Customer Reviews

The Tsarina's Daughter

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I'm giving the book one star more than I usually would simply because the author, Carolly Erickson, is such a good historian -- when not trying to craft historical fiction. But to my mind, good historical fiction should not require me to suspend all knowledge of history. It's reasonable, when building a novel around a historical personage, to take a few liberties to make the character compelling and the plot move along briskly, etc. But Erickson has gone waaaay off the range in this and her other books. In one, Marie Antoinette romps off to visit her Swedish lover in his homeland; the Empress Josephine gets up to equally improbable stuff with people who never existed. In this one, not only does Tatiana Nicolaevna survive the slaughter (and in an utterly implausible manner) but she routinely escapes the palace to pass among the ordinary people and successfully fends off a plot to have her mother declared insane by Sigmund Freud. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Most of her characters lived highly eventful lives. If she would choose either to create a work of fiction based on characters that didn't have well-documented lives or who are themselves fictional, or else use her skills on creating a historical novel about a well-known historical figure that isn't so completely ridiculous, plotwise, readers would be much better off.
I'm not just being a grump about this. When the historical absurdities distract me so much that I can't focus on the plot, the book simply isn't a good read.
Recommended ONLY for those who don't give a fig for historical accuracy or who don't know anything about the subjects.
If you're looking for a book that does take a liberty with history but makes it work, try Alison Weir's novel about Elizabeth I. Or if you really want to read a work of fiction about a rescued Romanov archduchess, try "City of Shadows" by Ariana Franklin. Here, that escape from the Ekaterinburg massacre is almost incidental, and the suspense is killing -- with a great twist at the end. Either of these are great examples of ways an author can cause you to willingly suspend disbelief around one or two crucial facts. I hope Carolly Erickson will return to writing history; I know that I won't be buying any more of her fiction.

I would like to at least say that this book was an entertaining read, but honestly can't... I am not even sure how I finished it... The second daughter of the Tsar of Russia having two lovers before the age of 18? Gallivanting all over town on her own? Some whimsy in historical fiction is ok I suppose, but this went completely overboard... Many parts of this book basically read like a very bad and corny romance novel. I won't mention any of the other "plots" in case someone still wants to read this, but I am hoping that the reader won't take any of it seriously... None of it has to do with history. Too bad the author had to choose a historical character to run away with her imagination, she would have done better creating a completely fictional Russian girl who lived during the revolution... I would not recommend this book, even for entertainment value... To me it read more like a trashy novel than anything else, and smacked strongly of someone just trying cash in on the current interest in the last Russian imperial family.

If you are a purist when it comes to history then I think you should pass on The Tsarina's Daughter. However, if you like an interesting story of what might have been if all the stars were aligned, then this maybe the novel for you.

This is the story of Tatiana the second oldest daughter to Czar Nicholas and his wife Alexandra. The story focuses on Tatiana's life as she is growing up in the royal palace and also when the family was arrested. The little details about courtly life and the people that surrounded Tatiana are very interesting. Readers also experience Tatiana's life as a nurse during World War I. I will say I was a little disappointed that we did not get more interaction between Tatiana and her sisters. Alexandra is not painted in a sympathetic light and comes off as crazy in the novel. Nicholas, in my opinion, seems out of touch with his family and everything around him. Now I am not sure if this is true or not, but it did not distract me from the story. If someone is looking for a story about Tatiana's life after she escaped from Russia, this is not the story for them. That subject is barely touched upon.

I will confess that I was a little leery about this novel, after having read Erickson's last one about Josephine. But this plot seems stronger and the characters more interesting. Overall, I enjoyed it, and I am thrilled that we have another Romanov book on the market. There are so few of them, and we need more.

For those looking for a fun read then this is for them. For those looking for historical accuracy then I would say pass.

I can forgive many things in an historical novel that's exceptionally well written, but for a novel to be poorly written AND wildly historically inaccurate is unforgivable. Sigh. Where to begin?

I don't fault the writer for imagining that one of the Tsar's daughters - Tatiana - escaped. She couldn't have known at the time she was writing about the DNA analysis which just confirmed that everyone was slaughtered. What I can and do fault her for is making up wild tales to go along with that. Why not stick to the history? Why have Sigmund Freud attempting to declare her mother insane, or Tatiana gallivanting outside the palace disguised as a commoner - as another reviewer correctly points out. The book plods along as though it will never end, and when it does it end, you want to chastise yourself for devoting so much time reading such silliness. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone really, unless they have absolutely nothing else on their shelf and desperately need a distraction.

It's very rare for me to find almost nothing redeeming about a book. Ever since I was a little girl & read Robert Massie's Nicholas & Alexandra, I've been fascinated w/the Romanovs. While I've read other fictional accounts of the Romanovs & enjoyed them to varying degrees, this one was a severe disappointment, especially considering Erickson's writing in her non-fiction works. As other reviewers have commented, the plot reads like a very bad romance novel & the actions of the characters were unbelievable (& contrary to all reported accounts). What irritated me the most, though, was Erickson's inability or unwillingness to adhere to the established personalities (through diaries, letters, etc.) of the Romanovs. I very much doubt I'll read anything fictional by Erickson again, & I'll think twice about even picking up her non-fictional works. The Tsarina's Daughter is a shame & a disservice to the memories of the Romanovs.

Willing disbelief goes only so far. Erickson, who is a historian and hence should know better, has these historic characters doing things they absolutely would not have done. Where to begin? Tatiana, like her sisters, was so cloistered that there is no chance she would have had all these after-dark escapades. The Tsar was so in fear of his mother that he never would have banished her from the family. He should have, but he did not. The Tsarina was grieved and difficult, but never insane. Further, there is absolutely no historic evidence that the Tsar continued his affair with the ballerina after his marriage. The whole thing is ridiculous and painful to read. She does get right some of the intrigue in the court and the desperation of the Russian people, but she does not use these facts in a way that educates or even entertains. This is a truly terrible book and I wish I had not bought it.

This book is an insult to the memory of the Russian Imperial Family. If it had been pure fiction, it might have made for decent paperback category romance. But to take the Romanov family, known for their closeness and high moral fiber, and write a "novel" about them that flies in face of all that is known about them is just plain wrong. My fear is that someone who knows little about the family will pick this up and take it for gospel.

I picked this book up because I was intrigued by the title, and I let that guide me in acquiring it. Tatiana was indeed her Mother's Daughter, and I thought that (at last) someone was attempting a novel that would accurately follow the life of one of Nicholas' Daughters. I could not have been farther from the truth.

The Imperial Family of Nicholas II, even a century later, has been noted for their strong devotion and love towards each other. While Nicholas and Alexandra were not strong and effective rulers for a Country needing to be brought fully into the modern world of Pre-WWI, they were good people whose intentions were what they earnestly hoped would be the best. They were human.

In this novel they read as two general caricatures of the decaying royalty of Europe at the turn of the 19th Century. Nicholas ignores the plight of everyone, including his family, to go on long walks and shoot at crows while Alexandra slowly goes insane. The extended Romanov Family openly gossips about each other in a lewd fashion and the siblings of Tatiana are petty and spoiled. Worst of all, her relationship with her older sister Olga is protrayed as competative and filled with bitter rivalry.

Tatiana goes gallavanting about the slums of St. Petersburg, and no one notices. Tatiana takes on lovers, and no one notices. Tatiana becomes the voice of knowledge and reason, while the rest of her family falls to shambles in a portrayal that would make Lenin and the rest of the Bolsheviks grin in delight. There are so many inaccuracies within this book that it cannot be treated as Historical Fiction, but as a revisionists attempt to create shock in a story that did not need extra bells and whistles to capture an audience.

One must wonder how much research, if any, Erickson actually did.

This book is truly dreadful and a shame to her name and credit. My recommendation would be to seek out other writers who actually do excel in this area. I agree that Alisin Weir does a phenomenal job with her novels even when taking a liberty or two in the murky areas of history. "The Kitchen Boy" is also an excellent, albeit dark, novel about the final days of the Rominov Family in captivity.

This book is unfortunately not worth the price, the read or the time. Erikson should be ashamed.

I hated this book, it didn't confirm to the actual history or the events at all, and it was very poorly written.

This has to be the single worst piece of "historical fiction" I have ever read. Considering how much authentic information and documentation (personal letters, other individuals who personally knew the subjects, etc.) exists about the people portrayed in this book, it is astonishing what an inept job Erickson did in bringing these people to life. The characters are virtually unrecognizable and poorly drawn. I understand the need to create dialogue among characters to support the decisions they made and to illustrate how their actions impacted subsequent real historical events; however, Erickson creates far fetched, implausible and ridiculously sensationalistic scenarios. The only thing going for this book is that the grand duchess about whom this book is primarily written, is at least pictured correctly on the cover.

If you want to read sublime historical fiction where you actually recognize the characters depicted, without having the author trash the real persons about whom he writes, and draws you so completely into the subject time in history, read anything by Louis de Whol....you won't go wrong.