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An enthralling feat of historical suspense that unravels the extraordinary twists and turns in Anna Anderson’s fifty-year battle to be recognized as Anastasia Romanov. Is she the Russian Grand Duchess or the thief of another woman’s legacy?
Countless others have rendered their verdict. Now it is your turn.
Russia, July 17, 1918: Under direct orders from Vladimir Lenin, Bolshevik secret police force Anastasia Romanov, along with the entire imperial family, into a damp basement in Siberia, where they face a merciless firing squad. None survive. At least that is what the executioners have always claimed.
Germany, February 17, 1920: A young woman bearing an uncanny resemblance to Anastasia Romanov is pulled shivering and senseless from a canal. Refusing to explain her presence in the freezing water or even acknowledge her rescuers, she is taken to the hospital where an examination reveals that her body is riddled with countless horrific scars. When she finally does speak, this frightened, mysterious young woman claims to be the Russian grand duchess.
As rumors begin to circulate through European society that the youngest Romanov daughter has survived the massacre at Ekaterinburg, old enemies and new threats are awakened. The question of who Anna Anderson is and what actually happened to Anastasia Romanov spans fifty years and touches three continents. This thrilling saga is every bit as moving and momentous as it is harrowing and twisted.Started this book! Okay, so apparently I knew a lot more about Russian history than I thought. I definitely know about Anna Anderson and her claim to be Anastasia over the years. So, I pretty much know where this is going. I blame my old movie obsession, cuz I was fascinated by all this years ago when I watched several old movies about these topics, and then I read up on it and learned about it. But, I’m hoping to still enjoy the book as a historical fiction anyway.
Done. Glad I gave this book a chance. I didn’t love it. But, it was an interesting historical fiction read. I found the author easy to read and understand, and I would definitely give other things she writes a chance. The whole backwards time line thing, yeah, again, not a fan of disjointed timelines. They are so overdone & cliche, IMO. Just tired of them frankly. In the notes/afterward, AL basically says she did it for herself as a writer. Author’s prerogative I guess.
Like I said in my last post, I’ve known the Anna Anderson story for many years. So, there wasn’t a whole lot of suspense and intrigue for me. She was basically just a mentally ill impostor. Which is sad for her. But, also sad for the Romanov family. I feel bad that they had to go through so many years and impostors after their family was killed in such a terrible way. I hate that that happened to them. Especially the children and young adults (Anastasia’s sisters). Awful. The Provisional Government, and then the Bolsheviks, were not exactly known to negotiate with the royals and bourgeois. They were pretty darn tyrannical. And I hate that the English royal family did not step in to help them somehow, considering they were related. And it’s terrible that the rest of the world did not either. America was very isolationist at that time, but how awful to feel like nobody in the world is there to help you out. No matter what kind of beef the people had with that royal family, it’s horrible the way they were killed.
Overall, I enjoyed reading Anastasia’s story more. I liked the historical fiction from her perspective. Anna’s story drove me crazy because I couldn’t really feel anything for the impostor that she was.
I agree – I found Anastasia’s story much more interesting. But not surprising as I usually enjoy the historical side in these types of stories. What a heartbreaking end to the family.
I started this one…trying the audio version (it was available on Libby through my library), but I don’t know. So far I’m not a big fan of the reader.
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