Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant!!
Review: "Nicholas and Alexandra" was truly captivating. The vivid imagery sweeps one back to the final days of Imperial Russia; of balls, galas, war, revolution, an finally murder. Massie takes the stand, and with his words we relive one of the most mysterious, yet emotional struggles of early 20th century Russian history. The way the book is written gives both the perspectives of a government in decay, complete with the political circumstances and key political figures of the time. However, the book often drifts off through the snow covered capital of St. Petersburg, to the ice cold walls of the Alexander Palace, where Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra became simply Nicky and Alix. In their private world at Tsarskoe Selo, the titles of "Their Imperial Majesties the Grand Duchess" and the Tsaravich simply became those names of children, from Olga to Alexis. From these days at the Alexander Palace, Massie brought us up close to not only the Tsaravich's struggle with hemophilia, but also the struggle of a mother, Alexandra, whom had to bare it all, side by her son. In this came in the, in my opinion, intolerable abomination of a man the world knows as Rasputin. The way Massie wrote of the influence of Rasputin on her Majesty the Empress Alexandra, and hence the influence on government, which led to the collapse of Imperial Russia, one clearly sees the faults that are shown within the Empress and her ineptitude to run an empire. However, at the same time, one feels for her and pays special attention to her religious beliefs, which influence much of the final outcome of her greatest mistake. Finally, Massie depicts the final collapse of Imperial Russia on a swift day. This eventually leads to the imprisonment and final execution of the last Tsar, Autocrat of All the Russians, and his family. The breathtaking detail and account of their murder is extremely unsettling. One may think that reading of simply a murder, one of many, is not so great a shock, yet, as one has read this book from the very beginning, one has gotten to know, personally, the Imperial family, and cannot help but pity them. This book is a great resource for one that has just become interested in this tragic episode of European History, or simply for one who wishes to learn more of this "Love that Ended an Empire".
Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece
Review: This book is an absolute must for anyone who wants to learn more about the last days of the Romanovs. Massie has outdone himself. The book is non-fiction, but has all the makings of a great historical novel--political intrigue, war, family life, not to mention a good love story. As a Romanov buff who has read many books on the family, this is the best by far.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Excellent
Review: The story of Nicholas and Alexandra has all the elements of a great novel: complex characters, plot twists, and an exciting conclusion. But, it's all true. Robert Massie wrote this history in 1967, but it is still relevant to today. In these days of democracy, it is enlightening to learn about the times when monarchy and autocracy were the words of the day. Robert Massie's book is excellently written. It is consistently clear, and at all times a pleasure to read. The biography has a wide scope, it covers just about everything relating to the Tsar and the Tsaritsa from the time of their marriage to the time of their death. You don't often see biographies of two people in one book. But to understand Nicholas, you must understand Alexandra. And, by the end of this book, you will have a better undserstanding of why events played out the way they did.
Rating:
Summary: still reading but:
Review: this a wonderfull book! the best on the romanovs! If you are interested in them just recently or for a long period of time this is the book for you! tells all about their lives and how they lived, how they traveled, where they lived, etc.! Robert K. Massie write wonderfull books!
Rating:
Summary: Historical Context as Needed Today
Review: This book is not just an excellent biography of Tsar Nicholas but provides both a valuable historical insight into past events which provide understanding of recent events this past decade. Bosnia/Sarajevo almost became a recent flashpoint for a war with Russia; the book reveals Austria-Hungary with German backing annexed Bosnia in 1908 with Germany forcing the Tsar/Serbia to recognize this annexation. Also, Imperial Germany had second thoughts on backing Lenin/Trotsky and tried to bring the Tsar back to Moscow to ratify the Brest-Litovsk Treaty, and essentially make him a puppet regime of Berlin. Massie reveals this intrigue and how it failed leaving a reader as myself with the conclusion Germany created a Frankenstein in smuggling Lenin into Russia to pursue its war aims.
On another level Massie brings home to the reader how much personal family matters intrude into important matters of statecraft, appointments to high office, and military matters. This is a book which Russian officials today should read if they hope to bring sanity back to their dying country whose death-rate far exceeds its birth-rate. In our inter-dependent world those who despair of the future can do serious harm to others as well as to themselves. And all peoples can learn from the travails and circumstances of others.
No doubt that Robert K Massie has made an important contribution to our understanding of the past which heavily influences contemporary society today. As I write this the United Nations Security Council stands challenged by U.S. President George W. Bush to inspect and disarm Iraq of all weapons of mass destruction. The world stands at a moment of decision and even faces the possibility of nuclear war should military action against Baghdad trigger a response and counter-response leading to regional destabilization and a firestorm. Russia particularly must anguish through a difficult decision process and has suffered under a closed-thought political system where information readily available to Westerners, as in this book, has not entered into the Russian market-place of ideas.I thus feel compelled to urge others to get this book into Russian officialdom by every creative measure.
Rating: 
Summary: A great book for the most part
Review: But there are a few errors in it. For example, Massie states that Nicholas was 13 when his grandfather Alexander II died when actually he was a couple of months shy of his 13th birthday. Massie also says that Queen Victoria approved of the marriage when it is very obvious through her letters that she did not. The Queen had nothing against Nicholas personally, but felt that the Russian throne was very unstable and didn't wish her granddaughter to be a part of it. There are a few other mistakes, but overall it was an enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: Marvelous
Review: Robert K. Massie's historical biography, "Nicholas and Alexandra", is one of the most enthralling, well-written books I have ever come across. As an amateur Russian scholar, I was immediately and completely absorbed in this fascinating and tragic story of Russia's last tsar, Nicholas II, and his close-knit family. Massie has written two other fine histories on the Romanovs, "Peter the Great" and "The Romanovs: The Final Chapter", but "Nicholas and Alexandra" remains his masterpiece. Highly recommended to anyone interested in history.
Rating:
Summary: Beware of this edition!
Review: I have loved N&A for 5 years now. I was excited when this new edition came out - but to my horror and extreme disappointment, at the climax of the book there are 10 pages missing!
Rating:
Summary: Once you pick it up, you can't put it down!
Review: Oh my God! I picked up this book on a whim at the library ten years ago when I was ten, because our English teacher wanted us to read a book over 500 pages long, and this seemed fit enough. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. Sespite having to struggle over difficult words and titles, I absorbed the book and found it excellent. A must read for anyone hoping to gather information on the Romanvos for a school report or just hoping to learn about the last Imperial family of Russia. You will never forget what you learn from this book, because Massie puts so much detail into this story, which is the product of years and years of research and late night working. I salute Mr. Massie for his superb book and I encourage any young person to forget anything that your big brother told you about "boring history books" and to read this, for I can assure you that is is NOT a boring history book! Cheers!
Rating:
Summary: what i think
Review: Massie certainly deserved the author of the month in the
winter 2000 page on the romanov website.
This book is a remarkable study of the last Tsar, his
family and the Russia they ruled. It is the definite
work in that it portrays Nicholas not only as Tsar of
all the Russias , but as the father, the husband, and
the family man.All these aspects are crucial if we are
to understand the man himself and the steps he took
to command his great empire. It is an extremely fair
work, showing the Tsar's shortcomings as a ruler, but yet
at the same time his humaness, his vulnerability from
his own position.
Massie has excelled himself with this book, and I highly
recommend it to any reader seeking an introduction to
this most fascinating period of Russian history.
There have been criticisms of this book stating that Nicholas
and his reign should have been studied in the context of say, other rulers of the time. This is a granted point, but one I feel
Massie achieves in his commentary of the world spectrum on the
whole particularly in the years 1905 through to the first World
War.To isolate the "family man" from the ruler is impossible -
they were part of each other.
So congratulations to Robert Massie, this book is a very
great achievement!
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