jjares reviewed Romanovs: A Captivating Guide to the Romanov Dynasty that Ruled Russia From 1613 Until the Russian Revolution and the Life of Nicholas II on + 3274 more book reviews
This is a great pairing of two parts of the Romanov story of Russia. Each part is extremely well-written and holds the reader's attention throughout. Captivating History excels at 'setting the scene' and then telling their story.
THE ROMANOVS --
The Romanovs came to power not long after Ivan, the Terrible died. The Romanovs came from Ivan the Terrible's wife, Anastasia Romanovna. After his beloved wife died, Ivan became violent and unhinged. He even beat his son to death and killed his unborn grandson. After Ivan's death, there was no obvious leader. Thus, Russia sank into the Time of Troubles. False Dmitrys (successors to Ivan) abounded and the country was in chaos.
The boyars (leaders) got together and chose Michael Romanov. The Romanovs would lead Russia for the next 300 years. There is an excellent explanation of serfdom and how it worked in Russia. Over the centuries, many things changed in Russia but the serfs and slaves became the permanent underclass of the country (with no way out of that group). The fact that there was never any alleviation of the caste-system the serfs were doomed to, created the seeds for the eventual destruction of the monarchy.
NICHOLAS II --
I've read several lengthy books about the Romanov family and I'm in awe of the brevity, yet thoroughness of this story. I really appreciated the fact that the author did NOT go back 300 years to explain the entire Romanov family. The author took us back enough to understand what the Romanov's believed and how they viewed ruling.
Nicholas II was a good man who was a poor leader. This book explains clearly his misunderstanding of the Russian people and his inability to look outside himself or his inner circle for solutions. He was blessed with an able partner but the two of them were used to autocratic rule, not compromise. This book explains that in 1991 when the USSR collapsed, the true info about the deaths of the Romanovs would be revealed. In 2000, the Russian Orthodox Church officially canonized the Romanov family as saints.
Both parts of the Romanov story are exceptional in that they explain complex thoughts and ideas in a straightforward way, which makes for an easy understanding of a complex time.
THE ROMANOVS --
The Romanovs came to power not long after Ivan, the Terrible died. The Romanovs came from Ivan the Terrible's wife, Anastasia Romanovna. After his beloved wife died, Ivan became violent and unhinged. He even beat his son to death and killed his unborn grandson. After Ivan's death, there was no obvious leader. Thus, Russia sank into the Time of Troubles. False Dmitrys (successors to Ivan) abounded and the country was in chaos.
The boyars (leaders) got together and chose Michael Romanov. The Romanovs would lead Russia for the next 300 years. There is an excellent explanation of serfdom and how it worked in Russia. Over the centuries, many things changed in Russia but the serfs and slaves became the permanent underclass of the country (with no way out of that group). The fact that there was never any alleviation of the caste-system the serfs were doomed to, created the seeds for the eventual destruction of the monarchy.
NICHOLAS II --
I've read several lengthy books about the Romanov family and I'm in awe of the brevity, yet thoroughness of this story. I really appreciated the fact that the author did NOT go back 300 years to explain the entire Romanov family. The author took us back enough to understand what the Romanov's believed and how they viewed ruling.
Nicholas II was a good man who was a poor leader. This book explains clearly his misunderstanding of the Russian people and his inability to look outside himself or his inner circle for solutions. He was blessed with an able partner but the two of them were used to autocratic rule, not compromise. This book explains that in 1991 when the USSR collapsed, the true info about the deaths of the Romanovs would be revealed. In 2000, the Russian Orthodox Church officially canonized the Romanov family as saints.
Both parts of the Romanov story are exceptional in that they explain complex thoughts and ideas in a straightforward way, which makes for an easy understanding of a complex time.
