On the sweltering summer night of July 16, 1918, in the Siberian city of Ekaterinburg, a group of assassins led an unsuspecting Tsar Nicholas... read full description
reviews
Oct 24, 2011
Persephone
rated it: 
A very readable piecing together of the last few weeks in the lives of Tsar Nicholas, his wife Alexandra, their five children, and the unfortunate faithful retainers who shared their fate. Each chapter moves the narrative along a few days, or a day (towards the end), then focuses on a protagonist in order to give the background of the event leading up to the massacre.
As we know what happened, the feeling of tension and inevitable doom builds until we reach the very graphic chapter th More...
As we know what happened, the feeling of tension and inevitable doom builds until we reach the very graphic chapter th More...
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Nov 08, 2011
Laura
rated it: 
Russian Roulette Hit and Miss
The Last Day of the Romanovs by Helen Rappaport was a historical book. It’s the story of the Romanovs’ after their dynasty was destroyed. The family of seven were taken to Ekaternburg. There the Imperial family suffered with sickness, Alexy, their son’s illness, and close quarters. The book goes day by day starting July 3 all the way to July 19. Rappaport uses parts of Alexandra’s and Nicholas’s diary.
The book seemed bland at most times, b More...
The Last Day of the Romanovs by Helen Rappaport was a historical book. It’s the story of the Romanovs’ after their dynasty was destroyed. The family of seven were taken to Ekaternburg. There the Imperial family suffered with sickness, Alexy, their son’s illness, and close quarters. The book goes day by day starting July 3 all the way to July 19. Rappaport uses parts of Alexandra’s and Nicholas’s diary.
The book seemed bland at most times, b More...
Mar 06, 2011
Linda
rated it: 
Thanks to Sher (ProfilerSR) for recommending this book in 2009. Continuing my quest to learn more of Russian history, I noted The Last Days of the Romanovs in my LT library.
It was a hot, humid evening in Ekaterinburg, in the industrial town located in Siberia. July 16th started as other days for the Romanovs. They entertained themselves by playing cards, reading and caring for their young son and brother. Frail from blood that refused to clot, they continued their hovering and worryi More...
It was a hot, humid evening in Ekaterinburg, in the industrial town located in Siberia. July 16th started as other days for the Romanovs. They entertained themselves by playing cards, reading and caring for their young son and brother. Frail from blood that refused to clot, they continued their hovering and worryi More...
Apr 16, 2010
jill
rated it:
I just finished a book about Trotsky before reading this account of the Romanov murders, so maybe I'm just burnt out on the Russian Revolution and its attendant issues. Still, I'd like to give this 2.5 stars, and once again curse goodreads for not having half stars as an option.
I liked this book mainly for the asides. Rappaport touched briefly on several minor historical figures that I hadn't ever heard of and found interesting. For instance, she spends a few pages on Lt Col Mariy More...
I liked this book mainly for the asides. Rappaport touched briefly on several minor historical figures that I hadn't ever heard of and found interesting. For instance, she spends a few pages on Lt Col Mariy More...
Dec 28, 2009
Jan
rated it:
The title of this book tells you pretty much all you need to know - it is a very in-depth look at the last month or so in the lives of Russia's Tsar Nicholas II and his family, who were murdered by the Bolsheviks in July of 1918.
Honestly, I would have preferred to learn more about the Russian Revolution itself. I often found myself a little confused. Who were the Whites and why were they fighting against the Bolsheviks? And why were Czechoslovakians fighting alongside the Whites? But More...
Honestly, I would have preferred to learn more about the Russian Revolution itself. I often found myself a little confused. Who were the Whites and why were they fighting against the Bolsheviks? And why were Czechoslovakians fighting alongside the Whites? But More...
Mar 22, 2010
Kristin
rated it:
I remember seeing a made for TV movie, or perhaps it was Danielle Steel's Zoya that first piqued my interest in the Romanov family. Although I don't know too much about the dynasty, I love reading anything about royal families. The reviews on the outside of this book touted a history book that read like a "true crime thriller". I unfortunately, disagree. This book, heavily researched by Helen Rappaport truly reads like a text book, until Chapter 14. This is, however, the second t
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May 23, 2009
Gwen
rated it:
Helen Rappaport is a talented historian/writer. She has written a riveting account of final days of the Russian tsar and his family that comes off more like a political thriller. As someone who has never read anything about the Romanovs or Russian history I thought the format (no footnotes, detailed characterizations)worked well to feature both the personal history of a dynasty and the events surrounding its demise.
Each early chapter highlighted one member of the family or person More...
Each early chapter highlighted one member of the family or person More...
Jul 21, 2011
Beau
rated it:
This was an interesting story about one of the more horrific occurrences that I have read. The author spared no expense in her description of the final moments for the family, and I sulked for about a day after reading it. However, the book was very tedious in getting to the actual event. I realize that being stuck under house arrest leaves little for one to do, but the author seemed to find any action relevant to what eventually happened. This leaves the reader with a lot of loose ends that wer
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Apr 02, 2009
Roger
rated it:
The author takes the last 14 days of the life of the Romanovs and gives you insights to different members of the family and their staff. Features the different members of the Bolsheviks who jailed them in Ekaterinburg and the political forces swirling about the Urals and Moscow. The last two chapters are very graphic in the details of the murders of the Romanov family. I think the author whose stated goal was not to try and rehash the whole history of the Romanovs did a very good job in giving
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Jun 05, 2009
Andy
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I had the misfortune of arriving at chapter 14 of The Last Days of the Romanovs in the late evening—of course I couldn’t put the book down—and let me say that the terrible gruesomeness recounted in those final chapters does not make for restful sleep afterwards. Gory? Absolutely. Sickening? Indeed. But Rappaport’s account of the murders is considerably more disturbing because the earlier chapters of the book establish the Romanovs as such a deeply human and sympathetic family.
Tsar Ni More...
Tsar Ni More...
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Mar 14, 2009
Katie
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Anxiously awaiting this book 2/28/09
Updated 3/6/09:
I recieved this book on tues 3/3/09, and just couldn't wait to finish my other books and dive into this one! In one night I have read two chapters, and if it wasn't for my eyes feeling like lead-weights before bedtime I would've read a lot more! Eventhough I have read and heard the story of the Romanov's a hundred times, I never tire of this horrifying tale. It's kinda like thinking about our lives as children when we are privilag More...
Updated 3/6/09:
I recieved this book on tues 3/3/09, and just couldn't wait to finish my other books and dive into this one! In one night I have read two chapters, and if it wasn't for my eyes feeling like lead-weights before bedtime I would've read a lot more! Eventhough I have read and heard the story of the Romanov's a hundred times, I never tire of this horrifying tale. It's kinda like thinking about our lives as children when we are privilag More...
Jan 07, 2012
Juliet
rated it: 
A history written as beautifully as a novel. Compelling, informative and moving.
The story of the Romanovs is one of great tragedy. No matter what could be the threat they posed to the revolutionary government, we can only think that what occurred can surely not have been necessary. In their last days they endured humiliation, mental and emotional torment, although the tormentors saw this as fair treatment.
The Romanovs have long been adored in history. Their mute accep More...
The story of the Romanovs is one of great tragedy. No matter what could be the threat they posed to the revolutionary government, we can only think that what occurred can surely not have been necessary. In their last days they endured humiliation, mental and emotional torment, although the tormentors saw this as fair treatment.
The Romanovs have long been adored in history. Their mute accep More...
Mar 05, 2010
Alecia
rated it:
I had traveled to St. Petersberg last year, and had visited such places as the Winter Palace, Peterhof and the Peter and Paul fortress (where the crypts of the Romanov remains are kept along with other tsars and royals). I had read Peter the Great by Robert K. Massie before I went, which was a heroic, eminently readable account of Peter's life and times. This book addressed my fascination with Nicholas, Alexandra and their family. Their execution is presented in extremely gorey detail. The stor
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May 17, 2009
Amy
rated it:
I was confused by this book. Each chapter has a date, but within the chapter she skips around to all different times. Maybe if I had read it in a more focused way, rather than a little bit here and a little bit there, I would have followed it better. Also, I felt she invented details to make the "story" flow, when there is no possible way she could have known those. Morbidly, this is my best example. When they were executing the family, she filled in details about people cowering in co
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Feb 16, 2009
People magazine review:
3 1/2 stars - Non-fiction
The brutal 1918 massacre of the Romanov family may be familiar, but in Russian scholar Rappaport's, hands, the tale becomes as shocking and immediate as a thriller. Drawing on new archives adn forensics, she crafts a portrait of the final weeks of Russia's last imperial faimly, cramped in the House of Special Purpose in Ekaterinburg. Though Tsar Nicholas's rule was harsh, the love and religious devotion he and his family sha More...
3 1/2 stars - Non-fiction
The brutal 1918 massacre of the Romanov family may be familiar, but in Russian scholar Rappaport's, hands, the tale becomes as shocking and immediate as a thriller. Drawing on new archives adn forensics, she crafts a portrait of the final weeks of Russia's last imperial faimly, cramped in the House of Special Purpose in Ekaterinburg. Though Tsar Nicholas's rule was harsh, the love and religious devotion he and his family sha More...
Jan 31, 2012
Tineke
rated it:
Read this book this weekend. Quite interesting, but a lot of names! I thought the chapters had great titles and were good divided. I must say the sympathies in this book tend to go one way, the way of feeling sorry for Tsar Nicholas. After reading the book I also was of the opinion that it was all the Tsarina's fault that all went wrong. But I'm also aware that a lot of things might also be someone's character or impression from other people (the Tsarina's haughtiness for example) and that this
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Dec 26, 2010
Marianne
rated it:
Everyone knows the rough story of the Romanov's and most people have at least a passing familiarity with the story of Anastasia. This book didn't deal with the myth, only briefly mentioning it near the end of the book after the facts were covered. The book deals with the Romanov family's imprisonment in the city of Ekaterinburg, a Bolshevik stronghold and their stay in the 'House of Special Purpose' which would eventually be the site of their slaughter. Each chapter covers a day - explaining the
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Nov 21, 2011
Julie
rated it:
I’m a fanatic for all things relating to the demise of the Romanov dynasty and have read countless books about their final days. While Rappaport’s book didn’t really tell me anything new, it did do an effective job outlining the last two weeks that the Romanovs spent in captivity at the Ipatiev house in Ekaterinburg. I felt that she really conveyed the desperation of the family in those final days and there was a pervading sadness as the Tsar became resigned to his fate. I appreciated the way
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Jun 18, 2010
Catherine
rated it:
So, I've been fascinated by the story of the Romanov's since my days at University of Delaware, where I did a massive research paper on the family for my "Great Crimes" class (Yes, that was really a class, and yes, it rocked, as did the professor. I liked it so much, I took his other class, "The Study of Murder", also one of the most interesting classes I've ever taken). It's been a while since I'd read a good re-cap of the entire story, so when all of the reviews for this
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Apr 13, 2010
David
rated it:
I'm always disturbed at the romanticized and saccharined portrayal of the Romanov murders. It seems wrong to cannonize the dynasty that inflicted torture, exile, imprisonment, and death upon its people. Equally, in my mind, Nicholas II only received the same treatment he gave to many of his subjects...murder. Especially in Nicholas's case, I don't think the "calm, devoted family-man" image redeems his strictly autocratic and anti-Semitic rule as monarch. For a monarch to turn the o
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Sep 08, 2009
Rachel
rated it:
The story of Nicholas Romanov and his family is probably one of the most captivating events in Western history, though it often seems to be unfairly romanticized for dramatic effect. In this account, however, the author does a decent job of keeping the dramatics to a minimum and relaying the cold, hard facts (although several of her chapters seem to end with some sort of doom and gloom "little did they know" foreshadowing that became a little repetitive). I was most interested in the h
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Oct 21, 2008
Heidi
rated it:
This book documents the last two weeks of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his family in confinement in the Ipatiev House in Ekaterinburg, known officially as the "House of Special Purpose". The Imperial family were locked away behind a high wooden palisade and white washed windows for 13 days from 4th July to 17th July 1918 when they were taken to the basement of the house and shot.
Readers should be warned that the chapters that deal with the killings and the disposal of the More...
Readers should be warned that the chapters that deal with the killings and the disposal of the More...
Feb 01, 2011
Stefan
rated it:
Helen Rappaport has succeeded at the difficult task of taking a large body of information and summarizing it an succinct and eloquent way. The Last Days of the Romanovs is highly readable and is a great introduction to Russia (and the Romanov family in particular) right after the Revolution. The variety of primary sources (some well-known, others obscure), specifically the viewpoint of the British diplomat, gave me a much better appreciation for the situation than I ever got from any history tex
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Jun 17, 2011
Denise
rated it:
I knew that they were executed, but I never knew of the events that led to their execution. While I cannot pronunce many of the surnames and cities mention in the book, I do recommend reading this. The Romanovs did not deserve to be executed. The Tzar needed to be humbles. Like many Royals of the day, and the Tzarina, they were arrogant and did not like change. That is why the family was executed. Their refusing to change and to continue to do rule the way the Romanovs had for about 300 years.
Mar 12, 2009
Maryellen
rated it:
Sadly this book does not deliver what it promises. I expected more current information given that the Soviet Union is now dead. The canonization of the Romanovs by the Russian Orthodox church is covered by one sentence. I give it three stars only because the author told the history in a well organized and easily understood manner. This would be a good book for someone who has never read about the murder of the Romanovs.
May 20, 2011
Sarah
rated it:
Very grim but well written and researched. The lack of footnotes or endnotes is indicative of it being a volume of popular rather than academic history. Taken as such, it is a good read, and Rappaport does raise some interesting points about the romanticism associated with the Romanovs in the West, perhaps to the extent of dehumanizing them and as such makes their deaths seem even more tragic.
May 18, 2010
Ann
rated it:
A well-written book. Rappaport does a great job of telling the story of the Romanov's last days, while helping the reader keep all the people straight. As always with historical works, I wish she had included a chart or list of all the players, but it is not as necessary with this book as it is with other books. She definitely puts a face (or faces) on the group that performed the murders, as well as their associates. Rappaport seems to have done her research well, and her organization of th
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Jun 18, 2010
April
rated it:
Decent historical account of the last fourteen days of the Romanov family. The author doesn't hold back with the grisly details, which was fine with me.
However, the book dragged in places for me when describing some of the long term politics leading up to the death of the Romanovs and the war history (both the Bolshevik revolution and WWI). I found myself skimming those parts to get back to what interested me more.
Overall worth the read.
However, the book dragged in places for me when describing some of the long term politics leading up to the death of the Romanovs and the war history (both the Bolshevik revolution and WWI). I found myself skimming those parts to get back to what interested me more.
Overall worth the read.
May 09, 2011
Valerie
rated it:
I liked this book because it had a lot of useful information that helped me to write my history paper on the Romanov family's execution. However, I only skimmed this book for the parts I needed because I would have been bored out of my mind to have read the entire thing. But, I will say that this book is extremely well-written and a wealth of information.
Feb 09, 2011
Sue
rated it:
This is a no nonsense account of the last days of Nicholas and Alexander and their family, free of romantic interpretations and suppositions. Althought it reads more like a history book than a historical novel, it is a fascinating accounting of the tragedy that ended the Romanov line and beginning the Russian revolution. I really enjoyed it.
