This is one of those novels that I put down afterward, stared at it, and thought, "I have no idea how I feel about that." I sought a copy when I saw the moniker 'historical suspense' and it really delivered in an unexpected way. One of the best but most (potentially) off-putting aspects of this novel is the timeline. It is told non-linearly as the story begins with elderly Anna and ping-pongs between her (as she increasingly gets younger, her story line going backwards) and teenaged Anastasia whose story proceeds in the usual linear fashion. If you remember the film Memento, it's kinda like that. Eventually their timelines collide in the moment and you get this wash of understanding that was very satisfying as a reader. And, as it is with good suspense writing, suddenly it all makes sense!

I really enjoyed this keep-you-guessing format. The novel reads with a much faster pace than your typical historical fiction but with the familiar genre accoutrements of a large and complex cast and wonderful scenery description. So despite the high page count, this thing reads at that suspense can't-put-it-down rate. The characters are well-done with thoughtful complexity and I enjoyed watching Anna's/Anastasia's development into who she becomes over time. The events in the protagonist's life are well-researched and harbor the true darkness found in honest historical accounts.

It's an intriguing book with an exceptional story that I greatly enjoyed and would highly recommend, particularly to fans of Russian history such as myself or anyone who has ever wondered: what actually *did* happen to Anastasia?

Note: I received a free Kindle edition of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher Doubleday Books, and the author Ariel Lawhon for the opportunity to do so.

As a young girl, I was first introduced to the Romanov family through a National Geographic special about the family, downfall and subsequent murder of them by the new Russian regime. I don’t know why, but royal families have always intrigued me. I read all I could about the Romanovs as a girl and have continued to do so as an adult. I have also read materials about Anna Anderson in the past, as well as having seen some of the dramatizations mentioned in this book. Unlike possibly some of the readers, I have a solid background in the material. I knew how it would end. I knew what to expect. So the ending would have duped many other people, for sure. For me, it was interesting to see how the author tried to dupe a readership that they assumed would not know the story already. I think it was intriguing to see the back and forth between the two women. To see Anastasia Romanov and the short life she led, the fragments of hearsay that the author brought into her life that we don’t have much information about, and the family dynamics as their privacy and their way of life slowly fell apart. I know authors like Rappaport have filled in some of the gaps for us, but not enough I believe for the fiction we got as readers here. I also learned a bit about Anna Anderson that I didn’t know. I think my biggest issue with this book though is the suspension of disbelief. The assumption the author makes is that none of her readers are going to go Google Anna Anderson or Anastasia Romanov halfway or a quarter of a way through this book to find out if there is any merit to the story. This premise may have worked in a pre-Internet world. But now when so much information is at our fingertips, it doesn’t as much. It was entertaining read beyond that.

It took me a while to get used to how this book unfolds, but thankfully I did because it's a fascinating story from beginning to end. Now I'd like to check out some other books about the Romanov family. Thank you, Netgalley, for giving me the opportunity to read I Was Anastasia. It is a beautiful story.

I am not very familiar with the Romanov's, but I do have some limited knowledge. The content of this book made me want to do more research, which is something that I personally love. You could tell that there was a lot of research done, but it never really came off as dry, as some historical fiction can do. There were a few things that didn't work for me. The way this book is plotted and how we go backwards and forwards in time really got to me the further we got into the book. She explains why she wrote it, but having to constantly stop and think about how events really lined up took me out of the story and made it far less enjoyable than it could have been. Overall, it was just okay, I wanted to like it more than I did. Just average, 3 stars.

There have been many claims to be Anastasia Romanov throughout the years since the murder of the Romanov family but none more famous than Anna Anderson. Ariel Lawhon weaves their fictionalized stories together in an innovative and interesting way that leads you wondering through the entire novel if Anna Anderson is telling the truth or not.

The novel begins towards the end of Anna Anderson’s life when she’s living in Charlottesville, Virginia still trying to obtain a formal recognition of her place as Anastasia Romanov and then the novel jumps to Anastasia and her family in Alexander Palace during the revolution. Anna’s story goes backwards working toward her first claim to be Anastasia and Anastasia’s story goes forward ending in the basement in Siberia.

To be honest, this format made it a little hard to follow in the beginning. It takes a while to be acclimated to the way it’s told which it made it hard to get into at first. I found myself not always wanting to pick it back up, but my history-loving side wanted me to persevere. Once the format became more familiar, I realized it was definitely the right way to tell this story. It leaves you wondering the entire time if Anna Anderson is telling the truth. Lawhon tells Anastasia’s story in a way that makes you believe there’s a chance someone helped her escape up until the very end. You start wanting to believe Anna so badly that you become angry with her opponents along with her.

The adjustment in the beginning of the novel did take away from my overall rating. There are so many points of Anna’s life that are included and the jump backward several months to tell all the tidbits and details felt jarring at times. You have to figure out these new people in her life when in the story, they’ve been part of her life for years. It can feel like you’re constantly catching up. That gets exhausting after a while. The best part is in the second half where you feel like you have a grasp of the story and the suspense really starts to build. I think it’s very impressive that Lawhon took a famous story from history and turned it into a suspenseful novel.

I will be honest I did not like the timeline in this story. especially Anna's story it jumped around so much I was very confused. I usually like dual timelines but this one didn't work for me.

Perhaps, the fault lies with me, and I am simply not the reader for I Was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon because I know the history of Anastasia and Anna Anderson. I would love to hear the perspective of a reader not familiar with the history. Knowing a history does not make reading a story of that history any less engaging or entertaining. For me unfortunately, the circular structure of the book and its billing as a “historical suspense” make it not the book for me.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2018/09/i-was-anastasia.html

Reviewed for NetGalley

I had no idea about this entire time in history. I remeber the Disney movie as a kid but didn’t correlate it to The real Anatasia.

A little confusing when I started because of the writers way how she crossed the timelines but wow it was so good written that ways. While you move forward with Anatasia, yiu move back in time with Ana and collide. Amazing how it ended and it just really worked! This is my first book written with this author and won’t be the last.

So much information that lots of tones I would set the book aside and find myself researching the history not because the book was slow or boring, but because I really wanted to know more about this so called missing/found/notfound Princess of Russia!

I Was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon is a novel based on the historical figure of Anastasia Romanov. It is a fascinating read! Readers who love this story and the possibility of Anastasia living through the nightmare that killed her family. The author makes a richly detailed story that is filled with events that could have taken place. The story is told through two story lines-- in the past and one more current. I recommend this novel but gave it three stars because I think the two storylines became a little difficult to follow and keep straight at times. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the free ebook, the review is my own.

This book was an amazing journey through a highly controversial topic.

Most people have a vague understanding of the Anastasia story, how she was potentially the sole survivor of the Romanov family when all the events of the Russian revolution unfolded. This story lays in those events. Following Anna Anderson as she claims to be the Grand Duchess Anastasia.

In the past, there was no way to identify the family through the remains found and it was even hard knowing what remains supposedly belonged to who. Now, technology has been able to answer most of these questions. The drama though around the real story still captivates people's interest.

Though I really enjoyed this story. It did take a while for me to wrap my mind away the way it was being told. Anastasia's story was being told in a chronological way while Anna's story was in reverse. It was unique. It kept you wondering what was happening next. The chapters are clearly marked so as long as you are paying attention you can catch on easy.

I was impressed with the amount of research the author had put into the story. Yes, there was the fictional allowances but overall you could easily see the truth and real life people in the characters and events. This would be a great story to read if you do not know a lot of details of the Romanov story just as it was interesting to read knowing a lot.

I highly recommend this book!

Title: I Was Anastasia
Author: Ariel Lawhon
Publisher: Doubleday
Publish Date: 2018
Buy Link: https://goo.gl/RtahBB

Book Blurb: “If I tell you what happened that night in Ekaterinburg I will have to unwind my memory—all the twisted coils—and lay it in your palm.
Review of I Was Anastasia
Many have tried and failed to state that they were the long-lost daughter of Czar Nicholas the fated Czar to die with his entire family when they were assassinated in 1917. But all who have tried, have failed. This particular character is based on the one woman who came the closest to being considered the real Anastasia but she too was proven to be a fraud. This is a wonderful piece of historical fiction, but I have to admit that I am not a fan of historical fiction depending on the period.
Anastasia was the daughter of the Czar who was the end of a dynasty in Russia and also a friend of Rasputin. Despite the war going on the family was not really heard from or seen after the night they were rushed into hiding to protect the family. But even traveling as they were it wasn’t the other side of the war that got them- it was the side that guarded them. His own protectors took out his entire family by gunfire including the servants. It was a horrible way to go. Due to the fact that her body is not reportedly found with the rest, they thought she got away. But the historical record has it that her bones were indeed buried with the rest of the family and their servants.
Fast forward to the 1970’s where an elderly woman is being told once again that she is a fraud. That she is not really the fabled Anastasia come back from the dead who died at 17 years old. But she came the closest. She knew dates, times and people. Yet what I noticed was that the woman who claimed to be her was actually another young woman who ran away from home and tried to commit suicide resulting in her being placed in a sanatorium or a place like it. Her family didn’t know if she was safe unless the government or an attorney brought them to her.
This book is a good read only because it mixed fact with fiction. The fact is the actual written historical record of what happened to the Czar and his family following their getting onto the road of running for their lives. The fact is the information contained in the court records for one Anna. The fiction is filling in the blanks where the history doesn’t go.
I highly recommend this read to those who like historical fiction but for me, it was a long and difficult read. I give it 3 ½ stars.

Disclosure: I did not receive any compensation for the review of this novel except for an electronic copy of the book proof.

Lawhorn's knack for historical fiction is on display in this book. The Janussian way of telling this story through dual narratives is compelling and will keep you curious until the end. The story of the Romanovs is a dark and sad one, and her compassion displayed for the family as well as Anna's life in the years after is evident. This will make for excellent book club discussions.

I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I Was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon tells the story of Anastasia Romanov and her family and how they were killed by a firing squad. Or were they? I Was Anastasia also tells the story of Anna Anderson who claims to be Anastasia Romanov. The story of Anastasia is told from a normal timeline perspective. The story of Anna Anderson is told starting when she is an old woman going backwards in time. The two stories alternate until they merge into one and you learn if Anna Anderson was really Anastasia Romanov.
I really loved the way this book was done and it built on the suspense for me. I knew the story of Anastisia before reading this and I still was not sure what the author was going to do. I also felt like I better understood each of these women and I loved the themes of mercy and kindness and hope that were shown in unexpected ways. I loved the ending!

The past and present, back and forth was a bit hard to get used to at the beginning, but once you got into the story it wasn't too bad. I've been fascinated with Anastasia and the Romanov family since I was 8 and this was a good read because of that.

I was pulled into this story, the mystery of who was who - Anastasia, Anna, are they the same person? Did Anastasia Romanov survive the massacre of her family in 1918? At some point along the way I forget there was the question is Anna actually Anastasia. Then again the extended Romanov family did not. This was an fascinating book, and somehow overcame most of the problem of the structure, at least my dislike of it..

In general one story is told in a linear fashion that is Anastasia Romanov's story that starts when the revolution begins and ends, well as expected. While the other character/Anna or Anastasia is told going backwards in time, so we begin at a point late in her life and then go towards the two stories collide. This is the time line I had the most trouble with since it would also switch often and not stay put in the timeline. I suspect this was done to throw the reader off balance. I guess it works, but I'm not a fan of it. For me I would have preferred something more straightforward, even just strictly going backward in time would have worked better.

Despite that it was a compelling story, and overall enjoyable.

I'll always love the story of Anastasia--from princess movie to the mysterious history. I am Anastasia is every bit as captivating, and I love the unique way the author writes the two timelines so that they meet in the middle. I'm not sure I've ever read a book that marches backwards like that.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

I Was Anastasia is a book of 2 parts interspersed with each other. In the first part, we have the life of Anna Anderson told in a reverse timeline, starting in 1970 and going back to 1918. After Anna Anderson was pulled from a river in Germany in a suicide attempt, she is sent to a mental hospital. While there, she claims to be Anastasia Romanov. We learn in reverse order what happened in her attempts to be recognized in Anastasia.

In the second part of the book, we learn about the last year or so of the Romanovs' lives, told from the point of view of Anastasia. It starts with the revolution in 1917 and ends at Ekaterinburg in 1918, the night their assassinations were ordered.

It was a unique format, having one story told in reverse so that the two stories converge at the end, and it worked well for this book. I vaguely knew that people claimed Anastasia had lived through the assassination of her family but was not familiar with Anna Anderson; this historical fiction was an enjoyable way to learn about her life.

*3.5 stars. From the minute I read the first page I was absolutely enthralled; it was hard to put this one down. This book contained beautiful writing and an engrossing story; definitely Lawhon's best work to date. One thing I have mixed feelings about was the technique of telling Anna's story backwards. I understand why she did it and it certainly helped to heighten the tension throughout the story. But because Anna was constantly meeting new people and moving place to place, I found it difficult to keep track of her storyline.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have fallen down the Anna Anderson/Anastasia Romanov rabbit hole a number of times starting when I first watched the Discovery documentary about the discovery of the mass grave back in the early 1990s. I've also read a few books on the subject including a book that focused on Anna Anderson. Needless to say this is a case that intrigues me quite a bit!

This is a heartbreaking story. Neither Anastasia or the woman known as Anna Anderson had happy lives and Lawhon brought them to life with her incredibly well researched tale. I could feel the pain of 17 year old Anastasia as her world completely explodes around her and the frustration and isolation of the older Anderson as she fights for recognition.

Lawhon did a remarkable job bringing a complicated story to life and making it a compelling read. This is a story that I believe I know the ending to and yet that didn't keep me from becoming completely immersed in the book. While not the fastest read it's interesting, informative, heartbreaking and thoroughly entertaining.

I almost abandoned this book at 23%. The timeline jumps around every chapter and I couldn't sort out the details in my head. There were two reasons why I kept going; I'm interested in learning about the Romanov family and my friend asked if I'd put the book down because she hadn't seen any updates. After much contemplation I decided to speed read it to see if it would be worth further effort. I'm pleased to say that I would've completely missed out on a well researched story with an intriguing plot.

It wasn't until the very end and after reading the Author's Note that I became aware of the concept of the story. I don't know if concept is the right word. All I can say is if you decide to read 'I Was Anastasia' and you are a bit put off keep going. I quickly lost interest in the chapters that weren’t about the Romanov family’s experience. Those were the most interesting parts of the book. The cast of secondary characters are either endearing or savage.

I'm not one to write a review recapping the already given synopsis or, in this case, tell too many details. I would give too much away. This is a book I'll definitely have to re-read and one I do recommend.

I must disclose that I'm a Romanov and Russian history novice. This is an entertaining book that puts a spin on the theory of Anastasia being alive. I was not familiar with the Anna Anderson’s story before reading ‘I Was Anastasia’. If you are looking for something different, this may not be the book for you.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Doubleday for the opportunity to read and review this book.