"In the end there is only the truth…"

In 1918, Tsar Nicholas Romanov and his family – including his youngest daughter, Anastasia – were ordered to be murdered by Vladimir Lenin. Two years later, a woman with an uncanny resemblance to Anastasia was pulled from a Berlin canal. She went by Anna Anderson but claimed to be the missing Grand Duchess Anastasia.

I Was Anastasia was told in the alternating voices of young Anastasia and Anna. The thing I thought most interesting was the fact that, while told in alternating voices, the story itself was also told with alternating linearity of times – meaning, as Anastasia’s story was told forward, starting from the beginning of the family’s imprisonment, Anna’s was told backward, starting from the end of her life: both moving toward the point where her and Anastasia’s timelines would intersect.

I don’t know that much about Anastasia, and most of that knowledge, admittedly, comes from the animated movie “Anastasia.” So, while I thought this book was interesting, I don’t think it was nearly as compelling as I had hoped. In the Author’s Note, Ariel Lawhon expressed her desire to give a voice to Anna:

"She [Anna] has been assigned the role of villain for decades. But I like to think she is misunderstood… So my goal with this book was to let you make up your own mind. I wanted you to see the evidence both sides had to offer, and I wanted you to be unsure all the way through, because that is how Anna’s contemporaries felt."

However, I never felt connected to Anna, and that kind of ruined the story for me. The author wanted her to read more as a sympathetic character, but I still couldn’t stand her. I couldn’t see past my biased opinion of someone who duped a generation in order get rich to the supposed woman she was behind the mask. I thought the best part of her story was the ending, and although it helped me to put her story in a different light, I felt it came too late to drum up any lingering sympathies for her. I felt much more connected to the young Anastasia – spoiled and sheltered though she was – and the hardships she endured because it made her a much more sympathetic character than that of Anna.

So, while I liked the unique way of telling the story – alternating between two voices as well as two opposing timelines – I didn’t feel the same connection to the characters (especially Anna) that the author so clearly did. It was an average read, and, while I found it mildly engrossing at times, it wasn’t my favorite and, unfortunately, not quite as good as I was hoping it to be.

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for a copy of this eBook in exchange for an honest review.

Excerpt from one of my blog contributors, Sophia:

Above all, however, I Was Anastasia presents readers with a novel take on the impact of identity on our past, our future, and our legacy. Whether or not Anna Anderson was truly Anastasia did not matter so long as she was giving us the Grand Duchess we needed, when we needed it. During the more difficult moments of the book to get through (tw: rape, restraint, drugging, electro-convulsive therapy), I found myself looking forward to Anna's point of view, just to make me feel like everything turned out at least okay enough to make jokes about beer, or to tear a man apart in five languages (and in as many minutes). This was the true strength and cleverness of the infamous woman, and is a testament to Lawhon's mastery of history, emotions, and the way they come together. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who values all of the above.

I'm very familiar with the Romanov story, their downfall, and their execution. As soon as I hear about a new fiction book about the family, I am quick to pick it up. However, I am less familiar with Anna Anderson or that part of the story. The author did very well with the history and research. However, the alternating viewpoints confused me a bit. The chapters alternate between Anastasia going forward in her life. Then the next chapter is Anna Anderson as an old woman going backwards with her life. I thought this was confusing for the reader. I think having both voices in alternating chapters is a great idea, but the direction of life-storytelling threw me off. Most people know going in that the entire Romanov family was found, and DNA proved that Anna Anderson was not in fact the missing princess. Still, Anna Anderson's voice in the chapters makes you believe she really could be her. Great history and story, but the timeline bounced around too much for my liking.

This novel cuts back and forth between two storylines - the first starts in 1916 from the viewpoint of Anastasia Romanov, one the daughters of the last tzar of Russia; the other in 1970 from the viewpoint of Anna Anderson, who has spent the last 50 or so years trying to prove that she is in fact Anastasia Romanov and survived the massacre of her family. Anastasia's story proceeds forward in time, while Anna's works its way backwards. Although I completely understand for storytelling purposes while the book was structured this way, it made the book extremely confusing during the Anna parts, which really jumped around a lot and often were referring to things that came prior to that in time but later in the book. So, a pretty interesting book, but a little difficult to read. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to netgalley for the advanced reader copy! I don’t have a lot of experience with the Anastasia story besides watching the Disney movie back in the day. I really enjoyed learning about her story and loved how this book intertwined with her story and her imposter “Anna Anderson”. I will admit I was a little slow and couldn’t keep up with the book going in reverse to the story of Anastasia but once I caught on I really loved the different type of story line. Great ending for Anna, sad ending for Anastasia. By this point in the book I was really intrigued and attached to Anastasia so when it came time for their execution my heart was so torn. Great book by Ariel! I loved this twist on historical fiction! ☺

I Was Anastasia tells the story of a women who claims to be Anastasia and lets the reader decide what they believe. It goes into a lot of detail about the Romanov family and their terrible last days, and the story of this woman and her claim. It is an interesting and sad read.

This was a wonderful book! I've read all of her books and enjoy the way she mixes realism with some fictional details. She phoned into my book club and discussed how much research goes into each of her books. She put so much time and effort into each book, it shows! Enjoyable read!

I am such a fan of historical fiction, and as soon as I heard about this book, I knew I had to read it! I Was Anastasia offers a unique and intriguing take on the mysteriously missing daughter of the executed Romanov family. Though there have been many stories trying to explain what happened, I found this one to be quite compelling and it definitely has me interested in reading more by this author!

In 1918, former Tzar Nicholas II, his wife, five children and four servants were repeatedly shot and stabbed in order to preserve the new Bolshevik regime. Several years later a woman using the name Ana Anderson claimed to be youngest daughter of the Tzar. Her tale of terror and survival, reinforced by her severely scared body, captivated the world and began a mystery that persisted for almost a century.

As a teen I loved the story of Anastasia Romanov and the possibility that she somehow survived the massacre that took her family. This story has been revisited time and again through literature, television, film and on Broadway, a testament to its fascination. Although fiction, Ariel Lawhon’s novel, I Was Anastasia, is a less romanticized version of this tale, and takes into account the DNA evidence that solved the mystery of Anastasia once and for all. The novel’s timeline can be a little difficult to follow as two stories unfold simultaneously, one moving chronologically and the other moving backward. Though some of the impact may be lost if you already know the outcome, I Was Anastasia is a ride worth taking with an ending that is appropriately based in reality. Buy it.

While the events of this story are tragic, this was a great reading experience! The structure is unique and fascinating, the writing is good, the book makes the women feel real and more than historical figures, and I was swept up in the mystery of the story regardless of what I thought I knew or didn’t know. At an event, Lawhon said it’s been a polarizing book because people either LOVE or HATE the structure. I was fully in the love camp!

Ultimately, I know just a little too much about the Romanov's and Anna Anderson to really be pulled into this one. The writing is solid, and there's a good matter of research that went into the writing of this book, but sadly I couldn't remove myself from my prior knowledge to go along for the ride.

The world has been fascinated by the fate of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and the fate of his family. Nothing was more captivating than the notion that one family member could have escaped their terrible fate. Ariel Lawhon takes the story of Grand Duchess Anastasia and puts her own unique twist on it by pairing it with the story of Anna Anderson, the woman who claimed to be the Grand Duchess Anastasia.

I Was Anastasia is told from two points of views. Anastasia’s story starts shortly before the start of the Revolution and moves forward in time. What is heartbreaking about Anastasia’s story is that there is only one way for it to end. Lawhon has written a compelling picture of the Grand Duchess as a teenager during the most difficult time of her life. Anastasia came across the pages as brave and courageous. She is a helper and longs to be seen by her family as an adult. Sadly, as history tells us, this will not come to pass.

Starting just days before the Revolution, I Was Anastasia does not spend much time examining the Romanov’s luxurious lifestyle before the Revolution. The reader only sees the world through the eyes of Anastasia with brief glimpses of what the family had before they were placed under house arrest. As a result, it is easy to see how much the family loses with their imprisonment and difficult to see how the common people of Russia. It is easy to feel sympathetic towards the Tsar’s family and their eventual fate is jarring even if the reader knows what will happen in that dark basement in the far outreaches of the Russian countryside.

The alternate chapters are told from Anna Anderson’s point of view. Anna is the woman who claimed for many years to be the Grand Duchess Anastasia. To juxtapose her to Anastasia, Anna’s story is told backwards (think Memento). The reader meets her as an old woman on her last dime – desperate -- and as the novel progresses, the reader witnesses her growing younger until it is revealed, at least in Lawhon’s opinion, why Anderson began to believe and claim publically she was the daughter of the Tsar.

Unfortunately, starting at the end of Anderson’s life, when she is in the final legal battle with the members of the Royal Family to recognize her claim, plays against the sympathies of the reader. By showing her during her worst days, and knowing how science has since disproved her claim, there is almost immediate animosity. It’s hard to keep an open mind about Anna’s situation. It’s hard to be sympathetic to a fraud. Anna’s life story is at direct odds to the sweet, young life of Anastasia, tragically cut short, told in opposing chapters.

As readers move through the novel, they may feel torn -- longing for the tragedy that befalls Anastasia and her family to not happen and an urgency for Anna’s lie to be put to bed and end quickly. This dissonance doesn’t play well and causes the novel to drag most of its 300 pages especially during Anna’s chapters which come across as brash and uncaring until the start of her story is reached.

A version of this review appeared in The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA) on April 8, 2018.

A great story about a fascinating woman. I would highly recommend for anyone who like historical fiction!

This book is not an ordinary "Romanov behind the the scenes" that most Anastasia themed books are. It's a mental workout with incredible writing!

I highly recommend reading this book in physical form. The timeline is non linear and requires extra focus and it’s difficult to not be able to flip back a few pages and check what year you’re in when reading on an e-reader.

You get the feeling there’s something they’re not telling you throughout the book but it wraps itself up nicely in the end! It’s a lot of work to read but well worth it for the ending! DEFINITELY read the Author’s Note afterwards as it provides a lot of clarity!

As it turns out, the Anna Anderson story is a real story but I wouldn’t recommend googling it until after you’re done reading, it won’t spoil it but it wouldn’t let the book be what it is.

I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my review.

I think this book had the potential to be amazing, and I love Russian history, unfortunately the contemporary aspects couldn’t hold my attention long enough for me to feel really connected with the characters. Still the setting and plot were both decent and there were some unexpected twists...I’m hoping to read more from this author and fingers crossed my disconnect was only from a current mood and not any refelection on the author or the book.

I Was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon is a historical fiction novel based on a woman pulled out of a canal claiming she was Anastasia Romanov. I was not familiar with this true occurrence in real life so appreciated learning about the Romanov family. Lawhon tells the story in a non-linear fashion and requires the reader to try and figure out the mystery (although she reveals the answer at the end of novel). Ugh, history and humans can be really brutal. This is not a book to read before you go to sleep.

I’ve always wanted to learn more about Anastasia and the Romanovs, so I thought I’d really be into this book. It took me until about 2/3 in to get used to the unusual timeline. It’s two time frames heading towards each other to meet in the middle. In her notes at the end of the book, even the author admits it can be daunting to some readers. If you can get past that and stick with it, you will see why it was written in such a way. It was hard knowing how the real story ended in such a sad way and I just kept wishing somehow the story had turned out differently for their family. In other random notes:
-I worried about the dogs too much.
-“Heels” is spelled “heals” several times.
- Based on her 1901 birthdate, I think Anastasia’s age is mentioned throughout the book incorrectly based on the dates given at the start of each chapter.

I’m glad I read this book, but I did not particularly enjoy doing so. It was very educational and became more interesting about halfway through, but the beginning was painfully slow and the structure of going back and then forward and back again in time was very difficult to follow. It also wrapped up a little more quickly than was consistent with the rest of the story.

Overall, I enjoyed the historical aspects of this book and learned a few things, but I occasionally found myself disengaged.