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Enchantments: A novel of Rasputin's daughter and the Romanovs - Kathryn Harrison
Enchantments: A novel of Rasputin's daughter and the Romanovs
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3.00 25
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK“Part love story, part history, this novel is a tour de force [told] in language that soars and sears.”—More   St. Petersburg, 1917. After Rasputin’s body is pulled from the icy waters of the Neva River, his eighteen-year-old daughter, Masha, is sent to live at the... show more
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK“Part love story, part history, this novel is a tour de force [told] in language that soars and sears.”—More   St. Petersburg, 1917. After Rasputin’s body is pulled from the icy waters of the Neva River, his eighteen-year-old daughter, Masha, is sent to live at the imperial palace with Tsar Nikolay and his family. Desperately hoping that Masha has inherited Rasputin’s healing powers, Tsarina Alexandra asks her to tend to her son, the headstrong prince Alyosha, who suffers from hemophilia. Soon after Masha arrives at the palace, the tsar is forced to abdicate, and the Bolsheviks place the royal family under house arrest. As Russia descends into civil war, Masha and Alyosha find solace in each other’s company. To escape the confinement of the palace, and to distract the prince from the pain she cannot heal, Masha tells him stories—some embellished and others entirely imagined—about Nikolay and Alexandra’s courtship, Rasputin’s exploits, and their wild and wonderful country, now on the brink of an irrevocable transformation. In the worlds of their imagination, the weak become strong, legend becomes fact, and a future that will never come to pass feels close at hand.   Praise for Enchantments“A sumptuous, atmospheric account of the last days of the Romanovs from the perspective of Rasputin’s daughter, [told] with the sensuous, transporting prose that is Kathryn Harrison’s trademark.”—Jennifer Egan   “[A] splendid and surprising book . . . Harrison has given us something enduring.”—The New York Times Book Review  “[Harrison delivers] this oft-told moment with shocking freshness. . . . Masha re-invents our ideas of Rasputin, and the world of Nicholas and Alexandra is imbued with a glow whose fierceness is governed by the imminence of its loss.”—Los Angeles Times   “A mesmerizing novel.”—O: The Oprah Magazine   “Bewitching . . . Harrison sets historic facts like jewels in this intricately fashioned work of exalted empathy and imagination, a literary Fabergé egg. . . . [A] dazzling return to historical fiction.”—Booklist (starred review)Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader’s Circle for author chats and more.
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Format: paperback
ISBN: 9780812973778 (0812973771)
ASIN: 812973771
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Pages no: 352
Edition language: English
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Community Reviews
Miranda @ Bibliodaze
Miranda @ Bibliodaze rated it
3.0
A little messy and all over the place, jumping between time periods in no real order, but I did manage to get sucked into the writing and the stories Masha told. I also enjoyed the different viewpoint of Rasputin, as Masha had a very positive opinion of her father. The romance was a little uncomfort...
Boston Bibliophile
Boston Bibliophile rated it
2.0 Enchantments: A Novel
Couldn't really get into this tale of Rasputin's daughter. The tone was kind of florid and I found it dull. I like books about Russia and I was hoping this would be a good fit but it just didn't work for me.
An Excellent Library
An Excellent Library rated it
2.0
This historical fiction novel is based around the life of Masha, the daughter of the infamous Rasputin. After his death, she is sent to live with the Romanovs and this novel tells of her life through the stories which she shares with the young tsarevich Alyosha.The novel was told in very descriptiv...
Tiny Library
Tiny Library rated it
3.0 Enchantments: A novel of Rasputin's daughter and the Romanovs
Set in Russia during the 1917 Revolution, Enchantments is narrated by Masha, daughter of the infamous 'mad monk' Rasputin. After her father is murdered by those suspicious of his links with the Tsarina and her son Aloysha, Masha and her sister are taken under the protection of the Tsar. But as the...
Ageless Pages Reviews
Ageless Pages Reviews rated it
4.0 Enchantments: A Novel
Read This Review & More Like It On My Blog!You may not know Matryona Grigorievna by her first two names, but you will recognize her last, infamous name: Rasputina. The daughter of either Russia's most famous eccentric and healer or her most prolific sham, depending on who is asked, Masha's unique an...
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