Enchantments

Julia Emelin's authentic-sounding Russian accent, distinct exotic pronunciations, and halting pacing are the perfect vehicles to deliver this sweeping account of the fall of the Romanovs. The story is seen through the eyes of Masha Rasputin, the daughter of Grigory Rasputin, the "mad monk." As each blunder brings the characters closer to their destinies, listeners can't help but come to care about them--especially Tsar Nicholas and his family. The relationship between the hemophiliac Prince Alexi and young Masha, who entertain themselves by telling stories of their families to pass the time, is especially tragic. Kasymov's short portrayal of the prince is also memorable. A.C.P. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

December 5, 2011
When the rascally Grigory Rasputin is murdered during the final days of czarist Russia, his two daughters are left in the care of the doomed royal family. In this disappointing novel, Harrison (The Kiss) imagines the interior life of the eldest girl, Masha, 18 at the time of her father’s death, as she grows close to the young Alexei Nikolaevich, the famously hemophiliac son of the deposed czar. The “Mad Monk” Rasputin, with his women and his alleged healing powers, must be one of history’s most intriguing characters, so it’s hard to go wrong in his company. Unfortunately, despite such riveting material, the book’s language remains flat, the experiences and emotions of its characters never quite coming to life. Undeniably well researched, some details are truly fascinating: the Romanov girls sewing jewels into their undergarments and the amount of gasoline (150 gallons) used to burn corpses in an abandoned mine shaft. Seminal aspects of Masha’s later life, however, feel weakly sketched. Some interesting texture is achieved through the pacing and the later discovery of Alexei’s journal, but as often as not, the configuration leaves the novel feeling at once predictable and scattered. Agent: Amanda Urban.