The Romanov Dynasty is a few years from ruin and revolution. Set within the last few years of princes and Tsars, Prince Dimitri Markov is close to his family of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra. The problem is he knows his loving and kind Tsar is completely blinded to the pogroms and revolution brewing in a country where the poor are in deep suffering. Dimitri’s wife Lara does not love him, but enjoys taking lovers. Dimitri does the same, hesitatingly. His true love is architecture, and he has been tasked to design the Tchaikovsky memorial hall and monument. Smart and desperate to make a change, Doctor Katya Golitsyn wants to end oppression in Russia, especially against the Jewish people. She and Dimitri meet at a royal ball and soon discover that though they are from different classes, they have far more in common than different. What begins is an affair that leads to both questioning their loyalties and the wisdom of the Tsar.
Narrator Nancy Peterson narrates this historical fiction novel by Charles Belfoure. The details are specific, the historical items well researched, but I have to say that the attitudes are purely American and it shows for people who are well-versed in Russian culture and history. Still, the book is a great deal of fun and enjoyable. The writing is lyrical and beautiful, making it easy to picture the ballrooms and bored Russian figures depicted as part of the upper class.
The Faberge Secret is a fun listen and fascinating.
