The Romanov Bride

The Romanov Bride by Robert Alexander was an eye-opener on Russian history. I am a historical fiction author and snack on history that is well-written. I was moved by this book for several reasons. It is compelling as Grand Duchess Elisavyeta's life comes alive. She goes from a pampered wife with no backbone to a hungry nun, with independence, goals and passion. I learned a lot by reading this book, for example, the economic and political status of Russia crossed all lines with massive cross-purposes that lead to the decline of a Great Empire. Three pages into it, I was aware that it was more non-fiction than fiction. Kudos to the author.

This is a must read for anyone with an interest in Russian history. It is superbly written with a two-person narrative voice. The Russian revolution is seen through the eyes of the peasant and the aristocrat. I learned quite a bit from reading this and highly recommend it.

The fate of the Romanovs is a true tragedy and the story of Grand Duchess Elizabeth is one of the saddest of all. Robert Alexander gives us a moving and realistic version of Elizabeth's life in The Romanov Bride. The Romanov Bride is told in two voices. The first voice is Grand Duchess Elizabeth (called Ella by her family). Born Princess Elisabeth of Hesse, Ella was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria. She married the Russian grand duke, Sergei, son of Tsar Alexander II and brother of Alexander III. The second voice is Pavel, a Russian revolutionary. The fictional Pavel came to St. Petersburg with his young wife. But instead of finding greater opportunities, he lost everything he cared about on Bloody Sunday. In 1905, Grand Duke Sergei was assassinated. Ella sold her properties and her jewels and used the money to establish the Martha and Mary Convent of Mercy. The convent operated a hospital and orphanage, and Ella became a nun and served as its abbess. Alexander creates a story where the paths of Ella and Pavel collide with tragic and lasting consequences. Ella will change Pavel's life in ways that he could never imagine, and touch his heart in the process. While not condoning terrorism, the author makes us feel sympathy for the tortured Pavel. The book is extremely realistic with Alexander using known facts and actual letters. However, don't read The Romanov Bride expecting a full biography of Grand Duchess Elizabeth. There is very little about her childhood, the royal family or the early years of her marriage. Since this story belongs to Ella and Pavel, most of The Romanov Bride deals with the period of time when conditions start deteriorating in Russia and unrest becomes rampant. This is the first Alexander book that I've read, and being a big fan of Russian history, I now plan on reading his earlier works including The Kitchen Boy and Rasputin's Daughter.

"The Romanov Bride" is the story of Ella or more formerly Grand Duchess Elisabeth Feodorovna of Russia. She was a grand daughter of Queen Victoria and a sister of the last Empress of Russia. The book starts with her childhood in Darmstadt in Germany and follows her to Russia where she marries Grand Duke Serge, a brother of Tsar Alexander III. After her husband is assassinated Ella becomes a nun. Running parallel to her story is the story of Pavel a Russian peasant and throughout the book the chapters move between these two characters as narrators as their lives become intertwined. Although I enjoyed both of Robert Alexander's first two books immensely ("The Kitchen Boy" and "Rasputin's Daughter"), I think that he has excelled himself with this book. Robert Alexander has captured the spirit of Ella very successfully. Although the book is fiction the author has stuck to all the known facts about her life and indeed has included many small details about Ella's life to make her truly come alive again. I think that this book is must read for any Romanov fan and even for anyone not interested in them it is still a very interesting story told in an exceptional way.

I couldn't put it down - my only critique is that is was over far too quickly! Having read Mr. Alexander's first two books on the history of Russia, the Romanov family and the Revolution, I was excited when I stumbled across this title in a local bookstore!! Although there is far more to the "actual" story of the Grand Duchess Elisavyeta ("Ella"), I felt like I got a real glimpse of a short period in her life and that of the other main character, Pavel, an uneducated, angry young peasant who joins in the revolution and becomes the reason why we even hear this story. I love the way Mr. Alexander finds a new and interesting way to tell these stories - which have been written about over the course of history time and time again - but never with such an intimate voice. His characters bring you to the "front lines" of the story and there is always an "ah-hah" moment as to why this/that character is telling the story to begin with - whether it be the young man who prepares the meals for the royal family while they are in captivity (as in The Kitchen Boy) or the daughter of one of the most intimate "advisors" to the Tsarina (as in Rasputin's Daughter) - Robert Alexander finds that hook that keeps you on the edge of your chair from beginning to end! Let's face it, in 300 pages there is only so much that an author can write about. As with his first two books, Mr. Alexander continues to write stories that are historically-based, but with that added bit of fiction, brings an otherwise stale story to life on the page! Can't wait for his NEXT book to be released!!!

I picked up this novel because I love reading about Russian history. I not only read Doctor Zhivago years ago but watch the film whenever I can. I somehow missed reading Alexander's earlier books but saw a copy of the Kirkus review of THE ROMANOV BRIDE on a web site that made a comparison between it and Doctor Zhivago, saying that in both books "coincidence abounds and some scenes and themes call to mind that classic Russian novel." It also promised The Romanov Bride had "a deeply moving finale." Well, I wasn't disappointed. Alexander beautifully develops the story of the beautiful Grand Duchess Elisavyeta ("Ella"), the sister of Alexandra, who - after her husband was killed - became a nun, devoting her life to the poor. Perhaps even more amazingly, Alexander's manages to present in a remarkably honest and realistic manner the voice of an ordinary peasant, the man who ultimately became her judge and executioner. This is powerful history, superb storytelling. Easily a FIVE STAR read!