Customer Reviews

The Tragic Dynasty

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Having read a Pulitzer winning biography of Peter the Great and a number of books on the last Tsar and his family, this book really put the entire Romanov dynasty into context for me. It did a good job outlining what Russia was like in pre- and early Romanov days, especially since there were many comparisons to the Tudor dynasty. Be aware that this book was written in 1969 and contains some outdated material, like St. Petersburg being referred to Leningrad. There are many references to the Soviet government and communist control and I found a few other inconsistencies with more current histories. If you are looking for the tragic details of the murders of the last imperial family, you're not going to find them here. This book omits any specifics about the executions and its publication precedes the discovery of their remains (I would recommend reading Robert Massie).

Overall, I found this book accessible. Despite the occasional tedium of war depictions and politics, there was enough salaciousness to keep me engaged. I would suggest to a reader to print a copy of the royal family tree, which is helpful in keeping names and relations straight, and perhaps a few maps of Russia to have on hand for reference (I couldn't figure out for the life of me why a map of modern Moscow preceded a chapter about St. Petersburg). From the first Tsar Michael I in 1613, to Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Nicholas II, and everyone in between, this was a very comprehensive portrayal of the 300 year dynasty.

To the descendants of Rurik, the Romanovs were social-climbing parvenus when the first of them -- Michael, a nephew-by-marriage of Ivan IV "the Terrible" -- came to the throne in 1613. But for the next three centuries, the family ruled the largest nation on earth. Among their number were weaklings and ironhanded autocrats, murderers and religious mystics, certifiable idiots and world-class leaders of great vision. Even the ablest, though, such as Peter the Great and Catherine the Great, were victims of the Russian national irony: All their accomplishments were undone within a generation. This saga of mysterious and violent death, insatiable appetites of all kinds, and intrafamilial scheming rivals TV soap operas for plot twists. A well-documented "life and times" narrative.

keep me from rating it any higher. Olga is occasionally noted as being the oldest daughter of Alexander III; several pages later she's identified as the youngest (which she is). People in the pictures are also mis-identified. While the text is fairly entertaining, don't read this book for factual information. Still, probably a must-read for Romanov addicts.