Name: The Romanov Sisters
ISBN: 9781250020208

Helen Rappaport

Draws on personal writings and private sources to illuminate the daily lives of the four Russian Grand Duchesses from their own perspectives, revealing their awareness of family turmoil and the approach of the Russian Revolution.

The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra

The Romanov Sisters

Missy Zuber 

Received a copy in an exchange for a review before the book was even available to the public.


The idea of the book in whole is a good idea. To read a book about the Grand Duchesses where they have a starring role can't be ignored. However, this book was not mainly centered on Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia. I ended up getting bored with reading about the ailments and health issues of the girls' mother, the Tsarina, and their ill younger brother, Alexei. Finally, when we get to read about OTMA, poor Maria and Anastasia are not mentioned half to much as their older sisters. Perhaps it's because Olga and Tatiana were older, more involved with nursing during WWI, etc, but these younger girls still were an important part of the family.


Yes, there were a few newer, interesting facts but some of what is written is common knowledge. The photographs are not entirely new to the majority of those who are familiar with and follow the last Imperial family throughout the various sites online.

Charlotte Rayfield

“It is not evil that will conquer evil-only love” Tsar Nicholas of Russia, written in a letter by his oldest child Grand Duchess Olga 💕

A 12-WEEK NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "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) From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Days of the Romanovs and Caught in the Revolution, The Romanov Sisters reveals the untold stories of the four daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra. 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.

Chantale

I don't often read non fiction but I read it only when it I find it interesting and this really was interesting to me. 

It is very well written and I enjoyed the writing very much. 

If you are into non fiction like this you will most likely enjoy it as much I did.

This is the second time I have read this book and I still love it.

I highly recommend.

Laura

It's a rite of passage for any history loving little girl to go through a go through a phrase in which she is obsessed with a royal family. And, apart from a brief phrase in 7th grade when I was super into Elizabeth I and the rest of the Tudors, my heart belonged to the Romanov family, more specifically the last Romanovs, the Imperial family of Tsar Nicholas II. And, like most girls getting into the Romanovs, my obsession lied with the youngest and arguably the most famous, Anastasia. I always liked the tragedy behind her story, how she was this happy young girl until the Soviets shot her a cold basement. As I've been getting older, my interest in her dwindled and turned towards her mother, because she's easily one of the most interesting females in all of history, and lately I've been getting more and more into the Soviets. But let it be known that the catalyst to my Russian obsession is the last Grand Duchess of all of Russia. 

Rappaport's The Romanov Sisters is, as you can imagine, perfect for anyone who wants information on just the Grand Duchesses and not necessarily Alexei's hemophilia or Rasputin or the Imperial Couple. Sure, they are mentioned but only in regards to how the sisters were impacted by them. In that respect I think this is the first. One of the reasons for my interest turning towards Alexandra in the first place was because of the abundance of books on her and lack of books on the Grand Duchesses. Hell, I think there are more books on Anna Anderson, who pretended to be Anastasia, than Anastasia herself. Of course, after reading this book, I can understand why not many people tackle the topic of the Grand Duchesses. There isn't really much information exclusively on the girls. The public at the time was captivated by Alexei, and now a days, most historians are more interested in their mother or Rasputin than anyone else. Especially Rasputin. Me, can't say I was ever that intrigued by him. 

One of the things Rappaport does well is capture the girls as individuals, not just OTMA or the Big Pair and Little Pair. Olga is the sensitive, melancholy one with a hot temper, Tatiana is the reserved beauty, her mother's favorite, Maria is the romantic middle child who often felt left out, Anastasia is the trickster youngest. Clearly, Rappaport made it her mission not to lump the girls into one, and I think she did it well. 

Continue reading this review on my blog here: https://bookwormbasics.blogspot.com/2...

The Romanov Sisters The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra

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