"I Was Anastasia" by Ariel Lawhon - Historical Fiction Book Club - Past Titles

About the Author: Ariel Lawhon

Full Name: Ariel Lawhon

Background: Ariel Lawhon is an American author known for her work in historical fiction. She has a passion for storytelling and a particular interest in bringing historical events to life through her novels.

Career: Lawhon has established herself as a skilled storyteller, weaving together historical details with compelling narratives. She is the author of several novels, and her work often explores the lives of individuals caught up in significant historical events.

Notable Works: Ariel Lawhon's novel "I Was Anastasia," published in 2018, gained attention for its exploration of the stories of Anastasia Romanov and Anna Anderson. The novel intertwines the lives of these two women, offering a fictionalized account that captures the complexity of their identities.

Writing Style: Lawhon is recognized for her ability to blend historical facts with imaginative storytelling. Her novels often delve into the emotional lives of her characters while staying rooted in the historical contexts in which they lived.

Synopsis

An enthralling feat of historical suspense that unravels the extraordinary twists and turns in Anna Anderson's fifty-year battle to be recognized as Anastasia Romanov. Is she the Russian Grand Duchess or the thief of another woman's legacy? Countless others have rendered their verdict. Now it is your turn.

Russia, July 17, 1918: Under direct orders from Vladimir Lenin, Bolshevik secret police force Anastasia Romanov, along with the entire imperial family, into a damp basement in Siberia, where they face a merciless firing squad. None survive. At least that is what the executioners have always claimed.

Germany, February 17, 1920: A young woman bearing an uncanny resemblance to Anastasia Romanov is pulled shivering and senseless from a canal. Refusing to explain her presence in the freezing water or even acknowledge her rescuers, she is taken to the hospital where an examination reveals that her body is riddled with countless horrific scars. When she finally does speak, this frightened, mysterious young woman claims to be the Russian grand duchess. As rumors begin to circulate through European society that the youngest Romanov daughter has survived the massacre at Ekaterinburg, old enemies and new threats are awakened.

The question of who Anna Anderson is and what actually happened to Anastasia Romanov spans fifty years and touches three continents. This thrilling saga is every bit as moving and momentous as it is harrowing and twisted.

Historical Timeline

The historical timeline of Anastasia Romanov, the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, is a tragic and well-documented story. Here is a brief historical timeline of Anastasia Romanov:

1901 - June 18:

Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova is born in Peterhof Palace, Saint Petersburg, Russia, the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra.

1914 - August:

World War I begins. Russia becomes involved in the conflict.

1917 - March:

The February Revolution in Russia leads to the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II.

1918 - July 17:

Anastasia, along with her family, is executed by Bolsheviks in Ekaterinburg, Russia, during the Russian Revolution. The execution takes place in the early hours of July 17.

1918 - July 18:

The bodies of the Romanov family, including Anastasia, are initially buried in a mass grave in Ekaterinburg.

1991 - July 17:

The bodies of the Romanovs are discovered in Ekaterinburg, leading to renewed interest and investigations into the circumstances of their deaths.

2007 - October 1:

The Russian government officially acknowledges the remains found in Ekaterinburg as those of the Romanov family, putting an end to years of speculation and mystery.

Throughout the years following her death, Anastasia's story has captured the public's imagination, leading to various claims of survival, including the infamous Anna Anderson, who asserted that she was Anastasia. However, DNA testing later confirmed the authenticity of the remains discovered in Ekaterinburg, dispelling the rumors of Anastasia's survival.

Anastasia Romanov's life and tragic end continue to be a subject of fascination and have inspired numerous works of literature, film, and other forms of art.

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The Resurrection of the Romanovs by Greg King; Penny Wilson
Call Number: BIOG ANDERSON Anna
The truth of the enduring mystery of Anastasia's fate-and the life of her most convincing impostor The passage of more than ninety years and the publication of hundreds of books in dozens of languages has not extinguished an enduring interest in the mysteries surrounding the 1918 execution of the last Russian Tsar Nicholas II and his family. The Resurrection of the Romanovs draws on a wealth of new information from previously unpublished materials and unexplored sources to probe the most enduring Romanov mystery of all: the fate of the Tsar's youngest daughter, Anastasia, whose remains were not buried with those of her family, and her identification with Anna Anderson, the woman who claimed to be the missing Grand Duchess. Penetrates the intriguing mysteries surrounding the execution of Tsar Nicholas II and the true fate of his daughter, Anastasia Reveals previously unknown details of Anderson's life as Franziska Schanzkowska Explains how Anderson acquired her knowledge, why people believed her claim, and how it transformed Anastasia into a cultural phenomenon Draws on unpublished materials including Schanzkowska family memoirs, legal papers, and exclusive access to private documents of the British and Hessian Royal Families.
The Kitchen Boy by Robert Alexander
Call Number: FICTION Alexander
It was a crime to horrify, fascinate, and mystify the ages. On the night of July 16, 1918, Bolshevik revolutionaries murdered the entire Russian royal family in a hail of gunfire. No one survived who might bear witness to what really happened on that mysterious and bloody night. Or so it was thought. In masterful historical detail and breathtaking suspense, Robert Alexander carries the reader through the entire heartrending story as told through the eyes of a real but forgotten witness, the kitchen boy. Narrated by the sole witness to the basement execution, The Kitchen Boy is historical fiction at its best. But more than that, the accessible style and intricately woven plot-with a stunning revelation at its end-will keep readers guessing throughout.
The House of Special Purpose by John Boyne
Call Number: FICTION Boyne
Part love story, part historical epic, part tragedy, The House of Special Purpose illuminates an empire at the end of its reign. Eighty-year-old Georgy Jachmenev is haunted by his past-a past of death, suffering, and scandal that will stay with him until the end of his days. Living in England with his beloved wife, Zoya, Georgy prepares to make one final journey back to the Russia he once knew and loved, the Russia that both destroyed and defined him. As Georgy remembers days gone by, we are transported to Saint Petersburg, to the Winter Palace of the tsar, in the early twentieth century-a time of change, threat, and bloody revolution. As Georgy overturns the most painful stone of all, we uncover the story of the house of special purpose.
The Last Grand Duchess by Bryn Turnbull
Call Number: FICTION Turnbull
This sweeping novel takes readers behind palace walls to see the end of Imperial Russia through the eyes of Olga Nikolaevna Romanov, the first daughter of the last tsar Grand Duchess Olga Romanov comes of age amid a shifting tide for the great dynasties of Europe. But even as unrest simmers in the capital, Olga is content to live within the confines of the sheltered life her parents have built for her and her three sisters: hiding from the world on account of their mother's ill health, their brother Alexei's secret affliction, and rising controversy over Father Grigori Rasputin, the priest on whom the tsarina has come to rely. Olga's only escape from the seclusion of Alexander Palace comes from the grand tea parties her aunt hosts amid the shadow court of Saint Petersburg--a world of opulent ballrooms, scandalous flirtation, and whispered conversation. But as war approaches, the palaces of Russia are transformed. Olga and her sisters trade their gowns for nursing habits, assisting in surgeries and tending to the wounded bodies and minds of Russia's military officers. As troubling rumors about her parents trickle in from the front, Olga dares to hope that a budding romance might survive whatever the future may hold. But when tensions run high and supplies run low, the controversy over Rasputin grows into fiery protest, and calls for revolution threaten to end three hundred years of Romanov rule. At turns glittering and harrowing, The Last Grand Duchess is a story about dynasty, duty, and love, but above all, it's the story of a family who would choose devotion to each other over everything--including their lives.