I have to start this review with a couple of disclosures.
First, at one point, I majored in history in college. I’ve always been a history buff of all time periods and thought I might like to teach it. There were two classes that absolutely kicked my butt.
The first was an Ancient Egyptian class that was fascinating, but the professor was a savant of some kind and his test questions were the “Who was the fifth king of the 23rd Dynasty, and why was he important” type. A LOT of minutiae that was difficult to remember.
The other class was Russian history in two parts. The first was the early years of the tsars (c. 1500-c. 1700) and the second class was the emperors (Peter the Great through Nicholas II). They were fascinating classes but full of so many people and twisty relationships that I couldn’t wrap my head around it.
I flunked it twice and switched to a Theatre/English major.
The other disclosure is that my parents and I visited Russia in the mid-1990s. At the time I wished that I had made it through the history classes, but our tour was so informational (and honest) that I still count it as one of my favorite trips ever.
I say all this because I obviously have a love/hate relationship with Russian history. That’s just one reason that I was excited about reading this book. I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but whatever it was, I was not disappointed.
The author managed to convey all of the intrigue and intricacies of the Russian Courts without it being mind-numbingly confusing. That right there is a feat of its own.
The other thing that I found interesting was the author’s choice to show the rough side of the monarchy. That was something that we learned while we were in Russia. The courts were definitely wrapped in pageantry, wealth, and opulence (as can be seen in their palaces) but the underbelly was quite sordid.
I liked how the author chose the “warts and all” approach. It made everything much more vivid. And boy, are things vivid. Sexual encounters and fights, feasts and festivities, all get lavish descriptions. I will say that if you are faint of heart, some of the more graphic encounters may be a bit much for you. Read wisely.
As to the plot itself, well…let’s just say that it in some ways it doesn’t matter what is real and what is the author’s artistic liberties, because it all weaves together seamlessly. If there is anything that is not factual, it is close enough to the truth to fit into the narrative.
It’s a story about the two extremes of society, the nobles who constantly angled for higher status and the poor who were nothing to the aristocracy and there to be used. Ultimately, it’s also about a woman who went from one of those extremes to the other and ruled Russia as any man would.
It’s an epic read for anyone who is interested in historical fiction that sticks to the reality of history (not some romanticized version of it).
Author Bio:
ELLEN ALPSTEN was born and raised in the Kenyan highlands. Upon graduating from L’Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris, she worked as a news anchor for Bloomberg TV London. Whilst working gruesome night shifts on breakfast TV, she started to write in earnest, every day, after work and a nap. Today, Ellen works as an author and as a journalist for international publications such as Vogue, Standpoint and CN Traveller. She lives in London with her husband, three sons and a moody fox red Labrador. Tsarina is her debut novel.
Social Link: https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/client/ellen-alpsten
