Anastasia: The Riddle of Anna Anderson by Peter Kurth
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Book Reviews of Anastasia: The Riddle of Anna Anderson
Book Review: DNA test prove that Anna Anderson was NOT Anastasia
Summary: 3 Stars
I read this book about 15 years ago and found it fascinating. Fortunately or unfortunately, the "riddle" has been solved: DNA tests run subsequent to the book's publication prove with virtual certainty that Anna Anderson was not Anastasia, so the "cat's out of the bag" before you read the first sentence. It's actually a shame because I did very much enjoy the book before the information came out.Book Review: What's the mystery?
Summary: 2 Stars
What's the mystery? The DNA evidence conclusively shows that she was a fraud. What more is there to say?Book Review: A biased, one-sided account by an obsessed author
Summary: 1 Stars
If you want to read a book with a lot of information about a strange, mentally-ill woman who claimed throughout her entire life that she was the daughter of Czar Nicolas II, you might find "Anastasia: The Riddle of Anna Anderson" interesting. However, if you are looking for an objective, unbiased view of this strange story, look elsewhere. Peter Kurth is a man obsessed. He is besotted with the fairytale lost Princess; he finds her utterly captivating, believes her tales wholeheartedly. Of course, there are some people who do not share his affection for the haughty, irrational, temperamental woman who treated everyone as though they were her personal servant, and do not believe her incredible tale of escape from the cellar at Ekaterinburg. Kurth expresses obvious distain for anyone who does not believe that Anderson is Anastasia. He portrays her supporters and detractors thus: people who believe Anderson's claim are credible, people who don't believe her are not credible and have a secret agenda. He is a firm believer than Anderson was never recognized as Anastasia because if that ever came to pass, political careers would be ruined, the royal hierarchy would be shaken to the foundations and the vast hidden Romanov fortune would be given to it's rightful owner, ANASTASIA! He claims (not in this book) that the DNA evidence is a fraud, that the blocks of tissue and hair that had DNA extracted from it may have been tampered with or replaced. Pretty crazy, but then Anderson's supporters have always been a strange lot. There is no evidence, none whatsover, of her tale of rescue by a Russian soldier; you had to take it on "faith". There is no evidence that there ever was a Romanov fortune hidden away in a bank or banks in Europe. The supporters insist to this day that there is a conpiracy still going on to prevent those mysterious millions from being handed over to the rightful owner; one Anastasia fanatic said that since Anastasia and her husband are both dead, the millions now belong to her husband's second wife, a LAWYER, who would certainly have the legal knowledge to successfully sue to retain the fortune. Only trouble is the fortune NEVER EXISTED. Crazy. Towards the end of the book, Kurth rather glosses over the fact that Anderson and her husband were as looney as bedbugs; they both were what is known today as "hoarders". Their house and property was a health hazard and stunk to high heaven, due to piled up junk and garbage and the feces and urine of God knows how many cats. When one of the cats would die, Anderson would cremate it in the fireplace. The supporters of Anna Anderson who in spite of definitive, conclusive evidence continue to insist she was the daughter of the Russian royal family are not unusual, really; there are many people who need to believe in something they have no proof exists. Some of them believe in space aliens; some believe there is a creature they call Bigfoot. Some believe there is a large sea monster living in Loch Ness; some believe Elvis Presley is still alive. And some believe a deranged woman, with similar physical characteristies of a dead young girl, was a Princess. Another thing about Peter Kurth; I wrote an email asking why he persisted in trying to convince people that Anna Anderson was Anastasia. He wrote back a nasty reply; he barked that he never SAID she was Anastasia, only that HE believed he was Anastasia. Of course, this is quite untrue; he has a rant on the internet right now where he tries to discredit the DNA evidence and put forth the idea that the DNA samples were flawed, etc. He sounds like a very disturbed man.Book Review: She wasn't Anastasia
Summary: 1 Stars
This book is a comprehensive account of Anna anderson's life. It appears to be well researched and contains footnotes (a conspicuous absence in other Anna Anderson books). It is the ultimate reference work for Anna Anderson supporters. However,the author finds every reason to say that Anna Anderson was Anastasia without considering the evidence that she wasn't and much of the anti-Anna Anderson evidence is glossed over. I also object to Kurth refering to the claimant as Anastasia.
The case that Anna Anderson was Anastasia was extremely weak even before DNA. In the Dalldorf Asylum Baroness Sophie Buxhoeveden said that she was neither Tatiana nor Anastasia. Anderson met her Aunt Princess Irene of Prussia under an assumed name. Neither recognized the other. Also Grand Duchess Olga did not recognize Anderson. Pierre Gilliard also said that she could not be Anastasia. Sydney Gibbes and Alexei Volkov also said that the claimant wasn't Anastasia.
Anderson disappeared on 12 August 1922 and reappeared on 15 August 1922. These were the same days on which Franziska Schanzkowska reappeared.
Anastasia knew four languages: Russian, English, French and German. At first Anna Anderson only knew one: German. She never could speak Russian. There is no way anyone would forget one's native tongue. Anna Anderson's English was terrible and she certaintly never spoke it like a lady of high society.
There is no record of an Alexander Tchaikovsky being shot and killed in Bucharest in a street fight between 1918 and 1920.
Members of the imperial family who denied the claimant (especially Ernie and Olga) are painted as greedy and selfish. Olga's opinions were ruthlessly twisted by Anna's supporters. She made a carefully condidered, well reasoned decision to reject the claimant. At no stage did Olga think that Anna Anderson was her niece.
Anna Anderson's behaviour never resembled that of a Grand Duchess. She never had the demeanour of a royal family member. Wearing expensive clothes, living at other people's expense, living in a Duke's castle, and
being rude and imperious does not make you a lady. The claimant in 1920 does not even look like Anastasia. Just look at Anna Anderson's first mug shot in 1920 and compare it with pictures of Grand Duchess Anastasia and tell me whether they are the same person.
"I thought she was Anastasia therefore the DNA tests must be wrong" is not an argument. "Nobody who thought she was Anastasia could believe the DNA results" is a circular and self-serving argument. "How could she know all those things if she was a Polish peasant?" is also not an argument.
The DNA says that Anna Anderson was Franziska Schanzkowska. There was nothing wrong with the DNA test. End of story.
Book Review: DNA does not lie but people do
Summary: 1 Stars
It is pathetic and sad that so many people are so willing to dismiss DNA evidence simply because it doesn't conform to their feelings and wishes. This woman was not Anastasia it is as simple as that. DNA is 100% foolproof unlike what a previous reveiwer claimed, If someone is a Romanov no DNA researcher or anyone else can manipulate the results to make this person a Schanskowska(sic). DNA can't tell you who a person IS but it most certainly can tell you who a person is NOT and this woman was not a relative of Prince Phillip therefore she was not Anastasia. In order for the sample of Anderson's tissue to have in some way been tampered with there would have to have been a major conspiracy going on between the hospital and the Schanskowska family and the doctors who took their blood sample. Also a woman at a sale with items belonging to Mrs. Manahan's husband found an envelope with dyed hair in it and the words "Anastasia's hair" written on it in Mr. Manahan's handwriting. Since the hair still had the follicles on it they were able to use it for further DNA testing. Again it PROVED BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT that this woman was NOT a relative of Prince Phillip , therefore she was not Anastasia. Now go ahead and insist that you are convinced because of this book that the DNA is wrong but in order to intelligently be able to explain why you must also explain how the conspiracy between Martha JEfferson hospital, the Polish woman's family, the DNA researchers in both England and America{where the hair was tested}and the lady who discovered the hair came about because a vast conspiracy between all these people is required to explain how Grand Duchess Anastasia's DNA mysteriously transformed into someone else's.