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Title details for The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming - Available

The Family Romanov

Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia

by Candace Fleming
Kimberly Farr
Audiobook
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1 of 1 copy available
In this “superb history” (The Wall Street Journal), award-winning author Candace Fleming tells the extraordinary true story of Russia’s last royal family—and transports readers back to a time when both a bloodline and an empire came tumbling down.

“Has all the elements of a fictional thriller . . . woven into a fascinating work of history.”— The Washington Post

WINNER: Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature and Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for Nonfiction • A Robert F. Sibert Honor Book • A YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award Finalist • A Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Book of the Century
He was Tsar Nicholas II of Russia: the wealthiest monarch in the world, who ruled over 130 million people and one-sixth of the earth’s land surface, yet turned a blind eye to the abject poverty of his subjects.
She was Empress Alexandra: stern, reclusive, and painfully shy, a deeply religious woman obsessed with the corrupt mystic Rasputin.
Their daughters were the Grand Duchess Olga, Tatiana, Marie, and Anastasia: completely isolated and immature girls who wore identical white dresses and often signed joint letters as OTMA, the initials of their first names.
Their only son was Tsarevich Alexei: youngest of the Romanovs, heir to the throne, a hemophiliac whose debilitating illness was kept secret from the rest of the world.
Candace Fleming deftly maneuvers between the plight of Russia’s poor masses and the extravagant lives of the Romanovs, from their opulent upbringings to the crumbling of their massive empire, and finally to their tragic murders. Using captivating photos and compelling first-person accounts throughout, The Family Romanov is history at its most absorbing.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    July 8, 2014

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780553395310
      • File size: 270292 KB
      • Duration: 09:23:06

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      The author brings stellar research and nonfiction storytelling skills to the fate of Russia's last imperial family, the Romanovs, including young Anastasia. Narrator Kimberly Farr adds energy and soul to their story, conveying a range of emotions as she recounts the highs and lows of the family's life. She expresses contentment as the close-knit family enjoys their secluded palace and desperation whenever hemophilia threatens the life of the young tsarevich, Nicholas. Primarily, however, she conveys a mix of sadness and bewilderment as the royal couple callously and repeatedly blunder in dealing with their subjects. In sections titled "Beyond the Palace Gates," Russian-accented narrators read period newspaper articles, diaries, and correspondence, providing a fullly immersive experience of a time, a place, and a tragically doomed family. L.T. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from April 28, 2014
      Making vibrant use of primary sources that emerged since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Fleming (Amelia Lost) brings to life the last imperial family of Russia. Writing with a strong point of view based on diary entries, personal letters, and other firsthand accounts, she enriches their well-known story with vivid details. The narrative begins in February 1903 (with some flashbacks to the meeting of tsar Nicholas and German-born tsarina Alexandra) and also features primary sources from peasants and factory workers—including an excerpt from Maxim Gorky’s 1913 memoir—that help to affectingly trace the increasingly deplorable conditions and growing discontent that led to the Russian Revolution; key figures such as Rasputin and Lenin are profiled in some depth. Fleming’s fulsome portraits of Nicholas and Alexandra, along with her depiction of their devoted relationship, highlight the role their personalities played in their downfall, as well as that of their beloved country. A wonderful introduction to this era in Russian history and a great read for those already familiar with it. Ages 12–up. Agent: Ethan Ellenberg, Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      September 29, 2014
      This educational history geared to young adult readers explores the reversals of fortune that attended the Romanov family, from their reign as privileged rulers of 130 million Russians at the turn of the 20th century to their violent deaths at the hands of Bolshevik revolutionaries in 1918. Farr, who is primarily a stage actress, serves as the story’s primary narrator and also voices the diary entries and personal vignettes of various Romanov family members. She manages to create sympathy for the insulated family, especially the children, though her voice also expresses appropriate frustration at times when Czar Nicholas either turned a deaf ear to the desperation of his subjects or aggressively countered their complaints with military brutality. Less successful are the audio production’s various uncredited “Beyond the Palace Gates” performances, which feature stories from the lives of Russian peasants, WWI soldiers, or other observers. Several anonymous voices
      perform these parts, lending a disjointed feel to the narrative, and oddly reinforcing the class divisions inherent to the history itself.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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