audiobook Nicholas and Alexandra: The Family Albums by Prince Michael of Greece; Prince Mishael Of Greece; Prince Mishael of Greece in History

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. THESE PHOTOS ARE NEW TO ME!!!By TearoseAnother purchaser has said that these are the same pictures seen in other books. Well; I've read and purchased a good deal on the Romanovs; and these were new pictures to me!!! I'm about 3/4 of the way through the book; and out of the hundreds of photos; I've seen maybe 20 of them--and possibly they were new ones from the same "series" of photos as others I've seen; largely on Internet sites and without the accompanying commentary that puts them in context.The Grand Duchesses are shown in many situations beyond the formal portraits that are commonly seen. What a tragedy that they never got to become wives and mothers! I read the other day that Alexandra was only 46 when she died; and that is also very sad. There are even photos of Rasputin (only 2 because he avoided having his photo taken); and they are very telling. Among the comments was the fact that Alexandra's sister; Elizabeth; who became a nun ; rarely visited her sister in St. Petersburg because she disapproved strongly of Rasputin.All in all; this is an excellent book; and a great addition to the library of any Romanov aficionado; both in terms of photos and family information. I've really enjoyed it so far; and recommend it highly.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. She may not have been the greatest beauty of the four sisters (that distinction surely goes ...By Constant ViewerAt the time this book was published in 1992; the bulk of these photographs had never been seen since 1917. Their novelty at the time of publication is enhanced here by the book's authorship; Prince Michael of Greece is the son of Prince Christopher of Greece (a maternal uncle of Prince Philip); and thus a first cousin of Nicholas II. Christopher was old enough to have been a frequent visitor at the Romanov court and left an intriguing memoir; one of the primary sources for our knowledge of the inner workings of the last Imperial family of Russia. (Christopher once approached the Tsar about marrying one of the Grand Duchesses; Nicholas replied that the girl was still too young for married life.)Most of the pictures here are private family snapshots; which makes them even more valuable as sources for the Romanovs' family life. In some respects they are quite helpful. Anastasia; for example; was given to mugging whenever anybody pointed a camera at her; if she didn't make a face; she scowled or pouted (pp. 108; 191; 200). It was consequently difficult to be quite sure of her appearance until the publication of these (and other) photographs. The wide selection of photos in this book offers enough evidence for Prince Michael to point out; rightly; that the rare occasions on which Anastasia did not pull faces do reveal her fine; regular features (pp. 139; 221 and 231; where Anastasia is at the far left). She may not have been the greatest beauty of the four sisters (that distinction surely goes to Tatiana; the second oldest); but she would have held her own if; as Prince Michael says; "she had had the chance to grow up."In other cases; however; Prince Michael slips up; though this is probably the result of a lack of general knowledge about the family's private lives that still prevailed in the early 1990s. For example; on p. 218 (top); Anastasia is obviously smoking a cigarette as the sisters relax against a haystack. This was certainly astounding at the time Michael wrote; and he suggests that the Grand Duchess might only have been pretending to smoke since the Empress was present and "she would never have allowed her daughters to smoke." Today we know; thanks to the publication of letters and other photographs; that all 4 of the Tsar's daughters and his son smoked; one snapshot (not in this book) shows Nicholas putting a cigarette in a holder into Anastasia's mouth as she draws on it; and another (also omitted here) shows Anastasia lighting her cigarette from Olga's. One of the Empress' surviving letters records that after Nicholas left Tsarskoe Selo for his army command post; she lay on a sofa and smoked "to get myself in order." (A memoir by one of her ladies-in-waiting notes that Alexandra did not smoke as a young woman; but took up the habit during World War I to help her deal with stress.) If this minor error can be excused on the grounds that Michael could not have known about the other photographs and letters; he none the less makes some errors of fact that could have been avoided---for example; in the caption to the photos on p. 231; he says that the young Romanovs had mumps early in 1917. In fact they had caught a particularly virulent form of measles that was then plaguing the St Petersburg region. Not mumps.Such glitches aside; however; this wonderful book was inarguably the first to open a long-forgotten window on a family's loving life and their terrible deaths. Whether Nicholas and Alexandra themselves merited the fate dealt out to them; their children surely did not; a point this publication makes abundantly clear.14 of 14 people found the following review helpful. Behind palace walls...By Cynthia K. RobertsonThere are many books of pictures of the Romanov family; but Nicholas and Alexandra: The Family Albums by Prince Michael of Greece is probably the best of the bunch. Since Nicholas became tsar and husband at almost the same time; their family life is very well documented in pictures. There are the usual official photographs taken by professional photographers. But the Romanov's were also big shutterbugs. They all owned cameras and it is in these candid shots that we really get a chance to see life within the palace walls. In addition to formal portraits; we see the Imperial Family at work; at play; on vacation and just relaxing. We also see extended family members (most of them European royalty from England; Sweden; Germany; Denmark and others). Many of these photographs were taken from the albums of individual family members; and were hidden in communist archives. They were only made available after perestroika.This book also gives us a glimpse of the many residences of the Romanov's. While the Alexander Palace was their primary home; they also spent time in the Crimea (Livadia Palace); Spala (their hunting lodge in Poland); Standart and Polar Star (Imperial Yachts); and The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. Some of these photographs are of never before seen interior shots.Nicholas and Alexandra are criticized for being ineffective rulers; but in one thing they can't be faulted--they were loving and devoted parents. The closeness of their family life comes through very clearly in The Family Albums. There are also pictures of their captivity; that are extremely haunting. But looking at this book just magnifies the tragedy of their fate. They gave up not just palaces; jewels; clothes and priceless objects; but because of poor leadership; they also cost this beautiful family their lives. That is the most heartbreaking loss of all.