A great book about the last days of the last Czar of Russia

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	• The Romanovs: the Final Chapter Robert K. Massie Ballantine Books, 1996 - 320 pages average customer review:based on 40 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Good

The first part was boring with the DNA and blah, blah (maybe because I was 11) but the Anna Anderson part, Imposters and Survivors was cool. It took a lot of work for RKM to interview the real royalty and piece everything together. The pictures were great. But whose missing? I know Alexei (Alexis) is missing (he was burned) but Tatiana, Marie, or Anastasia. Now they're saying Marie is missing...Nicholas and Alexandra was much better, but describing the deaths in the two books was different.

Compelling answers to the Romanov mysteries

I found the book for the most part fascinating and intriguing, especially the details in the first 2 parts, the execution, the cover up, the finding of the bones and the identification. There were some parts here that were a bit tedious for the non scientist but necessary to the solution. The only part that really got endlessly tedious was the court fighting over the tissue samples of Anna Anderson, the claimant. All I wanted to know a that point was, is she or isn't she for heaven's sake? Being fascinated with geneology, the chapter on the living Romanovs was most interesting, but I feel the biggest flaw of the book was not including a 'family tree'. It drove me nuts! I had to try to make my own. The last chapter bringing the reader back to the begining was the most moving of all.

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Love the vast information

This audio is like a good mystery with all the interesting facts and figures. Massie travels all avenues. O'Keefe pronounces the Russian cities and names superbly, great job all around.

Informative and thorough, but contentious

This book has a lot going for it: the portrait of the Romanov family's last days is touching, and the account of their execution is factual and truly horrific. (As the author of "Nicholas and Alexandra," Massie clearly wears his heart on his sleeve, but the story is appalling enough on its own merits: Nicholas may have been arrogant, stubborn, and a political idiot, but his family certainly didn't deserve a brutal death.) The author's exposition of how the bones were found and identified is thorough and clear, if a bit dry, and his explanation of "Anna Anderson" and her history is authoritative and convincing. He's also very good at explaining how DNA typing works.
On the other hand, when he describes the disputes over who was entitled to examine the bones and do the DNA work on them, the author becomes partisan. I felt that his attack on DNA expert Mary-Claire King was highly unfair: it's evident that she realized that the situation was t! urning into Dueling DNA Analysts and didn't want her employees wasting their time on it, so accusing her of failing to keep promises she never made is petty and mean-spirited. The author's spitefulness in this section mars what is otherwise a balanced, objective account of the discovery and identification of the bones. With this reservation, I'd recommend the book as a thorough and convincing description of how the Romanov bones were found and identified, and essential reading for anyone who is curious about the issues raised by their recent burial.

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A great book about the last days of the last Czar of Russia

My review is also a little biased since I am mildly obsessed with this subject. A great book recounting not only the entire plan of the execution, but even gives the diary entries from the Czarita's diary, up to hours before the execution. Also gives the case of who is really missing: Marie or Anastasia? Wonderfully written is this "sequel" to "Nicolas & Alexandra." My personal favorite.

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, page 7, 8

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