The Last Days of the Romanovs

Tragedy at Ekaterinburg

By: Helen Rappaport

Narrated by: Anne Flosnik

Helen Rappaport, an expert in the field of Russian history, brings you the riveting day-by-day account of the last 14 days of the Russian Imperial family, in this first of two books about the Romanovs.

The brutal murder of the Russian Imperial family on the night of July 16 to 17, 1918, has long been a defining moment in world history. The Last Days of the Romanovs reveals in exceptional detail how the conspiracy to kill them unfolded. In the vivid style of a TV documentary, Helen Rappaport reveals both the atmosphere inside the family's claustrophobic prison and the political maneuverings of those who wished to save - or destroy - them. With the watching world and European monarchies proving incapable of saving the Romanovs, the narrative brings this tragic story to life in a compellingly new and dramatic way, culminating in a bloody night of horror in a cramped basement room.

©2008 Helen Rappaport (P)2017 Tantor

Critic reviews

"An absorbing, lucid and authoritative work." ( Publishers Weekly)

Fantastic account of the last Czar, his reign, his family, and their tragic end

Fantastic account and up to date. The Romanovs are a very interesting family. Doubly so of the last of the family before and during the revolution. It follows the reign of Nicholas and his court. It details treachery, murder, folly, and of course, tragedy.

Highly recommended to ANY fan of history, especially for those fascinated in the last Czar & his family, the wars & follies of his reign, the rise of the Soviet Union, and the ultimate tragic end to Nicholas and his family.

Many mysteries remained after what happened to them and many have finally been solved. This book may very well have finally put to rest many, or all of those mysteries & myths.

A Fascinating and Informative History

I've been fascinated by the Romanovs ever since I saw the animated Anastasia movie as a child, so it was a no-brainer for me to snatch this book up when it came on sale, and I'm glad I did.

This book was a comprehensive, easily digestible, and well-organized history of the Romanov Dynasty and their end. I believe Rappaport is more of an author than a historian, but I think that serves this book well. It's not meant to be a textbook, and it's an easy, engaging read. As someone who does enough academic reading for school, this book felt much more like a hobby listen, despite the fact that it's a historical non-fiction.

I loved the depth of information Rappaport included in the book, branching out into the larger geo-political and socio-economic realms that really contextualized why the Romanovs faced the end they did. Many chapters were dedicated to important figures, movements, and locations outside the immediate family, and that context added a lot to the text as a whole. She also did a great job of humanizing each person, showing both their strengths and weaknesses in a generous but realistic way.

The narration was also stellar, and I would highly recommend this for anyone interested in this era of Russian history.

AN AMAZING BOOK

With the first chapter or two, I wondered how the author could fill a whole book with the last couple months of activities of the Romanovs without boring me to death. To my great surprise, Helen Rappaport did an amazing job of introducing us to the family, those who surrounded them and those who determined their sad fate. I'll be checking out more of her books and I'm grateful this one was made available for subscribers.

GREAT

I really enjoyed the story. I wish the author would have given us some more background on each of the family members, instead of just a few. Also, i noticed that some pronunciations were different than in other books i have heard on the same topic.
Anyone interested in this topic should give this book a chance. Very informational!

Socialism is communism

Do we want to be like the Russians? People need to know history better and not repeat it.