a bit longer.