Customer Reviews

The Romanovs: Love, Power and Tragedy

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A beautiful look at the last Imperial Family of Russia. Anyone with an interest in Nicholas and Alexandra would love to own this book. Although the text is interesting and informative, it is through the photographs, taken from the Romanov family albums, that we come to know them so intimately. Both Nicholas and Alexandra were phtography enthusiasts; they and their five children all owned cameras and used them frequently.

Lavish and gorgeous, this book is also unique. I cannot recall one other famous person (or family) to whom we have such intimate photographic access. Reproductions of the family's letters and diaries are also included.

This book would certainly be a beautiful and treasured addition to any Romanoy collection.

I am a real Romanov buff, and own an extensive Romanov library, including collectors' goodies like Palelogue's `An Ambassador's Memoirs', Pierre Gilliard's `Thirteen Years At The Russian Court', Count Paul Vassili's (Princess Catherine Radziwill's) `The Intimate Life Of The Last Tsarina', and Grand Duchess Marie Pavlona the Younger's `Education Of A Princess', as well as many, many modern biohistories of the Romanovs-and-late-Tsarist-Russia --- to name a few. My collection also includes just about every book of Romanov photographs available. (I buy them as soon as I can, after I hear of a new one, and I've gone without *lunches* to save money for my Romanov books!)

All this by way of prologue to the following statement: This book is absolute excellence. If you must choose between lunch for a week and the book --- buy the book. If you live in the outback, postal service and phone lines are down for the coming week and the nearest bookstore is 25 miles away through roadless, Survivor-type territory and you only have two days to get there before they sell their one copy to someone else --- pack your backpack, grab your granola, and start walking.

It's just that good.

This is the first book on that ill-starred family that I've seen that *successfully* manages to combine actual *text* along with the photographs and documents offered; while some are much better than others, Romanov "coffeetable" books do tend to be lazy about text, relying on photos and documents to carry the weight. And they pretty much *can*, of course, as they should ---but what a delight to find a book that tries so hard (and very, very often succeeds) for a sense of balance between the three. The wealth of photographs show many that *have* been published many times before, but there is also such a wealth of shots that have been seen very rarely or not at all, prior to this. The documents and artifacts depicted range much farther than in most efforts, and again, what's presented is partly familiar but just as often very unique. Yes, the text has an occasional clumsy and/or sentimental moment (as what book does not?) but on the whole, every page of it is informative and deeply satisfying. There are intelligent ideas and analyses to be found in here, not just the usual reporting of events. And the book itself is aesthetically gorgeous; even the pages have that heavy, creamy, old-time look and feel.

Obviously, I cannot recommend this book too highly. On my scale, it's not a five but a ten!

This book is a MARVELLOUS photographic resource...it's filled with hundreds of wonderful photos. Also has great info...interesting anecdotes and details you won't find in most other Romanov books. More fun than Massie!

This is probably THE best photographic tribute to Nicholas II and his family that I have read. It has more photographs than any other book except "Nicholas and Alexandra: The Last Imperial Family of Tsarist Russia," and unlike that book, it includes a coherent narrative of the Romanovs' lives and deaths. The photographs are breathtaking, and the writing is good. It includes numerous quotes from previously unpublished letters and diaries of the Tsar and Empress and their five children. The information on the children is especially appreciated, since it is so hard to find books that deal with any of the daughters except Anastasia.

One flaw that irritated me a great deal was the translation of the Romanovs' letters and diary entries. For example, one fragment was translated "Talked with golden Mitya... nice, sweet he is." Word order is less important in Russian than it is in English; without having access to the original Russian, I can still guess that a correct translation would have been "he is nice, sweet." Another entry is translated "a bit of him she is," instead of the much better "she is a bit of him." Similar mutilations of grammar occur throughout the book's quotes. This sort of thing is just plain sloppy, and very annoying.

The other fault I want to mention is from the chapter on Empress Alexandra's childhood. It was written by Dr. Manfred Knodt, who wrote a biography of Alexandra's brother, in German. The chapter quotes from Alexandra's mother, Alice's, letters to HER mother, Queen Victoria. These letters were originally written in English. They were published in English; this volume was then translated into German. The quotes from Alice's letters don't match the English volume; my guess is that the author worked from the German edition, and these quotes were then translated into English. Another minor thing, but sloppy. An editor ought to have caught this.

So, overall, the pictures are beautiful and the writing is good. A few sloppy errors in translation, but still one of the best books I've read on the subject.

One of the best coffee-table books on one of the most beloved and tragic families of this century. Several photos show Nicholas and Alexandra before the birth of their first child, Olga, until the house arrest of the family. With an accompanying text and several annonations, this poignant photo album/book show the lives of the Romanovs through carefully chosen pictures from the Russian archives. Leafing through the pages of the book will make one feel transported to a different era, the time of Imperial Russia. A must for Romanov memorabilia collectors and historians.

I am a Romanov buff myself since I was in high school, when I first heard of the family in a history class. I have read since as many books on the Romanovs as I can put my hands on. And I absolutely love this one. It is not a scholarly work like Massie's, but the intimate details of the family are wonderful. I especially liked the fact that you come to know the kids better, their individual personalities. I still smile every time I read that Maria signed her letters as "Mrs Demenkov." I have read and looked through this book about a hundred times already, and I am still as fascinated as I was the first time

If you are a Romanov history buff, you MUST get this book. Photos that you won't see in other books, excerpts from personal letters, it's just a one-of-a-kind book. This book touched a place in me that actually hurt when I thought of the family and how they were killed. When you read the girls letters, see their drawings, you know they were sheltered, sweet, loving girls, whose last moments must have been horrific. alix and Nicky, not realizing the depths to which Imperial russia was falling, brought about their families demise, although they had been warned. Rasputin took total advantage of alix's grief, she only wanted her son to live. A beautiful and heartbreaking book. I own a library of Romanov/Imperial russia books, and this one is my favorite.

This book is THE best pictorial/essay on the last Romanovs. I am a Russian history buff and probably have most, if not all, books on the Romanov family (up to this last Tsar-Nicholas II) and this book is by far the most interesting and fascinating with many photos that have never been published before. This book remains close at hand since I find that I go back to it to either re-read, or use as a reference as I am reading another book. It definately belongs in your library if you find that this time in history is of interest to you.

If you are the type of Romanov buff that really enjoys seeing a good deal of photos of the family as you read, then this is the book you need to get. This book is awsome, the pages are filled with photographs of the family. Some of the pictures take up the entire page. The photographs range from Nicholas's family, to Alexandra's family, and then to the family they made together as the Tsar and Tsarina of Russia. Some of the photographs are really rare, that have not been seen in other books. You will really appreciate that when you look through this truly well accomplished book.
When you have had your fun looking at all the great photographs thats when you should start to sit down and read the book. The text is so rich and well written. The author goes into great detail in describing the life of this wonderful family. Each major event of their life is carefully laid out into a well researched story. It's an easy read that is not at all boring or misleading. The book is not entirely political, which is a big plus to me. If you just want to educate yourself more on this extrodinary family, don't get a book that is completely focused on Russian politics of the period. This book is the one to buy and trust me it is well worth the money.

I, like most who have bought this book, am a Romanov fanatic. Right when I recieved my copy of this book, I couldn't keep my nose out of it, it's beautiful and captivating yet tragic. The photographes of the family are beautiful as well. I highly recommend this book.