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Enchantments A Novel Kathryn Harrison Books

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Enchantments A Novel Kathryn Harrison Books

I found myself wearying during the course of reading the book. I confess to reading it primarily while on planes, and also on Kindle which isn't my favorite format for reading things. It's done very well in terms of historical detail, etc. etc. and well written insofar as I can recall (it's been several weeks ago). But (despite being a person whose field is Russian cultural history), I just found myself wearing of the narrative. So I put it aside. Maybe, as I said, it was the combination of the format (e-book) and circumstances (traveling). So I gave it 4 stars, rather than three (as in "it's okay") It's rare for me not to finish a book like this. Need to try it again in a while perhaps?


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Enchantments A Novel Kathryn Harrison Books Reviews

Interesting approach to this historical topic. If you play the CD's in your car, be prepared to back up and play various tracks over again because you won't want to miss any of the author's imaginative talkes.
Enchantments by Kathryn Harrison, a hardcover book I began reading on May 18th after receiving it in the mail from . A massive Kathryn Harrison fan already, I was stoked to hear about this pre, during, and post-Russian-Revolution release.

Like other Harrison fictions, this one is a female protagonist lilt that drifts forward and back through history and perspectives. I loved the character of Rasputin's daughter and her no-nonsense, unflippant view of her father and straightforward & slightly flirty care of Tsarevitch Alexei.
Since three of my four grandparents came over on a boat from Russia, I've been intrigued by the history of the Romanov's for ages. Having read Massie's books and visited an exhibit of the Romanov's in DE some years ago, I was entrigued by Harrison's Enchantments. I found the twist of a relationship between Nicholas and Alexandra's son, Alexi, and Rasputin's daughter, Masha, interesting.

I've been a fan of historical fiction for years, thanks to Professor Douglass at Monmouth University, and I really enjoyed this read. When I hit a passage that I questioned as far as being historically accurate, hit the internet. Then I watched Nicholas and Alexandra.
Enchantments deals with the final days of the Romanovs, last tsar of Russia, a topic that has intrigued people for generations. The character of Rasputin is both familiar and fresh as depicted through the eyes of Masha, the daughter who loves him. The Romanov saga comes to life through the stories Masha tells to Alexi about his mother, her father, the tsar and those who shaped him. The reader, like Alexi, sits at Masha's feet enthralled as she spins her tales of passion and sorrow, faith and skepticism, life and death. Harrison gives an enchanting account of what members of the Romanov family thought, felt and experienced after being deposed and before being executed. A thoroughly enjoyable novel.
Interesting take on the last Russian tsar and his family from the viewpoint of Rasputin's younger daughter. Between the time of the revolutionists taking over the palace and the execution of the royal family, according to this novel, she was the companion of Alyious, the hemophiliac son of the tsar. She escapes just before the execution by marrying a friend of her father's and moving to Paris. After his death, she joins a circus and makes use of her hypnotic skills (inherited from her father) to train wild animals. It is written well and includes a lot of magical realism, although the part about the wild animal act was kind of hard to swallow.
"Enchantments A Novel of Rasputin's Daughter and the Romanovs" is a heartbreaking tale of the last days of the Romanovs. Author Kathryn Harrison weaves together historical fact and literary fiction as she poetically describes this tragic event of the 20th century through the eyes of Masha, daughter of Rasputin, the mystic with the mesmerizing power to subdue the bleeding of Alexei, the heir to the Russian throne after his father, Tzar Nicholas II. That said, Masha assumes the role of healer after her father is killed; though she doesn't have the hypnotic powers of her father, her storytelling aids Alexei during his times of medical distress. Her physical presence also aids the maturing prince, who, despite his condition, still feels manly urges. Everything and everyone -both physically and symbolically- is covered with the whiteness of ice, snow, and cold. The author has done thorough research to capture the personalities of the people involved in this unfortunate period of world history. One remaining, rhetorical, question I have is, Was Rasputin a saint or a sinner? Read the book and judge for yourself.
I love historical fiction and lately I have been reading a lot of books about Russia. I just read a "House of Special Purpose" and loved it, but wanted to hear the other side of the story. This captured my attention because it was about Rasputin's daughter. I really enjoyed reading about a different view point. The main character is Masha and the story mostly revolves around her time spent with Prince Alyosha before and during their exile. We learn about Rasputin and the royal family through a series of flashbacks and fairytale like stories. It is very well written and I found that the movements back and forth between present, past, and future were done so well that I wasn't confused at all. I particularly liked that we continue to follow Masha into adulthood and somewhat see her story resolved. A wonderful historical fiction novel written very well, from an unusual perspective. I would recommend brushing upon your Russian history before reading this,it will help you fill in some of the gaps.
I found myself wearying during the course of reading the book. I confess to reading it primarily while on planes, and also on which isn't my favorite format for reading things. It's done very well in terms of historical detail, etc. etc. and well written insofar as I can recall (it's been several weeks ago). But (despite being a person whose field is Russian cultural history), I just found myself wearing of the narrative. So I put it aside. Maybe, as I said, it was the combination of the format (e-book) and circumstances (traveling). So I gave it 4 stars, rather than three (as in "it's okay") It's rare for me not to finish a book like this. Need to try it again in a while perhaps?