The Family Romanov

June 5, 2015 ARC, Book Review, Nonfiction 1

I received this ARC from Publisher, Purchased for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Family RomanovThe Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia by Candace Fleming
Published by Random House Children's Books on July 8th 2014
Pages: 304
Source: ARC from Publisher, Purchased
Amazon-Indiebound
Goodreads

“[A] superb history.... In these thrilling, highly readable pages, we meet Rasputin, the shaggy, lecherous mystic...; we visit the gilded ballrooms of the doomed aristocracy; and we pause in the sickroom of little Alexei, the hemophiliac heir who, with his parents and four sisters, would be murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1918.” —The Wall Street Journal

Here is the tumultuous, heartrending, true story of the Romanovs—at once an intimate portrait of Russia's last royal family and a gripping account of its undoing. Using captivating photos and compelling first person accounts, award-winning author Candace Fleming (Amelia Lost; The Lincolns) deftly maneuvers between the imperial family’s extravagant lives and the plight of Russia's poor masses, making this an utterly mesmerizing read as well as a perfect resource for meeting Common Core standards.

"An exhilarating narrative history of a doomed and clueless family and empire." —Jim Murphy, author of Newbery Honor Books An American Plague and The Great Fire

"For readers who regard history as dull, Fleming’s extraordinary book is proof positive that, on the contrary, it is endlessly fascinating, absorbing as any novel, and the stuff of an altogether memorable reading experience." —Booklist, Starred

"Marrying the intimate family portrait of Heiligman’s Charles and Emmawith the politics and intrigue of Sheinkin’s Bomb, Fleming has outdone herself with this riveting work of narrative nonfiction that appeals to the imagination as much as the intellect." —The Horn Book, Starred

A Robert F. Sibert Honor Book

A YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award Finalist

Winner of the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction

My Thoughts:

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia was one of the books that made me decide to read a nonfiction book each month. I’d been meaning to read it but just never seemed to get around to it. If I put it on my monthly TBR I knew I’d be much more likely to get to it. I am so glad I finally read it!

This was a book that I immediately handed off to my library aide to read. Both she and her husband read it and were as fascinated as I was. I’ve already given it to another teacher and have a list of others who want to read it. I’ve been telling everyone about it. It’s just so darn interesting!!

I had a very rough knowledge of the Romanovs and imperial Russia. Of course I’d seen the 1997 cartoon Anastasia. I also knew that it was completely inaccurate (I mean, aside from the talking bat. Bartok was totally real, yes?) I wanted to know more and to understand what had really happened. The Family Romanov was the perfect book for this! It gave me all the information I wanted in an incredibly readable story.

I was floored by how out of touch the Romanovs were with the world around them! Learning about how the Czar viewed Russia, the world, and his role in it just had my mind reeling. I could not stop reading about it. The extravagance of the way the Romanovs and members of high society lived while the majority of the country was starving…. it was like seeing something awful but just not being able to look away.

If you have even the slightest interest in the Romanovs or history in general I cannot recommend this book enough.

One Response to “The Family Romanov”

  1. Brittany

    Awesome review! I’ve always been super interested in the Romanovs and despite the fact that I normally avoid non-fiction books, I’ve been contemplating reading this one =)

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