The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia

By: Candace Fleming

Narrated by: Kimberly Farr, Eugene Alper, Mark Deakins, Julia Emelin, Gleb Kaminer, Rustam Kasymov, Paul Michael, Stefan Rudnicki

Here is the tumultuous, heartrending, true story of the Romanovs - at once an intimate portrait of Russia's last royal family and a gripping account of its undoing. Using compelling first person accounts, award-winning author Candace Fleming (Amelia Lost; The Lincolns) deftly maneuvers between the imperial family’s extravagant lives and the plight of Russia's poor masses, making this an utterly mesmerizing listen as well as a perfect resource for meeting Common Core standards.

©2014 Candace Fleming (P)2014 Listening Library

Critic reviews

Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature

Winner of the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for Nonfiction

A Robert F. Sibert Honor Book

A YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award Finalist

Winner of the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction

“[A] superb history...In these thrilling, highly readable pages, we meet Rasputin, the shaggy, lecherous mystic... we visit the gilded ballrooms of the doomed aristocracy; and we pause in the sickroom of little Alexei, the hemophiliac heir who, with his parents and four sisters, would be murdered by the Bolsheviks in 1918.” (The Wall Street Journal)

"For readers who regard history as dull, Fleming’s extraordinary book is proof positive that, on the contrary, it is endlessly fascinating, absorbing as any novel, and the stuff of an altogether memorable reading experience." (Booklist, starred review)

Good expansion of popular understanding

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Anyone who is interested in learning more about the Romanovs would not be ill-served to listen to this audiobook. It's engaging, well-written, and well-performed.

Who was your favorite character and why?

It's hard to pick a favorite character in a historical work but I suppose Czar Nicholas qualifies as my favorite character, despite being hopelessly out of his depth.

Which character – as performed by Kimberly Farr and Various – was your favorite?

I liked her voice for diary entries.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Much of the book was wholly unsurprising. We've heard all the tragic points before. But I think what was most moving was the execution.

Any additional comments?

This is yet another example of a ruler with a good reputation being completely responsible for the total lack of preparedness of the next ruler, which ends in disaster. (Louis XVI comes to mind.) Czar Nicholas was awful - but he was awful largely due to the fact that his father did absolutely nothing to prepare him for ruling a nation.

Excellent!

One of the best books I have ever listened to and read. Just came back from St Petersburg a month ago and wish I had read this before I went.

Their humanity really stood out; Thank you Candace.

Candace Fleming gave me an overview history of this time period in Russia, based on this family.

Astonishing

this book had me on edge, from me only knowing the cartoon movie about Anastacia and not really knowing the Romanov family history, this book really informed me of the Russian history... I was amazed at the detail of events that happened to this family and how destroyed and destructive Russia was until the fall of the royal family.. I would definitely recommend listening to this book.. even hearing what was written from the diaries of the royal family and other who interacted with them was interesting and touching..

History told in a captivating way!

Best narration I've ever listened to. Kimberly Farr is able to lead the listener through the story and include important sidebars without making it feel like an abrupt interruption. The other voices help create a sense of the times. Brilliant.

best historical book I've read so far!

although the narrator sounded like a robot half the time, the book drastically contrasted that with it's story like depictions. This made the reader feel emersed in the story, made it seem like it was happening right before their eyes.

Great book and great read

Author did wonderful job contrasting Romanov family life with political life and against the lives of the peasants. This is a really fun read.

Where is Annastasia

Excellent book. I loved it and couldn't put it down. Very informative and gave me insight into Russian history. Highly recommend

A very approachable history

Coming off a series of histories and biographies, I was surprised at first by the passion in the reader's voice. It wasn't the stuffy, impassionate reading of very serious stuff I was used to. It almost made me wonder if it wasn't serious, or would be handled with kid gloves to avoid the hard stuff. But as I went along and got used to the reader, and found the text did not shy away from the reality (more important, didn't overdramatize it) I did get into this. Not as detailed as, for example Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, but also not as grisly. A good chunk of history with enough background to understand and a perhaps overqualified reader to narrate.

Great history!

We have all heard of the Romanov's and their fate. However, this book starts two generations back and gives you the back story. You really understand what lead to the Revolution. I have a much greater understanding of the plight of the family as well as the people of Russia during the era.