The Romanov sisters : the lost lives of the daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra / Helen Rappaport.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rappaport, Helen.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia, 1868-1918--Assassination.

Nicholas.

Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia, 1868-1918--Family--Assassination.

Romanov, House of--History--20th century--Sources.

Romanov, House of.

Nicholas II, Emperor of Russia, 1868-1918.

Princesses--Russia--Biography--Sources.

Princesses.

Sisters.

History.

Families.

Assassination.

Russia.

Genre:

Biographies.

Sources.

Physical Description:

xviii, 492 pages, 14 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 25 cm

Edition:

First U.S. edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : St. Martin's Press, 2014.

Summary:

"They were the Princess Dianas of their day--perhaps the most photographed and talked about young royals of the early twentieth century. The four captivating Russian Grand Duchesses--Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia Romanov--were much admired for their happy dispositions, their looks, the clothes they wore and their privileged lifestyle. Over the years, the story of the four Romanov sisters and their tragic end in a basement at Ekaterinburg in 1918 has clouded our view of them, leading to a mass of sentimental and idealized hagiography. With this treasure trove of diaries and letters from the grand duchesses to their friends and family, we learn that they were intelligent, sensitive and perceptive witnesses to the dark turmoil within their immediate family and the ominous approach of the Russian Revolution, the nightmare that would sweep their world away, and them along with it. The Romanov Sisters sets out to capture the joy as well as the insecurities and poignancy of those young lives against the backdrop of the dying days of late Imperial Russia, World War I and the Russian Revolution. Rappaort aims to present a new and challenging take on the story, drawing extensively on previously unseen or unpublished letters, diaries and archival sources, as well as private collections. It is a book that will surprise people, even aficionados"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Prologue : the room of the first and last door

Mother love

La petite duchesse

My god! "what a disappointment! ... a fourth girl

The hope of Russia

The Big Pair and The Little Pair

The Shtandart

Our friend

Royal cousins

In St Petersburg we work, but at Livadia we live

Cupid by the thrones

The Little One will not die

Lord send happiness to him, my beloved one

God Save the Tsar

Sisters of mercy

We cannot drop our work in the hospitals

The outside life

Terrible things are going on in St Petersburg

Good-bye : don't forget me

On Freedom Street

Thank god we are still in Russia and still together

They knew it was the end when I was with them

Prisoners of the Ural Regional Soviet

Epilogue : victims of repression.

Notes:

"First published in Great Britain under the title Four Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Romanov Grand Duchesses by Macmillan, an imprint of Pan Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 451-467) and index.

ISBN:

9781250020208

1250020204

OCLC:

857982335

Online:

Cover image