The Romanovs
Pages: 654
Reason Book was Chosen:
I read Simon Sebag Montefiore's book Jerusalem as part of my 2018 reading list. I loved it and it caused me to want to read some of his other books. I know little about Russian history and thought this might be a good place to start.My Thoughts
I went into reading this book with nearly 0 knowledge of the Romanovs. It is a startling history. As the title suggests, this is a book about the Romanovs, the ruling family from 1613 – 1917. It’s not about the Russian peasantry or nobility. It’s about the family that happens to rule absolutely. It gets into their love letters, their adulteries, their proclivities, their fascination with dwarfs, their tenderness at times, and their dark sides. The empire battles the French (Napoleon), the Ottomans, and the Japanese. It produced Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, and Alexander I (who may have also been called the Great had another Alexander not pre-empted the title.
This was a fascinating book about an incredible period of history.
