After the Romanovs: Russian Exiles in Paris from the Belle Époque Through Revolution and War by Helen Rappaport
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Web ID: 15276138Well Researched
It was an interesting read but since I don't know much about Russian history I was missing something. At times it read like a college research paper and if that was the case the professor would know a lot of the back story that I didn't. The chapters were really quite long. Obviously there were a lot of "characters" with really long names and the story flowed from one time line to another, back and forth between Paris and Russia and from one person to another. I think I would have liked it more if it was about one person or even one family. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press giving me the opportunity to read a digital copy.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Meticulously researched and well written
This is a meticulously researched and well written book about the Russian aristocracy exiled in Paris during the Belle Epoque. I was interested in the book because of the time and the city in that era. Rappaport’s knowledge of Russian history is phenomenal. I would have been better served if I had read some of her previous works so the I was familiar with some of the exiles. I put this book aside to read one required for my book club and unfortunately have not returned to it. I feel sure that this is my loss, as I enjoyed the part that I read. I need to pick this up again. My thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for an advanced readers copy.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A fastinating if dense read
I was not expecting this one to be as incredibly dense with information and very complicated-to-remember names, but I'm glad I stuck with it because it's amazing to find out just how far the lives of almost all the upper classes of Russia fell. Rappaport starts by giving a glimpse of the ridiculously extravagant and mostly wastrel lifestyles that those with power and the right connections lived before the Russian revolution of 1917. I admire her restraint in remaining objective and not straight up declaring that they kind of brought everything upon themselves with the way they wasted riches while letting the majority of Russia starve. It makes for fascinating reading to follow an entire group of people from the highest level trying to survive after falling to the lowest of the low while remaining somewhat naively hopeful of their inevitable return to power. Rappaport mentions and almost apologizes several times for the fact that it's almost impossible to know how the lower classes that also escaped the red wave of communism fared after their exile and that's why this book focuses almost entirely on the family of the Tsar and the intelligentsia who managed to escape to Paris to scrape out a living in Paris. Honestly, I found the fact that this book focuses on the massive fall and fight for survival so interesting that I see no problem with focusing just on the group she focuses on. Also, the book is dense enough as it is that adding more chapters for a more varied population would have made it too much for my poor brain to handle. This is not a book of light reading to get some more info for trivia or just to know. This is a well-written and researched study that delves deep into people and their lives. Great for those who enjoy deep studies and having all the information, but definitely not for the just curious. Happy thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the very informative and eye-opening read!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Historical
I am thankful I was given a copy of After the Romanovs: Russian Exiles in Paris from the Belle Époque through the Revolution and War.. by Helen Rappaport.. I am a total history buff and I really enjoyed this book. While Russia had its ups and downs, most Russian Royalty, exiles and artists loved Paris. It afforded them all the things Russia didn’t. Some hid, some indulged and some just never went home. Some held on to their wealth and some couldn’t get out of poverty. I felt like Helen did an excellent job telling the story of all of them. I liked how she touched on the positive and the negative affects Paris had on some. Paris welcomed them and they were grateful but all seemed to miss there homeland, Russia. This was a four star read for me. Thank you to Netgalley & the author for my copy for an honest review. It was my pleasure to read & review. I look forward to reading more books by Rappaport in the future.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Not a favorite
In early 1900, Paris became a safe haven for the Russian aristocracy to escape the threat of revolution in their country. With so many wealthy Russians in France, the French took an interest in Russian culture. Their extreme wealth in some cases was to the point of being vulgar. They brought incredible amount of money and jewels and demanded the best. This book is a non-fiction depiction of the lives of people who fled Russia during their Revolution. I had hoped to find it interesting but, quite frankly, it seemed to be the same chapter after chapter. I can honestly say that I have never had any real interest in Russia or its history, but when the publisher invited me to read and review this book, I reluctantly agreed hoping that I might increase my knowledge about Russia. Major surgery put me behind in getting to read this book, but I still just could not get into the dryness of it. I’m sure that those who have read more about the Russian revolution will find a greater interest in the book. But for me, I’m sorry to say I didn’t care for it. Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Interesting History Read
This book is jam packed with super interesting information about a time and place in history I had no idea about. When I picked up this book I thought it would be solely about what the Romanovs did after the Russian Revolution but it is so much more! This book gives a comprehensive look at what life in Paris was like for Russians living in Paris pre-Russian Revolution, during, and after. The first couple of chapters of this book covers what Russians in Paris looked like during pre-Russian Revolution. And honestly it kind of read like an art/culture history book. Covering all of the Russian influencers that operated out of Paris at this time. And while super interesting, I thought I had picked up the wrong book. The real meaty parts of the book I liked was when Rappaport covered what the Russian refugees lives were like when they fled to Paris and what they did to survive, and what the culture was like for them, living essentially countryless. I will say the thing that did kind of turn me off from this book is that so many names were thrown at you so fast, that after a while it was hard to decide who to pay attention to, because some of them are mentioned again and again through the book, and others just have this one chapter or one paragraph dedicated to them. If I had more knowledge about influential Russian artists of the time maybe the names would have stuck out to me more, but coming into this book essentially only knowing about the Romanovs and maybe Stravinsky I was a little lost. Overall really enjoyed the read. It was quite educational, and the pace of the book does move quickly. Rappaport made it very easy to understand the geopolitical history at play, and gave all the necessary background, so that if you had only a sketch of an idea of what was going on at this point in history you can still follow this specific story. Would highly recommend for those who are looking to learn more about Russian history or the history of Europe between the World Wars.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Russian exile in Paris
After the Romanovs: Russian Exiles in Paris from the Belle Époque through Revolution and War by Helen Rappaport reads like a work of fiction, yet it is a true account of what happened before, during and after the Russian Revolution. The Romanov dynasty had fallen and were exiled. Russian aristocrats had always enjoyed spending time in Paris and Paris was where many of them went when they fled their homeland, some of them without means of support. Their lives were never the same again. The contrast between the luxury they enjoyed in Paris previously and the impoverished existence they now endured is striking. Life in exile was difficult and many worked at menial labour to keep the wolf from the door. The author recounts a terrible time for the Romanovs and how they overcame the loss of their homeland and made a life in a foreign land. When you read the acknowledgements, it will become apparent how difficult research can be during a pandemic and this is a credit to Helen Rappaport’s dedication in writing this book. Highly recommended. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Life will go on
I had trouble starting this book. The combination of difficult names and starting in ballet was challenging. I am glad that I didn't give up, as this is an area of history that I knew little about. This tells about the survival of the Russian aristocratic class following the Russian revolution. I read an electronic copy curtesy of NetGalley.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com