Romanov Autumn: Stories from the Last Century of Imperial Russia

by Charlotte Zeepvat

Book Overview

There is a continuing fascination with the Romanov dynasty that ruled Russia for over 300 years. Charlotte Zeepvat seeks to widen the picture by looking at the lives of members of the family during... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0750927399
• ISBN13: 9780750927390
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Sutton Publishing
• Length: 287 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

a fascinating exploration through a complex family

This book goes way beyond the normal stories of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsaritsa Alexandra Feodorovna. Charlotte Zeepvat leads us through the personalities in the Romanov family, and what part they played in imperial Russia and its downfall. Through these biographies the reader can understand the slide from a united family to the rival factions that partly brought about the Revolution and its aftermath. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever wondered about the imperial house of Russia , and the fate that awaited them.

Finally, an author who tells a story of the rest .

Most books on Russia begin and end with Nicholas II and Alexandra with a little Ivan, Peter and Catherine. This huge family has more than a few interesting members and the author of this book has included many of them. The theme is the last century of the Romanov empire, and the author tells many interesting stories of Romanovs, their relatives and even a chapter on their English nannies. I loved the book. The family trees were more detailed than most I have read, and the family relationships are explained to some extent. I will definitely read more of this author's work.

Great information. Recommended for the Russian Historian

Charlotte Zeepvat's efforts are clearly shown throughtout this detailed book. She displays so many minor but interesting characters of the last centruy of Romanovs. Though it gets confusing, it is most likely people's unfamiliarity to the family and history. Zeepvat paints a good writing of stories on these rarely known royals. Many of the stories can be very tragic and sad but it is none the less, informative. If I ever need to write a paper on any of the characters, this is the book I will run to. It is a merger of many Romanov books with fantastic photos of the little known royals. I appreciate Zeepvat's decision not to include much of the general stories of Nicholas II, his family, particularily Anastastia. This book is no Russian Royal book cliche like all the others on the last Tsar et al.,. It is packed with information on specific and interesting characters. The author has done a wonderful job. If you have at least a slight interest in Russian History, this is the book for you.

good stuff to feed a Romanov junkie's habit

Lots of pictures & anecdotes that I have NOT seen in my many, many other Romanov books. The family trees are very complete. The book does NOT cover the same tired Nicholas & Alexandra stories. That is the strength of the book. The weaknesses of the book: could be better edited: it is missing a few lines in family trees, uses different names for the same person (Ella and Elisabeth, Ksenia and Xenia). The book can be hard to follow, but that is the fault of the material, not poor writing. The author talks about the immense whole of the Imperial family, including cousins, grandchildren, nephews etc. where they all seem to have shared the same handful of first names. The author's avoidance of the titles Grand Duke and Duchess is a real annoyance. I enjoyed the book a lot, it was a challenging read, I kept referring back to the family trees, all the time.

Romanov Autumn--A Celebration for Russian History Buffs

The author has done a superb job of providing insights into the Romanovs, their personalities, their quirks, their passions, and their relationships. It is an collection of short stories, each of which stands on its own, but in combination it is a provides insights I haven't found in over 300 books I've read on the Romanovs and their times. For anyone who has even a minor interest in Russian history, this book should be must reading. For a Russophile, it is a banquet of good reading and wonderful insights.