Tsarina by Ellen Alpsten

I took four pages of notes on this title for my review, but I can summarize this book in a few paragraphs.

There are many characters and most have up to four names. Try to keep track. Marta, a girl from a poor family, ends up being favored by Tsar Peter after a chance encounter, and is crowned the Tsarina of Russia by the end of the novel. What she had to endure to get there is the story.

There are wars, orgies, infidelities, cruelty, births (but few marriages), all night parties, drinking...Need I go on? Marta often joins Tsar Peter on his crusades of war to gather more land for Mother Russia where most of the tawdry behavior happens. Being rewarded with clothes, jewelry and opulent homes keeps her coming back.

These are very dysfunctional people led by a cruel, greedy, dysfunctional man. The entire book is a repeat of the same behavior of these characters page after page after page. If endless debauchery is your thing, this is your book.

I was given an ARC by #StMartins and #NetGalley for my review.

I really wasn't sure about this book when I first started but I must say...what a journey through time that was totally worth taking! I feel as if I was just on a trip through this time span with Marta. A great story with lots of twists, turns, love scenes, and death in a world where these royal families lived and ruled everything and one. It was nice to watch Marta go the bottom to the top and what she had to do/endure to get there. While, on the contrary, it's hard to decide if the Tzar is good, bad, or manic. It would be helpful if there was a map of the regions discussed in the book at the beginning or something, I had to brush up on the geography while reading this to fully understand. I wish it explained the Russian/Polish slang a little better as well as cutting back on all the names/nicknames. For example, Alexander Danilovich is also Menshikov who also may be called babushka. Aside from those things, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. Would recommend!

This book was received as an ARC from St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have heard and read many renditions of Catherine the Great but none of them were as enticing as Tsarina. Reading about Catherine Alexeyevna before she was Catherine the Great born into poverty and craving the wealth and power she felt surrendered that she was willing to do anything even seducing the tsar himself Peter The Great. Now since his death, Catherine now has the power she craved which always comes at a price. The book revealed so many secrets such as brutal beatings, dark secrets and mischievous schemes all to remain in power. This was such a vivid novel that uncovered secrets we all thought were conspiracies brought to light.

We will consider adding this title to our Historical Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

This book follows Marta's story starting with her life as a serf and the long (and shocking) journey that led to her becoming empress. Marta became Catherine Alexeyevna and ruled before Catherine the Great. That is to say this isn't about Catherine the Great. This book is very detailed and gets deep into the history in a way that will enthrall those interested in this time period and Catherine and how she used her intelligence and wits to rise to power. This is a bit of a longer read that didn't really get going for me until Marta became a prisoner of war, but at the writing level itself I thought the book was great and it was interesting to see how humble Catherine's beginnings were.

With that said this book does have several instances of graphic rape that I found myself skipping. I can see how all the graphic violence and sex would leave some readers conflicted.

I really loved the premise of this book. She is a character that we don't hear much about in history. I only gave this 4 stars instead of 5, because there were some very important events that I didn't think got enough time and description, while other things that seemed less menial had more. This could easily have been a 600+ page book.

Tsarina by Ellen Alpsten
Source: NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press
Rating: 4/5 stars

If ever there was a book to deserve the word ‘saga’ attached to it, Tsarina would be that book! From childhood to death, Tsarina traces the long and winding path of one woman, first as Marta and then as Catherine, to the highest levels of Russian life, love, and politics.

To say Marta/Catherine’s life was easy is would do her a great disservice and undermine all she was able to accomplish in her long life. While many only know of her later years, first as the tsar’s consort and then his tsarina, Marta/Catherine lived an entire lifetime before her glory days as the head of the Russian state. Marta/Catherine was born into abject poverty, was essentially sold by her family to a despicable man who raped and beat regularly, lived happily for a time in a small town where she lived safely and securely with a pastor’s family, all before being taken as a prisoner of war.

Because of her beauty, Marta/Catherine’s life as a prisoner of war was not nearly as bad as it could have been, comparatively speaking. She was taken into the household of one of Tsar Peter’s most trusted men as a lady-in-waiting to his mistress. While in this household, Marta/Catherine learned a great deal about the inner workings of Russian politics and the private lives of the men and women who wielded power in an ever-changing and volatile world. Marta/Catherine was never meant to rise above her lowly station, but as luck would have it, she came to the attention of Peter.

Marta/Catherine’s first weeks and months with Peter were like a dream. His attention and gifts were lavish, but Marta/Catherine knew his affections could change at any moment. Though she was certain Peter adored her (and her fertility!) he was known to be a promiscuous man and it was never certain if the next conquest would also become the next consort thus displacing Marta/Catherine. Despite all the extracurricular woman, Marta/Catherine manages to maintain her spot alongside Peter for many, many years. Through the years, Marta/Catherine becomes simply Catherine and she bears Peter twelve children. Catherine is politically savvy and understands her husband better than anyone alive. Through her years by his side, she learns to read his moods, calm his anger, and protect those she holds dear. Even in times of great fortune, Catherine is always aware of the precarious nature of her position and makes moves to secure herself and her children.

The Bottom Line: This is truly a long and winding saga that doesn’t get truly interesting until Catherine become a prisoner of war and a member of the tsar’s inner circle. Catherine is one shrewd woman and as she becomes more deeply enmeshed in Peter’s life and the affairs of state, she learns to how read situations, how to choose her allies, and how to manage Peter. Though things don’t always go according to plan – sometimes the results are simply disastrous and tragic – Catherine still manages to come out on top. For my money, I would have liked to see less of Catherine’s early life and more of her time post-Peter. Catherine’s name is renowned and though the book certainly covers a great deal of how that happened, I would have liked to have read and known more about her time as the sole ruler of Russia. My enjoyment of this book and my rating come, not from the first third of the book – that bit is slow and often not terribly interesting – but from the latter two-thirds which is filled with plans, plots, intrigue, excess, and the exploits of one of Russia’s most famous (infamous?) rulers. If you can get through the first third of this book, it is well worth the trouble.

This book was originally published many years ago. It is an interesting book about Catherine the first, the second wife of Peter the Great. Set in Russia in the 1700s.

This is not about Catherine the Great. This Tsarina came from the slums and lived with all of the horrible conditions in that time period. Violence, Immorality, and a lot of dirt! And dirty dealings. While this is a fictionalized account, much is true.

I love a historical fiction book that teaches me something. I learned a lot about Moscow, St. Petersburg and the not so likeable people in the court.

I would give this author another try!

NetGalley/ St. Martin's Press, October 13th. 2020

The only word to describe this book is "gratuitous."

Marta is a peasant girl who, through various horrible circumstances, goes on to become the wife of Peter the Great, Tsar of Russia, and eventually rule Russia herself as Catherine the First after Peter dies. Now, as you would expect, the life of an Eastern European serf is not awesome. As a teenager, Marta is sold to a passing Russian for a silver coin, and things just get worse from there.

I almost want to thank this book, at least, for the things I learned. I learned that Catherine the Great was Catherine the Second, and that another Catherine ruled before her. I learned things about Peter the Great that I will never forget. But was the damage worth the few historical details I will carry away with me? Almost certainly not.

This book has nothing to offer but rape, murder, more rape, orgies, drunken debauchery, incest, torture, more rape, pregnancies, and an infinite amount of awkward sex scenes, all presented with enough NC-17 explicit detail to make you want to gouge your eyes out. If you took out all the time Catherine spends being pregnant, giving birth, and engaging in various sexual encounters both willingly and unwillingly, there would be about enough information left to form a Wikipedia page of moderate length.

I genuinely wish I hadn't read this book. Obviously a life such as Catherine's wouldn't have been all roses -- it would be unrealistic to whitewash it -- but I don't need to go through each rape with her in horrible technicolor. Would she want to be remembered for that? Wallowing in so much human misery for simple entertainment is just painful and vulgar and disgusting and gratuitous.

I was provided an advanced edition of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*Trigger warning: lots of violence, sexual violence, and sex*

"Relying on her wits and her formidable courage, and fueled by ambition, desire and the sheer will to live, Marta will become Catherine I of Russia."

Overall, I was impressed with this book and thoroughly enjoyed it. I don't have an in-depth knowledge about the history of Russia, but I have enough to know who the basic players are in this book. I am a historian, and I love to read books about historic events, especially to see how the authors' take those events and weave them into fascinating stories.

I did have to look at a map of Russia while reading this book in order to get a lay of the land and to figure out where the action was happening. I hope the final copy will have a map provided in the front or end pages.

The author does an amazing job at world building and expounding upon the characters. This time in history is mostly well documented, but the author did expound upon where Catherine I originated. Her story is not one that is know very well, as most times only the great men of power are talked and written about. I loved the exquisite detail of the daily events and goings-on of life as a mistress of the Tsar of Russia. There were some fictional liberties taken with this book, as is expected of a historical fiction book, and each of them I enjoyed to the upmost.

The prologue was so dense and confusing that I almost put it down but I’m ultimately glad I didn’t. I think it would help the reader to have a basic knowledge of Russia during this time period to understand the court system, titles, and the individuals involved.

Ultimately this is a very enrapturing, heartbreaking story and it’s refreshing to see a historical fiction novel that isn’t about the late 19th/early 20th century Romanovs. Russia under Peter the Great was truly a turning point for Russia and, while I can’t speak to the total accuracy of it, it was interesting to read a fictionalized version. The writing was great and I think the pacing was mostly okay. After I sloughed through the prologue it was a quick moving story.

I feel it important to note I am the exception when it comes to Ellen Alpsten’s Tsarina, but this novel wasn’t my cuppa.

I found the narrative slow, distractingly so, and I couldn’t help feeling the author relied too heavily on the novelty of the material to carry the story. I’m all for authors delving into the untapped and little known, but fresh perspective does not eclipse the need depth, suspense, pacing, and theme.

Alpsten has an eye for a story, but her style of storytelling did not hold my attention. I respect that most readers feel differently, but Tsarina was not for me and is not something I feel I could recommend forward.

I love Russian history and was very thankful for the opportunity to read this novel. What an interesting character and time frame, so much different than the usual Romanov storylines. Highly recommend!!

I received a temporary digital advanced copy of Tsarina by Ellen Alpsten from NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and the author in exchange for an honest review.

Tsarina by Ellen Alpsten opens the book in 1725 at Peter the Great's death bed and then brings the reader back to decades to Catherine Alexeyevna's beginnings as a lowly peasant known as Marta. The book unfolds her rise from poverty to bearing Peter's many sons and daughters, of which few survive, and their many adventures together to her being crowned Emperess.

I found Catherine's story fascinating. I am not familiar with Russian history, so I enjoyed reading about the beginnings of St. Petersburg, the many wars and conflicts Russia had with the Baltics, life in Russian court, and daily life in Russia for a person of low-born status.

With that being said, Tasarina is DENSE. The almost-500 page novel felt like 2,000 pages. It was an extremely slow read for me, which is a rarity when I am reading historical fiction. I felt as if I lived every moment of Catherine's life with her, as if not one moment let alone month was left out, and it was draining.

Captivating historical fiction. Interesting and inspiring. Loved it! Thank you publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

A Fascinating Tale!

This was historical fiction at its best. This story chronicles the rise of Catherine the I of Russia. She was the first female to ever rule Russia on her own - a Tsarina. I found this book to be incredibly interesting and inspiring. When you think of feminism, you think of it blossoming in the 19760s, 1970s.. however, bursts of feminist action was taking place far before then. Catherine the I of Russia was a strong and formidable woman. This book also has Russian culture and information that is truly incredible. I was so impressed by this book! Highly recommended!

Very good historical novel about Catherine, the First, Tsarina of Russia and second wife of Peter, the Great. Marta as she was known rose from being a bought child of serfs to Empress of Russia. This follows her life through being bought at 9 years old, being a washerwoman, being forced into sex by her employer, killing her employer, running away, almost being forced into prostitution, being the woman of the hour on campaigns and catching the eye of Peter the Great. I learned a lot about this brutal era of Russian history. The characters are well defined and interesting. The historical detail was brilliant and finely researched. As this was the debut novel of Ellen Alpsten I would be interested in reading more of her novels.

This is an exquisite tale of a strong, determined woman in a time when most women were told to be seen and not heard. The writing is brilliant and the plot seems to flow effortlessly along. This will definitely find favour among the historical fiction community.

Marta and her family are very poor. She is sold as a maid. Rescued, gifted to another man. Ultimately she was given to the Tzsar Peter as a companion. Through her life with the Tzsar she saw him in many different lights. He could be kind and loving, but also cold, calculating, murderous, and unforgiving.
Marta was always loyal to the Tzsar.
Even when she saw him with many women. She had twelve children with him. Two daughter's lived to adults. She made friends and enemies. Most importantly, even though she could neither read or write she studied everyone and used what she learned.
When Peter dies, a lowly washer woman, Marta is made Zarina. She ruled for two years before her death. Those two years, Russia claims were the best years they had.
This is a story of a brave, strong, courageous women. A women that fought to become a ruler in her own right.
Exceptional well written!

Catherine Alexeyevna (1684-1727) was of humble beginnings, becoming the second wife of Peter the Great and Empress of Russia from 1725 until her death. “Pulling herself out of poverty and servitude through her intellect, wit, and sensuality, she rose to become one of the most powerful women in Russia.”

Village of Livonia, 1699. Marta, as she was known back then, is nine years old. Her childhood brings a vivid portrayal of peasants’ life, meaning pretty much suffering.

A merchant from Walk, Vassily, needs a maidservant. When passing through the village of Livonia, Marta catches his eye. She is sold by her parents into servitude.

The town of Walk is something she has never seen before, the number of people crowding the streets, even the number of chimneys – she lost the count, and all the different foods sold by vendors.

In the coming weeks, she learns how to make those delicious meals. But life under a big roof with some comforts is not easier. “Loneliness lunged at me like a wolf at a lone traveler, burying its claws into my soul.”

And when the kindness touches upon her life, she realizes that she had no idea that such kindness could exist. She finds a home and a purpose.

Tsar Peter with August the Strong declare war on mighty Sweden.

When the town of Marienburg, where she resides, is under Russian siege, she meets the legendary Russian General Shermetev. At his tent, she meets “the most powerful among the powerful, the tsar’s most loyal and absolute friend,” Menshikov.

When she refuses to be a toy between men, Shermetev encourages her with these words: “Use life’s surprises to your advantage. See your power over men like a hand of cards; play them, to trump your life.”

Marta is an incredible character. She is born as a serf, thus she is illiterate. But she is observant and a quick learner. She has her high and low moments and in those low moments she receives unexpected help or guidance like she was bound for a higher purpose.

The story also offers a vivid portrayal of Peter the Great. A man who fought many battles, who would not tolerate anyone’s disagreement including pope’s, who refused marrying a couple due to religious law not being followed. When it fits Peter, the Russian customs disappear. A very cruel man, bringing many atrocities.

The last 30% of the story is a bit drawn-out. The rich historical background, vivid portrayal of Peter’s cruelty and Catherine’s twelve pregnancies and births are surrounded by other dramas and characters and that’s when it gets a bit too much, the focus on Catherine gets lost and the story falls flat in those moments. Some of it could be condensed.

My favorite part is the first part of the story, the story of incredible girl named Marta, who in the brutal world meets kind people.

This story involves some graphic lust. You can make a point of lust taking place without graphic descriptions.

It is certainly a story crafted by a very talented writer.

This is the fictionalized story of Catherine I of Russia. It is a great read for lovers of historical fiction. The story moved along with interesting characters and well done character development. The novel also gave me a sort of Russian history lesson, I don't know very much about the country's history.
Thank You NewGalley and the publisher for this book.