Secret Lives of the Tsars: Three Centuries of Autocracy, Debauchery, Betrayal, Murder, and Madness from Romanov Russia
Written by Michael Farquhar
Narrated by Enn Reitel
4/5
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About this audiobook
"Michael Farquhar doesn't write about history the way, say, Doris Kearns Goodwin does. He writes about history the way Doris Kearns Goodwin's smart-ass, reprobate kid brother might. I, for one, prefer it."-Gene Weingarten, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and Washington Post columnist
Scandal! Intrigue! Cossacks! Here the world's most engaging royal historian chronicles the world's most fascinating imperial dynasty: the Romanovs, whose three-hundred-year reign was remarkable for its shocking violence, spectacular excess, and unimaginable venality. In this incredibly entertaining history, Michael Farquhar collects the best, most captivating true tales of Romanov iniquity. We meet Catherine the Great, with her endless parade of virile young lovers (none of them of the equine variety); her unhinged son, Paul I, who ordered the bones of one of his mother's paramours dug out of its grave and tossed into a gorge; and Grigori Rasputin, the "Mad Monk," whose mesmeric domination of the last of the Romanov tsars helped lead to the monarchy's undoing. From Peter the Great's penchant for personally beheading his recalcitrant subjects (he kept the severed head of one of his mistresses pickled in alcohol) to Nicholas and Alexandra's brutal demise at the hands of the Bolsheviks, Secret Lives of the Tsars captures all the splendor and infamy that was Imperial Russia.
Michael Farquhar
Michael Farquhar, a former writer and editor at The Washington Post, is the bestselling author of numerous books, including the critically acclaimed Behind the Palace Doors and Secret Lives of the Tsars, as well as the popular Penguin "Treasury" series: A Treasury of Royal Scandals, A Treasury of Great American Scandals, A Treasury of Deception, and A Treasury of Foolishly Forgotten Americans. He lives in Washington, D.C.
More audiobooks from Michael Farquhar
Behind the Palace Doors: Five Centuries of Sex, Adventure, Vice, Treachery, and Folly from Royal Britain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Treasury of Great American Scandals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for Secret Lives of the Tsars
40 ratings6 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Farquahar has done a great deal of research, and a good job of organizing all the information in this history of the Tsars. Since each chapter chronicles the rule of one tsar, it makes it easy to skip around and read about the periods of Russian history that are of the most interest to you, I liked that. I also really enjoyed the footnotes at the end of each chapter with additional nuggets of information.
I knew little or nothing about most of the Russian Tsars, very interesting stuff in this book! - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book tells the most interesting story of the Romanov dynasty. I read a lot about this era and am fascinated by Russian history. It was very well written in a clear concise way, and although it covered many csars and csarinas during three hundred centuries, it was done in a way that kept you interested and not bored. I really enjoyed it.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a great look at the Russian Tsars from 5,000 feet. Every now and then the author dips lower to get a better view, especially the closer we get to 1917. But really, that’s to be expected given the scope of the topic.
If you’re looking for an in-depth book of Russian history, you might want to skip this one. However if you want a broad view of 200 years, it’s worth the time. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This romp through the centuries of Russian monarchs makes for fun reading, but falls far short of offering much informative about the tsars. Those familiar with Russian history will likely recognize most of the stories recounted in this book (and if they're like me, they will enjoy the retelling), but this book does contain a few inaccuracies and a few times the author portrays rumors and gossip as fact. Reading between the lines, I am tempted to find some more resources to pursue about some the figures, since the author fails to explain some of the intricacies of many of the tsars' characters. For example, Farquhar scarcely has a nice word to say about Emperor Paul I, but also notes that he and his wife were deeply in love and incredibly supportive to each other throughout their marriage, a tidbit that hints at a more complex figure than the author portrays.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A fun and well-written book by someone intimately knowledgeable and interested in Romanov Russia. This isn't your grandparent's history book by any stretch of the imagination, and shouldn't be treated as such. The author goes to lengths to describe the erratic, strange, perverse, and violent behavior by one of the world's most storied ruling families, hence the title. To be sure, the author does offer brief asides to contemporary geopolitical circumstances, yet that isn't the scope of this book. My surprise was those people who downranked this book because of its lack of focus on historically significant actions, battles, dates, etc, yet that just isn't the point here.
5/5 for an entertaining and well-written read that covers a broad stretch of history with the appropriate amount of detail and lighthearted humor. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wow, those Russians were a rough bunch.....no shortage of debauchery, betrayal, murder and madness, and when you think you've read it all, there's more.
A really interesting fun read, if you're not to squeamish. Not like the author gets graphic with his descriptions, but those guys were no shrinking violets. If you have a vivid imagination, you will cringe like I did, while reading.
The tone of the book is factual and more like story telling, without sensationalizing or going for shock value. I recommend this book.