Michael and Natasha: The Life and Love of Michael II, the Last of the Romanov Tsars
by Donald Crawford (Author), Rosemary Crawford (Author)
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He was Grand Duke Michael, handsome brother of Tsar Nicholas II. She was the beautiful twice-divorced daughter of a Moscow lawyer. Everything was wrong...yet for Michael, it was love at first sight-an obsession that would lead to disgrace, humiliation, and exile. Their scandalous love affair and their runaway marriage to Vienna in 1912, trailed by the Tsar's secret police, caused uproar in Russia and was the talk of all Europe. Based on hundreds of letters long hidden in the Russian state show more archive, as well as Michael's private diaries held by the Forbes Collection, here is an extraordinary tale of enduring love and ultimate tragedy that, until now, has never been told. Michael and Natasha is both an astonishing love story and an illuminating look at the last glorious days of the Romanovs and the brutal revolution that ended their reign. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
A dual biography of Grand Duke Michael and his wife Natasha - he was the younger brother of Tsar Nicholas II, and was legally Tsar for a day, March 3, 1917. Their marriage was an enormous scandal - Natasha was a divorced woman of much lower legal status, and she was never accepted by other members of the royal family. In particular, the Dowager Empress Marie was adamantly opposited to the match - she was apparently the Queen Mary of her generation. The authors, Rosemary and Donald Crawford, do an excellent job of bringing out the tragic romance behind their union - the tumultuous circumstances of the Russian Revolution separated them, and Michael was murdered by his Bolshevik prison guards in the early summer of 1918. Natasha was also show more arrested by the Cheka, but she managed to escape to the west. Forced into a vagabond exile in London and Paris, she was depressed as only Russians can be depressed, never forgetting her halycon love, and struggling to pay her bills. She died forgotten and alone in a pauper's hospital in Paris in 1952. I like these royal biographies - evidence of the mutability of human existence, good reminders not to take happiness for granted. Nice summer reading. show less
An historical drama, a biography, a love story, a tragedy, a compelling thriller in one superbly written account of the last days of the Romanov dynasty. A superb read, which I would recommend to anyone. It provided an insight into the events that changed the world, evoking both outrage towards and sympathy for the two main characters...a roller-coaster of emotions. A brilliant adventure!
This is a fascinating biography about the very last Russian tsar. No, not Nicholas. He abdicated and his brother Michael was tsar for a short period. This is an amazing story and I was struck by eerie similarities to Duke & Duchess of Windsor.
Too much quoting of their repetitive love letters.
Highly enjoyable
1878-1918/Biography/Biography & Autobiography/Biography / Autobiography/Biography/Autobiography/Countess Brassova,/Countesses/Europe - Russia & the Former Soviet Union/Grand Duke of Russia,/Historical - General/Mikhail Aleksandrovich,/Princes/Royalty/Russia/Russia - History/Sheremetevskaya, Nathalie,/History / General/Mikhail Aleksandrovich/Romanov, House of/Sheremetevskaya, Nathalie
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Michael and Natasha: The Life and Love of Michael II, the Last of the Romanov Tsars
- Original title
- Michael and Natasha : the life and love of the last tsar of Russia
- Original publication date
- 1997-09-08 (1e édition originale anglaise, Weidenfeld & Nicolson) (1e édition originale anglaise, Weidenfeld & Nicolson); 2000-11-28 (1e traduction et édition française, Editions des Syrtes) (1e traduction et édition française, Editions des Syrtes)
- People/Characters
- Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia; Natalia, Countess Brassova
- Important places*
- Russie
- Important events
- Russian Revolution; Assassination of Russian imperial family
- Dedication
- For Roderick, Alastair and Antonia
- First words
- Women had long flocked to the Grand Duke Michael Aleksandrovich
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Will you ultimately be able to redeem the death of Michael the Last?
- Original language*
- Anglais (Royaume-Uni) (Royaume-Uni)
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
- Genres
- History, Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 947.08 — History & geography History of Europe Eastern European Counties and Russia Russian & Slavic History by Period 1855-
- LCC
- DK254 .M513 .C73 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania Russia. Soviet Union. Former Soviet Republics – Poland History of Russia. Soviet Union. Former Soviet Republics History House of Romanov, 1613-1917
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 247
- Popularity
- 130,973
- Reviews
- 6
- Rating
- (3.74)
- Languages
- 5 — English, French, German, Russian, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 18
- ASINs
- 1
