Elizabeth: Grand Duchess of Russia

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Summary: Randy's review of Elizabeth Grand Duchess of Russia
Review: In reading Elizabeth Grand Duchess of Russia I found it very fascinating. It is a sure hit for Romanov fans and Russian history buffs who want to know about a fascinating woman.

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Summary: Elizabeth: Grand Duchess of Russia
Review: So little has been written about other members of the Romanov family other than Nicholas II and Alexandra's and their children. This relatively brief (in my opinion), but fasinating insight into not only Alexandra's older sister, but also the wife of Nicholas II's uncle and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. The author excellently discribes Ella's complex persona as a result of 1) the death of her mother, Princess Alice, daughter of Queen Victoria; 2) being raised by both Queen Victoria and her Father; 3) her marriage to Grand Duke Serge (a son of a Czar, a homosexual, a sometimes distant husband and "adoptive father" of his nephew Dimitri and niece Maria [which could be an excellent story in its own]): and finally as a devouted nun. Mager does an excellent job of weaving through the complex family tree without leaving me lost as to who is who and how they relate or are related to Ella. Always looking for biographies of other members of the Romanov family like "Michael & Natasha," the story of Nicholas II's younger brother Grand Duke Michael(was he really the last Romanov Czar?) and his morganatic wife Natasha.

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Summary: Excellent biography of the martyred Elizabeth of Hesse
Review: The book gives tremendous insight into the woman was had a major influence in convincing her sister Alexis come to Russia to marry Nicholas.Also,good background of the character of Elizabeth who went on to found a religious order in the Russian Orthodox Church after the the savage murder of her husband Serge uncle of Czar Nicholas which took place a month after Bloody Sunday in 1905 in St.Petersburg. A must book for anyone interested in the background of the Revolution.