- Paperback: 240 pages
- Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); Reprint edition (Jan 27 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0142003816
- ISBN-13: 978-0142003817
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 12.9 x 1.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 181 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #53,735 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
The Romanovs are arguably second only to Jack the Ripper as objects of literary speculation. The story of their last days, their possible escape and the final resting place of the $500 million in jewels hidden in their clothing provides periodic grist for fiction writers. Alexander's first novel is based on "decades of painstaking research" and access to previously sealed Russian archives. He has produced a detailed version of the Romanovs' captivity, but the book fails to deliver much drama, despite the inherent mystery of the events. Narrated by 94-year-old Mikhail Semyanov, a Russian immigrant now living outside Chicago, the novel travels back to the bloody days of the Russian revolution, when the entire royal family is imprisoned in Siberia, in a building known as the House of Special Purpose. There, the seven Romanovs-Tsar Nikolai, his wife Aleksandra, their hemophiliac son, Aleksei, and their four daughters-are confined with a small staff of attendants, including Leonka, the kitchen boy of the title, who may or may not be narrator Mikhail. The captivity is seen from Leonka's point of view, and his focus on the gravely ill Aleksei prevents the development of a fully nuanced portrait of the rest of the family. Instead, they're depicted as passive victims of a tyranny even worse than the czarist state. Though impressively detailed, the novel is often as static as a museum exhibit, with notes and documents held up for display. Most of the suspense is held for the end, a denouement that reveals Mikhail's identity and Alexander's imaginative theory about the final dispensation of the Romanov jewels.: Russophiles may want to access Alexander's bibliography, plus copies of the documents that he studied and historical photos, on his Web site: www.thekitchenboy.com.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
The final days of the last Russian tsar, Nicholas II, and his family are still a fascinating mystery. There is no one left to bear witness to what happened at the execution. Or is there? Alexander takes a very real, but forgotten and overlooked, potential witness, a young kitchen boy, and creates an amazing fictional account of what may have transpired. Leonka was working as a kitchen boy to the Romanov family when the Bolsheviks captured them, exiled them to Siberia, and imprisoned them in their house. Because of his lowly position in the household, Leonka was able to see and hear secret things. And he does keep them secret until decades later, knowing he is ready to die, he reveals all he knows about the imperial family and their horrific death. Alexander includes as much historically accurate information into his fiction as possible, and he includes actual letters and notes attributed to the Romanovs, which add a touch of authenticity. He also renders the plot beautifully with one final jaw-dropping and satisfying twist. Carolyn Kubisz
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
"My name is Mikhail Semyonov. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
"My name is Mikhail Semyonov. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Pleasant read -- but a mystery????,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar (Paperback)
Those interested in the Romanovs -- and there are many -- may find this book well worth reading. But the idea that it's a "mystery" with startling revelations should be dispelled. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out, from the first 20 or so pages, exactly what the secrets are going to be. I don't want to give anything away here that might spoil the "surprise" ending, so I won't delve into the reasons why the jig is up so early in the game, but I can say without doing that that there are other troublesome elements in the book. The narrator is leaving a long taped autobiography for his beloved granddaughter, who can carry on conversations in Russian -- why would he feel the need to translate every Russian word into English every single time it appears? Someone should have told this author that his readers aren't stupid -- this is a short book, and we can remember what things mean from one chapter to another. Define the word once and let it go at that. Often we can figure out what a word means from context. If you're really worried we won't understand Russian, you can add a short glossary to the end of the book.I was annoyed by the prologue, which seemed to me unnecessary, but that's a minor beef. Three stars for the subject matter; I'm a sucker for anything about the Romanovs.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Kitchen Boy,
By A Customer
This review is from: Kitchen Boy A Novel (Hardcover)
Seriously, this is my second favorite book of all time (second to Lord of the Rings- a classic) and I love it to death. It brings the last Tsar and his family to life. I literally felt like they were in the room with me, a rare feeling these days. I could not put it down and read it through the night, simply enthralled at the masterful tale being woven throughout this novel. The twists taken at the end were amazing. I gasped ou loud more than once, to be sure.I reccomend this to anyone!
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Book!,
By
This review is from: The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar (Paperback)
Very interesting take on an otherwise obscure topic. The last days of the Tsar and Tsaritsa of Russia in the weeks before their death. This is cleverly told through the eyes of their kitchen boy, who participates in many of the events related within the book. It reads like a history, but without the dryness of a history book, since it is indeed fiction. It is not a long book and holds your interest, especially at the end. Definitely a must read for lovers of historical fiction.
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