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Book Review of The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar

The Kitchen Boy:  A Novel of the Last Tsar
kkowert avatar reviewed on + 44 more book reviews


This fictional account of the last days of the Romanov family of Russia gives a glimpse of what the royal family members were really like set in the background of the Bolshevik revolution. The story is told by an aging man in Chicago who is re-living his days as the kitchen boy for the Tsars family who was kept with the family in their exile.

Although the horrific ending of the book and what occurs on July 16, 1918 is already known, the author creates an interest in the characters and creates some suspense of what happens to two of the family members on that fateful night and how he got to America and became a wealthy man.

Even though the fictional twist at the end of the story is improbable, the author stuck close to most of the historical facts and I highly recommend this book. It piqued my interest in this facet of Russian history and caused me to look up all kinds of facts. To me, that is a sign of a good historical fiction book.