The Romanov Empress: A Novel of Tsarina Maria Feodorovna

The Romanov Empress: A Novel of Tsarina Maria Feodorovna

For readers of Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir comes a dramatic novel of the beloved Empress Maria, the DanishÂ princessÂ who became the mother of the last Russian tsar.

â€œThis epic tale is captivating and beautifully told.â€â€”Lisa Wingate,Â New York TimesÂ bestselling author ofÂ Before We Were Yours

Barely nineteen, Minnie knows that her station in life as a Danish princess is to leave her family and enter into a royal marriageâ€”as her older sister Alix has done, moving toÂ England to wed Queen Victoriaâ€™s eldest son. The winds of fortune bring Minnie to Russia, where she marries the Romanov heir, Alexander, and once he ascends the throne, becomes empress. When resistance to his reign strikes at the heart of her family and the tsar sets out to crush all who oppose him, Minnieâ€”now called Mariaâ€”must tread a perilous path of compromise in a country she has come to love.

Her husbandâ€™s death leaves their son Nicholas as the inexperienced ruler of a deeply divided and crumbling empire. Determined to guide him to reforms that will bring Russia into the modern age, Maria faces implacable opposition from Nicholasâ€™s strong-willed wife, Alexandra, whose fervor has led her into a disturbing relationship with a mystic named Rasputin. As the unstoppable wave of revolution rises anew to engulf Russia, Maria will face her most dangerous challenge and her greatest heartache.

From the opulent palaces of St. Petersburg and the intrigue-laced salons of the aristocracy to the World War I battlefields and the bloodied countryside occupied by the Bolsheviks, C. W. Gortner sweeps us into the anarchic fall of an empire and the complex, bold heart of the woman who tried to save it.

Praise for The Romanov Empress

â€œTimely . . . [Gortnerâ€™s] ability to weave what reads as a simple tale from such complex historical and familial storylines is impressive. . . . Mariaâ€™s life as a royal reads like a historical soap opera.â€â€”USA Today

â€œGortner, an experienced hand at recreating the unique aura of a particular time and place, will deftly sweep historical-fictions fans into this glamorous, turbulent, and ultimately tragic chapter in history.â€â€”BooklistÂ (starred review)

â€œMesmerizing . . . This insightful first-person account of the downfall of the Romanov rule . . . is the powerful story of a mother trying to save her family and an aristocrat fighting to maintain rule in a country of rebellion.â€â€”Publishers Weekly

â€œA twist on the tragic story youâ€™ve heard many times before.â€â€”Bustle
Country USA
Manufacturer Ballantine Books
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2018-07-10
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Ballantine Books
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2018-07-10
Format	Kindle eBook