Rappaport’s latest book on the Russian emigration after the Bolshevik overthrow is both timely and relevant. Rappaport weaves a seamless story of Russian Parisian life before the takeover and contrasts that with the horrifying aftermath. She describes the harsh realities faced by emigrants and refugees, which, unfortunately, rings true today with the refugee crises we see around the world.

Rappaport begins her book with a great glossary of historical figures she mentions throughout the book—there are a lot of them! It would have been interesting to have photographs throughout the book. Perhaps the final copy will have images. Rappaport proceeds to describe the atmosphere in Paris prior to the Bolshevik revolution, all the glamour and the glitz. She highlights the Romanovs, the intelligentsia, and the artists.

After the takeover, many of the remaining Romanov family members fled, along with White Army members, and the members of the artistic community. Paris offered sanctuary to many of the displaced Russians. Rappaport describes what the Russian people faced in Paris and how they coped with the loss of their home and their finances. Some caved to poverty and depression, and others rose up and created income from sewing or taxi driving.

Much of the book takes place during the 1920s, but it does continue through WWII. I found it noteworthy how the Russian émigrés faced more and more discrimination as WWII loomed. My favorite part of the book was the story of Mother Maria in Chapter 12 and how she met the needs of the impoverished Russian community. Her selflessness was truly inspiring.

Rappaport writes with a historian’s eye for details and a storyteller’s knack for captivating an audience.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC.

Helen Rappaport's latest book takes us to Paris. But not a Paris that most of us are familiar with. Starting in the early 1900s, the Paris of the Belle Époque was the Paris we may see in movies or books but can barely imagine- a Paris of limitless wealth, royalty, and endless parties. Russian Princes and Grand Dukes threw money around like it was water, bought homes and jewels for their mistresses, and catered to their highest tastes with no thought that the end could be in sight. When World War I arrived and they retreated to Russia, they had no idea of the changes that were to come. The Bolshevik Revolution that killed the tzar and his family, along with countless other hundreds of people, ended their Grand Russia. Hundreds of thousands of people fled for Europe, and tens of thousands ended up in Paris.

Rappaport does an excellent job of not getting sidetracked by all of the stories she could tell us. Instead, she stays focused on the few people or families she chose to follow to give the reader an overarching understanding of the conditions the Russian emigres faced. She doesn't fall into the possible trap of describing in detail the Revolution or the fighting- that isn't the point of this book and you can look to her bibliography for suggestions if you want to read more (or read one of her other books on the time period). She wants to follow the emigration, and does a brilliant job of immersing the reader in the hellish conditions suffered by everyone escaping Russia, be they peasant or prince. Once back in Paris it is a different world from the first few chapters and the reader can only marvel at the strength of the people who survived such incredible changes. From riches to rags, generals and princes to dishwashers and taxi drivers.

The focus isn't only on the (formerly) ultra rich. There are the writers, the artists, the brilliant circles that Paris was known for, only when they escaped the Bolsheviks so many writers and painters were faced with the shock of never seeing Russia again that they were disconnected from their true muse. Bunin, Chagall, and Stravinsky managed to succeed where so many failed and Rappaport tells the failures as well as the successes with compassion and courage.

After the Romanovs is in many ways a timely book, asking us to consider questions about success and failure, as well as having compassion for those displaced by political violence they had nothing to do with. It asks if it is possible to be a people, like Russians, if you are not living in Russia but exiled elsewhere- and if the Russia you and your generation remember disappears can you still be inspired by it? The generations of Russia's migration to Paris remained loyal to Russia to the end, a dream they held onto that kept them going, inspired their art and writing, their daily work, and their daily suffering.

Helen Rappaport's well researched After the Romanovs brings early 20th century Paris and the men and women living there to life in each page. Beautifully written, this is a book that is both inspiring and heart breaking. A must read for history lovers.


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

If I had read this book for a Russian history course in college, I may have loved it. But leisurely reading -with the hope to “maybe learn a bit but mostly just be entertained” -this book was not. It felt cold and factual and I made no connections with any of the characters besides feeling perplexed by the exiles lavishness in the face of what their country/leaders had just endured. I didn’t feel like there was any flow to this book and I never knew who the narrator was… I had that constant niggling feeling that I’d missed something (though I don’t think I did, besides an already deep knowledge of Russian/Romanov/Belle Époque history, which I admit not to have.)
I received this ARC through the publisher and netgalley and I enjoyed trying to trudge through. I’m sure this book will resonate with super Russian history buffs and those with a paper to write, but if you’re looking for a fluffy book about Russian exiles in Paris, this isn’t it. I have The Romanov Sisters by this same author on my shelf, maybe I’ll try that and hope it’s less analytical.

After the Romanovs provides a wealth of information and anecdotes about the Russian aristocrats, artists, and intellectuals who escaped to Paris, fleeing persecution in their homeland before and after the Russian Revolution and the fall of the Romanov dynasty. These Russian aristocrats, artists, and intellectuals had long spent time in Paris, enjoying the culture, fine wine and food, and fashion. They spent lavishly and were popular members of society. But when the Russian Revolution started and these same “beautiful people” lost their titles, positions, homes and wealth, life in Paris became much different – and very difficult – for them. Probably the most interesting thing among all these facts and points of history is how totally unprepared these folks were for any life other than the rich, pampered, entitled one they had always known. While many found new careers and new ways to make money, as cabdrivers or seamstresses for example, to many more It was inconceivable that things wouldn’t return to normal sooner or later, so they went into kind of a holding pattern, waiting for the good old days to come back when their names, titles, and connections would once again get them the special treatment they felt entitled to. They had nothing in common with the thousands of others who were displaced but were not aristocrats, artists or intellectuals; they had nothing in common with each other except being members of the elite. They found it hard, nearly impossible, to unite against the new regime or to find a common road forward. All their rivalries and jealousies of the past continued.

After the Romanovs is a fascinating book to read, well researched and impeccably and thoroughly referenced and noted, which helps to keep track of the names and relationships and history. There are many, many quotes, revealing in their own, not always flattering words, how they felt and how they coped. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for providing an advance copy of After the Romanovs via NetGalley for my honest review. I enjoyed it and recommend it without hesitation. All opinions are my own.

Good history lesson about the fall of the Romanovs and what happened to the surviving members of the ruling class of Russia.

A little dry - just the facts ma'am- I think I've read too many historical fiction lately and it's affected my ability to read straight history.

I have been on a Romanov kick lately. I started with, "The Tsarina's Daughter", then finished "The Last Grand Duchess", a couple of days ago, and now I have completed "After the Romanovs", by Helen Rappaport. I have read a few of her other works and have enjoyed them all. This one also.
It was very interesting reading about the Russian aristocracy before and after the Russian revolution. I knew the history leading up to it, and of course of the deaths of Nicholas and his family, but I had not realized just how many of the aristocracy fled Russia to live in exile in France. How the mighty, who just a few short years before were visiting Paris and using it as their playground to flaunt their wealth, spending excessive amounts of money and partying throughout. To read about the money squandered before the revolution and then to read how some of the same had to get menial jobs just to survive after the revolution was a shocker. I am sure it was a shocker to those that lost all their wealth and power also. To read about this gave me a new outlook and understanding of events and circumstances that contributed to this turbulent and vital part of history.
This book is impeccably researched as are all of Miss Rappaport's writings and though being non-fiction was a very easy read for me. It is not dry or dull as some non-fiction books are. It is written in captivating, energetic writing that captures the reader. To me it read as easily as a fiction novel. It is filled with interesting stories and details of some of the most famous and fascination Russian aristocrats of the era. You won't be disappointed if you like reading about the history of fallen aristocracies.
I highly recommend this read. Thank you to the publishers at St. Martin's Press and to Net Galley for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review in return.

Thank you to St Martins Press and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book!

This book was a wonderful, approachable telling of the role Paris played in the Russian diaspora story. Rappaport does an excellent job of laying out how Russians came to love Paris and hold it in esteem, only to flock there during and after the Bolshevik Revolution. Without getting too heavy-handed in her storytelling, Rappaport weaves a tale of richesse and power, only to see it all taken away as Russians flock to Paris without their wealth and power.

Rappaport does a great job of spreading her story to multiple industries and locations in and around Paris. I particularly appreciated her focus on the Ballets Russes and the musical and artistic contributions of the Russian emigres, without making it a full-on novel about them (though I would absolutely read that). She also did a great job of laying out who is who and how and where they came to settle in Paris, never forgetting their influence on Montparnasse and other neighborhoods.

I only wish Rappaport had spent a little more time going into Russia's obsession with France and how far back that dated, diving in more to the story of Catherine the Great. But a book can only hold so much and she really did a fantastic job of keeping the story moving while not feeling like the story was superficial.

A fantastic book on an interesting period of Paris's history, I really enjoyed it.

A heavily footnoted and well researched history of an era of Russian excesses moved westward into Europe. A fine history of an overlooked period of time and an overlooked aristocracy.

Helen Rappaport has made a writing cottage industry of the last of the Russian Romanov dynasty, with previous books The Last Days of the Romanovs, The Romanov Sisters, The Race to Save the Romanovs, and now After the Romanovs. To me, this one has a bit of the flavor of purposing the unused bits of research from other books, as one might use the scraps of leftover dough from a piecrust.

The book begins during the Belle Epoque, well before the titular After the Romanovs, but the book’s beginning establishes Paris as a longtime second home for the Russian aristocracy during the late Tsarist period. These aristos all spoke French and descended on the City of Light regularly to spend astonishing amounts of money on hotels, second (or third or fourth) homes, dining, couture, jewelry, and gambling.

A few aristos had moved to Paris with a good deal of their wealth intact before the Revolution. They’d been advised to diversity assets outside Russia or, in one case, had been banished for marital misconduct by the straitlaced Tsar and had managed to take a large amount of assets with him.

Russian writers, dancers, musicians, composers, choreographers and artists also often found their ways to Paris, though not arriving in the style of the aristos. They were usually living on a shoestring, often were Jewish, and had no connection to the Tsar or his court. Some became sensations in Paris, like Diaghilev, Nijinsky, Chagall. Others lived in grinding poverty.

Tens of thousands of Russians became Parisians in the wake of the Russian Revolution. They smuggled as much with them as they could, but in most cases it wasn’t much. They found themselves working as cleaners, dishwashers, bathroom attendants, and many other unskilled jobs. Becoming a taxi driver was a reachable ambition for many of the former White army officers, since they were among the few who knew how to drive. Aristocratic women were generally skilled at needlework, and many of them got jobs sewing with high-fashion couturiers.

This book is told mostly anecdotally, and it’s astonishing just how many Princes, Princesses, Dukes, Duchesses, Grand Dukes, Grand Duchesses, and Generals there are. It gives an idea of just how bloated—but exclusive—the Russian aristocracy was. For some years, they maintained faith that the Tsar and his family were still alive, that the Bolsheviks would be ousted and the monarchy restored. But that faith and hope slipped away, and they had children who had never seen the motherland. Paris’s Russophilia of the 1920s faded and sometimes turned to resentment.

Whenever I began to feel sorry for the formerly high-class exiles, Rappaport would throw in a good bucket of cold water, in the form of hard facts about this class, like their virulent antisemitism and support for fascist dictators like Mussolini, Franco and, yes, even Hitler.

An entertaining book, though it feels a little thin and cobbled together.

I like reading social history - as opposed to history that is war centered - so this book is right up my alley. She begins, pre-Lenin but as Russia was moving closer to Bolshevik society. Her focus is on the Romanovs and other significant Russian families, particularly how they spent time and money in Paris. From there she takes us through the fall of the Romanovs up to the early 1950s. One reads about Chagall as well as lesser known artists. In addition we learn about how the Russian royalty adapted-or didn’t adapt-to a life without money and status.. Her research is well documented and the book is well written

I received a copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review
Helen Rappaport is such an inspiration to me in regard to historical research and writing about the Romanovs especially is incredibly well done and well researched on all fields.

Expert Helen Rappaport transports readers to the Romanovs (and others) in exile in Paris as they navigate a new normal following the events of the Russian Revolution. Rappaport does cover relevant and connective backstory, but her richly detailed focus is on reinvention in ways the new emigres could not begin to imagine. And in doing so, she makes sure France is a chapter that cannot be overlooked. Well-known faces appear such as Chagall, Nabokov, Stravinsky, Nijinsky, as well as Mathilde Kschessinska. For anyone searching for comprehensive accounts of all things Romanov, Helen Rappaport delivers yet another outstanding entry

I received an advance reading copy (arc) of this book from NetGalley.com in return for a fair review. Most of us know about the tragic fall of the Romanov family when Czar Nicholas and his wife, Alexandra, were murdered along with their children in 1918 as the Bolsheviks took over Russia. But what about the other family members, as well as titled aristocrats, artists, and other Russians who fled for their lives? It's something I had never thought about until I read this book. Author Helen Rappaport provides an eye-opening look at the many thousands of Russians who settled in Paris after the Revolution. For the most part, they were ill-equipped to live a middle to lower class existence after their lavish lifestyle in Russia. They had little to no training in the work force and found low-paying jobs in factories, while some drove taxi cabs, and many of the ladies took up needlecrafts as that was all they knew how to do. They established a Russian colony where they had their own newspaper, restaurants, churches, etc., but there was a sadness about all of them as they clung to the hope that one day they would return to Russia and the way they were. It was quite a come-uppance for the refugees who were used to extravagance. Part of me did not feel sorry for them as they suddenly faced living in the real world, but another part of me sympathized with them for losing their homeland. They never quite fit in anywhere else. It is a very depressing story with little triumph, but still quite interesting. My only complaint was the multitude of characters. It was very hard to keep them all straight--especially with their complex names--at least I thought they were complex. The author certainly knows her Russian history, which makes this book a worthwhile read.

The Fall of an Empire

Before the revolution and the fall of the Romanov's you would find in Paris during the 1900's Grand Duke's and Duchesses, Prince and Princesses and Counts an Countesses of the Russian Empire in Paris having coffee at the Ritz. They called it Five O Clock Tea. They would be found shopping for Jewelry and fancy clothing. For 40 years Paris was a place for Russian Royalty to visit.

One famous Russian on the Paris scene was Sergey Diaghilev. He dabbled in the arts. The Dance Company "The Ballets Russes (Ballet), the artistic group called "Mir Iskusstva"(World of Art), and even music and the Paris Opera House. After much trial and error his Ballet went on to International fame for the next sixteen years.

It was said that Paris was the Cafe of Europe. The Parisian cafes served not only coffee, but as an important social club ,for literary and political discussion. a meeting place for travelers, writers and artists from across Europe. They served as a home for impoverished artists and political dissidents fleeing Tsar Russia.

After the Revolution the Russian royalty immigrated to Paris. At one point it was estimated that there was around 100,000 Russian immigrants in Paris.

In 1921 the young American writer Ernest Hemingway came to Paris as a correspondent for the Toronto Star Newspaper. He wrote to the Toronto Star Paris is full of Russians.

The immigrated Russians were often forced to take low paying jobs such as washing cars , opening doors for customers or working on farms in the country. only a few were able to find jobs in their professional field.

Help was needed for the struggling refugees. In 1934 Mother Maria founded a "Hospitality House" a homeless shelter and soup kitchen. It was always filled day and night with the poor unemployed Russian Immigrants.

This book is the story of Paris at and the Russian's that loved the city and immigrated there to escape persecution in Russia.

It was a good history of these times in history and very interesting to read. If you are a history buff you will enjoy reading this book.

Thanks to Helen Rappaport for writing the book, to St. Martin's Press for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available to me.

Rappaport always writes solid books. I enjoy her research. After the Romanovs depicts what happens to the ejected Russians after the Revolution. Paris became the bolt hole for so many exiled Russians. They created new enclaves for themselves and waited for life to be restored or to go on.
It's a fascinating look at the exiled Russians carving a new life for themselves.
I find anything about this time era fascinating as it pertains to the Russians.

I generally enjoy reading books of this era but this one felt superficial to me. Instead of an in-depth narrative delving into the post-revolution lives of a select number of Russian aristocrats, Rappaport gives an overload of minute information about a whole lot of them. It seems unfocused and impersonal. Having said that, I'm sure this book will appeal to a lot of readers, particularly those interested in reading about excess, fashion and gossip.
#netgalley

Russian Exiles in Paris from the Belle Époque through revolution and war

Taken from drawings, diaries and with help of researchers in the UK and France the author delivers a portrait of Russian aristocrats, artists and intellectuals who sought freedom and refuge in Paris in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

This is not an easy read. The author details the scandalous affairs, sumptuous parties, the extravagant shopping trips and gifts given to high class prostitutes. She also describes how Russian artists entranced their Parisian audiences and overwhelmed cafes causing the local authorities to be concern that revolution might come to France. After Stalin came to power in 1917, thousands of people were killed by the Bolshevists or sought refuge in other countries. Paris was for the aristocrats the city of dreams. Without money and no passports they needed to work, Russian noblewomen found work in the haute couture houses while Russian men found jobs as taxi drivers or worked in the auto industries. Although some ended in Berlin it is estimated that over 50,000 people made Pairs their home.

This book was hard to get into I had to drop it many times and recoup in order to keep going. They author throws names of people I barely knew about and a period long forgotten. But interesting was how the exiled managed to earn their living and come to terms with their reduced circumstances. The book focuses on several individuals and their story are sad. Not easy to be chased from your country and see your life the ways you always lived it ending.

Although I didn’t know much about the subject matter apart from the obvious Romanovs, Rasputin, Stalin and a few others like Coco Chanel now I can say I have a little bit more knowledge. If I can only remember all those Russian names...

“After the Romanovs” is meticulously researched and written with tremendous details. It places emphasis on the period following the Russian revolution and the White Russians who fled to Paris.

On a side not: Russian aristocrats lived a life of opulence built on oppression of many...not surprising the uprising....

A rich, descriptive history of the lives of Russian nobility in France before, during and after the Russian Revolution. Rappaport delves deeply into the culture and backstories of the members of the royal family and their spouses, children, etc. It is a dense read, but very helpful to understanding the events and repercussions of the time.

After the Romanovs by Helen Rappaport

9781250273109

336 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: March 8, 2022

Nonfiction, Russian History

This is a very detailed book of Russian history including the execution of the Tsar’s family. After the revolution, the royals and extended family fled the county any way possible. Without money, they were at the mercy of others. The ones that remained in the country were put in prison or executed. I was unaware of the fate the families fell on after revolution. I also learned about the white and red armies.

The author did a remarkable job researching this book. The information is very detailed an covers many of the royal family members. If you have an interest in Russian history, you will enjoy reading this book.

This is a well written non fiction account of life for the Russian aristocracy and others. There is lots of background and info spreading over many layers of the community in France and Russia. I’m not big on non fiction but I believe you could find this an interesting and informative book.