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Summary: History doesn't get much better than this!
Review: Most book lovers have a little list of super-favorites that they turn to year after year, and this classic by Robert Massie has been on my list for more than two decades. Massie brings the last years of the Russian Imperial court to astounding life, turning meticulously researched detail into a tapestry more compelling than fiction. You feel you've been there and met the Romanovs and the people around them, walked their halls, ridden in their trains, even faced their final terrors. Its as good as stepping into a time machine. How many times have I looked up from this paperback (I've gone through several copies over the years) and found that I've lost track of time. Recently, several lavishly illustrated books have come out with long-hidden photos of what NICHOLAS & ALEXANDRA describes -- gorgeous though those photo books are, they do not give you as powerful a sense of time and place as Massie's exceptionally readable prose. Details of Russian history, which could be ponderous for most readers, become lively and engrossing here. I love history, and no book in the genre pulls me back as often (or with as much satisfaction) as Massie's NICHOLAS & ALEXANDRA.
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Summary: Brian Wayne Wells, Esquire, reviews Nicholas and Alexandra
Review: This is the latest paperback reprinting of the 1967 classic history of the last Tsar of the Russian Empire, by Robert and Suzanne Massie. The book has been a very popular seller over the years. This popularity is well-deserved. It is an extremely readable and fast-moving book. The book reads like a novel and still adheres to a strict standard of all good histories. It does not travel off into the sensational speculation nor does the book engage in stereotyping to an unsual degree. Rather the book tries to remain confined to the events as they actually happened in the reign of Tsar Nicholas II.
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Summary: Nichloas and Alexandra
Review: An incredible account of one of the most wonderful and tragic stories of all time. No other book I have read even comes close in accurate accounts of the life which surrounded the last Tsar of Russia. The author seems to treat it as fiction but he reassures us that the story is very much real. One of the best books I have ever read.
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Summary: "Nicholas and Alexandra": brilliant
Review: This book is an incredible, non-fictional acount of the end of Russia's monarchy. Although this is not a novelization, it reads like one. The author's own personal insights are fascinating (eg: what if such and such happened?). My only negative comment is that sometimes the author describes events that happen up to a certain point,then backtracks in the next chapter or even paragraph. Therefore, there is some repetition (especially about Rasputin's death). The book is fast paced, entertaining, and very humane. The quotes selected are fascinating, and funny. They bring a lot to the book. Well done, Mr. Massie!
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Summary: Outstanding book.
Review: Robert Massie has to be one of the most gifted writers in the field of history. This book brings the Royal Family into your parlor with you. By the tragic end, you find yourself sitting on the edge of your seat, desperately hoping the Royal Family will escape to safety, even though you already KNOW how they died.
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Summary: Hemophilia the parallel between author & subject
Review: Massie's passion to find out all he can about his own son's blood disease gives him an understanding about the Royal family that few have noticed. This book created for me an interest of the fall of Royalty in Russia. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Without a doubt, the best textual book on the subject!
Review: Massie's masterpiece draws readers into the daily lives of the last Tsar and his family. Through detailed accounts and descriptions, this book poetically describes the life of Nicholas II and his family from their early beginnings to their tragic demise. It makes the reader feel as if they're right there, and lets the imagination run loose
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Summary: Massie brings one of history's greatest dramas to life!!!
Review: Robert Massie writes a comprehensive account of the events leading up to the 1917 Revolution, bringing the various enigmatic members
of the royal family to life. His exploration of Gregory Rasputin's rise to preeminence in the imperial household is especially gripping, if not incredibly disheartening. As always, Massie has a unique knack for bringing
history to life through vivid descriptions and a very readable style.
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Summary: Massie brings life warmth and romance to a tragic figure
Review: More than a history of a man and a period the love and
family intrigue of Nicholas and Alexandra brings a human face to an autocrat. Tzar Nicholas variously described as "bloody" and "aloof" faces the reader as possibly a weak man, but a loving husband and a devoted father. It is in
fact, this humanity of Nicholas that defeats him in his dealings with political demands he is ill prepared to handle. Brought up as an autocrat by a domineering father
he is in contrast a self effacing gentle man who can not deal with the ruthless forces of revolution that sweep him away.
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Summary: A Historical Biography Reflecting a Turning-Point in History
Review: With the demise of the Soviet Union, it is very interesting, even shocking, to read the life stories of the last czar and his czarina. The patterns of their lives, particularly influenced by the tragic illness of their only son, and the mad monk Rasputin's effects on Russian politics as a result, produces an amazing story no novelist could invent. For an in-depth read of an era that helped define life today, this is an excellent book
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