Alix and Nicky..The Passion of the Last Tsar and Tsarina by Virginia Rounding

When the heir to the Russian Throne, Nicholas became engaged to Queen Victoria`s granddaughter Alix of Hesse few could imagine the heartbreak and tragedy that lay in wait for the couple, their children, their extended family and their dynasty, some may have guessed that the beautiful but shy Alix was not suited to the machinations of the Russian Court but few would have seen that equally her beloved was not going to be up to the task of pulling the Dynasty along with him into a noble future.
This Romanov family have been popular book subjects since Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. Massie and the resulting movie hit the public spotlight in 1967/1968, little had been known before and what was out there was murky and shrouded in the spectre of the mad monk Rasputin. After the old Communist reign fell away knowledge simply flooded through and so did the books be they narrative or the very popular coffee table variety, most of which I own. It has been a number of years however since I have read a book on this subject as good as Roundings. Much broader in scope than the title would suggest, it flows along linking one chapter of the story to the next with a seamlessness that is borne out of very good research and good writing skills coupled with the ability to see the bigger picture and a depth of understanding of her characters that is enlightening. Rounding empathises but she does not hesitate to call a spade a spade, neither is she particularly prudish. She gets to the point of the matter and uses language that fits in with what is actually meant in the recounting rather than glossing it over, it adds humour as well as humanity to her characters lives.I particularly liked the way she linked one characters story in with that of another and how she dug into the background of a situation from a number of viewpoints, this enabled her to get as close as possible to the truth.
Like Massie`s book this is easy to read and very engaging, pick it up and its hard to put down. Well written and with plenty of facts and figures but no stodge, the narrative carries you along and even if you know what is coming, the affect is never lessened or diluted. As another chapter in the Romanov saga it is very welcome indeed.

Available by special order from your local Indie or from The Auckland Library system, anyone who enjoys history will enjoy this.

A Fine Prospect..A History of Remuera,Meadowbank and St Johns by Jenny Carlyon and Diana Morrow

This is the second collaboration of Carlyon and Morrow,their first being 2008`s Urban Village..A History of Ponsonby, Freemans Bay and St Mary`s Bay which was excellent.
This book is history on a plate, presented exactly as it should be. Clearly written, factually sound, well researched and beautifully illustrated, like their previous book it simply brings the place to life. The times, the places, the values, the homes, the businesses, the clothes, the parties, the victories and triumphs, the dissolution and bad times, it is so real, so vivid that you can relate, understand, emphasise and get to know the people that built these places so well that you come away thinking you actually did know them. There are many memories tucked away that have been kindled by these authors and in allowing their stories to be told, their homes to be shared a time that has passed by is not allowed to be forgotten. Many Aucklanders who read this book will find themselves driving through this area on a sunny day and looking for those homes and businesses that are still there (many) and for those places where such and such used to be.
The social values and the influences those values had on how they built this area from bare land into what we see today are portrayed with a fineness of hand and yet realistically, how you were seen, who your relatives were, what your financial bearing and religious devotion was were all encompassing in how you were received or not as may be the case, many of these would be relevant today with a little more ease perhaps.
This book is a credit to all who had a hand in it, it would be nice to buy it for yourself, even nicer as a gift.

The Churchills by Mary S.Lovell

An absolutely rollicking romp through history with an accuracy of facts and a dollop of gossip that will leave you breathless and thinking what lives of moral impressibility these people lead.
Lovell is well known for her works of Historically impeccable non-fiction perhaps best exemplified by The Mitford Girls which ripped apart the lives of the socially elite yet quite probably morally bankrupt upperclass English of the towering pedigrees,impeccable peerage and marvellous country houses, palaces and chipper city residences, she does nothing less with the Churchills and wraps it all up with a love story that truly shaped modern history; that of Winston and Clementine Churchill.
A huge door stopper of a book, the words literally fly of the page and it is linked chapter to chapter in such an agreeable way that even those (There were a few) that might be considered cantankerous don`t for a moment spoil the narrative. Lovell doesn`t pretend to be fusty and rigorous to a fault and she isn`t. All the facts are here but its in the telling that the facts come to life in such a beguiling way that its hard to loathe anyone and yet for all their foibles and fail ability Lovell is able to convey great understanding,compassion and wisdom, while giving a dollop of history in such a way that it comes alive and you go through the heartache, the failure, the dysfunction and disharmony that rides through this family with a renewed interest in the contribution that they have made to our history, sitting in the underground bunkers with Winston gives you a renewed sense of gratefulness that cometh the hour, cometh the man takes on a whole new meaning. Especially as we are just a couple of days out from ANZAC Day.
A very reasonable priced book that would make a marvellous Mothers Day gift or Birthday present, it really is history at its most honest and at its best.
You would probably also really enjoy The Mitford Girls as well.