An enthralling feat of historical suspense that unravels the extraordinary twists and turns in Anna Anderson's fifty-year battle to be recognized as Anastasia Romanov. Is she the Russian Grand Duchess or the thief of another woman's legacy? Countless others have rendered their verdict. Now it is your turn. Russia, July 17, 1918: Under direct orders from Vladimir Lenin, Bolshevik secret police force Anastasia Romanov, along with the entire imperial family, into a damp basement in Siberia, where they face a merciless firing squad. None survive. At least that is what the executioners have always claimed. Germany, February 17, 1920: A young woman bearing an uncanny resemblance to Anastasia Romanov is pulled shivering and senseless from a canal. Refusing to explain her presence in the freezing water or even acknowledge her rescuers, she is taken to the hospital where an examination reveals that her body is riddled with countless horrific scars. When she finally does speak, this frightened, mysterious young woman claims to be the Russian grand duchess. As rumors begin to circulate through European society that the youngest Romanov daughter has survived the massacre at Ekaterinburg, old enemies and new threats are awakened. The question of who Anna Anderson is and what actually happened to Anastasia Romanov spans fifty years and touches three continents. This thrilling saga is every bit as moving and momentous as it is harrowing and twisted.
No posts yet
Kick off the convo with a theory, question, musing, or update
Your rating:
0I truly believe that the most important part of a book or movie is the ending. This (audio)book was a solid 2 stars until the end, which does not make up for the other 11.5 hours of listening, but brings it up to 2.5 stars for me.
I was not looking forward to finishing this book and being left without answers. I don't know the history of the aftermath of the Romanov family, so I had no idea how this would go, but I was happily surprised by having an actual answer to whether or not the woman is Anastasia (after making a loose decision myself). However I thought getting to that point took too long and was not exciting.
I did not mind the forward moving storyline for Anastasia and the backward moving storyline for Anna once I figured it out. I think it really works with an open mind and makes the ending better. The narrator of the audiobook did a great job of making me HATE Yakov with her cringy impression.
There is a passage describing that raping a woman is not artistic specifically in paintings or books, and I think more writers, movie makers, painters need to hear that.
TL;DR: Worth it for the ending, but not flashy/fast enough throughout.
0A Multiple Layered Historical Fiction
I’m not sure where to begin with this review. I really enjoyed parts of this story, and other parts I found to be slow. I really enjoyed the characters, I had no idea Anna Anderson was a real person until the authors note. The plots were good, I just wish portions of them were slow. The writing was great and told the story well. Honestly, I wanted more between Gleb and Anastasia/ Anna. This is a decent story recommend for fans of Historical Fiction, in particular, the Romanov’s.
0
© 2024 Pagebound