Community Chat

[mildoo]

Thank you for much for all the information you compiled on this family and their enormous contribution to history and the continuing interest today.  I f ind this period to be so very interesting and I guess all the speculation over the years about Anastasia only added to the Romanov mystique.  This time period of the early 20th century and leading up to WWI is really my favorite time of American History.  I am not of Russian descent but I am of Slavic descent and Russian history I find to be so rich and interesting and brutal.

[Spacrazy]

Fascinating!

[Oznell]

I learned a lot more in the book about the claimants to be the young Alexei than I had ever heard before.  Supposed sons of the Czar turned up in Germany, Canada, and rather famously, Scottsdale, Arizona.

The one in Scottsdale was called Alexis Romanoff.  He was a popular entrepreneur, a hail-fellow-well-met. He died in 1986.  His friends seemed to have believed him to be the lost Tsarevich.  An observer said-- they WANTED to believe.

Some of the people named Romanov/ Romanoff were not imposters-- they were just different branches of the real Romanov family, who were lucky not to be stamped out by the Communists coming into power. 

Plenty are around today, like Princess Olga Andreevna Romanoff, who is a grandneice of Nicholas and Alexandra.

She's the British president of the Romanov Family Association, a group for the various real Romanov family descendants. 

[Oznell]

@mildoo ,  I'm enamored of that period from 1900 up to roughly World War I (1914 - 1918) too!  A very significant chapter in history....     

[jannabelle1]

Such an interesting thread, so thank you for posting. Add me to the list of those who are so enamored with the lives and deaths of Nicholas & Alexandria and their family. I've read Massie's original book several times, and always learn something new. Thanks for the recommendation of the follow-up book.

[riley1]

You should if your library has a borrow program with another library in your area. 

Usually if my library does not have the book they have it sent from another library in my state.

[Parischic]

@Oznell
I wanted to thank you for your post. I clicked on it and read through it, I didn't know very much about the Romanovs but after what you wrote I just had to find out more!

I managed to find both books on Amazon and I will be getting them tomorrow. I'm looking forward to reading them. I used to not like history when I was in highschool but as I got older (much) I love it! Thank you again!

[songbird]

My understanding was the family language was English. Nickolas didn't speak German, his wife didn't speak Russian.  But both were fluent in English. Letters between them were written in English.  Russian was spoken to servants.  But the children were not that fluent in Russian. 

[jubilant]

Yes, I agree....Ingrid Bergmann and Yul Brynner were both great in that movie. I saw it years ago. What a sad ending for this

family.

[Oznell]

@jannabelle1 ,  your comment strikes such a chord with me.  With books like this, densely packed with historical fact, one reading is never enough.  Very true that each time you go back, you find something new...

@Parischic ,  that is great to hear!  Hope you enjoy your reading!