What a book! When I picked I Was Anastasia to read, I had no real knowledge of Anna Anderson or the Romanov family. I am almost grateful for my ignorance-it made this book that much more enjoyable. I loved how Ariel Lawhon told this story. Although confusing at time, telling the story of Anderson backwards was the only real way to go. You appreciate Lawhon's method even more when you read her author's note. Some parts of this book are quite rough to read, but I think that is to be understood when you are reading a book about a family that was brutally murdered. All in all, this book is a great read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction or a great mystery!

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

In 1917, Czar Nicholas II of Russia was deposed by the Bolshevik revolution and exiled to Siberia with his wife and five children. Within a year, the Red Army executed the entire family and several of their servants, but did not reveal the location of their graves.

In 1920, a young woman named Anna Anderson claimed to be Anastasia, the youngest of the czar’s four daughters. She said she had survived the attempted assassination, and she had the terrible scars to prove it. For the next fifty years, she would fight in international courts to prove her identity.

Ariel Lawhon has written a book that I found gripping, much of it because of the way she laid out the story. Teen-aged Anastasia tells us about her life as the revolution begins and she and her beloved family are suddenly imprisoned in the royal palace. We hear about the arrogance of their captors and the family’s struggles to adjust as they go from obscene opulence to near poverty. We learn to care about twelve-year-old Alexey, the fragile hemophiliac son and heir to a throne he will never possess, and we watch Anastasia and her beautiful older sisters experience the first loves in their young and soon to be cruelly shortened lives.

Meanwhile, in alternating chapters we meet Anna Anderson in 1970. Fifty years have passed since she began her quest to convince the world that she is Anastasia, and now in her seventies, she is still trying. Then, in a storyline reminiscent of the movie Memento, her tale is told in reverse, with more and more details cleverly revealed with each backward movement in time. Finally, the two narratives, Anastasia’s moving forward and Anna’s moving back, converge in the fateful time period and reveal all.

I admit I have a special interest in Anastasia’s tale. I grew up in the 1950s and ‘60s when publications were full of articles speculating whether Anna Anderson was the tragic royal survivor or a loathsome impostor. The idea fascinated me, and I never did learn the truth. I approached this book’s take on what happened with great anticipation, and Ariel Lawhon did not disappoint.

I am a Romanov fanatic so I had to read this. The story of Anna Anderson has always intrigued me. I remember my mother being fascinated by the press when Anna passed away in the 80s. I felt oddly disjointed throughout the entire book. The writing was wonderful and the research that went into the book was abundant on every page. It wasn't until the end, when I read the author's note, that I loved it! This book isn't meant to be an easy read because it isn't an easy topic. A classic battle of searching for redemption of a tragedy by believing that which the facts won't support.

Okay, to start off, I very much enjoyed this book, no real big surprise to me there. I’ve always been fascinated by the story of Anastasia and the Romanov family, I’ve read a lot of stories about their lives, nonfiction and fiction, and thoroughly enjoy them all, or at least find them interesting. I heard about this book and knew I had to read it and it did not disappoint.
Having read a few stories about the Romanov family, there were some parts of the history that I already knew but I really like that I was still able to be surprised about a few details that I hadn’t read before. Anna Anderson is a person I knew about but I’ve never really heard much about her journey to prove her claim and what she experienced so I found that part of the story really interesting to read.
The book alternates between Anastasia and Anna Anderson in different points in time. My problem with this book is the timeline and the way the author wrote these alternating chapters. Anastasia’s story moves forward through time leading up to the murder of the Romanov family while Anna’s story actually moves backwards, starting at old age and leading back to her early years. This was incredibly difficult to follow and I just found myself really confused and disoriented with her chapters trying to find my place in the story again. I understand why it was written this way for the sake of the story so that the two timelines meet in the middle at roughly the same point in time but I just don’t like reading a story in reverse. I kept feeling like I needed to go back to her previous chapter to remind myself what happened chronologically.
Overall, it’s a fun read for people like me who enjoy the tragic story of the Romanov family and the mystery of Anastasia but the timeline is hard to follow and may not be for everyone.

Anna Anderson claims to be the grand duchess Anastasia. The entire Romanov family was killed in 1918. Numerous people have claimed that Anastasia survived and that they are her. Three years later a woman washes up on the shore of Berlin claiming to be the lost duchess. She is called Anna by those who wish to disprove her story. Her story spans 5 decades as it unravels. The tale is dark and full of twists and turns that make it impossible to put down.

I love historical fiction and stories about Anastasia. This book did not disappoint. I particularly liked the way the author presented the story backwards and it was truly suspenseful despite so much about the Romanovs in the past. It was a unique way of telling the story and the descriptive writing was very well done.

I have been obsessed with the story of Anastasia since I was a little girl, when my grandma told me we were related to the Romanov family. Years later, I realize she was probably stretching the truth, but for a while, I was convinced that one day a group of Russians would show up at my door and say I was the long lost missing princess. Obviously didn’t happen. Neither has my Hogwarts letters.

Anywho… When I saw this novel, it was automatically a must-read, and it did not disappoint. Impeccably researched and full of suspense, I consumed this. It’s told in a very unique – and sometimes confusing – that takes a little adjustment at the beginning. One storyline – that told from Grand Duchess Anastasia’s POV – progresses chronologically, documenting her family’s exile and execution. But the second POV follows Anna Anderson – the woman who long claimed to be the missing princess – in backwards order from when her appeal was ruled against toward the mystery of who she really is.

If you know how this story ends, it might be a little less exciting, and you do really need to pay attention to the dates at the beginning of each chapter to not become confused. That being said, I knew what was going to happen and still loved it. The final chapters – and even the author’s note – concluded spectacularly. Definitely planning to check out more books by Ms. Lawhon. Thanks to Doubleday Books and Netgalley for an early read!

A stunning rendering of an old mystery. Who was this Anna Anderson who claimed to be the long lost Romanov Princess Anastasia? Travel backwards to uncover the secrets behind this woman's life as she struggled to prove her claims.

The story was emotional and beautiful in it's seductive pull into the path of potential truths. As someone who has been fascinated with this mystery since my youth I greatly appreciated Lawhon's attention to the fine details. This book was masterfully executed and kept me on the edge of my seat!

I received an ARC from Netgalley and have voluntarily left this review.

At the end of her life Anna Anderson tells the story of her battle to be recognized as Grand Duchess Anastasia. Told backwards in time, each chapter unravels and illuminates her story a little more. Told forward in time, is Anastasia's imprisonment and the events leading up to her alleged death.

I've always found Anna Anderson's story to be fascinating, and this book was no exception. It was well written and engaging and kept me at the edge of my seat. I didn't particularly enjoy the backwards in time element, b

This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading. What an amazing, emotional read. No matter what the outcome, during the book, you find yourself rooting for so many different scenarios.

Through careful use of flashback, Ariel Lawhon takes the reader on a journey with Anna Anderson, a woman who for decades claimed to be Anastasia Romanov, the missing heiress to the Romanov fortune.

Alternating from early 1970s Charlottesville, Virginia to post-World War II Germany and early 1900s Russia, Lawhon reveals not only the devastation experienced by the Romanov family but the extensive efforts Anna employed in order to gain supporters for her claims that she was truly Anastasia. The underlying thematic throughout the read encapsulates the assertion that Anna was actually Anastasia Romanov who escaped certain death in Russia rather than a Polish woman with a strikingly similar appearance.

Anna seemed to have as many supporters as detractors as she found solace and financial support from people eager to make her association not necessarily because they believed she was truly Anastasia, but because hosting someone who might be the missing princess gave them credibility and clout.

Lawhon’s page-turning novel entices from the very first page as she expertly unearths the magnetic personality behind Anna. Whether or not the reader believes that Anna and Anastasia are one in the same almost becomes irrelevant as the focus of the novel cleverly switches, and readers become most intrigued with if Anna is perpetuating a lie, why would she continue to do so?

Illuminating and chock full of historical details, I Was Anastasia is a memorable read which will delight fans of the mystery behind the possibility of Anastasia’s survival and those who are lured to the finest of historical fiction.

The author presents the life of Anastasia Romanov at the end of her life in the United States and at the end of her life in Russia. Anastasia, or Anna Anderson, knows...believes she is the lost Romanov princess. The novel documents the real Anastasia and the possibility of her survival of the night her family was murdered, through many asylums and many countries.

I Was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhorn has some brilliantly written chapters while some chapters a bit lacking. What I found most lacking was how the book jumped around between time periods. It would have been far better if the author had written the book in a chronological order. Instead the chapters jump back and forth between time periods making the storyline a bit hard to follow.

I really enjoyed reading the chapters that focused on the royal family and how they lived. The time period would have been in the early 1900s.

Recommend with caveats given.

Review written after downloading a galley from NetGalley.

A great retelling of the true life mystery of Anna Anderson and whether or not she was Anastasia Romanov. Told in flashbacks and moving backwards in time, the reader is kept guessing until the end. I've had a lifelong fascination with this true life mystery and learned many things I didn't know. A first-rate historical mystery.

If you’re like me, the first time you heard of Anastasia and the Romanov family through the 1997 animated feature, Anastasia. For me, it started a lifelong fascination. I also remember reading the Dear America ‘Anastasia’ book. I did my best to read as much as possible with the Romanovs. I always wanted to believe that Anna Anderson was the Russian princess, but sadly, we know she was not. We now know that the entire family died that night, so long ago. Four daughters, Olga, Tatiana, Marie and Anastasia. One son, Alexei, the Tsar and Tsarina, Nicholas and Alexandra. All their lives snuffed out by a hail of bullets.

“Am I truly Anastasia Romanov? A beloved daughter. A revered icon. A Russian grand duchess.”


Admittedly, I don’t usually enjoy dual narratives, but this time it worked for me. Anna’s story works backwards while Anastasia’s goes chronologically. It sets it all up for a beautiful conclusion. The author has skillfully weaved together a narrative that brings history alive. Some moments I am pretty certain are based more on rumour, but still it doesn’t take away from the novel at all. It offers a view into the differing lives of Anna and Anastasia and it really resonates, giving you room to wonder, ‘could it be?’ We know what really happened. But the delight in wondering always remains.

I highly recommend this book. It comes out in March but I couldn’t resist sharing my thoughts until then! I won’t share too much as I don’t want to give away any spoilers. But I will continue on and say that the characterizations are so realistic that you feel as if you get to know everyone on a personal level. It makes reading about the times the family endured even harder; it’s very emotional. I think it is likely one of the best novels I’ve read in a long while.

Definitely, give it a shot, you won’t be disappointed!

Apparently I’m one of few people who don’t know the story of the Romanovs. (I just haven’t read much Russian history.) At any rate, this is a new release coming out in February about the rumored surviving Romanov daughter and the woman, Anna Anderson, who tries to convince the world of her identity as the tsarevna. I’ll warn you, the structure of this book is challenging, but if you stick with it, it’s worth the struggle.

The story of Anastasia Romanov is told chronologically, and Anna Anderson’s is told from 1970 backwards to the massacre in 1918. At first, I couldn’t keep track of what year I was in, or which story I was reading. I had to keep rereading chapters to get my bearings after losing my way. However, I think my lack of knowledge of this story helped keep me engaged so I was never tempted to give up on it. This is only one imagined tale of what might have happened to Anastasia, but it is inspired by true events. This author is obviously very talented or she couldn’t have pulled it off.

As a lover of history and all things mysterious, I am intrigued by this story. Even if you do know the truth behind this (the ending) I still think it’s worth a read. Lawhon has done very thorough research and has made it into a well-crafted mystery.

I didn't really care of this book. Historical fiction and European history are usually right up my alley, but this was just hard for me to get through. It did get better towards the end. This is a novelized version of the lives of Anna Anderson, notorious impostor, and Grand Duchess Anastasia of the Russian Empire. The story is told in a very interesting way, with alternating chapters from Anna's perspective (going backwards in time from when she found out her claim to Anastasia had been firmly rejected by the German courts) and Anastasia's perspective (going forwards in time from the beginning of the Russian Revolution). Anna was not very likable, then again I'm not sure she's necessarily supposed to be. I was much more engaged with the Anastasia portion throughout the book, but the Anna portions got more interesting as they went backwards, getting closer to when she was found having attempted suicide. Towards the beginning her story is mostly about the legal proceedings. Not the most interesting to me, maybe because I went into this knowing the facts of the case. I do think that I have many patrons who would enjoy this, so I'll probably still order it for my library.

I love historical fiction, and the story of the Romanovs has always intrigued me. Especially, Anastasia since many women stepped forward claiming to be her. With that said, this book kept me reading, but it continuously skips around in time which I found very annoying. I love books that go from one era to another, but this one would skip to a certain year, then two day before that one, then 20 years into the future, then 5 days before the beginning year, etc. Just when you though one storyline was played out, it would be back several chapters later.

I have previously read quite a bit about the Romanov family, especially in college as I studied Anthropology. The case of this family was highly studied in my forensic anthropology classes during my undergrad. I enjoyed this book but found it hard to follow as the author writes it in a backwards manner. I have always found the Romanov family to be fascinating and I have previously read about the mystery of what happened to Anastasia and the many who claimed to be her years later. Overall it was a very interesting historical fiction novel that is based on history and actual events. I enjoyed the author's writing and the story.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book.

This book is not going to be released until March 27th 2018, but I was lucky enough to receive a copy from Netgalley for my honest review. First off, this book would make an excellent book club choice! I have been interested in the legend of Anastasia Romanov for a long time and as soon as I saw the description of this book I knew I wanted to read it. I found myself drawn into Anna's story and did not want to put the book down until I finished. I would definitely rate this book 5 stars!! Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book for my honest review.