Tsarina Ellen Alpsten

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• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 1683 KB
• Print Length: 479 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1250214432
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing; 1 edition (14 May 2020)
• Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0844W5YWJ

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Synopsis

Spring 1699:

Illegitimate, destitute and strikingly beautiful, Marta has survived the brutal Russian winter in her remote Baltic village. Sold by her family into household labour at the age of fifteen, Marta survives by committing a crime that will force her to go on the run.

A world away, Russia’s young ruler, Tsar Peter I, passionate and iron-willed, has a vision for transforming the traditionalist Tsardom of Russia into a modern, Western empire. Countless lives will be lost in the process.

Falling prey to the Great Northern War, Marta cheats death at every turn, finding work as a washerwoman at a battle camp. One night at a celebration, she encounters Peter the Great. Relying on her wits and her formidable courage, and fuelled by ambition, desire and the sheer will to live, Marta will become Catherine I of Russia. But her rise to the top is ridden with peril; how long will she survive the machinations of Peter’s court, and more importantly, Peter himself?

Review

Tsarina is the story of Catherine, the first Tsarina of Russia. Born in humble circumstances, she lives with her father and his wife in a small village surviving the brutal winters, with little money or food. Her beauty brings her to the attention of a Russian merchant and so her journey begins, from servant to the most powerful woman in Russia, married to Peter The a Great, a journey that takes her from the battle fields of Europe to the sumptuous palaces of Moscow and  St Petersburg.

I love my historical fiction and Tsarina was a book that I had on my wish list since last year, and it definitely lived up my expectations. This book reads like a fairytale, a real rags to riches to story, which makes it the more extraordinary that it is a true story. Marta/Catherine spends all her life battling for survival. As a young girl she battles for survival in the harsh environment of the Baltic states, she fights for her life when she is a servant, and even when she is with the Tsar, she has to fight for her position. Peter the Great spends his whole time in power at war, mainly with Sweden, whilst Catherine fights her own war to keep her place by Peter’s side and in his bed. There are many women who want to take her place, women with better breeding, who mix in the Tsar’s circle and hadn’t previously been a washerwoman for the Tsar’s friend Menishkov. What I loved though was that the relationship between Catherine and Peter was a love match, two people whose love overcame their different circumstances. It maybe her beauty that first draws the attention of the Tsar, but it is her compassion, love, and understanding of Peter and the constraint of his rule that ultimately help keep her position.

The book is split over two timelines, Marta/Catherine’s story and the hours following the Tsar’s death in 1725, and the uncertainty of his successor. Ellen Alpsten writes a rich and detailed story which is full of historical detail. The detailed and descriptive prose bring to life the contrasting environments of the luxurious palaces and the harshness of the battle field with it’s smell of death and decay; interestingly Catherine can adapt to both. I was transported into this world, with it’s luxuries, debauchery and the cold brutality of the battle field. There are some difficult subjects raised of rape, violence, torture and death, but all dealt with a realism of the period when these things were part of everyday for some. I also found it fascinating and interesting to read about the beginnings of St Petersburg, from marsh land to the grand city became, the legacy of Peter the Great and his desire of a city in the West.

Tsarina is as colourful as the book cover, with its rich and fascinating storyline full of historical  detail and intriguing characters that are unbelievably real. Marta/Catherine is a fascinating character, whose strength, conniving, and resilience shine through in her journey to become the most powerful woman in Russia, paving the way for the later Catherine The Great. To say I couldn’t put this down is a an understatement, with it’s intrigue, political machinations, power play and wonderful heroine. This is a stunning and sumptuous read, a must read for historical fiction readers.

I would like to thank Anne Cater and Bloomsbury books for inviting me on the blog tour for this amazing book.