Sarah Miller
This was also one of few Romanov fiction books that had a solid, concrete theme, Carolyn Meyer attempts one in sitelinkAnastasia and Her Sisters but "Duty was duty, and we had not choice" made me cringe, Many others don't attempt it, In addition, Miller does not make this strictly Christian but is not afraid to include biblical references, Some may criticize, but the references to Job and Romans brought the latter part of the book alive,
The one thing is, though, avoid using a prologue set in, That was the one thing sitelinkThe Tsarina's Daughter got right,
Pay nod heed to the girly cover, some serious people and boys will probably not be caught dead with this one for the sole sake of its cover.
I was misled and many other may be as well,
Id been looking forward to this for ages, but only realised it was a YA when I started reading it, Narrated by the Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia, it sets the tone perfectly for its target audience, and I know that myyear old self discovering the Romanovs for the first time would have loved it.
As it was, it all wore a bit thin and ended up being a DNF my teenage self would have rated it at leaststars!
The most historically accurate piece of fiction about the lives of the Romanov sisters I've had the pleasure of reading.
The writing is beautiful and the different voices have a way of being similar enough that you honestly believe the speakers are all close siblings but different enough not to get redundant.
I also give this a big thumbs up for following the girls' story all the way to the end where they meet their tragic deaths this shouldn't be a spoiler, considering it's history and most people know this happened.
Most books of this sort seem only to go up to their time in early imprisonment, Except for The Tsarina's Daughter which I did not care much for, and thought wildly improbable,
I DID like House of Special Purpose, which also follows them to the bitter end, but that took a LOT of obvious liberties,
One cool thing about this book The Lost Crown is that its one of the few fictional books you can bring up in the presence of a 'Romanov purist' aka a particular brand of history buffs who hate most fictional portrayals of the Romanovs, and get smoke coming out both their ears if you mention Don Bluth's Anastasia without causing them to foam at the mouth.
This book has won even most of them over for its beauty and Historial accuracy, Which really should speak for itself on how GOOD a job Miller did here,
If asked if this or Meyer's slightly more recent Anastasia And Her Sisters along the same plotline as this one is the superior piece of Romanov sisters fiction, I would have to admit that's not an easy question to answer.
Both books have VERY good, historically accurate, portrayals of Anastasia and Olga Romanov,
Here are some points to consider if you're planning on reading only one of these similar books and are debating which to choose,
The Lost Crown, strictly as a novel, is better executed, You get a look into all four of Tsar Nicholas' daughters' heads, not just one or two, And through each of them a more solid idea of the others around them, From Olga and Anastasia's pov chapters, I felt very connected to their little brother, From Olga's alone, we get
a better view of their father, From Tatiana, we understand their mother Alexandra and her struggles, From Maria, you get more sympathy for persons outside the strict family unit, such as the guards,
It also just has a better flow with natural dialogue, At no point did I feel Sarah Miller struggled between writing this as almost a text book and recalling it's really a novel, She knew what she was doing and she did it well,
Despite the brutal realness, The Lost Crown leans a smidge more towards sugary sentimental views on the royal family than Meyer's book, You never quite get the feeling Olga is more depressed or even angry than her sisters in Lost Crown, which it seems likely she was in real life, Even the gun she conceals on her person until she's forced to give it up is not shown in a sinister or ominous manner its just for protection, If you lean more to the view that all four girls were largely uninformed of the danger of their situation beyond a few inklings, Miller's work will keep you with that assumption.
Meyer's seemed to have darker implications, with Olga growing bitter and Maria almost blissfully oblivious in contrast, Anastasia caught someplace in the middle,
Timing/romances. There isn't really any romance in The Lost Crown, This could be because it begins later in time than Meyer's, so there was no place to include Olga/Pavel, But any other possible crushes, such as with soldiers in the hospitals, or their own male cousins, aren't touched on either in Lost Crown, The book doesn't suffer for this in the least, as it wouldn't have added anything important, but it is a major difference between the two works, Meyer's book not only touches on Olga's ill fated romance, it strongly implies Anastasia may have been in love with Dr, Botkin's son.
So it comes down to preferences, If you want more showing and sentimental views, Lost Crown will please you most, If you want more telling, with a cynical edge, try Meyer's book,
Personally I love both, but I think this book, Lost Crown nails the story of the tight knit family better, while the other one is broader and more clinical.
I have been fascinated by the doomed Romanov children for years, I think it's because they took so many photos of themselves, The photos make the imperial family in their pretty dresses and sailor suit with the occasional smile unusual in pictures of that era make them look approachable and real.
It makes their ending seem even more horrible,
The Lost Crown covers the last four years of the imperial family's life, It starts out at the beginning of World War I, when things are basically fine, with just an undercurrent of problems to come, The imperial children have a charmed, happy life, marred only by Aleksei's hemophilia,
The book is told from the alternating perspectives of the four girls: Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia, The author does a good job to give each character unique personalities, but having four voices going through basically the same things does make the book a bit confusing.
It is easy to forget that the girls were in their late teens and early twenties during this time period, Throughout the book, they seem much younger than their actual ages, They've been so sheltered throughout their lives, that they are more children than young women, They keep this naivete even as things go increasingly sour, While it seems odd that people of their age would be so immature, I am guessing this may be fairly realistic, They really were kept very sheltered,
I was surprised the book was as long as it was, The author did a good job of switching things up, showing things from different points of view, having events move steadily forward, but I still think you easily could have dockedpages.
That being said, I was impressed with how she managed to add plot and drama to the girls' lives in captivity when every day was really more of the same.
The main problem with this book can't be helped, It is Depressing, with a capital "D, " Not because the author makes it that way, but because it's reality, I became attached to these characters throughout the book, They were sweet, innocent, and loved Russia, But I knew there would be no happy ending, No last minute hero coming to rescue them, And I desperately wanted that, They lived every day completely ignorant that it was one day closer to their last and I knew going in when that last day would be, I was very impressed with the The Lost Crown's ending, She wrote the Romanov's deaths in a way that was simple and poignant, It brought some closure to an otherwise horrible tragedy,
The Lost Crown is a great book for anyone interested in the Romanov family, It's not a superspeedy read and it is very depressing, but it is consistently interesting and sweet,
Rating:./Dont be fooled, like I was, by this book cover, it looks like a light chicklit novel, but instead is it a well researched book on the last years of the Romanov sisters: Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia OTMA for short, daughters of tsar Nicholas II.
The author chose a mock diary format and the novel starts innocently enough, describing the girls privileged life and careless attitude, Soon enough the tone changes as the characters lives turn upside down during the events of WWI, The royal family is slowly stripped of their life of luxuries, to be effectively held prisoners and eventually coveting a breath of fresh air from a small open window painted white from the outside!.
My experience of reading this book has been similar to watching the slow progress of a train wreck to its abrupt and bloodied end,
The book focuses on the royal family and as such it does not reveal the events happening outside their limited “world”, I would have preferred that a timeline been included with historical events happening during the book narration, as well as a better map the places where the family travels are strangely not included in the one provided.
As an avid Romanov reader, I never liked Romanov fiction,
Many people have tried over and over to capture the Romanovs in fiction, but nobody really managed to capture the Romanovs, The Romanovs were real people who had faults, eccentricities and virtues, Rarely in fiction is the real history taken into consideration when writing,
Ms. Miller has put years of research and dedication into the Romanovs and it shows, Sarah Miller's book captures the Romanovs and I believe The Lost Crown has indeed set the bar for future Romanov fiction, An author's note includes details on the deaths of the Romanovs and the search for the true story, An extensive bibliography follows. I found this novel very long and very slow, I had a hard time getting through it knowing what happened to the Romanovs, I liked the characterization of each of the Grand Duchesses but I felt that their personalities really did not show through in their diarylike chapters, I couldn't tell which sister was telling the story without looking, The strongest voices are Olga and Anastasia, I also felt that the author did a little TOO much research, She includes many Russian words and phrases, some of which are unnecessary when the English word will do just as well, I had to keep checking the glossary which interrupted the flow of the story as I was reading, I'm not sure I would recommend this book to teens unless they have an intense interest in the Romanovs, I would recommend this book to adults who love history but haven't really explored historical fiction, .
are without Goodreads I never would've heard of or read this book, I rarely read YA unless it's by an author I love, a subject I enjoy or it comes highly recommended, The Lost Crown met two out of three requirements, For once it was a fictionalized account of the last years of the Romanovs told by the four grand duchesses, not by just one daughter, It also doesn't include forbidden romance or escapes from Impatiev House, Instead the author does a tremendous job of giving each daughter her own voice and distinct personality, It was easy to tell who was narrating each chapter without having to flip back and check, From Tatiana's prim proper take charge attitude, to Olga's practical yet melancholy views, Maria's gentle kindness and Anastasia who goes from childish and immature to starting to grow up.
History came alive and these four young women went from black and white pictures in a history book to the living breathing souls they were, It was heartbreaking when they were separated, their parents and Maria going to Tobolsk while the others stayed behind, The anticipation and joy of their reunion came right through the page, as did the tension as more and more was taken away from them and all began to ponder what their fate would be.
The ending I found to be just right, not graphic or gory, After getting to know the young women throughout the book I couldn't have stomached Olga describing her final moments in that cellar room, The ending was as it should be, we all know how it ended and if you don't you should read about it in a history book, Loved the book and might even give the author another try as she knows how to write great historical fiction, Is that
HISTORICAL ACCURACY
This is the definitive book on the last Romanov children, It is interesting, historically accurate, and could hardly be described as childish, Miller takes the wise idea to use all four sister to display their unity but also the secrets they keep from each other, I don't think I'll ever forget how Tatiana says "you won't tell the little pair, " It's so poignant and beautiful, In addition, it showed how bad Anastasia is as a sole narrator the "little pair" being Anastasia and Maria as they lacked so much in political knowledge, While not making Anastasia "the special" it showed a realistic idea of how she thought of herself, I had that quote memorized for some time,
This was also one of few Romanov fiction books that had a solid, concrete theme, Carolyn Meyer attempts one in sitelinkAnastasia and Her Sisters but "Duty was duty, and we had not choice" made me cringe, Many others don't attempt it, In addition, Miller does not make this strictly Christian but is not afraid to include biblical references, Some may criticize, but the references to Job and Romans brought the latter part of the book alive,
The one thing is, though, avoid using a prologue set in, That was the one thing sitelinkThe Tsarina's Daughter got right,
Pay nod heed to the girly cover, some serious people and boys will probably not be caught dead with this one for the sole sake of its cover.
I was misled and many other may be as well,
Id been looking forward to this for ages, but only realised it was a YA when I started reading it, Narrated by the Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia, it sets the tone perfectly for its target audience, and I know that myyear old self discovering the Romanovs for the first time would have loved it.
As it was, it all wore a bit thin and ended up being a DNF my teenage self would have rated it at leaststars!
The most historically accurate piece of fiction about the lives of the Romanov sisters I've had the pleasure of reading.
The writing is beautiful and the different voices have a way of being similar enough that you honestly believe the speakers are all close siblings but different enough not to get redundant.
I also give this a big thumbs up for following the girls' story all the way to the end where they meet their tragic deaths this shouldn't be a spoiler, considering it's history and most people know this happened.
Most books of this sort seem only to go up to their time in early imprisonment, Except for The Tsarina's Daughter which I did not care much for, and thought wildly improbable,
I DID like House of Special Purpose, which also follows them to the bitter end, but that took a LOT of obvious liberties,
One cool thing about this book The Lost Crown is that its one of the few fictional books you can bring up in the presence of a 'Romanov purist' aka a particular brand of history buffs who hate most fictional portrayals of the Romanovs, and get smoke coming out both their ears if you mention Don Bluth's Anastasia without causing them to foam at the mouth.
This book has won even most of them over for its beauty and Historial accuracy, Which really should speak for itself on how GOOD a job Miller did here,
If asked if this or Meyer's slightly more recent Anastasia And Her Sisters along the same plotline as this one is the superior piece of Romanov sisters fiction, I would have to admit that's not an easy question to answer.
Both books have VERY good, historically accurate, portrayals of Anastasia and Olga Romanov,
Here are some points to consider if you're planning on reading only one of these similar books and are debating which to choose,
The Lost Crown, strictly as a novel, is better executed, You get a look into all four of Tsar Nicholas' daughters' heads, not just one or two, And through each of them a more solid idea of the others around them, From Olga and Anastasia's pov chapters, I felt very connected to their little brother, From Olga's alone, we get
a better view of their father, From Tatiana, we understand their mother Alexandra and her struggles, From Maria, you get more sympathy for persons outside the strict family unit, such as the guards,
It also just has a better flow with natural dialogue, At no point did I feel Sarah Miller struggled between writing this as almost a text book and recalling it's really a novel, She knew what she was doing and she did it well,
Despite the brutal realness, The Lost Crown leans a smidge more towards sugary sentimental views on the royal family than Meyer's book, You never quite get the feeling Olga is more depressed or even angry than her sisters in Lost Crown, which it seems likely she was in real life, Even the gun she conceals on her person until she's forced to give it up is not shown in a sinister or ominous manner its just for protection, If you lean more to the view that all four girls were largely uninformed of the danger of their situation beyond a few inklings, Miller's work will keep you with that assumption.
Meyer's seemed to have darker implications, with Olga growing bitter and Maria almost blissfully oblivious in contrast, Anastasia caught someplace in the middle,
Timing/romances. There isn't really any romance in The Lost Crown, This could be because it begins later in time than Meyer's, so there was no place to include Olga/Pavel, But any other possible crushes, such as with soldiers in the hospitals, or their own male cousins, aren't touched on either in Lost Crown, The book doesn't suffer for this in the least, as it wouldn't have added anything important, but it is a major difference between the two works, Meyer's book not only touches on Olga's ill fated romance, it strongly implies Anastasia may have been in love with Dr, Botkin's son.
So it comes down to preferences, If you want more showing and sentimental views, Lost Crown will please you most, If you want more telling, with a cynical edge, try Meyer's book,
Personally I love both, but I think this book, Lost Crown nails the story of the tight knit family better, while the other one is broader and more clinical.
I have been fascinated by the doomed Romanov children for years, I think it's because they took so many photos of themselves, The photos make the imperial family in their pretty dresses and sailor suit with the occasional smile unusual in pictures of that era make them look approachable and real.
It makes their ending seem even more horrible,
The Lost Crown covers the last four years of the imperial family's life, It starts out at the beginning of World War I, when things are basically fine, with just an undercurrent of problems to come, The imperial children have a charmed, happy life, marred only by Aleksei's hemophilia,
The book is told from the alternating perspectives of the four girls: Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia, The author does a good job to give each character unique personalities, but having four voices going through basically the same things does make the book a bit confusing.
It is easy to forget that the girls were in their late teens and early twenties during this time period, Throughout the book, they seem much younger than their actual ages, They've been so sheltered throughout their lives, that they are more children than young women, They keep this naivete even as things go increasingly sour, While it seems odd that people of their age would be so immature, I am guessing this may be fairly realistic, They really were kept very sheltered,
I was surprised the book was as long as it was, The author did a good job of switching things up, showing things from different points of view, having events move steadily forward, but I still think you easily could have dockedpages.
That being said, I was impressed with how she managed to add plot and drama to the girls' lives in captivity when every day was really more of the same.
The main problem with this book can't be helped, It is Depressing, with a capital "D, " Not because the author makes it that way, but because it's reality, I became attached to these characters throughout the book, They were sweet, innocent, and loved Russia, But I knew there would be no happy ending, No last minute hero coming to rescue them, And I desperately wanted that, They lived every day completely ignorant that it was one day closer to their last and I knew going in when that last day would be, I was very impressed with the The Lost Crown's ending, She wrote the Romanov's deaths in a way that was simple and poignant, It brought some closure to an otherwise horrible tragedy,
The Lost Crown is a great book for anyone interested in the Romanov family, It's not a superspeedy read and it is very depressing, but it is consistently interesting and sweet,
Rating:./Dont be fooled, like I was, by this book cover, it looks like a light chicklit novel, but instead is it a well researched book on the last years of the Romanov sisters: Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia OTMA for short, daughters of tsar Nicholas II.
The author chose a mock diary format and the novel starts innocently enough, describing the girls privileged life and careless attitude, Soon enough the tone changes as the characters lives turn upside down during the events of WWI, The royal family is slowly stripped of their life of luxuries, to be effectively held prisoners and eventually coveting a breath of fresh air from a small open window painted white from the outside!.
My experience of reading this book has been similar to watching the slow progress of a train wreck to its abrupt and bloodied end,
The book focuses on the royal family and as such it does not reveal the events happening outside their limited “world”, I would have preferred that a timeline been included with historical events happening during the book narration, as well as a better map the places where the family travels are strangely not included in the one provided.
As an avid Romanov reader, I never liked Romanov fiction,
Many people have tried over and over to capture the Romanovs in fiction, but nobody really managed to capture the Romanovs, The Romanovs were real people who had faults, eccentricities and virtues, Rarely in fiction is the real history taken into consideration when writing,
Ms. Miller has put years of research and dedication into the Romanovs and it shows, Sarah Miller's book captures the Romanovs and I believe The Lost Crown has indeed set the bar for future Romanov fiction, An author's note includes details on the deaths of the Romanovs and the search for the true story, An extensive bibliography follows. I found this novel very long and very slow, I had a hard time getting through it knowing what happened to the Romanovs, I liked the characterization of each of the Grand Duchesses but I felt that their personalities really did not show through in their diarylike chapters, I couldn't tell which sister was telling the story without looking, The strongest voices are Olga and Anastasia, I also felt that the author did a little TOO much research, She includes many Russian words and phrases, some of which are unnecessary when the English word will do just as well, I had to keep checking the glossary which interrupted the flow of the story as I was reading, I'm not sure I would recommend this book to teens unless they have an intense interest in the Romanovs, I would recommend this book to adults who love history but haven't really explored historical fiction, .