Product Description

"MASTERFUL."
--The Washington Post Book World
"RIVETING . . . UNFOLDS LIKE A DETECTIVE STORY."
--Los Angeles Times Book Review
In July 1991, nine skeletons were exhumed from a shallow mass grave near Ekaterinburg, Siberia, a few miles from the infamous cellar room where the last tsar and his family had been murdered seventy-three years before. But were these the bones of the Romanovs? And if these were their remains, where were the bones of the two younger Romanovs supposedly murdered with the rest of the family? Was Anna Anderson, celebrated for more than sixty years in newspapers, books, and film, really Grand Duchess Anastasia?
The Romanovs: The Final Chapter provides answers, describing in suspenseful detail the dramatic efforts in post-Communist Russia to discover the truth. This unique story, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Robert K. Massie, presents a colorful panorama of contemporary characters, illuminating the major scientific dispute between Russian experts and a team of Americans, including Drs. William Maples and Michael Baden--fiercely antagonistic forensic experts whose findings, along with those of DNA scientists from Russia, America, and Great Britain, all contributed to solving one of the greatest mysteries of the twentieth century.
"AN ADMIRABLE SCIENTIFIC THRILLER."
--The New York Times Book Review
"COMPELLING . . . A FASCINATING ACCOUNT."
--Chicago Tribune
"A MASTERPIECE OF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING."
--San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #48211 in Books
• Published on: 1996-10-01
• Released on: 1996-10-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

From Publishers Weekly
A recounting of recent controversies in Russia over the burial of the remains of the last imperial family, killed during the Communist revolution.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
The fate of the last Russian Czar and his family has been one of the most fascinating mysteries of this century. Massie's work presents, not only the last days and ultimate fate of the Romanovs, but also the political and academic bickering over their remains. There's also a long section on the false Anastasia, the late Anna Anderson. O'Keefe's reading is very well done. His training and experience as an opera singer give him excellent diction and enunciation. He keeps the listener's attention with his pacing and inflection, making an already fascinating tale even more so. Especially poignant is his reading of the last days of the imperial family. M.T.F. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
When Robert Massie wrote Nicholas and Alexandra in 1967, he could never have dreamt that, in his lifetime, there would be answers to the many questions surrounding the deaths of the Romanovs. But with the fall of the Soviet government and the help of modern medical technology, such as DNA matching, that final chapter is now able to be written. Unfortunately, as with so many things, the mystery of the unresolved questions holds more fascination than the reality of the definitive answers. Not that there isn't plenty of new news here. Massie answers several big questions: how the Romanovs died and how their bodies were eventually identified; whether the woman known as Anna Anderson was in fact the grand duchess Anastasia, youngest daughter of the czar; and who, among several pretenders, would inherit the throne if the Russian people decide to restore the monarchy. The discussion of this last topic is particularly arcane, full of the knotted strings of Romanovs that only the most dedicated royalist or an editor at Burke's Peerage would want to untangle. More interesting is the trail of bones unearthed at Ekaterinburg and how, using blood samples from Prince Philip of England (a cousin of the Romanovs) and others, identifications were finally made. Similar DNA tests were used to prove that Anna Anderson was not Anastasia but was in fact a Polish peasant. How she managed to pull off such a successful charade for so many years is one mystery that remains unsolved. Despite the book's regrettable dryness, the inquiring minds of royalty watchers will ensure demand. Ilene Cooper

Customer Reviews

Definitive Answers About What Happened to the Romanovs
In this book, the author totally convinces the reader that the Romanovs were indeed murdered and their bones positively identified through scientific means. The author also proves to the reader that Anna Anderson, who posed as the duchess Anastasia, was an impostor. There is also some interesting information on living Romanov heirs who believe that the monarchy will be reestablished in Russia. I would recommend this book to those interested in Russian history.

Fascinating
This book begins with the execution of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his family.
From there the author recounts the latter-day effort, abetted by DNA testing, to find and identify the remains of the victims. And he discusses at great length the women, particularly the one known as Anna Anderson, who claimed to be Grand Duchess Anastasia, the Tsar's youngest daughter. The remains of the Tsar's son and one daughter, whose identity is disputed, were never found -- hence the Anastasia legend.
This is a true-life mystery story in the finest tradition. My only quibble is that significant portions of this work first appeared in the New Yorker magazine, where they obviously were subjected to that publication's procrustean editing process. Other portions of the book escaped the condescending, self-conscious editing that characterizes so much of the New Yorker's non-fiction. There is one author but two styles. See whether you can detect the dividing line.

The Final chapter...or is it?
This is a book you expected Massie to write.....since Nicholas & Alexandra was written in (I think) 1969, an update since 1991 was critical. It gives you an idea what was being discovered in DNA research and proving the bones found were who they were. Its a book a Romanov observer should have, or at least read to glean the information from. Worth it, for sure.