This book tells the incredible story of a member of the last ruling family of Russia, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Fyodorovna. I'm surprised I'd never heard of her before--the only member of the Romanov family that was familiar to me was Anastasia, but Elizabeth's story is so much more compelling! After her husband was assassinated during the tumult of the Russian Revolution, she gave up all she possessed to serve the poor and needy. She lived a life of simplicity, sacrifice, and service for the last thirteen years of her life, and would even visit the poorest and most dangerous slums in Moscow to help those who were suffering there. It's an amazing testament of her faith and devotion to Christ that she would willingly choose to go from a life of total luxury to a life of hardship in order to serve God and His children.Although I didn't think Alexander's writing was all that great, the topic was so fascinating that I still enjoyed the book. However, I bet if you are familiar with modern Russian history, this book would not be so fascinating to you, because the author assumes you know next to nothing about Russian history (which was a correct assumption on my part).Another caveat is that the story is alternately told from Elizabeth's perspective and the perspective of an active participant of the Russian Revolution (Pavel), and Pavel's chapters are quite dark. Mostly it didn't bother me, because it was an honest depiction of life and the mentality of the oppressed people, but I wish I would have skipped pages 237-238, because they were just vulgar. And there is also an F word on page 268.Overall, I appreciated how much I learned from this book, and I'd recommend learning about Elizabeth--if not from this book than from another source. Again, Robert Alexander uses original documents in order to build his story of the Royal family during the Russian revolution. In this case he accessed the letters written by Elisyaveta Fyodorovna, older sister of the Empress Aleksandra. Nicknamed Ella, she married the Grand Duke Sergei and became a member of the royal court and a Romanov. She thoroughly adopted Russia as her home and gave her heart to her new country and its people. Nevertheless, when the revolution came, she had two strikes against her: she was a Romanov by marriage and a German by birth. Ella had no way of understanding the depths of the workers' and peasants' hatred for the Romanovs. Her husband, a thorough autocrat, made every decision for her (down to and including her wardrobe and jewels) and forbade her to participate even in conversations regarding politics. So far as she knew, the Romanovs should be loved by the common people, because fifty years earlier serfdom had been eliminated, and the new tsar, her brother-in-law, was slowly working toward building the economy and elevating them from poverty. She accepted her husband's and the other Romanov's belief that the tsar was placed on the throne by God himself, and that his people adored him and understood his love for them.Pavel was a peasant...and a thief. When he married his village sweetheart, he stole enough money from one of the old women of the village, as well as some from a neighboring village, to take them to Sangkt Peterburg--the capital. There they would live a life of excitement and build their future as factory workers. When they arrived, they learned the true condition of the worker: poverty and filth. Long hours, not even enough pay to cover the cost of renting a room and buying food. Pavel and Shura began their life in the capital as one of four families each renting a corner of a basement room, sharing a kitchen and one filthy toilet. Robert Alexander tells the stories of the Aristocrat Ella and Revolutionary Pavel in their own voices, switching back and forth from one to the other as the tale and the revolution progress. Though, a knowledge of history makes the ending inevitable, the details of their lives are fascinating.
Do You like book Romanov Bride (2008)?
Loved it. Well written and easy to follow. Also pretty close to the events of that time.
—Lelika
Disappointed in the book. I thought it could have been better.
—Romel
Sort of trio with Kitchen Boy and Rasputin's Daughter.
—tiara
