The Kitchen Boy

“My name is Mikhail Semyonov. I live in Lake Forest village, Illinois state, the United States of America. I am ninety-four years old. I was born in Russia before the revolution. I was born in Tula province and my name then was not Mikhail or even Misha, as I am known here in America. No, my real name–the one given to me at birth–was Leonid Sednyov, and I was known as Leonka. Please forgive my years of lies, but now I tell you the truth.”

So begins Misha’s recounting of the real story of his emigration from Russia to the United States. Robert Alexander’s The Kitchen Boy unfolds Misha’s story by degrees–at times moving painstakingly slowly and at times rushing towards its inevitable, tragic conclusion of the assassination show more of the Romanov royals by the Bolsheviks.

After decades of silence, Misha tape records his story of the events surrounding the Romanov’s execution for his granddaughter to listen to upon his death; in his recording, he continues to weave together lies and truth. The guilt he feels over surviving that night when his beloved Romanovs met their deaths is palpable and becomes increasingly understandable as his narration unfolds.

Misha declares himself to have been the kitchen boy for the Romanov family for their last years through their final days in the House of Special Purpose in Yekaterinburg. In this role, he was charged with the task of carrying smuggling notes between the Romanovs and their purported rescuers. Their subsequent deaths mark his failure in this charge.

The recording reveals that for the remainder of his life he lives in the shadow of their deaths, repeatedly replaying the events of that night and questioning his actions prior to that night trying to deduce how he could have acted differently to save them. He says, “I am the last living witness and I alone know what really happened that awful night…just as I alone know where the bodies of the two missing children are…”

Misha’s story–The Kitchen Boy–is a story full of history, tragedy, guilt, love, and forgiveness. I would particularly recommend it for those interested in learning more about Russian history in general and the Russian Revolution of 1917 in particular or for those who enjoy stories full of mystery and conspiracy. Plus, Alexander throws in a twist at the end regarding the fate of the missing Romanovs. Robert Alexander is also the author of Rasputin’s Daughter and The Romanov Bride. show less

One of the enduring mysteries of the 20th century concerned death of the Romanov family. The father, Nicholas II, was the last Russian emperor. He, his wife, their five children and four servants descended the basement steps of the house in which they were held prisoner one evening in July, 1918. It was the intent of their captors, the Bolsheviks, to kill them. Which is essentially what they did. But the murder and its sequelae left many unanswered questions. It is into this hazy landscape that Robert Alexander journeys with his novel, The Kitchen Boy.

Alexander tells the story of the last days of the Romanovs through the voice of Leonka, a young man who worked as the cook's helper in their kitchen during the last 18 months of their show more lives. He tells the story in retrospect, at the age of 94, speaking into a tape recorder to leave a record for his grand-daughter, who is his heir. He has a conscience that is troubled by what transpired as the Romanovs met their death and part of his motivation to give the world the truth of that event.

But all is not as it seems.

I found the story captivating from start to finish. While I read this book for its entertainment value there was a side benefit, which may not have been intended by the author. While Alexander tells a fictional story he does so while drawing heavily from historical events. Real people did real things, and some of those things were heinous. Looking back through nearly 100 years of history it is easy to see what was not clear then, which is that in murdering the Romanovs the Bolsheviks were revealing their true colors as ruthless murderers, willing to do anything to grasp and maintain power. And in doing so they paved the way for profound brutality and ruthlessness that continue today.

For the most part the murky details of the Romanov mystery that set the stage for this tale have been resolved. Darkness, however, continues to loom large in the human heart. show less

Through the eyes of Leonka, kitchen boy and sometime playmate of the Tsarevich Aleksei, the reader is transported back to the final months and days of the Romanov family, held in isolation in Yekaterinburg in 1917. Robert Alexander paints a portrait of a genuinely loving, though colossally naïve, family, the last in a long line of Russian royalty that began with Tsar Michael in 1613. Though we know full well how the situation will end despite some dramatic glimmers of hope, the narrative is not unduly bleak and contains a surprising twist. At just 229 pages, The Kitchen Boy is also a relatively rapid read for someone looking to squeeze in another book before the end of the year.

This extremely well-written novel reads like a true-life adventure story. It's a tale of the murder of the Russian imperial family in 1918 in their place of exile in Siberia, told by one of the people who were present at the time. The plot ranges from revolutionary times to the present day and involves a deep, dark mystery: why were two of the bodies never discovered? The reader is quickly drawn into the story, and the writing is such that even though you know a terrible fate that awaits the last Tsar and his family, you keep hoping the ending will be different. This last part of the book is excellent with some unexpected plot twists, which brings the tale to a bittersweet conclusion.
The author often is lengthy in his writing and show more provides the reader with a rich feel for Russian culture and history.
While Alexander tells a fictional story, he does so while drawing heavily from historical events. Real people did real things, and some of those things were heinous. Looking back through nearly 100 years of history, it is easy to see what was not clear then. In murdering the Romanovs, the Bolsheviks revealed their true colors as ruthless murderers, willing to do anything to grasp and maintain power. And in doing so, they paved the way for profound brutality and ruthlessness that continue today. show less

Sigh. I was really enjoying this "novel of the last Tsar", as it is subtitled. A tale told by an old man living in America, who reveals himself to be Leonid Sednyov, former kitchen boy in the household of Tsar Nicholas II, who accompanied the royal family into their lengthy house arrest, and because of his youth and insignificance was sent away by the Red Guards before the family was murdered on the night of July 17, 1918. Using the common literary device of a final letter revealing long-kept secrets, to be opened only upon his death, the narrator ostensibly tells an insider's story of what really happened in The House of Special Purpose during the month before the end came for the Romanovs. And he explains how he managed to sneak back show more to the house and watch the whole grisly scene through a barred window, how he followed the truck that took away the bodies of Nicholas and his family, how he knew where the bodies were disposed of, and what happened to the two that were not found with the others after the fall of Communism. All this, for the benefit of the old man's granddaughter, and to enjoin her to return to Mother Russia the Romanov treasures he had spent a lifetime recovering and hiding in an elaborate vault in his home. Fanciful, a bit of a stretch, but nothing quite so fantastic as the stories that circulated for decades, igniting so many romantic imaginations, of various women who claimed to be or were presented as the Grand Duchess Anastasia, a miraculous survivor of the massacre. If the author had left it at that, this would have been a satisfying, imaginative historical novel. But he had to try to jump the shark, and he missed. I won't slip in any spoilers, but suffice it to say the "surprise ending" set forth in the Epilogue is not only pure foolishness, but it's badly written, whereas the rest of the story was quite well-told. This novel shares an unfortunate failing with several others I've read --The Girl in the Blue Beret, People of the Book, Sarah's Key--in that the modern frame for the historical story just doesn't work very well.
Review written in 2012 show less

4.25 stars

Misha is 94 years old and living in Illinois. Just before he dies, he has a story to tell his granddaughter, Kate, so he records it onto a cassette. There was a secret he kept for 80 years, something he felt guilty for all that time. Little did anyone know, but he was the kitchen boy, a servant, for the Romanovs in Russia. Nikolai and Aleksandra Romanov were the last Tsar and Tsaritsa in Russia before the Bolsheviks imprisoned, then later murdered, them, one night in July, 1918. Misha (then Leonka) witnessed the entire horrifying event. Misha tells of the last month or so of the Romanov family's lives, as he helps to smuggle letters in and out of the house they are imprisoned, in hopes of rescue.

This was really good. I don't show more know much about Russian history, so it took a short bit at the start to get a little bit familiar with the names (and sometimes different names were used for the same person, but it was surprisingly easy to follow, all the same) and an introduction to the events leading up to where this story starts, but it didn't take long to get into it at all. The book just builds and builds, and the last third is mesmerizing and horrifying, as Misha describes the murder of the family, and the aftermath. I just didn't want to put the book down at that point. But, it doesn't end there, as time comes back around to Kate and her search for more information about her grandfather. show less

Pretty much everyone knows the story of the Romanov dynasty and how it ended tragically, or has at least some idea of the mystery surrounding Anastasia for most of the last century. This story doesn't center around Anastasia but there is a great amount of mystery in this story.

Having not read anything from this period before it was quite interesting and I’m glad I took the chance on it. My friend Christa of Hooked on Books recommended this author. This book was well researched and took some great risks as it explored a survival theory.

While the pacing of the novel was a little slow at times, the ending was amazing and it will BLOW YOUR MIND!! I thought I knew how things were going to end, but I was so far off it was ridiculous.

I show more learned a lot of things about this era and am going to have to do more research to find out if things in the novel were really true. I find it hard to believe that a family who were basically being held prisoner by rebels would have been so accommodating and good natured. I may have a new favorite genre.

There are some very gruesome scenes near the end of the book, which should be expected considering the circumstances. However, if are disinclined to very descriptive, graphic scenes, you would probably want to skip those scenes. I was a little shocked by the descriptions, and I was expecting the outcome. However, I would read more about the Romanov’s as well as more from this author. show less