Rating: 
Summary: Technical and yet easy to read, a compelling true story
Review: Massie relates two fascinating stories: the first involves finding the remains of the family of Russia's last Czar, and the second recounts the assertion of Anna Andersen to be the Czar's youngest daughter, Anastasia.In order to find the remains, layers of lies and bureaucracy must be untangled. Once unearthed, the task of identifying the bodies becomes a test of both science and diplomacy. The question of whether Anastasia survived the Russian Revolution proves to be fiercely debated. Personalities from all over the globe are involved in the discussion. Massie relates the various positions in an even-handed fashion and brings compelling scientific evidence to bear. The final chapter of the Romanovs proves that non-fiction can be more spellbinding than fiction. A must-read for anyone interested in Russia, forensic science, or well-crafted non-fiction. I liked Massie's _Nicholas and Alexandra_, but I LOVED this book.
Rating:
Summary: The Romanovs
Review: Massie wrote an excellent and very detail book on the quest to find and identify the last Romanovs. The book began with the finding and identification of the bones and then went into the Anna Anderson mystery. Massie is a great writer which he nonetheless proved in this book.
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Summary: A great book about the last days of the last Czar of Russia
Review: My review is also a little biased since I am mildly obsessed with this subject. A great book recounting not only the entire plan of the execution, but even gives the diary entries from the Czarita's diary, up to hours before the execution. Also gives the case of who is really missing: Marie or Anastasia? Wonderfully written is this "sequel" to "Nicolas & Alexandra." My personal favorite.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Book For Anyone Interested In the Romanovs and Russia
Review: My review may be a wee bit biased since I am mildly obsessed with this subject. The first pages describe the massacre in graphic detail. The pictures were imformative and forced me to ask such questions as : Which Grand Duchess is it missing?Tatiana?Marie?Anastasia?And where the heck did Alexie go?!A really good book.
Rating:
Summary: Nobody does the Romanovs better than Massie
Review: Nicholas and Alexandra is the definitive book about the last rulers of Russia, and Robert Massie's The Romanov's: The Final Chapter is a fitting sequel to this venerable book. N & A ends with the execution of Nicholas and his family, but we discover in The Final Chapter that much has happened since the original was published in 1967. Lots of new information has become available due to perestroika, the fall of the Soviet Union, the opning of many long-sealed records and archives, and a renewed interest in the monarchy. All of these changes make us realize that there are many more chapters to the Romanov story, and this book is filled with mystery, tragedy, science, bickering, intrique, and above all, a profound sadness. We read about the discovery of the Romanov remains and how and why this was kept secret for so long. We learn about the DNA testing to determine the authenticity of the remains and the subsequent fighting over that. Of course, there is the problem of the two missing skeletons and the controversy this causes. We are introduced to a number of Romanov imposters including Anna Anderson. We learn about the fates of the true surviving Romanov's and their battle over who should be claimant to the throne. We also are informed of the destruction of the Ipatiev House by Brezhnev so that it wouldn't become a monarchist shrine. And finally, we hear about the rumors of a vast Romanov fortune that is supposed to be in foreign banks and has never been found. Since this book has been published, the Romanov remains have finally been reburied in St. Petersburg. But even this could not be accomplished without the bickering of the surviving Romanov's (as characterized in The Final Chapter). Some of them even boycotted the event. It is not always a pretty story. The Final Chapter is also filled with fascinating tidbits of information. For instance, Prince Philip (husband of Queen Elizabeth) provided blood samples for DNA analysis as his grandmother was the Empress Alexandra's older sister. All in all, this is a fabulous book! Those who expect this to be a boring, dry history will be pleasantly surprised. No author has told the Romanov story with as much style, passion and completeness as Robert Massie. It is no wonder that the story of Nicholas and Alexandra refuses to die, and why new generations of readers become enthralled with this tragic story--even 85 years after their deaths.
Rating:
Summary: Nobody does the Romanovs better than Massie
Review: Nicholas and Alexandra is the definitive book about the last rulers of Russia, and Robert Massie's The Romanov's: The Final Chapter is a fitting sequel to this venerable book. N & A ends with the execution of Nicholas and his family, but we discover in The Final Chapter that much has happened since the original was published in 1967. Lots of new information has become available due to perestroika, the fall of the Soviet Union, the opning of many long-sealed records and archives, and a renewed interest in the monarchy. All of these changes make us realize that there are many more chapters to the Romanov story, and this book is filled with mystery, tragedy, science, bickering, intrique, and above all, a profound sadness. We read about the discovery of the Romanov remains and how and why this was kept secret for so long. We learn about the DNA testing to determine the authenticity of the remains and the subsequent fighting over that. Of course, there is the problem of the two missing skeletons and the controversy this causes. We are introduced to a number of Romanov imposters including Anna Anderson. We learn about the fates of the true surviving Romanov's and their battle over who should be claimant to the throne. We also are informed of the destruction of the Ipatiev House by Brezhnev so that it wouldn't become a monarchist shrine. And finally, we hear about the rumors of a vast Romanov fortune that is supposed to be in foreign banks and has never been found. Since this book has been published, the Romanov remains have finally been reburied in St. Petersburg. But even this could not be accomplished without the bickering of the surviving Romanov's (as characterized in The Final Chapter). Some of them even boycotted the event. It is not always a pretty story. The Final Chapter is also filled with fascinating tidbits of information. For instance, Prince Philip (husband of Queen Elizabeth) provided blood samples for DNA analysis as his grandmother was the Empress Alexandra's older sister. All in all, this is a fabulous book! Those who expect this to be a boring, dry history will be pleasantly surprised. No author has told the Romanov story with as much style, passion and completeness as Robert Massie. It is no wonder that the story of Nicholas and Alexandra refuses to die, and why new generations of readers become enthralled with this tragic story--even 85 years after their deaths.
Rating:
Summary: The Romanovs: The Final Chapter by Robert K. Massie
Review: Robert K Massie is a marvellous historian. Anyone who has read "Dreadnought" which concerns the lead up to World War I would probably concur. It is a master epic of naval history. "The Romanovs: The Final Chapter" is a very different book to "Dreadnought". It seems to be a means of cashing in on the current interest in European aristocracy and the ongoing mystique of whether Anastasia Romanov died with her parents and siblings in Ekaterinburg in 1918 at the hands of the Bolsheviks. However, while being a very different style of book, it is also a much less readable and significant piece of history. The reader seems to be on an endless journey through the minutiae of the Russian royal family and all the crackpots who claim a part of their heritage. It is not a read that is pleasant or easy to follow. I am unable to recommend this book to other readers. The Romanovs are no longer of any modern day relevance. This book, if it has one redeeming feature, is to confirm their irrelevance.
Rating: 
Summary: The Romanovs: Should We Care?
Review: Robert K Massie is a marvellous historian. Anyone who has read "Dreadnought" which concerns the lead up to World War I would probably concur. It is a master epic of naval history. "The Romanovs: The Final Chapter" is a very different book to "Dreadnought". It seems to be a means of cashing in on the current interest in European aristocracy and the ongoing mystique of whether Anastasia Romanov died with her parents and siblings in Ekaterinburg in 1918 at the hands of the Bolsheviks. However, while being a very different style of book, it is also a much less readable and significant piece of history. The reader seems to be on an endless journey through the minutiae of the Russian royal family and all the crackpots who claim a part of their heritage. It is not a read that is pleasant or easy to follow. I am unable to recommend this book to other readers. The Romanovs are no longer of any modern day relevance. This book, if it has one redeeming feature, is to confirm their irrelevance.
Rating: 
Summary: A "sequel" that addresses three issues of the Romanovs
Review: Robert K. Massie does it again by writing a superb "sequel" to his 1967 historical account "Nicholas and Alexandra". The book "The Romanovs: The Final Chapter" was written in response to the affirmation of the discoveries of the bones of the Romanov family. The book is divided into two parts. The first part addresses the discovery and verification of the bones. The discovery of the bones had after all, led to several debates. One debate naturally dealt with the authenticity of the bones. Along those lines there had arisen a rivalry between the various scientists that tested the authenticity of the bones. Furthermore there was a question as to whether the Russian Orthodox Church would recognize the remains of the Romanov family and thus give them a fitting burial. It was eventually through various tests, that the remains of nine people were proven to be in fact the royal family. However the final problem was that the remains of Alexei the heir to the throne and that of one of his youngest sisters were still missing. But scientists were also unsure which sister it was that was still missing. Most scientists believed that it was the youngest daughter Anastasia. There were nonetheless a substantial amount of scientists who concurred that it was Maria and not Anastasia who was missing. Finally there were questions as to the whereabouts of the remains of the two children regardless of their identity. It is from here that the second part of the book begins: The Pretenders.
The second half of the book mainly addresses the claims of Anna Anderson, the alleged surviving Grand Duchess who was better known as Anastasia. R.K. Massie goes through the pains of briefly recounting the life of Anna Anderson from her attempted suicide to the time of her death over fifty years later. Although there were many people who would claim to be a surviving member of the royal family, none would ever achieve the level of notoriety of Anna Anderson, who ultimately was proven to being a fraud through DNA testing after her death. It was through the claims of Anna Anderson that Hollywood took liberties in making full use of the legend of Anastasia and thus produced at least two well-known films on the subject. The films were the 1956 movie starring Ingrid Bergman (in which she won a Oscar for the title role) and the 1997 cartoon feature with the same title. While the popularity of the two films has served to make the legend of Anastasia mainstream, they have also further distorted the aftermath of the Romanov dynasty. It is thus fair to say that Massie's latest book serves to set the record straight and remove any belief in Anna Anderson's claims of royal lineage.
Finally R.K. Massie briefly addresses the various squabbles among the descendants of the Romanov family as to the issue of who is presently the legitimate head of the family. It is this last section of the book that many reviewers (myself included) find to be tiresome and superfluous. It is unfortunate that this final section of the book can really ruin its overall appraisal. Nonetheless I highly recommend the book not only for its subject matter but also for Robert K. Massie's fluid and engaging writing style. Robert K. Massie is after all not a historian, but a journalist and therefore he is capable of writing to the common reader. "The Romanovs: The Final Chapter" is in short a book worthy of its predecessor "Nicholas and Alexandra" and therefore it is a must-read.
Rating:
Summary: A Postscript to the Romanov Saga
Review: Robert K. Massie's The Romanovs (the Final Chapter) was less about what finally happened than about the search by various people into the truth about what finally happened. This makes the book a fascinating addition to the legends and truths about the Romanovs and concludes their story quite conclusively. There is more than enough historical background for the reader not familiar with the story of the Romanovs but the true interest of this story will be for the readers who are fully steeped in this story. The author has a sure touch in making this book as interesting in the saga of terror and betrayal as he does he in the parts concerning scientific investigation. A wonderful and mandatory addition to the cache of Romanov books on the market.
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