The Romanov Empress by C.W. Gortner

The Romanov Empress by C.W. Gortner ISBN-13: 9780425286166 Hardcover: 431 pages Publisher: Ballantine Books Released: July 10, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Narrated by the mother of Russia's last tsar, this vivid, historically authentic novel brings to life the courageous story of Maria Feodorovna, one of Imperial Russia's most compelling women who witnessed the splendor and tragic downfall of the Romanovs as she fought to save her dynasty in the final years of its long reign.

Barely nineteen, Minnie knows that her station in life as a Danish princess is to leave her family and enter into a royal marriage--as her older sister Alix has done, moving to England to wed Queen Victoria's eldest son. The winds of fortune bring Minnie to Russia, where she marries the Romanov heir and becomes empress once he ascends the throne. When resistance to his reign strikes at the heart of her family and the tsar sets out to crush all who oppose him.

Her husband's death leaves their son Nicholas as the inexperienced ruler of a deeply divided and crumbling empire. Determined to guide him to reforms that will bring Russia into the modern age, Maria faces implacable opposition from Nicholas's strong-willed wife, Alexandra, whose fervor has lead her into a disturbing relationship with a mystic named Rasputin. As the unstoppable wave of revolution rises anew to engulf Russia, Maria will face her most dangerous challenge and her greatest heartache.

From the opulent palaces of St. Petersburg and the intrigue-laced salons of the aristocracy to the World War I battlefields and the bloodied countryside occupied by the Bolsheviks, C. W. Gortner sweeps us into the anarchic fall of an empire.


My Review:
The Romanov Empress is about Empress Maria's life. It begins when she was a teenager and her father was chosen to be heir to the Denmark throne (1862) and ends after she flees Russia (1918). The story is consistent with non-fiction sources about what happened and uses things like diaries and personal letters for information. This information was woven together to make an interesting, enjoyable story. The author managed to show Maria's view of things while still allowing the readers to see where she's hypocritical or in the wrong. Still, she was a remarkable woman who endured the loss of many loved ones. It's also an interesting way to learn about the times and the Russian court.

There were only a few uses of bad language. There were brief references to her husband's "manhood" right before an off-screen sex scene. Overall, I'd highly recommend this fascinating story.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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