The Romanovs: 1613-1918

By: Simon Sebag Montefiore

Narrated by: Simon Russell Beale

The Romanovs were the most successful dynasty of modern times, ruling a sixth of the world's surface. How did one family turn a war-ruined principality into the world's greatest empire? And how did they lose it all?

This is the intimate story of 20 tsars and tsarinas, some touched by genius, some by madness, but all inspired by holy autocracy and imperial ambition. Montefiore's gripping chronicle reveals their secret world of unlimited power and ruthless empire building, overshadowed by palace conspiracy, family rivalries, sexual decadence and wild extravagance and peopled by a cast of adventurers, courtesans, revolutionaries and poets, from Ivan the Terrible to Tolstoy, from Queen Victoria to Lenin.

To rule Russia was both imperial-sacred mission and poisoned chalice. Six tsars were murdered, and all the Romanovs lived under constant threat to their lives. Peter the Great tortured his own son to death while making Russia an empire and dominated his court with a dining club notable for compulsory drunkenness, naked dwarfs and fancy dress. Catherine the Great overthrew her own husband - who was murdered soon afterwards - loved her young male favourites, conquered Ukraine and fascinated Europe. Paul was strangled by courtiers backed by his own son, Alexander I, who faced Napoleon's invasion and the burning of Moscow, then went on to take Paris. Alexander II liberated the serfs, survived five assassination attempts, and wrote perhaps the most explicit love letters ever written by a ruler.

The Romanovs: 1613-1918 climaxes with a fresh, unforgettable portrayal of Nicholas and Alexandra, the rise and murder of Rasputin, war and revolution - and the harrowing massacre of the entire family. Written with dazzling literary flair, drawing on new archival research, The Romanovs: 1613-1918 is at once an enthralling story of triumph and tragedy, love and death, a universal study of power and an essential portrait of the empire that still defines Russia today.

©2016 Simon Sebag Montefiore (P)2016 Orion Publishing Group

Brilliant

So informative. I know understand why Russia is like it is. Putin is a Tzar

The predicament of Russian autocracy.

As the author says in the very last line of the epilogue: ¤"The Romanovs are gone, but the predicament of Russian autocracy lives on."

Great book.

Very fascinating story and good performance overall. Could have been a little less about the last tsars.

informative history of the Tsars

good narration. kept me interested till the end. highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Russian history

Pretty good

As a Russian I enjoyed this side look to the events of our history. However, there were some small differences with the version I (and all other in my country) know from Russian historians. Still very much worth it though.

Thorough, interesting and well narrated

The Romanovs is a thorough description of ancient and modern Russia through the eyes of autocracy. Very well narrated.

Great book, not so great reader

The book is fantastic, and I am sure it will become a classic on Russian history. Mr Sebag Montefiore has done a great work: he combines detail, research and historical accuracy with amenity and readability.
Alas, the listening experience is botched by the performance of the reader; he has quite a curious diction, where he rathers splutters words. It is specially annoying in a book like this, where foreign names abound. I’ve had to check plenty of them. He also has an unsteady reading pace, where he suddenly accelerates and one word seems to crash into the next one. A pity.

Definitely not a waste of my time

You have to be interested in the history to enjoy this book as the story can get a bit long winded at times.

I however thoroughly enjoyed it. The writer brought various sources of information together to create a seamless story that flows together. Well done!

I leave having learnt significantly about Russian culture and the history of governance behind it as well as the individuals that shaped it.

Historical inaccuracies

Some dates and names got mixed up. I expected more. The narration is decent.