Nicholas & Alexandra by Robert K Massie (2000-12-14)

I read this biography many years ago and, when it appeared as a kindle deal of the day, a while ago, snapped it up to re-read. This was first published in 1967, when many of those, who witnessed the events of that period, were still alive – indeed, the young ballerina with whom Nicholas had a romance with, was an elderly lady in Paris at the time of publication. At that point, most of the books about that period concentrated on the Russian Revolution from the point of view of Lenin and the Bolsheviks. However, Robert Massie, having recently discovered that his eldest son had haemophilia, was inspired to put the Imperial Family at the centre of the story, in an inspired biography.When Nicholas fell in love with Alix of Hesse, grand-daughter of Queen Victoria, he, set in motion events which resulted in the end of Romanov rule. Their romance was a true one; their marriage touching and Massie, without doubt, helps you have sympathy for the young Alix, who would become the Empress Alexandra, the ‘German Woman,’ the mother filled with guilt because of her son’s illness… Even despite the fact that her much longed-for young son, born after the birth of four daughters, had haemophilia, Alexandra was not made to be an Empress. Shy, socially awkward and prudish, she found the glittering, Russian Court difficult. Her reaction to expectations that she would lead the endless balls, parties, gossip and gaiety, was to withdraw. As such, she found herself disliked, not only by the people, but by the aristocracy. Meanwhile, Nicholas was unprepared to be Tsar and, although he would probably have made an excellent figurehead, as an autocrat, he was weak and indecisive.Undoubtedly, the couple’s son, Alexei’s, illness, made the couple even more self-contained and secretive. With the Russian Tsar expected to be all powerful, they felt it would be a sign of weakness, and cause speculation about the throne, if anyone discovered the truth. When Alexandra discovered Rasputin, the peasant Holy Man, who she felt was the only person who could heal her son, she clung to him, despite almost everyone else feeling that he was damaging the country. When Nicholas took control of the army, during WWI, Alexandra began to interfere in politics – and Rasputin was always there, whispering in her ear; his influence distrusted and disliked.This is a well researched, well written, and excellent account of that period. Massie brings all of the characters to life and re-creates the period, and places, well. I still think that this is one of the best, overall, biographies of this period that I have read – indeed, possibly, the best. Massie is sympathetic, but always honest about events. In a way, this is almost like reading a novel and, as you continue reading, you really hope for a different ending. Definitely a classic and a very moving read.

Having studied the Russian language and spent time in Russia as a university student I have long been interested in the history of the country. The last Tsar and his family and their sad fate has always intrigued me.Robert K Massie has written an excellent, if lengthy book, covering the span of Nicholas' life. We are given the background to his family, his marriage to the German Alexandra, and his journey through family and political life. Mr Massie also gives us good background on other important characters in the story such as Lenin and Rasputin, as well as major events of national and world importance, especially World War 1. The book is detailed and thorough in its approach, but is still very readable by the layman.It took me quite a long time to read the book, but I'm glad that I did so. I felt that Robert Massie gave a very balanced approach, presenting the information as gathered from various sources. I certainly didn't feel that he was taking any particular party's "side", but was just presenting us with the facts as he saw them. The book was quite eye-opening and I feel that I've learnt a lot and begun to understand more about the Russia of the last Tsar.I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the Romanovs and the last days of Imperial Russia. It is to be noted though that the book is the electronic version of Mr Massie's 1967 book of the same title. As such it doesn't cover the later discovery of the bodies of the family, and the subsequent tests to prove exactly whose those bodies were. Also, please note that the main text of the book finishes at around 77% of the way through. The rest of the book is largely taken up with the extensive notes and bibliography necessary for such a well researched work.

Some reviewers have criticized Massie for being too sympathetic towards his subjects, or for not writing enough about the plight of the peasants and workers. To tackle the first: Nicholas and Alexandra have been portrayed as heartless monsters or dimwitted nincompoops in many history books. Massie tries to, well not perhaps correct this view but tell the story from their perspective. He freely admits that the royal couple made many mistakes and took wrong decisions, but not because they were inherently bad or stupid, but because they were out of touch with reality, surrounded by sycophants as they were, and steeped in a tradition of autocracy and fatalism which made them unreceptive to sound advice. (Read Miranda Carter's "The Three Emperors" if you want Nicholas to be portrayed as a bloodthirsty simpleton.) The plight of the workers and peasants features in the periphery of the book, because it is, and was meant to be, a biography of Russia's last royal couple, and not a history of revolutionary Russia per se. (Orlando Figes's "A People's Tragedy" would be a good choice.)The book is rich in detail about the daily life of the royals, where and how they went about their businesses and offers insightful biographical details of the most important figures surrounding them, such as Anna Vyrobova, Stolypin, Witte, Yussupow, Lenin, Kerensky and, of course, Rasputin. Throughout the book, which often reads like a novel, there is the constant Damoclean notion of tragedy. Although of course the Romanov's ultimate fate is known, Massie's writing skills are such that the reader is kept hoping that they, or at least the children, will be spared the terrible fate which befell them. After having read it for the third time, I can also say that it is to Massie's credit that, although the book was published 1968, the style of writing hasn't dated at all.Highly reccommendable!