What readers think of The Romanov Sisters, plus links to write your own review.

One upon a time there were 4 princesses: Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia But there any resemblance to a traditional fairy tale ends. For these were the daughters of the last Tsar and Tsaritsa of Russia, and the circumstances of their young and tragic end is generally well known. The Romanov Sisters by Helen Rapporport brings them vividly to life and tells the largely unknown story of these young women.who were the Princess Dianas and Kate Middletons of their day, played out against the backdrop of Nicolas' and Alexandra's obsession with a male heir, their mother's religious mania, their baby brother's hemophilia, Rasputin, and oh, yes, the Russian Revolution. This is history that reads like an engrossing novel, and once you have made the acquaintance of the four Romonov sisters, you were never, ever forget them.

I loved this book as I love a lot of books about this era. It brought these girls to life so much. I cannot even imagine being ages 22 to 13 (the ages of all the children) and facing the final minutes of their life as they did. Russian history at this time is so fascinating and the princesses certainly had the exposure as special people of their time. It only makes me want to know more and see more, which is something I love in a book.

A biography of the Romanov sisters is necessarily a biography of their nuclear family as their parents kept their children insulated from not only the general public but even from members of the Russian aristocracy until the outbreak of the war when the tsarina and her daughters became involved in nursing and visiting wounded soldiers. Tellingly, a quarter of the book covers the final year of their lives, when they were forced into the public view by their incarceration. Readers expecting that the Romanov daughters take the lion's share of attention in this history will be disappointed, but this very readable history provides much insight to the many lost opportunities and missteps taken by Nicholas and Alexandra in their choices, both personal and political. The author does not detail the family's death (her earlier book covers this subject), but the final chapter details the fates of many of the family's friends, associates and servants, lending a wider perspective to their deaths.

It is unfortunate that the review copy does not include the planned photographs/illustrations especially as the publisher's blurb describes the princesses as "perhaps the most photographed and talked about young royals" of their time.

Having read many books about the Russian Royal Family in past years, I looked forward to filling in the gaps left by those books--and wasn't disappointed. The content is amazing, yet I felt somewhat mired in information toward the middle. The book shatters some of my earlier ideas as it shows how socially isolated the Romanovs were, in part to protect Alexey's hemophilia and because Alexandra was chronically ill. Nicholas was a good family man, but not cut out to be the Tsar, the leader of Russia. The reader watches as the children mature, influenced heavily by the war at one point, yet remaining cosseted by life within the palace. Rasputin was exposed not just as a charlatan, but as a source of support for the very religious Alexandra, throughout Alexey's illness. This well researched book should be read by devotees of Russian history and those visiting St. Petersburg, especially the Winter Palace..

The Romanov Sisters was an outstanding narrative of history of Imperial Russia and the Revolution. Rapport's book flowed like a novel. She kept the characters to a minimum. I got to know each sister, Alexey, Alexandria, Nicholas, and Rasputin well. My interest in this book was stimulated by the historical novel "The True Memoirs of Little K" , by Adrienne Sharp

I thoroughly enjoyed this intriguing read about the brief but fascinating lives of OTMA (Olga, Tatiana, Marie and Anastasia). Helen Rappaport provides new incite into the lives of these four devoted sisters. Born into royalty and privilege, an accident of birth, they were still able to accept and make the best of their changing circumstances. It was especially gratifying to learn about their kindness, compassion and work ethic as the war plunged their country into darkness and despair. Each step of their journey provided paralyzingly change, yet these young victims learned to just and function in adverse and demoralizing conditions. Their heartbreaking story is an engrossing read.

This was a very interesting story of what the jacket calls "the Princess Diana's of their day". Four years ago I visited the palace in Lavadia in the Crimean area of Ukraine. As I walked through the rooms and saw so many things belonging to the children of Nicholas and Alexandra, I was saddened to think how their lives were cut short. Having read their story by Helen Rappaport, I now know why I felt so sad. This is not a history book telling of all the mistakes made by Tsars, generals, and politicians, but a moving record of real people caught up in awful political upheaval. This is a history book with a cultural bias - my favourite kind. I will need to buy a copy because the photos were not included in the advance copy!

I love reading historical novels and great non-fiction so I have been somewhat disappointed in this book. It is so filled with footnote references that the numbers seem to interfere with the flow. It feels more like a textbook.. Unfortunately, it is not something I would recommend to other readers.