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Summary: magnificent
Review: I just finished reading this masterpiece. It is absolutely incredible. Massie is one of the few authors who present the last of the Romanovs in a objective light. He neither accuses or exalts Tsar Nicholas. He just presents the facts in the most detailed manner, but never tedious, and leaves it up to the reader to judge. By far, the best book written on the Tsar and his family.
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Summary: History becomes readable and intimate...
Review: Massie is an excellent writer, and his account of the last days of the Romanovs is engrossing. Complicated historical events are worked into the book in an understandable and painless fashion so the reader always has a grasp of the politics involved... also fascinating for the many small details of the daily life of the Tsar's family.
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Summary: The Boy behind the Throne
Review: This is a sensitive narration of the life and death of Russia's last Tsar and his tragic familly. Massie writes clearly and eloquently and succeeds in bringing his characters to life and developing a genuine empathy with them.Massie's Nicholas and Alexandra emerge as rather sad and pathetic characters, out of touch with reality and hopelessly unqualified for the role thrust upon them. Massie's fascinating thesis is that the Russian revolution may have been brought about by a haemophilia gene passed along from queen Victoria. That is probably an extremely romanticised view of history. A more likely truth is that the tragic end of Tsarist Holy Russia was an accident waiting to happen. A fragile system built on fragile people. That fragility more than anything else is what comes across from reading these pages.
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Summary: One of the best books on the last years of Imperial Russia
Review: As one of the reviews below said, it is almost 'written like a novel'. It has a brilliant biographer's touch of being sensitive but not uncritical, and gives an excellent insight and visual display into the various strands of life in the last years of Imperial Russia.
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Summary: Written like a beautiful painting
Review: Robert K. Massie's book is one of the most beautifully written books I have ever read. The beginning of the book quite honestly reminded me of a Monet or some other french impressionist painting in brilliant spring shades of pastel - the childhood of Nicholas II was so elegantly described. The romance between Nicholas and Alexander was rendered something we all wish for. Then, shades of grey and brown began to creep into the picture as Nicholas was thrust onto the throne 'ahead of schedule' and subjected to the manipulations of others when trying to sort out the distant eastern border. So riveting was Massie's style that I was catapulted into horror as for the first time, I read a gripping account of how WWI broke out - and appalled at the absolute STUPIDITY behind that. Yet through it all, Massie continues to paint a picture of a leader whose only flaw was he was a kind and gentle man with a deep love for his wife. Yeah, I am sure you could say plenty about the mistakes Nicholas II made - and I am sure you can say plenty about the mistakes all other leaders have made during times of trouble, but Nicholas would have been a fine leader if he hadn't been destined to be Tsar in troubled times. Massie's depiction of the other events which led to the demise of the Romanov's is eqully gripping, giving one an overall appreciation of all the factors which contributed to the collapse of the Russian Empire -something which they don't appear to have totally recovered from in nearly 100 years... My only complaint (and hence the 4 stars not 5) was Massie really just described the historically accepted points of view and didn't mention some of the contradictions and facts which go against the sensationalised story. I found this occurred particularly with Rasputin, and because I questioned the facts surrounding Rasputin, you can't help but wonder what other little details he left in the life of Nicholas and Alexandra. However, that aside, this is such a beautifully written historical biography, that missing facts or not, most of it is true and this book should be read by everyone just to gain a clearer picture of one of the truly more dynamic and mysterious bits of history in the timeline of humanity!
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Summary: What Lead Me to Read This Book......
Review: The Author, Robert Massie, happened upon the writing of this book through his research to find out how others dealt with hemophilia. His son suffers from the disease as did the son of the last tsar of Russia. Wow...I happened upon this book by first seeing the english production of the film nicholas and alexandra. The movie was excellent but the book exceeds that of course. Read this book and obtain an understanding that people even in power are to be pitied. These poor souls were first the victims of their sons disease, Rasputin, the mystic but resourceful priest and the changes that Russia inevitably was to go through. This history of a country and a ruler, his wife and his family has often times made me wonder about their horrowful fate. These people did not deserve what they received in the end and I hope you draw this same conclusion after you read this novel. As the trailer notes state..."A larger than life drama, so bizarre, so heartrending, and above all, so apocalyptic that no novelist would have dared invent it"... Read it, you'll agree.
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Summary: nichole
Review: I first read this book in seventh grade in 1990, my geography teacher lent it to me and I read it cover to cover in one weekend. This book sparked my interest and I have been reading and studying Russian history since. Massie paints a vivid picture of the life of the last tsar, a man who never wanted the title in the first place. I continually go back to reread this book. It will always be my favorite of the books about this period of Russian history.
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Summary: Fasinating glimpse into another world
Review: This is a wonderful book as it allows you a glimpse of another life in another world and at many different levels. Firstly there is the pomp and ceremony of the great court of Imperialist Russia and all its trappings. Then there is the fascination that we all feel today for a royal family - so aloof and apart from us all. And finally there is the great romance of Nicholas and Alexandra - as great a love story as any in history. Mr Massie has done a great job in painting this world of long ago, and it is written in a style that is both readable and very enjoyable. It is a great book, at all levels.
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Summary: Insight into the last Tsar
Review: I last read this in 1996, but the book has stayed with me. Massie gives a moving insight into the life of the tragic figure Tsar Nikolai II, although he does not stray from the history of his reign. Nikolai was a man who did not want to be Tsar from the start, he had not been trained for the role of Tsar by his father Aleksandr II, and this was to be a major factor in his misunderstanding of his role and position in the Russian hierarchy. He was a weak man, dominated by his wife and followed the views and advice of the last minister he saw, proving that he was neither willing nor able for his chosen role. With excellent photographic evidence of the Tsar and Tsarina and family, Massie's account of his life is detailed and easy to read. If you want to find out about the structure of the Russian autocracy and Nikolai's life, then this book is worth the money.
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Summary: If you could only keep one book on the Romanovs...
Review: ...this should be that book! Since my tenth-grade world history teacher lent me his copy back in 1990, I've become a bit of a fanatic. ;o) It's a great overview of the lives of Tsar Nicolas II and his family, and why the political tide in Russia turned against them. And while the account's purview is broad, it includes numerous, delightful little details about the people involved - Massie event mentions the young grand duchess' favorite perfumes!
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