The Romanov Empress is another fascinating historical read from C.W. Gortner. I knew very little about Empress Maria before, and found this a compelling read.

The Romanov Empress by C.W. Gortner
Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 5/5 stars

**THIS REVIEW ASSUMES ALL HISTORICAL INFORMATION IS CORRECT**

The Romanov dynasty is perhaps one of the most famous in all of world history. Their glorious downfall, the death of the tsar and his family, and the forever-changed face of Russia have all been rehashed again and again in everything from scholarly works to popular culture. Their life, and particularly their deaths, have all but been immortalized, yet these accounts, especially those is popular culture often fail to lay the groundwork or simply gloss over the groundwork to get to the “sexy” bits. Gortner doesn’t skip the groundwork at all but rolls around in it and really builds the entire narrative around one woman, Maria Feodorovana, mother to Russia’s last tsar, the ill-fated and completely inept, Nicholas II.

Maria was the very definition of duty-bound! From the moment she was born, Maria was always intended to marry well and increase the reputation and hopefully fortunes of her family. As a princess of Denmark, Maria (her adopted Russian name!) understood her place in the world, and with some allowances by her parents, was able to choose her future husband. As it turns out, she also chose a country on the edge of collapse.

Despite little in the way of a formal education, Maria has a strong sense of common sense and for reading a situation. She understands, inherently, if she is to be accepted as a foreigner, she must understand her new country, its people, and make herself known as a force among the nobility and aristocracy. Maria does every bit of that and more, and over the course of her life, she works ceaselessly to advise and guide both her husband and her son. Through uprisings, revolutions, and assassination attempts, Maria is at the forefront of the action, often risking her own life to preserve what she holds dear. Unfortunately, for most of her life, Maria is fighting a losing battle and she is only ever able to scratch the surface of caring for a desperately lost country.

The Bottom Line: This was my first C.W. Gortner book and it will certainly not be my last! The Romanov Empress is everything I look for in historical fiction and then some. This is a sweeping tale, a saga really, that spans more than half a century and includes nearly every royal house/family in Europe. At the center of it all is an indomitable woman determined to see her family and her monarchy survive. There is a sense of impending doom from page one of this read and it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Quite frankly, before this book, I too only really knew the History Channel version of the Romanov family, and I am so glad I now know far more than that glossy version. This was an absolutely enthralling tale and I heartily recommend this one to any reader fond of truly excellent historical fiction.

The story Princess Dagmar of Denmark who went on to become the infamous Tsarina Maria Fedorovna. The story covers The life, love and history of “Minnie’s life.

While I was familiar with the Romanov Dynasty I have never enjoyed hard core historical novels. However the author has taken a far different approach and takes the liberty of telling the story from Minnie’s perspective. While some of the writing may not be true, the historical events are. This made reading the book far more enjoyable for me and I could relate to her story, heartbreaks, and love of all things family.

While a longer book, and knowing full well how the story ultimately ends, you will find that you can’t put it down and don’t want the book to end. A brilliant approach to telling the story. If you like historical fiction, this is your Summer read!

I absorbed this book! I've always had an interest in the Romanov family and the Tsars of Russia, but didn't know much about the young Danish princess, Minnie, who became Maria Fedorovna, mother of the last Tsar and one of the most wealthy, powerful, and respected women of her time. Because Minnie is the narrator of the story, we are provided a unique perspective into the Russian aristocracy and life before, during and after WWII. I was captivated from the first page.

With the hindsight of history, watching the missteps of the Romanov family and the lost opportunities to escape Russia when things turned against them is heartbreaking. Greatly enjoyed this book and the view of the generation before Nicholas and Alexandra.

Thanks Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and netgalley for this ARC.

This will make you see the Romanovs in a different light. You''ll wish you could reach out and strangle a few historical figures, hug others, and it will enrich your reading of the time period.

This is one of the best books I've read in a very long time! I LOVE reading about the Russian Czars and their families and I've read a lot of books about them. This book had information I didn't know. I honestly felt like I knew the people in the book. It was beautifully written! It starts with nineteen year old Minnie (Maria Feodorovna) arriving in Russia to wed Romanov heir, Alexander. Her sister, Alix has moved to England and has married Queen Victoria's eldest son. When Alexander dies, their son, Nicholas takes over. It's a story of a family who was rich and powerful and still had problems and betrayal and death like all other families. I would read this book over and over! I LOVED it!!

WOW! I love anything written by C.W. Gortner. He has an uncanny ability to bring the past to life. Maria Romanov (Dagmar of Denmark) is a fascinating woman. A strong woman whose story has been overshadowed by the tragedy of her son and his empress. I loved reading about Maria's strengths and weaknesses.. She was a woman I admire and respect. Gortner not only brings her back to life for us, but allows us, the readers, to travel along her journey through life. We experience her happiness and her deep tragedies. I felt her pain when Alexander died, and her anger towards her daughter in law, the Empress. Personally, I find her a much more interesting character than Alexandra. Her interactions with Queen Victoria made me laugh. Gortner has become one of my favorite historical fiction writers.

A ve3ry good read. Well written. Loved the history. Aahh, may we all be a Empress. Such an interesting story. The Romanovs were quite a story. and sure made amazing history..

This book was a welcome look into the life of Czar Nicholas's family and it better elucidated events that lead up to the Russian Revolution before Nicholas's reign. I would recommend it to anyone who was interested in historical fiction.

Minnie (Princess of Denmark) comes of age to marry in the political world and refuses to marry for anything but love. After the tragic death of her fiancé and promises made, she moves forward to fall in love and become the tsarina of Russia. This takes the reader through the history of the Russian royalty reign of Alexander II, Alexander III and the revolution.

This was a book I just couldn't put down. Most people have heard of Anastasia but this book is about her grandmother Maria from a poor royal family in Denmark. She marries young and becomes the tsarina of Russia and her sister marries Queen Victoria's son and ultimately becomes the queen of England. The author breathed life into a story I never knew I wanted to know. This is one of my favorite aspects of historical fiction because when it is done right, like this book, you want to research and learn more about real history.

Maria has Nicholas who becomes the last Tsar of Russia. You see everything she goes through from switching to a regal lifestyle and having to command a household of employees to politics, assassination attempts and the rioting that ultimately leads to the Russian Revolution. I loved how strong and compassionate Maria was. She frequented charity work and took nursing classes, anything she could do to help her people most in need. You even get glimpses of young Nicholas & his teen years to his surprising choice for his wife. I definitely want to go back and read an Anastasia book now that I feel like I know her grandmother and feel she would have been so much like her.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a copy of this ebook for a fair and honest review.

I have a great interest in Russian history, specifically the Romanovs, which is why I decided to read this in the first place. It was very interesting seeing everything from Minnie's point of view: as a non-native Russian who married into the empire and was the mother of the last Tsar.

This book moved very fluidly through time. There were definite moments of foreshadowing of the impending doom of the Romanovs, which I really liked. If the reader knows anything about the revolution, Anastasia, etc, there are clues throughout history that Russia was headed in that direction for a long time. I was quite surprised at Minnie's opinions of Alexandra (Alicky) as Nicky's wife. I never knew that they had such a tumultuous relationship and Alexandra's association with Rasputin was a major part of the Russian revolution.

Minnie is an excellent example of a strong woman who makes the best of her situation in history. At some points, she is at the top of the world. She is the Tsarevna then Tsarina, and the most fabulous woman in Russia. But she also experiences great despair at the loss of her husband and family. Her family experiences hardship and persecution, and she is strong throughout.

If you like historical fiction, you should definitely read this book. It gives a look at a character that isn't in the media or spotlight much, and that in and of itself is interesting.

We all know the story of Nicholas and Alexandra, but how many of us know the story of Nicholas’ mother? I confess, the thought of his mother’s life being of interest never really occurred to me until I saw this book.

Born Princess Dagmar of Denmark, Minnie (as she was known) went to Russia as the inexperienced, teenage bride-to-be of the country’s Tsarevitch and married into the Imperial Romanov family. From that time on, her life was one of glittering excess that defined the Russian royal family until the revolution that saw not only the murders of many of her family, but also her escape from Russia.

C.W. Gortner’s portrait of this fascinating woman is well researched and highly readable. I especially enjoyed how he presented Minnie’s views about her daughter-in-law. I felt he really brought the Imperial court to life.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Romanov Empress
by
C.W. Gortner (Goodreads Author)

I have read all of C.W Gortner’s books and he never fails to deliver through his in depth research of his subject or subjects.
I have read many books on the Romanovs but did not know much about “ Minnie” ( the beloved Empress Maria, the Danish girl who became the mother of the Last Tsar of Russia . )This book narrated by Minnie is easy to follow and one feels as if one is in Russia during the Romanovs reign. Maria was the daughter of a very poor Danish royal family.
Her sister went on to marry Queen Victoria's oldest son and thus became the Queen of England. Maria went on to become the Tsarina of Russia. The author follows the Romanovs through a lavish lifestyle, through the riots and the change of fortunes of the dynasty when the last Tsar and his family are arrested . Followed by the Bolsheviks taking over the control of Russia.. The author also has a comprehensive bibliography if the reader wishes to continue reading on the Romanov dynasty.

In books that I've read in the past, fiction about the Romanov dynasty tends to focus on Nicolas and Alexandra - let's face it, there's a lot of drama there. The Romanov Empress tells the story of Nicolas's mother, Maria Feodorovna, Her view of Alexandra's behavior was very eye opening to me, and reminded me in some ways of Princess Diana! Even if you're not into Russian history, this is a good, engrossing book about a turbulent time in the history of the Russian Empire

This was such a great book. It was refreshing for the story to be told from Maria Feodorovna's point of view, since many novels center around Anastasia or the Imperial Family and Rasputin.

This is a fantastic telling of the empress’s Maria Feodorovnas life. At first I thought it was rushed but really the author managed to write it in such a way that no words were wasted. I am a huge fan of history and the Romanov dynasty specifically and I loved that this was told from Marie’s POV instead of the more common MC. I want to read it again and will definitely be reading more from this author!

I am voluntarily submitting my honest review after receiving an ARC of this ebook via NetGalley.

This fascinating account of events leading up to and during the October Revolution in 1917 Russia as told from the perspective of Empress Maria Feodorovna is an enjoyable read fans of historical fiction will enjoy. While most readers will already be familiar with the plot and know how the story ends, Gortner successfully makes the story seem fresh by describing the events from a unique point of view. Though she lives a life of luxury and as the tsar's mother, her perspective is somewhat compromised, the Empress does report on events with a great deal more clarity, humility, empathy for the common man and honesty than one would otherwise expect. The writing is crisp and the novel progresses quickly. Fans of CW Gortner will enjoy this novel as much as his other works.

This author is a master storyteller. She pulled me in to loving the main character, Minnie, formally Marie Feodorovna, Romanov Empress of Russia, right from the start. Minnie is so vibrant and alive, full of spunk and spirit.
Before reading the book I knew the Romanov name and that they were the last ruling family before the Russian Revolution and not a whole lot more (other than that the Tsar and his family were executed). This book really made the events that led up to that revolution clear, both in Russia and abroad. At every turn I wanted her son, the Tsar, to heed her advice and somehow derail the events to come. But, of course, that could not happen.
I love historical fiction because it takes those stories that seem dry and just events from the past and suffuses them with life. Although many of the characteristics of the Romanovs were attributed by the author, and we can only suppose what they might have said and done, enough of history remains to provide that skeleton that the author fleshes out for us.
This is not a short, quick read. This is a substantial and weighty story of a family that could not accept the coming changes in their country and their rule, despite the obvious disquiet of their subjects and the fomenting revolutionaries. What might have been if Minnie's father-in-law had not been killed before he could install the Duma (the Russian version of a Parliment/ Congress)? Or if her husband, Sasha, had been willing to concede and form one during the early years of his rule after his father's death? By the time Minnie's son, Nicky, gave in it was really too late; too much blood had been shed, too many costly mistakes made.
Occasionally, I had trouble keeping all of the family members straight as there was much repetition in naming, much for tradition's sake and also due to form when ascending to power (like in England, they took on a ruling name). It was lucky that the author, or the family in real life, bestowed nicknames on most of the main characters so I could keep all of the Alexanders, Alexandras, Maries and Vladimirs straight. I hope this author continues to write historical fiction. She made the intricate history of the Romanovs enjoyable and untangled the complicated threads of the historical events around the last ruling family of Russia.