The Romanov Sisters

This is the story of the daughters of the last Tsar of Russia: Olga, Tatiana, Marie, and Anastasia Romanov. Most people are aware of their tragic end in the basement of Ekaterinburg. This book focuses on their lives before that. What were they like, what they did, and what it meant to be the daughters of the Tsar.

This was an interesting look at all four sisters lives. Rappaport uses diaries and letters, some of them previously unpublished, to give us a fresh look at these sisters. Some of the diaries and letters are from the sisters, and others are from family or close friends. The use of these sources gives us an intimate view of their personalities, and what their lives were like. I also liked having other people's thoughts on the sisters, and not just their own. It made it much more enjoyable to me.

While the primary focus of this book is the four Romanov sisters, there is still a lot of information about other family members, particularly their brother Alexei. I would have wished for a little less about other people, but their brother's health problems did drastically affect their lives, so it was unavoidable to have him continually come up in a story about them. They were also kept very close to their family unit, and rarely let out into society, so their family was very close and involved in their lives.

I thought this was a very interesting book about the Romanov sisters. The facts are clearly laid out, and it is worth reading to learn more about who these young women were. I think this book would work well for those reading about the Romanovs for the first time, and for those who have previously read about them. After reading about their lives, I would like to read Rappaport's book: The Last Days Of The Romanovs: Tragedy At Ekaterinburg. It would be interesting to continue their story to the end.

I recommend this book if you are interested in Russian history or the Romanovs.