The Romanov Bride

"Ever since the fall of the Soviet Union, there has been a regrettable revisionism towards the Romanov emperors. The quite literal hagiography of the Romanovs (they were declared saints and "passion bearers" of the Orthodox church in 2000) ignores the monumental human rights abuses they inflicted on Russia's peasantry and against anyone viewed as political enemies, including Jews. Alexander continues this unmerited absolution in his fanciful tale of Princess Ella, sister of the Empress Alexandra, and wife of Grand Duke Sergei, one of the cruelest autocrats in the regime. <br/><br/>Yet it's also the story of Pavel, a worker who is radicalized when his young wife is murdered during the massacre of thousands on Bloody Sunday in 1906. In alternating chapters they recount their experiences leading up to the revolution. While the author is sympathetic to Pavel, there is a condescension and barely muffled contempt for both his cause and his poverty ("I am filthy with sin!"), while Ella is presented as kind, beautiful, pious, and completely innocent of any of her family's crimes.<br/><br/>While I'm sure she was a perfectly nice woman, the lengths Alexander goes to justify her behavior and her supposed ignorance of the sufferings of the Russian people boggles the mind. Pavel is tortured with guilt for his crimes, Ella seems mildly bothered by hers. In her rare direct encounters with Pavel and other peasants, their worshipful idolatry of her, and her beatific platitudes about forgiveness are nauseating.<br/><br/>A pleasant enough piece of fluff, with enough royalty **** trappings to satisfy the most ardent Downton Abbey fan."