If there is one thing that is good in the current situation with the global pandemic, virus and social distancing, it's the fact that I am able or better said have more time to read books and watch some good movies. Today, on my "let's see what I think about this book" is a historical novel, that caught my attention with the title (that says a lot about not judging the book by it's covers). Tsarina in the original, or Empress if you translate it. Let dive in!
Book title: Tsarina (Empress)
Writer: Ellen Alpsten
Genre: Historical fiction, biography
Source
The plot:
The novel is situated in 17th century, Russia (mostly). It is on a first glimpse a fairy tale story about a young woman, who is poor, without history or future and who by the end of the novel becomes the empress of Russia. That being said, this is everything but a fairy tale, she cheated death on every corner, became a murderess, slave, lover and much more. One of the best descriptions of this book:
"Makes Game of Thrones look like a nursery rhyme."
—Daisy Goodwin, New York Times
As a fan of the mentioned Game of Thrones, I completely agree. Needless to say that this book is based on real events and people, and that is far away from fiction. Dragons or no dragons, Game of Thrones is no match to this real life fiction novel.
My impressions:
I am not sure where to begin and how to end my impression with this book. Let's first cover the fact that I love that era and everything about it. Women, like today but much worse, are struggling to have a safe space in the world, and our main character Marta is no different. The way Ellen Alpsten describes her youth in absolute poverty, depicts a picture that would chill the bones in your body, but yet Marta is not represented as someone you should feel sorry for.
I loved that fact, through out the book. She was put through so much, but with every terrifying fall she would rise even stronger, calmer and with more will to survive, then ever before. Even with gruesome descriptions of rape, violence, murder, torture she is never depicted as pitiable. Just the contrary, she craved life in all it's beauty, had a very twisted sense of humor and knew what she wanted and how to get it.
This book empowers women, and being one of them, I can't help but feel good about every little victory she had through out. The fact that stood out the most is her life with the ruler of Russia, very eccentric, strong willed and sometimes down right mad tsar Petar. Life beside him must have looked perfectly glamorous to the outside viewer, but this book goes in to such fine details about it, that you wish our beloved Marta never met him at all. He was cruel, violent and never satisfied but she somehow managed to stay by his side, became his wife, gave birth to 12 children and he even crowned her.
Very few of her children survived those harsh times, when even the common flue could kill you. But she carried on, with the pain of the lost child, bravely in to next pregnancy in hopes to give expected male heir.
The will to live and the strength she had are remarkable. I've never heard her story before reading this book, and I couldn't believe that a person like that is forgotten. Is it because she was in the shadow of her male companions or was it to gruesome to learn about it in school?
Be sure to read the book if you have the chance and feel free to propose some books that I could read next!
With love,
Tamara