The Passion of Marie Romanov

A Tale of Anastasia's Sister

By: Laura Rose

Narrated by: Lillian Webb, Travis Smith

Length: 11 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's Summary

From the writings of Marie Nicolaevna Romanavna, age 19, July 17, 1918 - Midnight, in bed with her sister, Anastasia (Shvybz), in the Ipatiev Mansion in Ekaterinburg, during the last night of their lives.

"So much of my story unfolds by moonlight. This is a tale of midnight wakings and forced marches before dawn. Since this nightmare began, I do not dare undress, even to go to bed. I wear my dressing gown, my hair is prepared, and my shoes are set beside me. I have no idea when we will be summoned to rise. We have moved, as in the worst of dreams, slowly toward this place. There is no logic other than the sleepwalker's obedience - to follow instruction which we cannot resist: an actual lunacy.

"Now, I have control only of this - my record of what happened to us, to me. I have committed a single sin, my one terrible transgression. I pray to be absolved. In this recording of memory lies all meaning to my life. Let my will prevail in this, my ultimate wish, to salvage something of value from this tragedy. The rest, as my mother says, is in God's hands."

Here, in startling new historical detail, based on original diaries and letters, is the Romanov tragedy told from the point of view of the Tsar's third daughter, Marie, Anastasia's closest, older sister. Marie's story is unique - only Marie crossed the frozen Siberian river with her parents, and only Marie shared the full 78 days and nights in "The House of Special Purpose".

©2014 Laura Rose (P)2015 ListenUp Production, LLC

Beyond Anastasia

Would you try another book from Laura Rose and/or Lillian Webb and Travis Smith ?

Yes. Rose is a fine writer. Webb and Smith both did admirable jobs narrating. In addition, their voices sounded appropriately youthful.

Would you recommend The Passion of Marie Romanov to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes, with reservations. This should be obvious, but this is a heartbreaking work. No one is perfect, but this close-knit family was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time historically--none of them deserved to die. It was a fascinating and touching but very, very tragic story.
I did think that Rose dwelt in too much gruesome detail on the botched executions and the disposal of the bodies.

Which scene was your favorite?

Marie's brief love affair was very memorable. But I should specify that the Passion in the title likely refers to Marie's being canonized as a "passion bearer"--that is, a saint who suffered but faced death in a Christ-like manner--in the Russian Orthodox Church.
What I liked best was how normal the imperial family was. Although they owned an enormous number of fine things, they were also happy living simple lives--as long as they had each other.

Could you see The Passion of Marie Romanov being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

There have already been movies about Anastasia. More could certainly be done. I'll leave the casting to someone else.

Any additional comments?

I was gifted this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Sad and perplexing

Children as always are at the mercy of their parents, good or bad. Marie was fortunate in having a loving, educated and wealthy family. Little though did she know of the horrors taking place outside their bubble. It is still tragic to have such a brutal ending. I'm glad she was able to write her diary so that we can know what it was like living in what seemed to be a beautiful life but how quickly that can change. Her end was beyond evil. A piece of history through the eyes of such a young person sure gives a different view on such an unsettled time.

long boring and preposterous

The bathroom habits and historical details were faithfully rendered but the love story ..although based on real events...was clumsy and unsatisfying. I kept looking forward to the end but it dragged on and on. Glad to be done with this!

A glimpse into the last days of the Romanovs

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Yes, if they wanted a good but quick look at the last days of Imperial Russia.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I felt the narration was a bit overdone in spots, but that is probably a matter of personal taste.

What three words best describe Lillian Webb and Travis Smith ’s voice?

Pleasant, compelling, imaginative

Could you see The Passion of Marie Romanov being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Possibly. I have mixed feelings about delving into the sexual life of a recent historical figure (in contrast to early historical figures we know very little about & therefore have to fill in details to have a story to write about), especially a young girl. I think that part of the book bothered me particularly because of the brutal way Marie and her family were murdered, and how their bodies were treated with massive indignity, and because of all the speculation about Rasputin having sex with the Romanov girls and the Tsarina when they were alive. I think enough speculation about sexual scandal in that family has already been aired. I don't feel I need to know or contemplate the state of Marie's virginity when she was murdered; it just feels like crossing a boundary to me.

Thoughts That Matter

Taking us back into the thoughts of the "other" Romanov sister, Marie, Laura Rose creates a window into the Romanov family story right before their tragic and brutal death. I enjoyed the in-depth character development Rose conceived for this middle daughter. Her thoughts were clear and her emotions true but were lengthy at times and sometimes repetitive; However, it did provided us with key knowledge and backstory which led to understanding the families current circumstance. The vast majority of the writing flowed with historical accuracy with a few modern day phrases or words that, although, may throw off some history buff, was easy to forgive in the well thought out writing.

Lillian Web, the main narrator, was remarkable. Her ability to keep an energy to her voice for this lengthy piece and add genuine emotion is notable and was enjoyed. Her diction and timing were superb. Travis Smith, voicing the character Mikhail Letemin, was a smooth reader and easy to listen too. He had the hardest part I believe in this audiobook, narrating, in detail, the way in which this family was brutally murdered. It was hard to listen too, and I give Smith credit for reading it effortlessly.

Overall, this was a pretty good book. I would recommend this to those who enjoy historical works and historical fiction.

This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Great story, but exhausting narrator

Would you try another book from Laura Rose and/or Lillian Webb and Travis Smith ?

This is an excellent story, but the female narration is an unending overly-melodramatic soliloquy that is exhausting after the first few hours. Everything is emoted over, whether it is a washcloth, embroidery, or actual peril. I would not choose this narrator again.

A compelling view of history

A different view of the story of the last Tsar and his family. It was a compelling listen and from the view of one of the daughters. There was parts of the story which brought tears to my eyes and the descriptions of the relationships of the family and servants was compelling. Even though I am aware parts may not be real, it brought the story of Marie Romanov to life.