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The Romanovs: The Final Chapter
In July 1991, nine skeletons were exhumed from a shallow mass grave near Ekaterinburg, Siberia, a few miles from the infamous cellar room where the last tsar and his family had been murdered seventy-three years before. But were these the bones of the Romanovs? And if these were their remains, where were the bones of the two younger Romanovs supposedly murdered with the res...more
Hardcover, 352 pages
Published
September 18th 2012
by Modern Library
(first published 1995)
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I have sad news. Anastasia is dead. Long dead. She died back in 1918 in a basement with her family. I am now convinced of this. Despite all the movies and claimants, she did not survive and escape. Meaning there is no hidden princess out there in the world. No unassuming person about to be uncovered and lavished with luxuries. Even more crushing, the probability that I am in fact a hidden princess is greatly diminished.
My ten year old self is devastated. In fifth grade, we had to script and act...more
My ten year old self is devastated. In fifth grade, we had to script and act...more
22 likes · like · see review
view all 6 comments
Give strength, Just God, to us who need it,...more
The persecutors to forgive,
Our heavy, painful cross to carry
And Thy great meekness to achieve.
When we are plundered and insulted
In days of mutinous unrest
We turn for help to Thee, Christ-Savior,
That we may stand the bitter test.
Lord of the world, God of Creation,
Give us Thy blessing through our prayer
Give peace of heart to us, O Master,
This hour of utmost dread to bear.
And on the threshold of the grave
Breathe power divine into our clay
That we, Thy chil
Robert Massie is the master of Russian history. His biography of Peter the Great is probably my favorite biography. He has written masterful histories of Catherine the Great and Nicholas and Alexandra as well.
This book tells the story of the murder of the Czar and his family in 1918 in Yekaterinburg Russia, the quest to hide then recover their remains after Glasnost, the pretenders claiming to be surviving members (most notably Anna Anderson, the great Anastasia fraud) and finally the squabbles...more
This book tells the story of the murder of the Czar and his family in 1918 in Yekaterinburg Russia, the quest to hide then recover their remains after Glasnost, the pretenders claiming to be surviving members (most notably Anna Anderson, the great Anastasia fraud) and finally the squabbles...more
Interesting book - set straight some misconceptions and did a good job explaining what most likely happened with good evidence to support this conclusion.
The mitochondrial DNA v. DNA was very interesting with the explanation of the variant mitochondrial DNA additionally interesting. As to the actual 'Romanovs' - I was surprised that not one mention was made the possibility that in fact, none of them were likely to have been direct descendants of Peter the Great. Given all the DNA testing, this...more
The mitochondrial DNA v. DNA was very interesting with the explanation of the variant mitochondrial DNA additionally interesting. As to the actual 'Romanovs' - I was surprised that not one mention was made the possibility that in fact, none of them were likely to have been direct descendants of Peter the Great. Given all the DNA testing, this...more
This book is a departure for Robert Massie who has produced some extraordinarily readable research on the Romanovs. The book is history (his forte) but it is also journalism and a discussion of forensic science and law.
As a history buff, the beginning and ending parts were of most interest to me. Massie starts with a careful documentation of the murders of the Tsar and his family and how the news was managed by the Russian revolutionaries. The end deals with fate of other branches of the Romanov...more
As a history buff, the beginning and ending parts were of most interest to me. Massie starts with a careful documentation of the murders of the Tsar and his family and how the news was managed by the Russian revolutionaries. The end deals with fate of other branches of the Romanov...more
Dec 03, 2011
Lynne
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people interested in Russian history and particularly of the downfall of the Romanovs
Recommended to Lynne by:
myself
Shelves:
history
The Romanovs chronicles the discovery and identification of nine sets of bones found in a shallow grave near Ekaterinburg, where Tsar Nicholas and his family spent their final days. Massie, author of Nicholas and Alexandra, had been very outspoken in renouncing all those who claimed to be the Tsarevich Alexei or the Grand Duchess Anastasia throughout the 20th century, so of course he had a keen interest in this find.
Several reviews criticize this book for lacking background information necessary...more
Several reviews criticize this book for lacking background information necessary...more
I have been an avid reader of anything having to do with the Romanov family for years. When I discovered this book, I must say I was ecstatic to finally see some scientific evidence pertaining to the tragic fall of the Last Tsar and his family.
Yes! That is exactly what this book provides. It describes years and years of research and archaeological work done in Russia both through historical documents and field work done in the supposed burial sites of the Romanov bodies. The evidence found is f...more
Yes! That is exactly what this book provides. It describes years and years of research and archaeological work done in Russia both through historical documents and field work done in the supposed burial sites of the Romanov bodies. The evidence found is f...more
Written in 1995, at the time of publication, only nine of the eleven bodies of the Romanov family and their servants were found. In 2007, the bodies of young Alexei and his sister Maria were discovered.
Massie is the author of the classic, well-documented and meticulously researched book Nicholas and Alexandra. Obviously, still interested in the fate of Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra and their five children, Massie, tenaciously pursued the details surrounding the discovery of the remains in a wo...more
Massie is the author of the classic, well-documented and meticulously researched book Nicholas and Alexandra. Obviously, still interested in the fate of Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra and their five children, Massie, tenaciously pursued the details surrounding the discovery of the remains in a wo...more
2 likes · like · see review
I don't know why but the Romanovs have always been an interesting story for me. Perhaps its the fact that I can't imagine Russia being led by a royal family and having links to other great royal families of England, Germany and Spain or it's the terrible manner in which the beautiful girls and young boy were killed. Either way the story is intriguing but what made this book more interesting was the story behind The book focuses not on what happened the sad day in 1917 when the family was murdere...more
4.5/5
An absolute must-read for anyone interested in not only the Romanovs, but also Russian history or forensic science.
I recently returned from living in St. Petersburg where I visited the mass grave of the Romanovs and their servants in Peter and Paul Fortress, saw icons of Nicholas II as saint/martyr in several churches, and watched news reports on memorial services held in Ekaterinburg on the anniversary of the murder. If you've experienced Russia or read a lot of Russian history, you unders...more
An absolute must-read for anyone interested in not only the Romanovs, but also Russian history or forensic science.
I recently returned from living in St. Petersburg where I visited the mass grave of the Romanovs and their servants in Peter and Paul Fortress, saw icons of Nicholas II as saint/martyr in several churches, and watched news reports on memorial services held in Ekaterinburg on the anniversary of the murder. If you've experienced Russia or read a lot of Russian history, you unders...more
I learned more about DNA and DNA testing in this book than I think I would ever need to know, but it was very interesting.
The book we divided into 4 parts...the first one being the longest about what exactly happened to the Romanov family on that fatal night and the different people who went looking for and eventually found the remains. The second part talked more about how the remains were found, how they were identified and the debate the surrounded the findings. The third section focused on...more
The book we divided into 4 parts...the first one being the longest about what exactly happened to the Romanov family on that fatal night and the different people who went looking for and eventually found the remains. The second part talked more about how the remains were found, how they were identified and the debate the surrounded the findings. The third section focused on...more
This book begins at the end of the Romanov story, with their execution in Ekaterinburg in 1917. It is effectively about what happened afterwards: the discovery of the gravesite, the attempts to identify the bodies, the mystery over the missing bodies, the various individuals claiming over the years to be the missing Tsarevich and Anastasia, such as the famous Anna Anderson, the political factions fighting for control of the bodies, the fate of the surviving Romanovs.
It's a very good read, althou...more
It's a very good read, althou...more
3.5 stars. (seriously, GoodReads, gief half-star system!)
Quite an interesting read - I thought for a while there that this book's publication date (1995, i.e. a good 12 years before the discovery of the two missing Romanov corpses and thus the final conclusion to the whole Anastasia myth) rendered some of this research obsolete, and I did become entangled in a Wiki-web (or ten) when I went reading up on further developments that this book did not cover. Nevertheless, the portions it does cover w...more
Quite an interesting read - I thought for a while there that this book's publication date (1995, i.e. a good 12 years before the discovery of the two missing Romanov corpses and thus the final conclusion to the whole Anastasia myth) rendered some of this research obsolete, and I did become entangled in a Wiki-web (or ten) when I went reading up on further developments that this book did not cover. Nevertheless, the portions it does cover w...more
Deeply moving and as fascinating as "Nicholas and Alexandra", Massie has a special connection with this family and it shows in his writing. An extreme amount of research not only into whether the remains were in fact the tsar and his family, but the twists and turns of the coverup that kept any and all information secret for too long. I found myself wishing I could shake Soviet officials in frustration who kept people in the dark long after it was necessary to do so. Even after the fall of the S...more
I am currently re-reading this book, which I originally read about 6 or 7 years ago... Having behind me several articles on the subject, as well as having worked in the Russian archives, I can now fully understand and appreciate the painful process described in this book. I feel the frustration and pain the key players experienced during this investigation,which should have been fairly straight forward. From the extremely dysfunctionally bureaucratic Russian system to the foolish rivalries among...more
1 like · like · see review
I was a nut for Russian history, particularly the Romanovs and the revolution, when I was a teenager, so I picked this book up on a whim hoping to get a refresher on the stories I obsessed over when I was younger. It turned out to be so much more than that. As far as the basics go, it of course didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. Alexei and Anastasia both died tragically with their family in that basement in 1918, as was always suspected. But Massie still had me holding my breath thro...more
The Romanovs is an through survey of the Romanov family post-Russian revolution. Massie discusses the execution of the Imperial family, the contemporary theories about their deaths, the search for the remains, the academic and legal debate surrounding the identification of the bodies and a history of Romanov pretenders. Massie has done his research, and provides a well researched and organized account, especially the confusing scientific and legal battles. In addition, Massie talks about the oth...more
I just had to read this book. After reading Massie's "Nicholas & Alexandra" which was written in the late 60's, I was curious to see if he had anything more to write after the finding of the remains of 9 of the 11 killed in Ekaterinburg. The book, aptly titled, did go into the finding of the remains, exhumation and identification. I guess there are only so many words you can write about such, so a lot of the book was filled with the legal and jurisdictional battles surrounding exhumation and...more
Years ago I read
Nicholas and Alexandra
by Robert K. Massie. I had been interested in the story of the Romanovs, especially the four beautiful Romanov daughters who died so young.
The Romanovs: The Final Chapter picks up where Massie's original work and research left off - mainly with the discovery and identification of the remains of the family and servants.
Like most people I was interested when the bones were discovered and had done some research on my own regarding the DNA analysis. I knew t...more
The Romanovs: The Final Chapter picks up where Massie's original work and research left off - mainly with the discovery and identification of the remains of the family and servants.
Like most people I was interested when the bones were discovered and had done some research on my own regarding the DNA analysis. I knew t...more
This book wasn't what I expected. I thought I was going to get more history of the Tsar and his family and their lives. The book opens with their murders, and then spends nearly 300 pages talking about all of the arguments that have happened since. Arguments over their bones and the scientists who tested them - seemingly every word of those arguments. Then discussions about the pretenders to the throne and the Anastasia impostors - again, a hundred very detailed pages about every word that the o...more
We're headed to Yekaterinburg, Russia this weekend to speak at a church conference there, and before going, I had to read a book about the horrid event that happened there almost 100 years ago. This was a great read for that purpose. Nicholas Romanov was the last czar of Russia. When the 1918 uprisings occurred that set the stage for Communist rule for the next seventy years, Lenin (or someone) ordered the execution of the displaced czar, his wife, and five children. Their murder was kept secret...more
I have been fascinated by the Romanov story for years, but always came across books recounting the final 78 days of the Imperial Family that sounded more like conspiracy theories than historical contexts. Massie gladly changes the tide of my experience and provided a (for the most part) scientifically-backed story of the finding of nine skeletons in Siberia and the connection they have to the last Imperial Family of Russia.
It's hard to fight with science, and the focus Massie's book has on genet...more
It's hard to fight with science, and the focus Massie's book has on genet...more
Read first Robert Massie's, "Nicholas and Alexandra", which follows their lives from youth to the assassination/murder of their family and close friends in 1918. This book, "The Romanovs: The Final Chapter" continues the story of the family after death. An incredible amount of research, travel, interviews, etc were conducted to piece together what really happened to the Romanov family, what happened to their bodies, where were they hidden for more than half a century, how much was the government...more
This book was published a couple of year before the discovery of the two additional Romanov skeletons in a burned area near Ekaterinburg. That discovery completes the family. After the new remains were identified, I believe I read that, after comparing the skeletons of the four daughters, forensic scientists believe that the two separate skeletons were Alexei and Maria, with Olga, Tatiana, and Anastasia found with their parents and the servants in the mass grave. I was a little surprised that th...more
Feb 09, 2012
Lyn M (readinghearts)
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
history readers
Recommended to Lyn M (readinghearts) by:
myself
Shelves:
2012,
borrowed,
ccclib,
lucky-letter,
2013-monthly-challenge,
non-fiction-history,
royals,
russia,
world-lit
I first became acquainted with the writing of Robert K. Massie when I read Nicholas And Alexandra back in the 70s. I have always been fascinated by history and royal families, and he has been a staple of mine as a writer. I recently finished The Romanovs: The Final Chapter and it was fascinating. About 1/3 of the book was dedicated to a discussion of what transpired after the bones were found in the late 80s, early 90s. It was a very political endeavor, as you can imagine and it was fascinating...more
After reading Mr. Massie's tomes on Catherine the Great and Nicholas and Alexandra, I was surprised by the (short) length of this book. Written in his usual, readable prose, the stories are historically fascinating.
Parts read like a soap opera: the legal battle for Anna Anderson's tissue sample, the infighting for the status of pretender, the squabble over the rights to the remains. Yet, Mr. Massie never loses the tragic human component of the story.
It is a shame that Mr. Massie has not updated...more
Parts read like a soap opera: the legal battle for Anna Anderson's tissue sample, the infighting for the status of pretender, the squabble over the rights to the remains. Yet, Mr. Massie never loses the tragic human component of the story.
It is a shame that Mr. Massie has not updated...more
This book was not as great as I expected. The reviews seemed to hail this books as a good read. I am not in agreement. While some of the issues I had with the book relate to the fact it was about Russian history, which if you aren't well versed in such BEFORE reading this book, expect to be in the dark for many parts of this novel. A visual family tree would have been helpful to reference along with a brief timeline of events concerning the Romanovs and the revolution of that time period. Aside...more
Robert K. Massie skizziert eindringlich die Todesnacht der letzten in Russland herrschenden Romanows am Vorabend der Gründung der Sowjetunion. Breit angelegt untersucht er die darauffolgenden Jahrzehnte und unterfüttert die DNA-Fachsimpelei der 90er mit reichlich fundiertem wissenschaftlichem Wissen, sodass Laien leicht folgen können. Auch wenn das Aufdröseln von insbesondere Anna Andersons Geschichte ein wenig langatmig gerät, so räumt doch der Autor somit jeglichen Zweifel aus, es könnte sich...more
I really loved parts of this book. The historical parts where personal journals of the Czar and people associated with him were quite interesting. The technical, bureaucratic anthropology mumbo jumbo got very dry at times. I learned a lot about the Russian Revolution but what I learned could have really been condensed into something more concise. The Romanovs both past and present are also intriguing. My only real complaint about this book were the hundred or so pages of anthropological/forensic...more
Good, fast read for lovers of all things Romanov. It reads like a crime novel.
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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
More about Robert K. Massie...
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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