Rasputin and the Romanovs

After I enjoyed Carrie's recommendation of  The Kitchen Boy, I knew I would have to read the other two books Robert Alexander wrote in this trilogy.

Rasputin's Daughter was merely "okay" in my opinion.  Rasputin was a character, for sure, and an unpleasant character at that, but I got tired of reading his daughter's ruminations, discoveries about her father's activities, and fear for his murder.  I think anyone who enjoys the first book in the series will have to read this book to get the full picture, but it was my least favorite of the three (that's what Alexander gets for setting such a high standard in the other two books--he raised my expectations and made me greedy).

But The Romanov Bride, on the other hand, was back to the late-night-inducing quality of The Kitchen Boy.  In addition to Alexander's admirable attention to historical detail (even to the point of quoting from the Grand Duchess's historical letters, diaries, and other documents), he successfully rounds out each of his characters.  Grand Duke Sergei is a thoroughly unlikable fellow, yet through his wife's eyes, the reader can't help feeling compassion for the circumstances that influenced the man he became.  Elisavyeta herself is a joy to get to know and watching her grow was my favorite part of this book.

As Alexander told the story of the aristocracy, the world war, and the Russian Revolution, he interspersed the tale of a poor Russian man, Pavel, who became an active leader in the revolutionary efforts after his wife and unborn child were unnecessarily killed.  Pavel's struggle with bitterness, resentment, and hatred were contrasted with the Duchess's forgiveness and compassion in such a way that Pavel himself was challenged.  I'll have to agree with the review on my book which states "Alexander once again masterfully combines the power of true history and riveting storytelling to bring this fascinating and legendary period to life."

I also truly enjoyed the way Alexander sprinkled commentary about this historical time period throughout the book with ruminations by the characters such as:

It was Aleksander II, as well, who had planned to end autocratic rule in Russia by introducing a European-syle constitution.  This would have long come to pass were it not for the revolutionaries, for just days before the constitution was to be released they had blown the Tsar apart. . .The revolutionaries had believed this death would spark a great revolution, but in fact it created not a single demonstration, only widespread mourning. . .And the new Tsar came to hate any kind of revolutionary or progressive thought. . .believed that the only way to deal with unrest was by force (75).

Russian peasants, I had come to learn in my years here, were a peculiar sort, one moment all politeness, bowing, and submissive, next angry and so violent, not afraid to kill.  But such were the shadows, the hangovers, of their recent serfdom, when these poor people had been traded as not much more than slaves.  Warm, loving of family and friends, and hardworking--I had found all this in my adopted people.  All that they lacked was a proper sense of self-worth and a literate, educated manner in which to express their frustrations.  Simply, they were still so afraid of their master's whip, for without education, without intelligent words, the only way they could do battle against that whip was to resort to sheer violence itself (259).

One moment there were a hundred souls standing in line, long-suffering folk who had never complained, just poor people in felt boots and foul coats, always submissive to master and Tsar.  The next moment every last one of them, right down to the old babushkas with their scarves tied round their heads, were fiery rebels!  The crowd burst to life, surging forward, breaking every window of the bread store and piling in, frantically grabbing all the loaves. . .and then everyone was on (the shop owner), kicking and beating him, ripping at clothing and limb.  He lived one more minute, no more.  Their fury surprised even me.  Like a lid finally blown off a boiling pot, the deep Russian instinct for revenge suddenly blew wide and could not be contained (248).

How could he have done that?  Toward what goal?  He had thought he would receive satisfaction from his revenge, but all that was delivered unto him was torment.  He had thought that he had killed to keep the Revolution rolling forward, so that the sins of their masters would never be repeated, but now he saw that the fury of upheaval was doomed only to repeat itself again and again (298).

I could share a great deal more as this book has many talking points, including the Orthodox religion of the Russian people.  I found it sad to read of the icon-worship, the misunderstanding of living a life for Christ.  One point I did appreciate was the Duchess's response to a prostitute's claim of being too far gone to turn to the Lord:   "God's image may become unclear, but, my child, it can never be entirely wiped away" (214).  What a great expression--I can't help but wonder if this is one of the quotes taken from her diaries.  We each are made in the image of God and until death, it is never too late to turn to God, regardless of what is in our past.

I'll stop going on about this book now, but if you enjoy a well-told story, rich characterization, and a well-researched peek into time past, I highly recommend this series.