The Romanovs: the Final Chapter
by Robert K. Massie
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Book Summary Information
Author: Robert K. MassieEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1996-10-01
ISBN: 0345406400
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Book Reviews of The Romanovs: the Final Chapter
Book Review: Only for Someone with an Interest In Royals
Summary: 3 Stars
Massie's book "The Romanovs: The Final Chapter" is a sometime-interesting, most times not examination of the ultimate fate of the last royal family of Russia. The book, as noted by other reviewers, is divided into three sections - the latest findings on the last days of the Imperial Family and their execution, the story of the eventual discovery of the remains and the various imposters and poseurs who claimed to be this or that member of the lost dynasty, as well as the infighting over the remains, and an update on the doings of the Romanov family today.
I am not saying that all of this is uninteresting, but the story is not of especial relevance. And I am at something at a loss to explain the continuing popularity of this story except for the fact that their end was so especially horrid, lending itself to any number of romanticized and schmaltzy treatments. But, I was most interested in the section on the Romanov imposters, which was especially well done and reflective of the absurd heights of the Romanov obssession. As to the modern day Romanovs, I honestly could care less about them or their quibbling over "who gets to be called what and why." The whole tale could be read as the degenerate pettiness - political and personal - that clouded one family's macabre, sordid end and the various cons and political/personal "cottage industries" that mushroomed around them after their deaths. If the book had been written more explicitly from that point of view, I might have been quite taken with it.
But, as it is, if you like stories of royal families or if you are a "royal watcher," you will really enjoy "The Romanovs: The Final Chapter." To you, I would heartily recommend it, and the story and interesting pictures will not fail to disappoint. If you are more interested in socio-political or more academic historical analysis, or have a limited interest in royalty as opposed to their policies and historical impact, I cannot recommend this book.
No firm recommendation one way or the other. It just depends on what you are looking for.
Summary of The Romanovs: the Final Chapter
"MASTERFUL."--The Washington Post Book World
"RIVETING . . . UNFOLDS LIKE A DETECTIVE STORY."
--Los Angeles Times Book Review
In July 1991, nine skeletons were exhumed from a shallow mass grave near Ekaterinburg, Siberia, a few miles from the infamous cellar room where the last tsar and his family had been murdered seventy-three years before. But were these the bones of the Romanovs? And if these were their remains, where were the bones of the two younger Romanovs supposedly murdered with the rest of the family? Was Anna Anderson, celebrated for more than sixty years in newspapers, books, and film, really Grand Duchess Anastasia?
The Romanovs: The Final Chapter provides answers, describing in suspenseful detail the dramatic efforts in post-Communist Russia to discover the truth. This unique story, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Robert K. Massie, presents a colorful panorama of contemporary characters, illuminating the major scientific dispute between Russian experts and a team of Americans, including Drs. William Maples and Michael Baden--fiercely antagonistic forensic experts whose findings, along with those of DNA scientists from Russia, America, and Great Britain, all contributed to solving one of the greatest mysteries of the twentieth century.
"AN ADMIRABLE SCIENTIFIC THRILLER."
--The New York Times Book Review
"COMPELLING . . . A FASCINATING ACCOUNT."
--Chicago Tribune
"A MASTERPIECE OF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING."
--San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle
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