Hi all,
I’ve been reading a great many books about the Romanovs,
some non-fiction and some fiction – so believe me when I say that this historical
fiction novel about what might have happened to one of the daughters – Maria –
is excellent. Here is more about this novel and my review.
The Lost Daughter
Gill Paul
Book Description:
1918: Pretty, vivacious Grand Duchess Maria Romanov,
the nineteen-year-old daughter of the fallen Tsar Nicholas II, lives with her
family in suffocating isolation, a far cry from their once-glittering royal
household. Her days are a combination of endless boredom and paralyzing fear;
her only respite are clandestine flirtations with a few of the guards
imprisoning the family—never realizing her innocent actions could mean the
difference between life and death
1973: When Val Doyle hears her father’s end-of-life
confession, “I didn’t want to kill her,” she’s stunned. So, she begins a search
for the truth—about his words and her past. The clues she discovers are
baffling—a jewel-encrusted box that won’t open and a camera with its film
intact. What she finds out pulls Val into one of the world’s greatest
mysteries—what truly happened to the Grand Duchess Maria?
Buy on Amazon:
My 5-Star Review:
The Romanov family never expected what would happen to them
until up to the very last minute. History proves that to be true. So as the
Tsar and Tsarina and their daughters and son waited under house arrest, they had
no idea what was to be their fate. Maria, with her vivacious personality made
friends with her captors, often spending time with the guards and getting to know
them. But then when the family’s tragedy occurred, she wasn’t ready for what
was to come.
Without giving away the story – I’ll just say that decades
later, a women discovers her father’s past is nothing like she’d been told.
With a few clues to guide her, she researches his past – and what she finds is extraordinary.
And what we learn may have happened to the Grand Duchess Maria is also
shocking.
This is a well-crafted tale that you truly do not want to
put down. I was enthralled by the history woven with the fictional story, and
one could believe that it may have happened this way. A wonderful story that historical
fiction readers are sure to enjoy.
About the Author:
Gill Paul's historical novels have reached the top of the USA
Today, Toronto Globe & Mail and kindle charts, and been translated into
twenty languages. They include two bestselling Romanov novels -THE SECRET WIFE
and THE LOST DAUGHTER - as well as WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST, which was
shortlisted for the 2013 RNA Epic Novel of the Year award, NO PLACE FOR A LADY,
shortlisted for a Love Stories award, and ANOTHER WOMAN'S HUSBAND, about links
between Wallis Simpson and Princess Diana.
Gill also writes historical non-fiction, including A HISTORY
OF MEDICINE IN 50 OBJECTS, and she speaks at libraries and literary festivals
on subjects ranging from the Titanic to the Romanovs.
Gill lives in London, where she is working on her tenth
novel, and she swims daily in an outdoor pond.
