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Alix and Nicky: The Passion of the Last Tsar and Tsarina Hardcover – January 17, 2012

4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 91 ratings

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The dramatic story of Emperor Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra Fyodorovna, the last Tsar and Tsarina of Russia―A penetrating and deeply personal study that gives profound psychological insight into their marriage and how it shaped the events that engulfed them.

There are few characters in history about whom opinion has been more divided than the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II, and his wife the Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna. On one hand, they are venerated as saints, innocent victims of Bolshevik assassins, and on the other they are impugned as the unwitting harbingers of revolution and imperial collapse, blamed for all the ills that befell the Russian people in the 20th century. Theirs was also a tragic love story; for whatever else can be said of them, there can be no doubt that Alix and Nicky adored one another. Soon after their engagement, Alix wrote in her fiancé's diary: "Ever true and ever loving, faithful, pure and strong as death"―words which met their fulfillment twenty-four years later in a blood-spattered cellar in Ekaterinburg.

Through the letters and diaries written by the couple and by those around them, Virginia Rounding presents an intimate, penetrating, and fresh portrayal of these two complex figures and of their passion―their love and their suffering. She explores the nature and possible causes of the Empress's ill health, and examines in depth the enigmatic triangular relationship between Nicky, Alix and their ‘favourite,' Ania Vyrubova, protégée of the infamous Rasputin, extracting the meaning from words left unsaid, from hints and innuendoes..

The story of Alix and Nicky, of their four daughters known collectively as ‘OTMA' and of their hemophiliac little boy Alexei, is endlessly fascinating, and Rounding makes these characters come alive, presenting them in all their human dimensions and expertly leading the reader into their vanished world.

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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

If you thought Robert Massie had the last word on the ill-fated czar and czarina in the seminal Nicholas and Alexandra (1967), think again. Both reviled and revered for the roles they played as catalysts and victims of the Bolshevik Revolution that would be their undoing, the legendary Alix and Nicky live on as one of the most controversial pair of lovers in history. Focusing on their passionate affinity for one another, Rounding places her subjects firmly into historical context without losing sight of how their passions and their personalities were shaped by and helped to shape the dramatic social and political events swirling about them. Fulfilling her mission to penetrate the souls of her subjects, Rounding provides an original slant on an ever-enduring, always intriguing duo. Scholars and casual readers who can never get enough of the Romanovs and their hangers-on will feast on this meaty biographical buffet. --Margaret Flanagan

Review

“[Rounding] paints a vivid portrait of a sensual and intellectual woman.” ―Washington Post on Catherine the Great

“An engrossing bio [Grade:] A” ―Entertainment Weekly on Catherine the Great

“Brings Catherine alive, and not least in her relations with the men she drew to her side.” ―Foreign Affairs on Catherine the Great

“[The author] captures the distinct experience of each of these women and offers a vivid portrait of their world, in both its splendor and its seaminess.” ―The Boston Globe on Grandes Horizontales

“Ms. Rounding skillfully describes the rise and fall of second-empire Paris, combining historical accuracy with a thoughtful analysis of the dangers of the demi-mondaine . . . Evocative, lively, and ultimately heartbreaking.” ―Richmond Times-Dispatch on Grandes Horizontales

“Well-researched, intelligent, and compassionate.” ―Kirkus Reviews on Grandes Horizontales

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Press; First Edition (January 17, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 031238100X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0312381004
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.34 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.46 x 1.51 x 9.54 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 91 ratings

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Virginia Rounding
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Virginia Rounding is an author, editor, proofreader and indexer, and professional member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading. Her most recent book is The Burning Time, an investigation of the circumstances, motivations and deaths of the men and women burnt at the stake - and of those who set fire to them - in London in the mid-16th century.

Her previous book was a fresh examination of the lives of the last Emperor and Empress of Russia: Alix and Nicky: The Passion of the Last Tsar and Tsarina. A reviewer commented in the Washington Times: ‘she has brought them to life in flesh and blood perhaps better than any previous writer on the subject. This is partly a result of her skill in rooting out and quoting commentary on them by those who knew them well and put their impressions down in letters and diaries. But she has a knack for building on these insights with her own, and so has produced a more rounded portrait than we have ever had before.’

Virginia has also written a biography of the Empress Catherine II (Catherine the Great: Love, Sex and Power, 2006, described in the Daily Telegraph as ‘a thumping great triumph of a book’). This was preceded by a study of French courtesans (Grandes Horizontales, 2003), described in the Independent as ‘impeccably researched, a flirt of a book, enjoyable and sexy’).

Virginia is also the joint author, with Martin Dudley, of a series of books on church administration, and has reviewed widely for a variety of newspapers and magazines, including the Daily Telegraph, FT Magazine, Independent, Daily Mail and Moscow Times. She currently lives in Birmingham.

In addition to being a writer herself, Virginia specialises in the copy-editing of academic texts, working both with publishers and book packagers and directly with academics, as well as offering a proofreading service to PhD and Master’s students, and on occasion to undergraduates. She was Royal Literary Fund Fellow at The Courtauld Institute of Art from 2008 to 2011.

She was educated at Merchant Taylors’ School for Girls, Great Crosby, and at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University of London.

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Customers find the book informative and well-researched. They find it insightful and a great find. The author is described as outstanding and the price was good.

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11 customers mention "Information quality"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative and well-researched. They appreciate the detailed account and new insights into the life of the last Romanovs. The author does a meticulous job of research and presentation of the material.

"...The author has done a good job researching and linking letters, diary pieces, and historical data to take us deeper into the thoughts of these great..." Read more

"...The author has done a meticulous job of research and presentation of the material." Read more

"...read several books on Nicholas and Alexandra and this book provides new information and tells old stories in a new way...." Read more

"A very well written and well documented historical book about Nicholas and Alexandra of Russia and the long rein of a guy better fit to be a farmer..." Read more

8 customers mention "Readability"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable and worth reading. They say it's an outstanding author's work, and a great find for libraries.

"...number of books on the Nicholas and Alexandra, and this has been a great find...." Read more

"This is an enjoyable book to read, but it contains many errors, and does not add any new information re Nicholas and Alexandra to Romanov..." Read more

"A very well written and well documented historical book about Nicholas and Alexandra of Russia and the long rein of a guy better fit to be a farmer..." Read more

"...Worth reading." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2012
    I have read a great number of books on the Nicholas and Alexandra, and this has been a great find. I recommend it to those who already have read several resources and want something extra. The author has done a good job researching and linking letters, diary pieces, and historical data to take us deeper into the thoughts of these great people, Nickolas and Alexandra, and their personal life. Has a lot of information I had not read anywhere else. This was the best part of all.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2012
    I opened Alix and Nicky expecting a focus on the very great and undeniable love between the last Russian Tsar and his Empress. At first I was somewhat put off by the large amount of material on Russian political, social, and military developments during Nicholas II's reign and by the discussions of Russian Orthodox theology, but then I realized that all of that was linked to the imperial couple's great love story and that it all does, indeed, have a place in this book.

    Most people with an interest in Russian history are probably aware of the basic outline of Nicholas and Alexandra's love story: how the Russian tsarevich fell in love with Queen Victoria's shy granddaughter and eventually convinced her to change her religion and marry him, their adored family of four pretty girls and one hemophiliac boy, Alexandra (and to a lesser extent Nicholas)'s dependence on the corrupt holy man Gregory Rasputin, and their eventual overthrow and murder during the Russian Revolution. Its all been ably chronicled many times, most enduringly by Robert K. Massie's Nicholas and Alexandra. Virginia Rounding covers this material again, but with plenty of new and sometimes surprising information that challenges long held assumptions. For example, Nicholas may not have been the intellectual dullard he's usually made out to be, and he was far more resistant to Alexandra (and Rasputin)'s demands during World War I than popularly believed. For her part Alexandra loved Nicholas to the point of obsession, but her self absorption and focus on her own ailments meant her daughters were alternately neglected or emotionally controlled almost to the point of abuse, while her son was spoiled and pampered. The Tsar and Empress's strong Orthodox faith gave them enormous comfort, but also tended to enhance his fatalism and her determination to preserve Russian autocracy.

    I've read quite a bit about Nicholas II and his family over the years, but I was surprised by the amount of information I didn't know, chiefly in the form of anecdotes about the children, that is included in Alix and Nicky. This is particularly interesting since most of Rounding's sources are secondary and she apparently did no archival research. I was amused by the story of the Grand Duchesses' adventurous day out on their own on the Isle of Wight in 1909, and I was intrigued by the frightening vision of a "horrible man" Maria and Anastasia suffered as small children. Unfortunately the Notes at the end are somewhat rudimentary, making it difficult to determine the sources of some of these stories. Perhaps the most interesting chapter is the last one, in which Rounding does a fine job analyzing the family's final days in the light of Orthodox spirituality, interspersed with quotes from the books of Amos and Obadiah, which Alexandra read the day before she and her family were murdered.
    44 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2013
    The book is in excellent condition as advertised. I recommend it for anyone interested in Nicholas II and Alexandra of Russia. The author has done a meticulous job of research and presentation of the material.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2012
    This is an enjoyable book to read, but it contains many errors, and does not add any new information re Nicholas and Alexandra to Romanov students.
    The second illustration is captioned as being taken in 1903, whereas it is a very well known photograph taken on the engagement of Nicky and Alix in 1894, in Coburg, and is incorrectly listed in the list of illustrations.
    Also I found it particularly annoying that Alix is said to be the third daughter of Princes Alice. We all know Alix was the fouth daughter, after her sisters Victoria, Elizabeth and Irene. These are just a few of the glaring errors I noticed, and I find it amazing that a serious biography would be printed without correction.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2016
    About half way through reading it. I've read several books on Nicholas and Alexandra and this book provides new information and tells old stories in a new way. I'm really enjoying it, but it might not be a good book for first time exposure to this story. For that I would recommend Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert Massie.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2013
    Despite my lifelong interest in the Romanovs and Russian history, this book wasn't an enjoyable read.
    It was an exhausting slog through pages of transcribed correspondence.
    I got the feeling the author simply didn't want to leave anything out. She had their letters in front of you, and by golly, she intended to let you read every word. (I exaggerate.) There were times when I wanted to shout, "GIve me the part that matters! Emphasize something!"
    Some paragraphs run well over a page long, and may include a half-dozen or a dozen names on as many topics. One gets lost ...
    A minor complaint: In the List of Illustrations near the beginning, the photographs are numbered. But on the coated-stock photo pages in the center, the photographs have no numbers.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2016
    A very well written and well documented historical book about Nicholas and Alexandra of Russia and the long rein of a guy better fit to be a farmer rather than an autocratic. czar
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2013
    Jolene Singleterrry
    I found this book very detailed as it is based on first and secondary sources. Comparing it to Last of the Romanovs, I found it more detailed into the life of Alexei who never got to be czar. It also commented on the strange lack of reaction to the deaths of the Romanovs by the British royal family. George V and Czar Nicholas looked like twins after all.
    The strange hold of Ania Vyrubova, a protegee of the infamous Rasputin is also explored. She was not a relative and more like a lady in waiting who the royal family allowed to infringe in their lives and on their lives.
    Again comparing the Last of the Romanovs, there is no mention of the violation of the royal bodies after their deaths as there is in the former book. I find this omission unexplainable after all the other detailed minutia in the book. Is the author somehow schemish on this subject?
    Nevertheless, this book was an enormous amount of work to pull together all these sources that were gathered , examined and verified.
    One truly feels that the Romanovs were doomed by history and timing and the mystery of why the entire family was wiped out is a surely shameful commentary on the Russian revolution.
    Worth reading.
    4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Ana Rosa
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderftul to own this book
    Reviewed in Canada on January 20, 2017
    Wonderful book. Glad to have it.
  • S. Ramsey-Hardy
    5.0 out of 5 stars thoughtful and stimulating
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 5, 2013
    Readers interested in the Romanovs might feel they have read all there is to know about this famous couple (this is what I was inclined to think). But this new book about the last Tsar and Tsarina is welcome, and it has something fresh to offer in its approach to the subject.

    Virginia Rounding takes up a thoughtful position on many aspects of this famous story, and she draws the reader in by her sensitivity. The book raises ideas about people and events, without sticking to strict chronology. Ms.Rounding examines topics sympathetically, whilst putting to use well-researched evidence and comment, and her gentle manner gives the reader space to explore ideas.

    Throughout this book the Tsar and Tsarina are usually referred to intimately as "Nicky" and "Alix", and the author presents them to us primarily as very human individuals. She makes apparent the Tsar's extraordinary charm, but how he was unsuited by temperament to his role as an autocrat. In a different setting, his remarkable qualities of tact and self-control would have made him an ideal constitutional sovereign.

    The author makes an interesting attempt to understand the Tsarina's ill-health, and she makes the novel suggestion that Alexandra had problems resulting from the inherited gene of Porphyria. This malady appears to have afflicted European royal families for centuries (in particular, Mary, Queen of Scots and King George III). There is no doubt that the Tsarina also carried the gene of Haemophilia. The resulting combination -the genes of two serious maladies- was presumably an extremely rare occurance. Alexandra's grandmother Queen Victoria may have been similarly afflicted.

    The increasing emotional and psychological burden on Alexandra, beginning with the life-threatening illness of her son, and which culminated in the murder of her confidante Rasputin and the Abdication of her husband, would probably have crushed most people -but not the Tsarina. Despite all these problems it is surprising that the author is still quite hard on Alexandra, and Rounding refers to her "invalidism".

    The author also tries to explore the intense and baffling relationship that existed between the couple and their friend Anna Vyrubova, though she admits this mysterious triangle is in the end, "inexplicable".

    Nicholas and Alexandra evoke our sympathetic response today partly because we are aware of the stress they endured over the illness of their haemophiliac son Alexei (which was a state secret), and because we know about the terrible end which awaited them. This intimate view of the Tsar and Tsarina, with hindsight, can mislead us. It needs to be said that this was definitely not how the Sovereigns were perceived by the millions of ordinary people in the Tsar's Empire.

    To most of the huge Russian population at the time the Tsar and Tsarina were little more than a powerful idea. The masses were entirely unaware of the two human individuals who are portrayed by the author in this book. Most Russians were much more conscious of the Autocracy of the Tsar, a despotic system symbolised by the Romanov Eagle. From the moment of his accession the maintenance of the Autocracy was the Tsar's avowed policy, and more and more the distant Tsar was hated for the political repression which was carried out in his name.

    Perceptive assessments are suggested by the author, but she generally avoids imposing her own judgments on history, Rounding usually gives us room to reach our own verdicts. Events after the Abdication of the Tsar are only summarised, but elsewhere the book is fairly thorough in its discussion of most themes. The author's thoughtful approach will be appreciated by all readers with an historical imagination -especially those who appreciate 'historical reverie' !

    Even if little of the factual information in this book is completely new, it will nevertheless be welcomed by everyone seeking a sensitive retelling of this fascinating and haunting story.

    (You wonder why a book by an English writer, published in London, and printed in the U.K., needs to adopt American spelling ?)
  • Alun d
    4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely worth reading
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 22, 2019
    I have had a long standing interest in Tzar Nicholas the second and his life and have read at least half a dozen books about it. I think this is the best I have read. Certainly better research, more objective and more balanced than Massies book which is basically a obsequious whitewash. I would definitely start with this and not masses book. My only slight problem with this book is in the last chapter where the author keeps quoting from the Bible – I really do not understand the relevance. There is also not enough background on Rasputin and who he was. I think you need that to understand his role properly.But these are minor quibbles – this is a very good book both for the expert and the Amata interested in this subject.
  • AussieRuth
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well written and a bit different.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 17, 2024
    Not the usual run of the mill books on these two. It was more in depth and the author thought and talked about their movies etc and their letters to each other in detail.. OK, they always loved each other but Alix bullied quiet introvert Nicky, especially during WWI.
    I really enjoyed this book. Another keeper for my collection.
  • veramills
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not very interesting
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 18, 2013
    Lots of books are written about this subject and I was eagerly awaiting this book. I did not find it terrible interesting and did not read it through. In fact I am not recommending it as there is so much to read in these days and not necessary to use time on books which do not fulfill your expectations.