The Quest for Anastasia: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Romanovs

On March 15, 1917, Tsar Nicholas Romanov abdicated the throne of Imperial Russia. Not long after midnight, on the morning of July 17, 1918, the royal family was taken into the basement of the house they were imprisoned in, and brutally murdered. However, almost immediately, stories began to circulate that some members of the family had actually survived the massacre and were in hiding. And the person with the most widely supported claim was Anna Anderson, who claimed to be Anastasia Romanov. Even when she died in 1984 many people believed that she had been the real Anastasia. In this fascinating book, author and professor Russian history, John Klier presents the story of what really happened to the Russian royal family, and then he progresses through the various investigations into the fate of the Romanovs, culminating in the 1991 investigation of the family's remains. As an added bonus, the final chapter examines the life and claims of Anna Anderson, culminating in the 1994 DNA test that finally put an end to the claims that she was Princess Anastasia. Overall, I found this to be an absolutely fascinating book. I found the story of the last days of the Romanovs to be gripping and impossible to put down. Even after that, the stories of what happened to the bodies and the later investigations were also presented in an interesting manner that made for some compelling reading. This is a great book, one that I am quite glad that I read.

This outstanding book focuses on the discovery and identification of the Romanov bones and the subsequent DNA testing. The book's strength lies in describing how the bones were found and not in the subjective non-scientific arguments as to whether Anna Anderson was Anastasia or Franziska Schanzkowska. This book is not clouded by the personal opinions of the authors. You won't find any self-serving statements or arguments in this book.

I thought the book was excellent. I am 12 years old and have been very interested in the Romanovs since the age of 11. (I'm turning 13) I thought the book was so good I finished it in a day! I personally believe that Anastasia didn't survive, though I wish had, she didn't. The only thing I can say about Anna Anderson is that she must have been smart and lucky to be able to fool the people she did. With the information in the book I came to the conclusion that Miss Anderson wasn't her since she refused to do the tests and that there pretty much seemed to have given it away. The real Anastasia wouldn't have refused for giving DNA tests because she was the REAL Anastasia. So I think Anna Anderson was sly yet smart, but wasn't the real Anastasia. I suggest this book to any one who is interested in the Romanovs.

It seems that the only evidence that supports the fact that Anna Anderson was not Anastasia was the DNA tests.Too many people have chosen to forget the evidence that supports Anna Anderson's claim to be Anastasia.The intimate knowledge she had of the Grand Duke Ernest of Hesse visit to Russia in 1916, the fact that she had the same problem with her feet as Anastasia, and of course the fact she could speak English, German and French and understand Russian, this would have to be a remarkable feet for a poor Polish factory worker.It seems to be forgotten that in 1977 a prominent forensic expert, idetified Anna Anderson to be either Anastasia or an identical twin.As for the DNA results, consider this. Even today the Romanov family are one of the most powerful familys that exsist in the world today. For them to cover up the actual results of the test so as to save face, would be a simple task. And why would they want to do this? Because the Romanovs doe not want the world to know the truth, and that is that they new Anna Anderson was the Grand Dutchess Annastasia but denied her, her title and her inheritence for pure greed.

This is one of the best of the many books about the death of the last Czar and his family. It considers the various theories of what really happened, and provides valuable insights into the the individuals involved in this tragedy. A "must read" for anyone interested in this subject!