Review:I Was Anastasia

Title: I Was Anastasia 

Author: Ariel Lawhon

Publisher: 2nd October 2024 by Simon & Schuster Australia

Pages: 430 pages

Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Historical Fiction | Russia

Rating: 4.5 cups

Synopsis:

From the bestselling author of  The Frozen River  comes an enthralling historical mystery that unravels the extraordinary twists and turns in Anna Anderson’s fifty-year battle to be recognised 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, 1918: Under direct orders from Vladimir Lenin, Bolshevik secret police herd 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, 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, Anna Anderson 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 rumours begin to circulate that the youngest Romanov daughter survived the massacre, old enemies and new threats awaken.

I Was Anastasia unravels the thrilling mystery around Anna Anderson in a tale that is every bit as moving and momentous as it is harrowing and twisted.

My Thoughts

I first came across Ariel with her book, Flight of Dreams (about the Hindenburg disaster) in 2016 - it was brilliant. From that book on it has been wonder after wonder including last year’s huge success, The Frozen River. It is therefore needless to say, I was filled with anticipation about her latest to be finally released in Australia, I Was Anastasia. 

‘Am I truly Anastasia Romanov? A beloved daughter. A revered icon. A Russian grand duchess. Or am I an impostor? A fraud. A liar. The thief of another woman’s legacy.’

I have a fascination for the Romanov family, as Ariel states herself, ‘The Romanovs are not the only royal family to come to a tragic end, yet their story endures as few have. What do you think contributes to the timeless fascination - that of Anastasia in particular?  It was indeed an ambitious undertaking to tell a story of such famed repute and the way she delivers it is complex but I think, very rewarding. Yes the multiple timelines - Anastasia herself and Anna Anderson (see blurb) - are interwoven throughout. Make no mistake, they do jump around all over the place being nonlinear. Even Ariel admits the structure is very challenging and different but it was selected so as to enhance and bring out the absolute best in this tale. 

‘The recognized, legal, and surviving family of Tsar Nicholas the Second believe that you are a fraud.’

No matter how much or how little you know of the story of Anastasia Romanov, Ariel’s book brings these rich and highly engaging stories (yes, more than one!) to their most appealing. The detail and specifics that she delivers to her readers is nothing short of spectacular. Be sure to take time to truly sink into Ariel’s, ‘Author Notes’ at the conclusion. I Was Anastasia  is a definite stand out book for me and I highly recommend it as it ticks so many boxes. It is complex yet clear in regaling readers about an intriguing mystery from history. If a tale rich in research of time, place, people and mystery sounds inviting, then do yourself a favour and read it. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: A Shadow in Moscow

Title: A Shadow in Moscow

Author: Katherine Reay

Publisher: 13th June 2023 by Harper Muse

Pages: 384 pages

Genre: historical fiction, Russia, mystery, WWII, Espionage, Thrillers

Rating: 5 cups

Synopsis:

A betrayal at the highest level risks the lives of two courageous female spies: MI6's best Soviet spy and the CIA's newest Moscow recruit. As the KGB closes in, a compromise must be struck if either woman hopes to survive.

Vienna, 1954

After losing everyone she loves in the final days of World War II, Ingrid Bauer agrees to a hasty marriage with a gentle Soviet embassy worker and follows him home to Moscow. But nothing deep within the Soviet Union's totalitarian regime is what it seems, including her new husband, whom Ingrid suspects works for the KGB. Upon her daughter's birth, Ingrid risks everything and reaches out in hope to the one country she understands and trusts--Britain, the country of her mother's birth--and starts passing along intelligence to MI6, navigating a world of secrets and lies, light and shadow.

Washington, DC, 1980

Part of the Foreign Studies Initiative, Anya Kadinova finishes her degree at Georgetown University and boards her flight home to Moscow, leaving behind the man she loves and a country she's grown to respect. Though raised by dedicated and loyal Soviet parents, Anya soon questions an increasingly oppressive and paranoid Soviet regime at the height of the Cold War. When the KGB murders her bestfriend, Anya picks sides and contacts the CIA. Working in a military research lab, Anya passes along Soviet military plans and schematics in an effort to end the 1980s arms race.

Alternating points of view keep readers on their toes as the past catches up to the present when an unprecedented act of treachery in 1985 threatens all undercover agents operating within the Soviet Union, and both Ingrid and Anya find themselves in a race for their lives against time and the KGB.

My Thoughts

I have read many of Katherine’s books and enjoyed them all. It was almost ten years ago when I read her Jane Austen retellings and just a couple of years ago The London House, which I still remember well. So, I knew I was in for a great read …. I just did not realise how great a read this would turn out to be. 

‘She laid down her pride and truly became the shadow she needed to become.’

A Shadow in Moscow is an incredible Cold War novel that is so sophisticated and compelling that I highly recommend it. Katherine masterfully interweaves two stories  - one of Ingrid starting in Vienna in 1954 and then Anya in Washington 1980 and the convergence of the two plots is mindblowing. I love the two viewpoints, the two eras, the two contrasting lives. There is just so much to this tale. 

“… you said you wanted to make the world a better place for her. So did I. Our ideas of what that world should be differed. They still do.”

This is a masterclass on how to write a spy novel. The richness of history interwoven through fact and fiction is seamless. To be in the mind and understand what these people went through is truly eye opening. Katherine so eloquently opens readers eyes to both the pros and cons of Soviet politics and philosophy in a way that was most compelling from the conclusion of WWII, to the Cold War and living behind the Iron Curtain. This is a fresh take on post war/Cold War spy novels - feminine at its heart with two incredibly strong female protagonists and their determination to build a better world. 

‘Nothing feels right here. Some people believe we are closer than ever to the utopian and global Marxist-Leninist world dream, but we aren’t. It’s slipping away because it was never attainable’

As the story draws to its tension filled ending you will be on the edge of your reading seat in this absorbing Cold War tale. Memorable characters detailing incredible tales of bravery and espionage that lead to shattering conclusions. Everything about this book is well done. As I stated at the outset, I have been a fan of Katherine’s books for many years, but this one … well I think it is top of the list. It is that good! Be sure not to miss it. 

“That’s the pain of the Cold War, Ingrid. Cold can burn low for a long, long time, never reaching the heat necessary to burn out . . .”

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOKSHOP | GOODREADS | BOOKBUB

 

AUTHOR BIO

Katherine Reay is a national bestselling and award-winning author who has enjoyed a lifelong affair with books. She publishes both fiction and nonfiction, holds a BA and MS from Northwestern University, and currently lives outside Chicago, Illinois, with her husband and three children. 

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST | GOODREADS

Review: The Last Tiara

Title: The Last Tiara

Author: M.J. Rose

Publisher: 2nd February 2021 by Blue Box Press

Pages: 437 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: Historical Fiction | Mystery & Thrillers

My Rating: 4.5 cups

Synopsis:

From New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller M.J. Rose comes a provocative and moving story of a young female architect in post-World War II Manhattan, who stumbles upon a hidden treasure and begins a journey to discovering her mother’s life during the fall of the Romanovs.

Sophia Moon had always been reticent about her life in Russia and when she dies, suspiciously, on a wintry New York evening, Isobelle despairs that her mother’s secrets have died with her. But while renovating the apartment they shared, Isobelle discovers something among her mother’s effects—a stunning silver tiara, stripped of its jewels.

Isobelle’s research into the tiara’s provenance draws her closer to her mother’s past—including the story of what became of her father back in Russia, a man she has never known. The facts elude her until she meets a young jeweler, who wants to help her but is conflicted by his loyalty to the Midas Society, a covert international organization whose mission is to return lost and stolen antiques, jewels, and artwork to their original owners.

Told in alternating points of view, the stories of the two young women unfurl as each struggles to find their way during two separate wars. In 1915, young Sofiya Petrovitch, favorite of the royal household and best friend of Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna, tends to wounded soldiers in a makeshift hospital within the grounds of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg and finds the love of her life. In 1948 New York, Isobelle Moon works to break through the rampant sexism of the age as one of very few women working in a male-dominated profession and discovers far more about love and family than she ever hoped for.

In M.J. Rose’s deftly constructed narrative, the secrets of Sofiya’s early life are revealed incrementally, even as Isobelle herself works to solve the mystery of the historic Romanov tiara (which is based on an actual Romanov artifact that is, to this day, still missing)—and how it is that her mother came to possess it. The two strands play off each other in finely-tuned counterpoint, building to a series of surprising and deeply satisfying revelations.

My Thoughts

M.J Rose delves into historical fiction once more in her latest, The Last Tiara. I am never sure what I will find in opening one of Rose’s books - some hit the mark and some miss. I am happy to say that on this occasion, it was a definite ‘hit’ for me. She has undertaken and written a fabulous historical tale which invokes a real sense of place combined with romance and intrigue. 

‘She was fascinated with how lives can change after one tiny moment that didn’t even seem consequential at the time, but in retrospect altered the trajectory of life.’

Always a sucker for anything concerning Russia and the loss of its monarchy, this is a story told in alternating chapters between Sofiya's life in Russia from 1915 through 1922, and her daughter, Isobelle in 1948. When Isobelle discovers a hidden tiara after her mother’s death, she embarks on a journey of discovery as her mother failed to disclose so much of her Russian youth to her. So much credible detail is provided on a range of themes from Russia and the time of revolution to Isobelle trying to cement her female self into the working life of New York just after the Second World War. 

‘My mother’s life before she came to America - well, she kept that from me. She was secretive about almost every part of it. When I found the tiara, I suppose I thought it would lead me to … answers about her past. And about mine.’

There is some romance for Isobelle as she takes steps to uncover the secrets her mother seemingly hid so well. Yet it is the story of the tiara that captivated me; I love a good historical mystery and believe Rose has done a fabulous job on this occasion as I was so easily transported to the various locations and time periods. The ending is intense and that just topped off a winning read. 

M.J. Rose has done her research and brought to life a possible scenario surrounding the last tiara from the House of Fabergé made for the Russian Imperial family. Anyone who is a fan of historical fiction and intrigue, especially surrounding fine art and jewellery you won’t be disappointed.

‘I move my head, and the tiara seems to wink at me. I don’t like the sight. It’s not a beautiful object, not anymore. Now, it’s just a remnant of another era, another life.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The Witches of St Petersburg

Title:  The Witches of St. Petersburg

Author: Imogen Edwards-Jones

Publisher: 25th October 2018 by Head of Zeus

Pages: 206 (400+)pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: historical fiction

My Rating: 2.5 cups

Synopsis:

Two Montenegrin princesses, Militza and Stana, are married into the Russian aristocracy of the last Tsar by their father. Initially shunned by society and, in Stana's case, married to a man she detests, life isn't easy.

Fascinated by the occult, the sisters soon become close to the Tsarina Alexandra who is willing to try anything to precipitate the birth of the son and heir the country longs for. If she puts her faith in them, Militza and Stana promise they can help the Tsarina produce a boy.

The girls hold seances, experiment with a variety of rituals and bring various men to the Tsarina who they feel have spiritual power. Their closeness to the Empress and power in court is undisputed: until, that is, Grigori Rasputin arrives. Militza and Stana, along with most of female Russian society, are intoxicated, but by bringing Rasputin into their lives, have they taken a fatal step too far?

My Thoughts

This is a really difficult book to review - so much potential but it did not really deliver. Delving into a little bit of everything, yet ending up just going round in circles. I also seriously question the ebook page tally of 206 - try doubling that at least. It adopts two main themes, Russian court drama combined with the supernatural - but it never really hits the mark.

It is a deceptively large (remember the questionable page tally) read with a vast array of characters (listed in the beginning) all pertaining to the dying days of the Romanov family rule in Russia. The author has most certainly done her research as she details the shallowness of the Russian aristocracy. The many characters provide a great insight into the cut throat life at court. If the tales here provide any indication, it is no wonder a revolution ensued.

‘There was distinctly more than a whiff of revolution in the air. It was a stench. Like the smell of smoke before a fire, people could sense it coming.’

Secondly, the book deals with a lot of supernatural themes. A lot. It’s so overt that some readers are bound to be put off with explicit sordid details. Once more, the author does not feign the details of character traits, sexual activities or occult outcomes. Dark or black magic is certainly at play here. I love reading about the Romanov’s but found their portrayal here sad, said to be driven by drugs and the influence of Rasputin.

‘But I am the reason Rasputin is not here!’ ‘To hell with him!’ ‘He’s the only one who can help.’ ‘You don’t really believe that! You’re much more powerful than him. You made him!’

There is such potential, but it is never fully realised in this opulent tale. It’s a strange read - really strange. The pace was slow which does not bode well for a large book and the repetition of the sisters attempts to influence the royal family become boring. Conceptually there is most definitely a story, but in fruition it failed to deliver. Without doubt, the author is most passionate and well informed with a plethora of facts and details from this period. So if the final days of a dying dynasty appeal to you then this window into Russian court life is the book for you.

‘No wonder my family are haunted by death, no wonder they hide in their palaces, fearful of assassination. No wonder they cower when they’ve been hunted and shot like dogs over and over again, for centuries.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release