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I Was Anastasia Ariel Lawhon Books

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I Was Anastasia Ariel Lawhon Books

(historical spoilers below)

I always hate to admit it, but I will give up on a book about halfway through if it doesn't hold my attention. I thought about it with this one about 1/3 of the way through, but continued on and I'm glad I did. The second half of the book races along and not getting to the end was unthinkable.

The writing throughout is excellent, but I think I was at a bit of a disadvantage, knowing the stories of both Anastasia Romanov and Anna Anderson extremely well. I went into the book skeptical, and perhaps that's what the author intended. By the end, I was actually saddened by the historical outcome, even though I know better.

The time distortions in the story do start out as confusing, I'll admit. There were quite a few times where I had to scroll back to double check what year and approximate date I had just read. But they begin to make sense the further you read, and they become a natural part of the narrative.

If you're unfamiliar with the Romanov's history, this is a great starting point. If you are familiar with their history, especially Anastasia's, you'll find this book gives her a new voice and it's well worth a listen.


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I Was Anastasia Ariel Lawhon Books Reviews

This was my first book to read by Ariel Lawhon. I also had never read anything about the Romanov family. This was a book I could hardly put down but reading with my fingers over my eyes and as to the horror the Ramanov family went through. I would recommend this book highly!
Sometimes it is hard to read a book when without a doubt you know that the ending will not be to your liking. Historical fiction which tells a story such as this one which is intricately woven is a joy to read. A conundrum? Maybe so, but trust me this a book that will be enjoyed by lovers of historical fiction. Thanks for a great read!
"Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth." -Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Most people know the story of the execution/assassination of Tsar Nicholas II and the rest of the Romanov family in Elakterinburg, Russia at the hands of the Bolsheviks following the Russian revolution. Most have also heard of the woman (Anna Anderson) who claimed for years to be Anastasia Romanov and that she survived the brutal attack that claimed the lives of her family and servants. This is a clever telling of that story. The question about what whether Anastasia Romanov survived the firing squad in the basement has fascinated people for decades. Lack of DNA testing and location of a grave/burial site helped many who stepped forward to claim that she was the sole survivor. Of course, through the passing of time, DNA testing has been conducted and grave site excavations have given a clear answer.

But as the saying goes...it's not the destination, it's the journey. Lawhon takes the reader on a unique journey using two story lines. While reading this book, readers will either enjoy or become annoyed by the storytelling. While Anastasia Romanov's story is told chronologically, the story of Anna Anderson is told in reverse. In Author's note, Ariel Lawhon states that the movie "Memento" is a favorite of hers. This style of writing also reminded me of the book "All the missing girls" which was also told in reverse.

I found that I rather liked how she told her story. The storytelling was unique, granted, it did take me a couple of chapters to wrap my head around it. Thankfully, the chapters are labeled with the time you are reading. That is a big help! There is a lot of historical detail in this book. It is evident that the Author did a great deal of research prior to the writing of this book. History buffs may detect that Lawhon blended several characters into one (i.e. had one character be a blending of 2 real life guards of the Romanov's) in order to help the reader keep track of events and not be weighed down by too many characters.

It is hard to say too much without giving away spoilers, but this work of historical fiction was very good. I really appreciated how she blended historical facts with fiction. If you do not know the entire history about the Romanov's family's fall from grace and the events leading up to their execution, it is laid out for you here.

I highly recommend reading the Author's note at the end. I think this is essential. She details her research, why she blended characters, her inspiration for the reverse story telling and what lead her to write this book. I was actually deciding between a 3.5 and a 4 star rating, and then I read the Author's note and that pushed the book to a 4 star rating for me.

I love when books cause me to think, feel and also to learn. I did learn some facts while reading this book and I found I often wanted to put the book down and think about what I had just read. Mainly because things in this book really happened. Sitting and thinking about the horrible treatment of this family (especially the girls) and what they endured -living in constant fear and dread, I can't even imagine.

Again, interesting story-telling and a compelling read.

Thank you to Doubleday books and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced readers copy of this book.
Very disappointing. Written largely in the backward style of "Memento" where every chapter is earlier than the one before it, which makes it very difficult to follow with each chapter being made pointless with the next, earlier, chapter. But my biggest complaint is the author herself gloating at the end of the book for making an idiot of you for reading the book in the first place (suggestion read the "I Told You So" note at the end, first). This author clearly has an ego problem and this is the last book of hers I will ever read. The story is great, she should have just told it and left it at that, and not played condescending games with the readers at the end.
Just a word to the wise, this book was written in a backward timeline telling Anna’s story and forward timeline telling Anastasia’s story. The truth lies in the middle, which’s the end of the book. I wasn’t sure if that was going to annoy me enough to stop reading. It wasn’t. Wow, what a great Book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and had a hard time putting it down. Well written and characters well developed. Highly recommend.
(historical spoilers below)

I always hate to admit it, but I will give up on a book about halfway through if it doesn't hold my attention. I thought about it with this one about 1/3 of the way through, but continued on and I'm glad I did. The second half of the book races along and not getting to the end was unthinkable.

The writing throughout is excellent, but I think I was at a bit of a disadvantage, knowing the stories of both Anastasia Romanov and Anna Anderson extremely well. I went into the book skeptical, and perhaps that's what the author intended. By the end, I was actually saddened by the historical outcome, even though I know better.

The time distortions in the story do start out as confusing, I'll admit. There were quite a few times where I had to scroll back to double check what year and approximate date I had just read. But they begin to make sense the further you read, and they become a natural part of the narrative.

If you're unfamiliar with the Romanov's history, this is a great starting point. If you are familiar with their history, especially Anastasia's, you'll find this book gives her a new voice and it's well worth a listen.