The Romanov Sisters

The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra

De: Helen Rappaport

Narrado por: Xe Sands

A New York Times Bestseller for 12 weeks!
"Helen Rappaport paints a compelling portrait of the doomed grand duchesses." —People magazine

"The public spoke of the sisters in a gentile, superficial manner, but Rappaport captures sections of letters and diary entries to showcase the sisters' thoughtfulness and intelligence." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

They were the Princess Dianas of their day—perhaps the most photographed and talked about young royals of the early twentieth century. The four captivating Russian Grand Duchesses—Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia Romanov—were much admired for their happy dispositions, their looks, the clothes they wore and their privileged lifestyle.

Over the years, the story of the four Romanov sisters and their tragic end in a basement at Ekaterinburg in 1918 has clouded our view of them, leading to a mass of sentimental and idealized hagiography. With this treasure trove of diaries and letters from the grand duchesses to their friends and family, we learn that they were intelligent, sensitive and perceptive witnesses to the dark turmoil within their immediate family and the ominous approach of the Russian Revolution, the nightmare that would sweep their world away, and them along with it.

The Romanov Sisters sets out to capture the joy as well as the insecurities and poignancy of those young lives against the backdrop of the dying days of late Imperial Russia, World War I and the Russian Revolution. Helen Rappaport aims to present a new and challenging take on the story, drawing extensively on previously unseen or unpublished letters, diaries and archival sources, as well as private collections. It is a book that will surprise people, even aficionados.

Reseñas de la Crítica

<p>“Rappaport paints a compelling portrait of Tatiana, Olga, Maria and Anastasia” —<i>People</i><br><br>“A gossipy, revealing story of the doomed Russian family's fairy tale life told by an expert in the field.” —<i>Kirkus Reviews</i><br><br>“In their time, Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia were depicted in international accounts as a cute, indistinguishable quartet. But Rappaport brings out each one's character and does it neatly, with a fine touch. . . . While we know that the family's fate will be tragic, the girls don't, and Rappaport, with a light hand and admiring eyes, allows the four Grand Duchesses to grow on us as they grow up.” —<i>Christian Science Monitor</i><br><br>“Rappaport is good at showing life within the castle gates… [she] makes a genuinely new, interesting contribution to the Romanov story, which is likely to appeal to both general and specialist readers.” —<i>Pittsburgh Post-Gazette</i><br><br>“In this new volume Helen Rappaport mines a trove of fresh material as she uncovers the lost lives of the daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra.” —<i>Buffalo News</i><br><br>“The public spoke of the sisters in a gentile, superficial manner, but Rappaport captures sections of letters and diary entries to showcase the sisters' thoughtfulness and intelligence. Readers will be swept up in the author's leisurely yet informative narrative as she sheds new light on the lives of the four daughters.” —<i>Publishers Weekly (starred review)</i><br><br>“The haunting cover photograph of the Romanov sisters will draw readers, and the extensive bibliography will aid those who want to learn more.” —<i>Booklist</i><br><br>“As shocking and immediate as a thriller... [A] gripping read.” —<i>People magazine (3 ½ stars) on The Last Days of the Romanovs</i><br><br>“Rappaport offers an absorbing, perceptive, and detailed picture of a constitutional monarchy in crisis.” —<i>Publishers Weekly on A Magnificent Obsession</i><br><br>“An absorbing account of the making of a queen through her awful, protracted grief.” —<i>Kirkus Reviews on A Magnificent Obsession</i><br><br>“Quite simply, stunning. . . . Chilling and poignant, this is how history books should be written.” —<i>Alison Weir, author of Henry VIII: The King and His Court on The Last Days of the Romanovs</i><br><br>“A fluid and astute writer, Rappaport delivers a historically discerning portrait of Victoria in the 1860s.” —<i>Booklist on A Magnificent Obsession</i></p>

From The Beginning You Known The End

The tragic and short lives of Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia Romanov are well known to anyone with a passing knowledge of European history. This book, however, does what a lot of histories prior to it have failed to do: it brings the Romanov family, especially the sisters, to life and allows them to be glimpsed as humans, each with their own personalities, flaws and strengths, rather than as remote and tragic historical figures. Their silly antics (particularly those of Anastasia), first loves and frequent struggles with a family plagued by illness are all here and presented to the reader/listener in the context of the time in which they lived with little of the attempts to pass judgement on the culture that is all too common with the offerings of other historical authors.

The narrator also deserves a mention in this review. Xe Sands delivers a calm, sympathetic and melancholy performance that is engaging and fits the overall tone of the book almost perfectly.

Now, a couple of notes of caution:
First, this is a sad story. You will not come away from this book with any sense of uplift other than what can be gleaned from the way the Romanov sisters quietly displayed grace, poise and dignity as their entire lives collapsed along with the health of their mother, brother and oldest sister. From living in some of the grandest palaces in Europe to confinement in a roach infested home in frozen Siberia; from being considered some of the most beautiful princesses in the world to being spied on and humiliated by belligerent guards, the girls showed an uncomplaining resolve and support of each other and a devotion to their family and friends that is without equal in the history of the royal families of Europe.

Second, the author assumes that anyone picking up this book already has a working knowledge of the fall of the Romanov dynasty and the rise of communism in Russia. As a result, this is not an exciting book of international betrayal and intrigue. Characters that took center stage in the events leading up to the revolution are peripheral to this book. Events that produced huge repercussions are referred to only in passing and the focus is entirely on the day-to-day lives of the Romanov family; lives remarkably devoid of power struggles and plots so common in royal history.

Finally, the Russian propensity for nicknames can make it difficult to follow the lives of the tutors, governesses and servants even though many of them orbit the lives of the Romanov sisters for decades. I do think Rappaport could have done a better job assisting the reader with keeping track of them and that prevents me giving a 5-star review to this book.

History made alive

This book brought to life the for Romanov sisters. Beautifully read and hauntingly told, I became engrossed from the beginning.

😟

While I appreciate the hard work put into this book and am thankful I have been given the opportunity to hear the details of their lives...l was highly disappointed. I assumed this book would be similar to America's First Daughter, where it told the story of a life using letters and diaries for reference. This book read more like a high school history book. I thought the audio sample was just setting up a detailed background...but no..the entire book is just account after account . I actually found myself thinking of other things while listening. A great read for anyone needing to do a report.

Sympathetic Biography

The narrator was excellent, and there were lots of great details. Paints a picture of a family captive as royals.

Wonderful!

The pace is great and the way she speaks makes you feel for the family.