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Nicholas and Alexandra

4.25 of 5 stars 4.25 · rating details · 8,695 ratings · 559 reviews

The story of the love that ended an empire

In this commanding book, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Robert K. Massie sweeps readers back to the extraordinary world of Imperial Russia to tell the story of the Romanovs’ lives: Nicholas’s political naïveté, Alexandra’s obsession with the corrupt mystic Rasputin, and little Alexis’s brave struggle with hemophilia. Against a lavis...more

ebook, 640 pages

Published November 8th 2011 by Random House Trade Paperbacks (first published 1967)

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Nov 29, 2012 Chrissie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bio, soviet-union, favorites, history

NO SPOILERS!!!

On completion: I very highly recommend this book to those interested in Nicholas and Alexandra Romanov, to anyone interested in Russian history, to those interested in the beginning of Bolshevism in Russia and also to those who enjoy historical biographies written by talented authors. Massie can write. He knows his subject, in and out, backward and forward. There are detailed notes to every chapter. You never have to doubt the accuracy of that which you are reading. He analyzes all...more

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Jun 03, 2012 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: non-fiction, biography, history, 2012-around-the-world, ultimate-reading-list

The title signals this is a dual biography. Yes, one set against the backdrop of the last decades of Imperial Russia and the Russian Revolution, but more intimate portrait of a couple than a book that deals with impersonal historical forces, though I think it gives enough of the context to make the destruction of the dynasty understandable. In the introduction Massie quoted Kerensky, the last Russian Prime Minister before the Bolsheviks took over, as saying, "Without Rasputin, there could have b...more The title signals this is a dual biography. Yes, one set against the backdrop of the last decades of Imperial Russia and the Russian Revolution, but more intimate portrait of a couple than a book that deals with impersonal historical forces, though I think it gives enough of the context to make the destruction of the dynasty understandable. In the introduction Massie quoted Kerensky, the last Russian Prime Minister before the Bolsheviks took over, as saying, "Without Rasputin, there could have been no Lenin." Masse further notes that without Tsarevich Alexis' hemophilia, Rasputin would have never become a confident of a Tsar Nicholas and Empress Alexandra desperate to heal their child and heir. Massie himself became interested in the last Czar when his own son was diagnosed with hemophilia. He wrote this account in 1967 in the middle of the cold war, when Nicholas and Alexandria had been swallowed up in a memory hole. He brings Nicholas and Alexandra and their lavish lifestyle to life.

He starts by painting the vast landscape of Russia, and he paints it and the court with vivid colors in the way of a fine novelist but with the insights of historian. This is not a short book by any means, over 500 pages. But not one page drags. He writes of the couple with tremendous sympathy and Nicholas comes across as a decent man, a good husband and father who was a dreadful Tsar. By the end of Part Three that ends with his abdication, I'd come to the conclusion Nicholas is Exhibit A in the case against monarchy in anything but a purely ceremonial role. I've heard of a recent book that actually tries to argue for monarchy over republics. The author contends that a monarch has a personal stake in the fate of a country that cuts across politics and that a dynastic vision means a longview rather than short-term perspective. Well, they have a personal stake in keeping power, true, but the roll of the genetic dice doesn't often mean a competent leader, let alone a gifted one in a monarch. If the Romanovs' tale ended with them stripped of their throne and in exile say in England, I'd have said that was a deserved and satisfactory fate. But of course that's not how it ended. Massie makes you feel the full weight of the personal and national tragedy. Forty-five years have passed since its publication, and I'm sure with the end of Soviet Russia a goldmine of information about the Romanovs has opened up--but this classic account of two lives has stayed in print for decades for good reason.(less)

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Nov 13, 2012 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Emily by: Liz

Shelves: nonfiction, favorites-2012, book-club, biography

This was a really fascinating portrait of the last Romanov couple. Nicholas and Alexandra's lives are presented in exhaustive detail - from their first meeting to the months before their execution - and Massie succeeds in both humanizing them and absolving them of some of the blame for the collapse of the autocracy.

Nicholas, Alexandra, and their son Alexis get distinct personalities, but the four Romanov daughers tend to blend together. It's partially because so much time is devoted to Alexis's...more

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Apr 21, 2013 ☽ Moon ☯ 佛月球 Будда Луны rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The last years of Tsarism in Russia were tumultuous plagued by the venom of deceit and the stench of malicious intrigue as events surrounding it appeared like a well thought conspiracy between destiny and circumstances, cementing the course of its tragic path towards an impending doom...and at the heart of this with the bickering mob it created, was the gentlest figure of Nicholas II.

The tame and kind Nicholas II became the tragic figurehead, whose death can be attributed as becoming of a sacrif...more

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Nov 29, 2012 Bettie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: slavic, summer-2010

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 13, 2011 Parvathy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: History Lovers, Truth Seekers

Recommended to Parvathy by: My Mother

Shelves: favorites, historicals, informative

"After all, the nursery was the center of all Russia's Trouble" this quote by Sir Bernard Pares was the line that caught my attention when I decided to go through this 1967 biography of the last royal family of Russia by historian Robert K. Massie. Being not much of a fan of non fiction literature I was a little reluctant when my mother recommended this book to me and told me that this book was one of a kind. But all my reservations was removed the moment I came across this line. What part does...more "After all, the nursery was the center of all Russia's Trouble" this quote by Sir Bernard Pares was the line that caught my attention when I decided to go through this 1967 biography of the last royal family of Russia by historian Robert K. Massie. Being not much of a fan of non fiction literature I was a little reluctant when my mother recommended this book to me and told me that this book was one of a kind. But all my reservations was removed the moment I came across this line. What part does a nursery play in determining the fate of a nation and that to a nation such as Russia?. But this book illustrates that this is exactly what happened in the case of Russia and the last of the Romanov dynasty. Before reading this book my knowledge of Russia and its Imperial family was confined to what I have learned in my history classes and read from popular fiction books. Songs like Rasputin by Boney M and movies like 'Anastasia' have only done its part in increasing my misconceptions about the royal family. I never had before read the inside account about the lives of all those historical characters that has played their part in shaping the world as we know it. Suffix to say this book was all I needed to set things straight. Having a son diagnosed with hemophilia Massie's attempt to learn how other families dealt with the problems raised by this unique disease turned in to curiosity about the response of the parents of the boy who was the most famous hemophiliac of all, the Tsarevich Alexis, the only son and heir of Nicholas II, the last Tsar of all of Russias and his wife Empress Alexandra. The birth of the Tsarvich more than anything else determined the later course of Russian History. The effort to deal with the agonies inflicted on her son by this disease the Empress turned to Gregory Rasputin, the Siberian starlet and whose influence on the royal family and through them on the government of Russia helped to bring about to the fall of the dynasty. Weaving together the vast wealth of information left in the form of diaries, letters and memoirs by the men and women who were intimately involved in this drama Massie brings to life the story of the last Romanov Family, mainly that of Nicholas II not as a Tsar that lead to the downfall of Tsarism but as man, a husband and a father. A few see him as the symbol of fading age and even idolize him while others insist that he was "Bloody Nicholas" stupid and shallow. But he was a good man with personal charm, gentleness, love of family and Russian patriotism too overwhelming to be denied. But the author himself quotes that the tragedy of Nicholas II was that he appeared in the wrong place at the wrong time. Caught in a web Nicholas paid for his mistakes by forsaking everything he held dear. Thrust with responsibilities he never wanted in the first place. Fated to play a the part history has reserved for him Nicholas II was an exceptional man. The author through this book empathizes with a father who is forced to play out a role of the father of a handicapped boy while trying to do justice to the million who sees him as their father. This book indeed is a tribute to the man who tried to do what was right always but ended up making mistakes all along the way. But this is not just a story about hemophilia but so much more than that. It is a love story with all the political intricacies, a story of self sacrifice and outstanding courage, it is the story of a family whose simplest actions was brought under public scrutiny, story of those human beings whose actions would have been deemed normal and worthy of understanding if not for the positions they occupied. This book shows the other side of what we presume as a royal and luxurious life and should not be missed by anyone who seeks the truth. (less)

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Jul 26, 2012 Anne Nikoline rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of the Romanovs

Recommended to Anne Nikoline by: my fascination

Shelves: own-a-copy, non-fiction, historical-fiction, biography, read-in-2012

I have been looking at this "what did you think?" box for quite some time now, and I am still not sure exactly what I thought of Nicholas And Alexandra by Robert K. Massie. I think it might have been one of best best reads I have experienced for a very long time. I usually do not do well with non-fiction which this novel is, however, Robert K. Massie must be a wizard of something supernatural because he somehow managed to make this non-fiction and historical event fiction like; the novel contain...more

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Jun 25, 2008 Jaclyn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Russophiles and history enthusiasts

Reading "Nicholas and Alexandra" was like watching a train wreck in progress... you knew where it was going, you knew how it had to end, yet you continued to stare, fascinated and horrified, hoping against hope that things might turn out differently, but of course they didn't. Massie's account is decidedly sympathetic to the Tsar and Tsaritsa, but their memories have been so dragged through the mud of history that I think it's only fair that they should have someone come down so emphatically on...more Reading "Nicholas and Alexandra" was like watching a train wreck in progress... you knew where it was going, you knew how it had to end, yet you continued to stare, fascinated and horrified, hoping against hope that things might turn out differently, but of course they didn't. Massie's account is decidedly sympathetic to the Tsar and Tsaritsa, but their memories have been so dragged through the mud of history that I think it's only fair that they should have someone come down so emphatically on their side.

Fascinating historical account of the life and death of Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia, and his wife Alexandra Federovna and their children, the Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia and the Tsarevich Alexei. The book opens with a description of life in Imperial Russia and quickly moves on to discuss the Tsarevich Nicholas's youth and marriage to Princess Alix of Hesse, who later became Alexandra Federovna, and his ascension to become "Tsar and Autocrat of all the Russias." The deck was stacked against "Nicky" and "Alix" right from the beginning - both were shy and unready to become rulers. Nicholas was overwhelmed by his role as Tsar and unable to take a stand against his forceful uncles and his cousin, Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany, who exerted too much control over him in the beginning of his reign, while Alexandra, being very serious and reticent, was immensely unpopular in frivolous Russian society. Being German, she became even more unpopular when World War I broke out - although she considered herself a loyal Russian, she was dogged by rumors of treason and secret sympathy for the German cause. Alexandra didn't much care what society thought of her - although she was devastated, at the end, to realize how much the Russian peasants, who she always believed loyal, had been goaded to hate her - because she was much more occupied with a serious family concern: her son, the heir to the throne, was a hemophiliac in a time when most boys with his condition didn't live past childhood. Worried about his future, frustrated by the medical community's inability to cure him, and devastated by having to helplessly stand by and watch her child in excruciating pain, Alexandra turned to religion and through it to Rasputin the monk. Rasputin was able to bring relief to Alexei when no one else could - Massie suggests that he worked through a powerful hypnotic influence to calm Alexei, explaining that hemophiliac episodes often abate when the patient relaxes - and so won the unquestioning devotion of Alexandra, who refused to hear anything negative said about him even as, away from her eyes, he caroused in a disgustingly lewd fashion and won himself hundreds of enemies. Rasputin used his influence with Alexandra to begin exerting more and more control over Russian policy, particularly when Nicholas left to take charge of the troops at the front. Under Alexandra's stumbling adherence to Rasputin's recommendations, the government crumbled, paving the way for Lenin to introduce his particularly bloodthirsty brand of Communism. As Alexander Kerensky, a Russian revolutionary turned Minister during the tumultuous days of upheaval, later wrote, "If there had been no Rasputin, there could be no Lenin." Nicholas abdicated; soon after, he and his family were imprisoned and ultimately brutally murdered.

I've been interested in the Romanov story for quite some time and this book was a fantastic, thorough retelling of the family's saga, and through it, Russia's saga. Thanks to a rather... unconventional... teacher I had for A.P. European History, I never fully understood the fall of Imperial Russia, but I did know that Rasputin was extremely lascivious and difficult to kill. Thanks to Massie, I now have a much more comprehensive understanding of what happened - the most logical version of what happened, that is. I'm looking forward to reading his new(ish) book with its updates on the finding of most of the Romanov remains, and to following the coverage in the news now that the final two bodies have been located and identified.(less)

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Nov 28, 2012 Erik Graff rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: no one

Recommended to Erik by: no one

Shelves: biography

Just starting college and thinking of a history degree with a specialization in Russian history, I picked up Massie's biography of the last of the Romanovs with some interest. Except for learning something about hemophilia and some dirt about Rasputin, I was very disappointed. The book might be enjoyed by someone entranced with the lives of "royals" and not concerned about those last aristocrats who actually exercised state power by virtue of birth. Knowing much of anything about Russian history...more

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Nov 24, 2011 Lesley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: russia, european-royalty-goodreads-book-clu, library, 2011

Well that was depressing. It's not a surprise ending by any means but I still gasped at the end when it all went down. I really admire the genuine love & affection they had for each other as a family. Generally books that describe the monarchy are low on love. It's usually a lot of scheming and pushes for power with a family. At least they had each other if nothing else.

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Mar 22, 2013 Dennis rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Just finished reading this book. I still can't get over Alexei's fate or what happened to them in the end. First thoughts? the book was well written. Massie writes like a novelist.I have read other biographies but this might be one of the best I've read so far. His imagery hits you at first page and it only gets more intense as you proceed to the final chapters of the book. The juxtaposition of events are well placed and even though we have an inkling of what happens in the end the book still ma...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Louise rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, russia-bio-hist

That this book, over 35 years old, continues to be read is a tribute to its writer. The book is still read for a reason - its excellence. It had been on my "to read list" for years, and a long trip with several layovers finally prompted me to do it. It was stunning and long flights the layovers passed quickly.

Despite the lack of access to materials, people and places inside the then USSR, Massie unearths significant original sources. His tremendous writing skills weave all this detail into the n...more

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Sep 21, 2012 Amber rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Deeply researched and strongly written, this is a fascinating look at the tragic family who were victims of the Russian Revolution. Nicholas is instantly a likeable figure, a kindly man who was unprepared for the role of Tsar when his great father died. His marriage to a German princess was his choice, for he loved Alix - Alexandra Fedorovna, as she became known - yet the Russian people never accepted her as their Empress.

Moving deeper into this book it becomes clear that she was very much the d...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Aya rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

I haven't read enough Russian History to know just how useful, excellent or creaky this book might be. And one of the primary reasons I haven't read much Russian History is because: books like these. One becomes aware of the story of Nicholas and Alexandra (and their family) through any number of devices and I read their letters at least 8 years ago, so I knew what I was getting in for. The first quarter of any book on the last scions of the Romanov family is interesting and colorful, the chapte...more I haven't read enough Russian History to know just how useful, excellent or creaky this book might be. And one of the primary reasons I haven't read much Russian History is because: books like these. One becomes aware of the story of Nicholas and Alexandra (and their family) through any number of devices and I read their letters at least 8 years ago, so I knew what I was getting in for. The first quarter of any book on the last scions of the Romanov family is interesting and colorful, the chapters get more and more grey as WWI approaches and once it has really sunk in there's no use trying to stay a Stoic: you're going to cry.

Massie pivots his story around the circumstances of Alexis's hemophilia and involvement of Rasputin in government matters. These are not exactly startling ideas, not even when then now seminal book was published, and the heavy evidence of proof and analysis really doesn't enter into the text until the very end of the middle when Alexandra is suddenly in control of the government for long periods of time while Nicholas is at war. I had never really been sure how important Rasputin has been in the downfall of the royal family, just as the vagaries of Marie Antoinette's dress need expert explanation to appear as important as they were (Queen of Fashion, Caroline Weber) but the hemophilia passages did not always display the same technical handling. Nicholas himself seemed to have a more firm grip on the affect of the young heir's illness: he was never able to be present in public when the crowds expected him. I wish this analysis had been carried through more certainly.

For of really only 500 pages (the rest is chronology notes and sources) it does an excellent job in removing some of the uncertainty that grows around the family. Also wonderfully illuminating were the episodes on WWI, the Tsar throwing literally hundreds of thousands of men at the Germans to save Paris, the Kasier's all out bluffing until the declaration, the telegrams he sent that arrived *after* his declaration of war, as much as Nicholas had his reign cut short Massie does reveal him as surprisingly competent, something few other assessments do. (less)

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Jul 01, 2012 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Decided to give this a read before Catherine the Great to get a feel of Massie's style.

OMG, you guys, I love Robert K. Massie. He's my new favorite author. You all know I love a good non-fiction, and that's what this is. Packed full of details, well-thought out, paced well, revealing to me never-thought-of consequences of political moves that changed the world. For example, I finally get World War I now. Do you know how many history classes I've taken where the teacher just says, "So Archduke F...more Decided to give this a read before Catherine the Great to get a feel of Massie's style.

OMG, you guys, I love Robert K. Massie. He's my new favorite author. You all know I love a good non-fiction, and that's what this is. Packed full of details, well-thought out, paced well, revealing to me never-thought-of consequences of political moves that changed the world. For example, I finally get World War I now. Do you know how many history classes I've taken where the teacher just says, "So Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated and that kicked off WWI," and you vaguely think, What? Some guy (not even the top guy) from Austria (not even the most major European country, no offense, Austria) gets assassinated and we have a world war on our hands? But whatever, you accept this because why get into the details? Well, Massie takes you into the details and you feel like, Ahhhh, I get it. It's a pissing match between bigger countries, like Russia and Germany. Even though "Willy" and "Nicky" are super tight!

Some things to watch out for--the book's title and description makes you think Nicholas and Alexandra's love is the major theme here. I wouldn't say that. It starts out like that, and is super interesting! But the major theme is: Alexandra is in way over her head and her pride and stupidity ruined everything, and Nicholas is too much of a dear to sort it all out. Which maybe you would call that love. I just felt like it was stupidity all around. The love that really comes across is the love for their family. As annoying as Alexandra was, and as shortsighted as Nicholas was, they're all about their kids, and the ending of the book is heartbreaking. Escape, Romanovs, escape! Oh, no...you were murdered in the most terrible way. And other members of your family too! I didn't know that :( Whatever beef the Russian people had with the royal family, Massie's book really shows them to you as people, which is the most powerful thing about Nicholas and Alexandra. Bravo, Massie. (less)

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May 09, 2012 Linda Lipko rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: russian-history

I read many books regarding Russia. I'm fascinated by this incredible country. Published in 1967, Nicolas and Alexandra by Robert Massie seems to be the definitive book by which others are measured regarding this subject.

Massie is an incredible writer. His images are crisp and clear. The reader can feel the icy cold winds of Siberia, can almost taste the delicacies served at the grand balls held in the Winter Palace and can also have a sense of silently watching the Royal family in their daily l...more

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Dec 03, 2011 Lynne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: history buffs who also read novels

Recommended to Lynne by: my dad. Almost makes up for the Ayn Rand recs

Shelves: history

Many, many books have been published on this subject, but Massie took a different approach to the story. Himself the parent of a chronically-ill child, Massie knew what kind of upheaval a disease like hemophilia could cause in a family. Imagine you're Tsar of Russia and your only son and heir to the throne has this disease. There were no clotting-factor concentrates, nor was transfusion a possibility in the early 1900's. While it was known at the time that hemophiliacs didn't bleed to death from...more

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Nov 20, 2011 Tanya rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history, biography, non-fiction, most-loved

The last imperial family of Russia may have little relevance to our world today, but nonetheless, Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. Massie is a compelling and rich historical tale of a family torn apart by a devastating disease, and a country torn apart by political uprisings, war, and disenchantment.

Nicholas II was twenty-six years old when he ascended to the throne and became Tsar of all the Russias. Beside him was his bride, Alexandra Fedoryvna, a German princess by birth (Alix of Hesse). T...more The last imperial family of Russia may have little relevance to our world today, but nonetheless, Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. Massie is a compelling and rich historical tale of a family torn apart by a devastating disease, and a country torn apart by political uprisings, war, and disenchantment.

Nicholas II was twenty-six years old when he ascended to the throne and became Tsar of all the Russias. Beside him was his bride, Alexandra Fedoryvna, a German princess by birth (Alix of Hesse). Together, Nicholas and Alexandra produced five children: the Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia, and one son, Alexei, who by virtue of his being the only male child, was heir to the throne. Nicholas’ reign was troubled from the start: Russia was a backwards country in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the repressed peasants, already pushed to their limits by the constraints of their land and by the economic pressures in Russia, were pushed further by Russia’s involvement in a number of military expeditions. Added to this, the Romanov family was withholding a terrible secret from their people: the heir to the throne, Alexei, suffered from haemophilia (Alexandra was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England, who passed the disease through her female descendants).

Alexei’s haemophilia, the influence of the mad monk Rasputin on the Empress under the guise of healing Alexei, political and economic strains, and Nicholas’ mild nature combined to create what can only be described as a perfect storm. Russia was ripe for a revolution, and the Bolsheviks, under the command of Lenin, took full advantage of the situation, overthrowing the monarchy and propelling Russia into a state of Communism that would continue until Christmas of 1991.

The terrible fate of the Romanov family aside, this is a compelling book that gives a great deal of insight into one of the last great empires in the world at a time when it was crumbling. Massie gives a thorough, thoughtful account of the plight not only of Nicholas and Alexandra and their family, but also of Russia. Although a historical account, it reads at times like a novel — which isn’t to say that it seems absurd or unrealistic — it is at its heart the story of a family whose love for each other, for God, and for their country, ultimately destroyed them.(less)

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Sep 15, 2011 Julia Hughes rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: true-stories

This book came to be written by accident (Robert Massie was researching haemophilia) & I read it be accident. The cover & subject didn't appeal but a copy was laying around & out of boredom I flicked it open & began reading. The mystery of Anastsia is prob. what most people think about when the last Russian Royal family is brought up, and that really was the extent of my knowledge prior to reading this whoops I nearly said novel. Because it recounts one of the greatest events in...more

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Aug 12, 2011 Jeff rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Nicholas and Alexandra", Robert K. Massie, 1967. An incredible piece of writing. -A love story, a war story. Political, psychological, historical, a book of intimate details and of sweeping, world changing events. In subtle ways, Robert K. Massie points to the endless, seemingly irrelevant events of fate. -events that snow ball, gather tremendous velocity and then forever alter the lives of millions. Robert K. Massie's own life parallels a similar course. Massie's interest in Russian history be...more

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May 02, 2011 Tamara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Fiction could not be more compelling than this tragic and haunting account of the last Tsar and Tsarista of Russia. Their love for each other was so beautiful! The book reprints actual letters written to each other, journal entries, etc. - and reading their own words is so authentic and moving. Alexandra writes to Nicholas a little note for him to find just after their engagement, "I dreamed that I was loved, I woke and found it true and thanked God on my knees for it. True love is the gift whic...more

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Jun 24, 2010 Alanna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was incredible. I learned so much, and I felt it was REALLY well researched and documented. I have to admit, pretty much everything I knew about the last Tsar of Russia probably stemmed from conversations with my mom (who is well versed, but still) and the movie Anastasia, which I only saw when it first came out. So that makes my own knowledge somewhere in the zilch range. Now I feel like an expert, and I'm hungry for more-- the question is whether to move on to Lenin or skip right to...more

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Apr 04, 2010 Jason Geske rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history, russia

"Bloody Nicholas". "Alexandra the German". These and other epithets were used to descibe Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra, the last Tsar and Tsarina of Imperial Russia. However, Massie brings to light and to life, the personal, human side of both Nicholas and Alexandra and their families.

With unusual and fascinating insight, the lives of Nicholas and Alexandra are explored in the context of their backgrounds, upbringings, experiences, and the very public role which birth had conferred upon the...more "Bloody Nicholas". "Alexandra the German". These and other epithets were used to descibe Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra, the last Tsar and Tsarina of Imperial Russia. However, Massie brings to light and to life, the personal, human side of both Nicholas and Alexandra and their families.

With unusual and fascinating insight, the lives of Nicholas and Alexandra are explored in the context of their backgrounds, upbringings, experiences, and the very public role which birth had conferred upon them. The impact these influences had upon them personally and the resulting impact upon Russian and world history is laid out in a poignant, tragic tale which will leave only the most jaded reader unmoved.

Massie's writing style makes you feel as if you were actually there listening to and observing the Imperial family. His sources include the letters between Nicholas and Alexandra, letters from them to members of their families, and the memoirs of people who knew them personally and/or worked with them closely, such as tutors, close friends, ambassadors, and government officials.

The insights gleened from these sources portray not vicious, callous rulers concerned only with their selfish ends, but rather two well-meaning and personally kind people whose personalities, education and limited perspectives ill-suited them for the roles into which they were born. Add to this the impact of the then untreatable disease of hemophilia which afflicted their youngest child, their only son and heir to the Russian throne. This does not excuse them from the disastrous role they played in the fall of the Romanov dynasty, but rather helps us to understand why they acted as they did.

One cannot read this work and come away without a profound feeling of sadness. The "what if's" string on endlessly, most tragically in the contemplation of their five innocent, young children who were brutally murdered along with their parents by the Bolsheviks because of hatred for their parents, and a merciless political desire to ensure the monarchy never returned.

This work will appeal to many: to students of Russia, history, royalty, political science, public relations, and of course, those interested in a story of romance in a privileged, elite world.(less)

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Oct 11, 2009 Tiffany rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, historical, non-fiction, tragedy

What a turbulant way to end a reign. The story of the last Tsar of Russia is a compelling one, in its grand setting of palaces, luxury, and Revolution. Characters such as the beautiful Tsarina, the sickly and beloved son, Alexis, and the mysterious and mesmerizing monk, Gregory Rasputin, who, it must be said, has the most dramatic death I have ever heard of, fill the pages with their being. This was a real family, and this was a real time and event. And it is truly a story worth reading. I read...more

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Sep 25, 2009 Kristen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Embarrassingly enough this book took me almost two months to read. In my defense it is over 500 pages of small print. Despite the fact that it is not a page turner, I just couldn’t bring myself to put it down. The author truly brought this royal family to life for me. It was so interesting to read about their weaknesses and human qualities that made Nicholas and Alexandra so endearing. Nicholas was such a family man who, when he was forced to abdicate the throne, decided not to make his sickly s...more

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Sep 22, 2009 M. D. Hudson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another great book by Massie – he is my favorite popular historian, I think. It’s massive, but I couldn’t put it down. Massie takes, I believe, what could be called a Great Man approach to history, and if a Great Man isn’t around, a Mediocre Man approach. Nicholas was mediocre as a ruler, but as Massie demonstrates, a truly devoted, loving family man. In fact the last Czar was a really nice guy all round and took his duties and responsibilities seriously. He loved his people, which is a good thi...more

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Jul 27, 2009 Abigail Hartman rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history

Massie writes like a novelist, bringing the era of World War I to life in this story of the last tsar of Russia. He tells the story of how Nicholas' love for his wife and her love for their only son, the hemophiliac Alexis, ruined the nation and destroyed the lives of many. Because of his hemophilia, Alexis was kept under careful surveillance at all times to avoid an accident, but it didn't always keep the accidents from happening. When the dirty, obscene, but extraordinarily powerful Gregory Ra...more

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Jul 09, 2009 Sarai rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: general-nonfiction, nonfiction-historical, biographies, historical

This is about the last tsar of Russia, Nicholas Romanov, and his wife and children. It starts before Nicholas' reign and ends shortly after the murder of the family and their servants in the House of Special Purpose.

This is a long book, but it is a very interesting read. Massie started looking into the family because his own son suffered from hemophilia, as did Tsar Nicholas' son Alexei. The book details the strange hold of Rasputin over Empress Alexandra, as well as his mysterious ability to st...more This is about the last tsar of Russia, Nicholas Romanov, and his wife and children. It starts before Nicholas' reign and ends shortly after the murder of the family and their servants in the House of Special Purpose.

This is a long book, but it is a very interesting read. Massie started looking into the family because his own son suffered from hemophilia, as did Tsar Nicholas' son Alexei. The book details the strange hold of Rasputin over Empress Alexandra, as well as his mysterious ability to stop the bleeding of their son. It goes into politics, the history of the tsars and the Russian people, the vast Russian empire, and all the little pieces that went into the fall of the Romanov dynasty.

I first read this book for a school report - at South Side (at the time - I don't know if they still do this), all seniors were required to write a book report and give an "hour-long" presentation on the book. Costumes and props were welcome. Handouts with the plot, social commentary, characters, symbolism, etc., were required. Nicholas and Alexandra was the only book on the list that was not fiction, and I heartily did not want to do fiction because I sucked at picking out symbolism in books. :)

I really got into this one. I made posters with photocopies of pictures of the Romanovs. I made sour cream frosted buttermilk cookies and brownies. I showed a brief clip from the movie. I rented a costume from Stoner's and came in during the last few minutes and spoke as Empress Alexandra, detailing the death of the family by firing squad and how the bullets were deflected by my daughter's corsets and the jewels we had sewn into our clothing. No one had any questions and I got an A. Ha. :)

Anyway, this is a very good book, a very fast and easy read, though I found the political stuff at the very end after the family was killed to be a bit boring. Massie really did his research into the family, and his descriptions of the horrors of hemophilia and the family's helplessness in dealing with it are superb.

Useless trivia: it was from this book that I got my idea of writing down things my friends and family said that I thought were funny. It states in the book that Nicholas would write down things his brother said and keep the book with him and in later years could be seen reading through the book and chuckling at things his brother had said. I thought it sounded like a smashing idea and I have kept quotes from friends ever since. And I do laugh when I read back through them years after they were first spoken. I recommend this to anyone.(less)

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May 28, 2009 Matt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A monarchy falls. A revolution begins. A civil war is fought. A wall is built. A couple million die in gulags. And all because two people fell in love.

The couple is, as the title might lead you to speculate, Nicholas and Alexandra. The last of the Romanovs.

Tsar Nicholas II was a resoundingly mediocre man. He did not have the capacity for greatness, which he showed time and again. He led Russian from a great power into revolution, a long slide that saw the distrous Russo-Sino War, anti-semitic...more

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Dec 07, 2010 Maja rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-russia, non-fiction, books-i-own

I wa completely taken in by this book. It was entertaining, enlightning and infuriating. It was quite clear to me that Robert K. Massie wanted this book not only to inform and teach but also to entertain. the style in which he tells the story of the last Tsar and his family is much like the style one would write a piece of fiction. In many places I wanted a source from Massie to know whre he got his data from. In other place his sources were simply a little floopy - they were oral, conversations...more

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About Robert K. Massie

Robert Kinloch Massie (born 1929) is an American historian, writer, winner of a Pulitzer Prize, and a Rhodes Scholar.

Born in Lexington, Kentucky in 1929, Massie spent much of his youth in Nashville, Tennessee and currently resides in Westchester County, New York in the village of Irvington. He studied American history at Yale University and modern European history at Oxford University on his Rhode...more

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“Gregory Rasputin, his bloodstream filled with poison, his body punctured by bullets, had died by drowning.” — 1 person liked it

“The German leaders, said Winston Churchill, turned upon Russia the most grisly of all weapons. They transported Lenin in a sealed truck like a plague bacillus from Switzerland into Russia.” — 1 person liked it

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