This book offers an in-depth look at the relationship between Alix of Hesse and her grandmother, Queen Victoria. The daunting queen takes pity on her motherless grand-daughter after the death of her mother. What develops is a strong bond that shapes European history.

Empress Alexandra of Russia was one of the most tragic empresses in history. Everyone knows about her horrific end. However, there have been very few biographies of her. In this new biography of Empress Alexandra, her life is retold through the eyes of her infamous grandmother, Queen Victoria. Empress Alexandra shows how the Tsarina of Russia was Queen Victoria’s favorite granddaughter. The British queen tried to matchmaker Empress Alexandra with her cousin, the Duke of Clarence. However, Alexandra was determined to fight her grandmother’s interests and marry for love.

This book is not really a straightforward biography of Empress Alexandra. Instead, it mostly focuses on how Queen Victoria views her granddaughter. It does not even cover Alexandra’s whole life. Instead, the main focus is on Queen Victoria. It felt more like a biography of Queen Victoria with facts about the Romanovs sprinkled throughout the book. We do not even get to Empress Alexandra until after the book spends a lot of time discussing the relationship between Queen Victoria and Princess Alice, who is Alexandra’s mother. When Alexandra is mentioned, we really do not get a glimpse as to her childhood and how she felt through the tragic events that affected her deeply later in life. The only time we get a glimpse of her personality is Queen Victoria’s matchmaking and how Empress Alexandra wants to marry for love that would only bring sorrow to her later. Therefore, I came away from this book not really knowing who Empress Alexandra truly was.

Overall, this biography is about Queen Victoria’s relationship with her granddaughter. The biography was very slow and often went off in many tangents and useless facts that did not enhance the biography. The book is not very well-researched and mostly uses sources from Queen Victoria’s writings and biographies about Queen Victoria. Only eight sources mentioned in her biography are about the Romanovs. This lack of scholarly research is really disappointing in a biography because it shows that the author did not really do much research to get to know her subject. Thus, this book is heavily biased because it is solely from Queen Victoria’s perspective. Therefore, this is not a scholarly account of the Romanovs. This book is perfect if you are fans of both Queen Victoria and the Romanovs. However, Alexandria: The Last Tsarina by Carolly Erickson and The Last Empress: The Life and Times of Alexandra Feodorovna, Tsarina of Russia by Greg King are more superior reads and heavily researched biographies of Empress Alexandra.

Informative read about Empress Alexandra and Queen Victoria. I also really enjoyed the pictures included, all were quite interesting to look at. The writing was a little clumsy and awkward but overall I did like the book.

I was not able to get interested in this book and I did not finish it. The characters and the plot were not able to catch or keep my attention

Kind of like reading about the Titanic, you know the ending of the story, but it's still worth the journey. The author draws primarily from Queen Victoria's diaries and letters, and the story almost feels like it's being told by the queen herself. The book begins with the birth of Victoria and Albert's third child, Alice, whose short life was filled with misfortunes. Alice's daughter Alix was just 6 years old when her mother and sister died of diphtheria. Victoria became a very involved (sometimes even meddling) grandmother to the surviving children, and although she and Alix had very different personalities, they remained close until Victoria's death. Alix did not obey her granny's wishes in her choice of a marriage mate, and her decision, of course, changed the course of history.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I have always found the Russian royal family fascinating and enjoyed finding out more about the Empress Alexandra.

I Received a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review
Alexandra was amazing. I never believed that she was a terrible person. She was a damaged person possibly, both emotionally and mentally. Imagine inheriting such an obsessive need for love like what she inherited from Queen Victoria, thats a lot to deal with for any person especially a women in a place of high power who isn't exactly loved by her people. This emphasized the background of their connection with each other and how it affected their lives

Historical Fiction truly makes my heart sing, and this book with its superb mix of facts and story is utter perfection.
I am so glad I got to experience this masterpiece and dive into the lives of the Empress and Queen, and all the world happenings surrounding them.

shame on me for not knowing the last Russian empress, Alexandra, was Queen Victoria’s granddaughter. Empress Alexandra: The Special Relationship Between Russia’s Last Tsarina and Queen Victoria explains this familial connection, and how this relationship came to be. When I first found this book, I thought it would be more Russian-focused, but confusedly entered a description of Queen Victoria and her large family, especially her children and grandchildren. The clear and obvious matriarch of her clan, she lovingly looks after their welfare and plays matchmaker.
By the time I reached the point in the family history where Victoria’s granddaughter Alicky shows an attraction to Tsaravich Nicholas, it finally dawned that this was the “special relationship” alluded to in the book’s title. I had thought this was a diplomatic relationship or friendship. Excuse my ignorance, but at least now I know! This book has succeeded in teaching me something new.
It truly was fascinating to see the family-oriented side of Victoria. I knew she had several children and had a strong love for Prince Albert, but this side of her that was so invested in her family’s health, happiness, and marriage prospects. Little of the serious, conservative ruling queen was seen among these pages. Through a traditional look through royal records and (heavy) correspondence, Clegg takes the reader along a linear timeline starting with Victoria’s children, their growth and marriages, and then her grandchildren’s birth, growth and marriages. Other family members’ histories, disputes, illnesses, and deaths are also described, fleshing out the narrative to one of the most royal-studded, wide-branched and spiderwebbed family tree.
Only about a hundred years ago (and even more recently), European royal families were intermarrying with their allied nations, making crisscrosses in their lineage. Victoria and Albert were cousins. Alexandra and Nicholas were cousins. And, through a Wikipedia rabbit hole landing me in the Royal Family Tree, I learned Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip both call Queen Victoria their great-great grandmother. All of these connections had my head spinning and I would have loved to have had a family tree that accompanied the text of the book, but it’s understood as to why it may have not been included – it probably would have to have been one of those center foldouts… However, I do have to admit that Clegg does a smooth job reminding the reader about relative connections as she walks them through the history.
As much as I enjoyed this linear format, it felt like there was little focus on Alicky after she ascends to Empress. She waited so long to marry Nicholas, and a very short portion of the book focused on their years together. Those years are tragically cut short, but those final years are not touched on. Instead, the story ends on a different sad note – the passing of Victoria.
Clegg does justify this in the acknowledgements, explaining that the title indicates a focus on Alexandra and Victoria, but she felt their relationship was shaped by Victoria’s relationship with her daughter (and Alexandra’s mother) Alice. So, it was only right to show this relationship. Well played, Clegg.
I enjoyed this step away from the sometimes dry and formal discussion of European royalty. This was an entertaining peek beyond the curtain and look at the humanity of far-off historical figures.

Definitely enjoyed this one! I love learning about people within our history, and the writing was well done. I'll be looking for more from this author.

This is a fascinating and detailed look at the relationship between Queen Victoria and her granddaughter, Alix, who would eventually become Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna. The early part of the book focuses on Queen Victoria's relationship with her daughter Alice, Alix's mother but I enjoyed this background information and how it led the Queen to feel more responsible for her Hesse grandchildren after Alice's death. I enjoyed reading about Alix as a shy but caring and devoted granddaughter as it contrasts with the image of her as the cold, unfeeling Empress of Russia.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

“Victoria had no love for the Russians, whom she believed had behaved shamefully during the Crimean War, but in this instance she was motivated by genuine fear for Alix’s safety should she marry Nicholas, who would always be a potential target for assassins, and take up residence in Russia.”

This book provides a detailed account of the close relationship between Queen Victoria and her beloved granddaughter, Alicky, who became Alexandra Feodorovna, Empress of Russia.

Clegg begins this book with the birth of Alexandra’s mother, Princess Alice, whose early death led Queen Victoria to feel a strong responsibility for her children. As Alex grew into a young woman, Victoria attempted to influence her choice of husband, strongly pressuring her to avoid Russians. This effort was clearly ineffective.

I learned so much from this book, but ultimately found it very slow-moving. It did pick up pace near the end, though. Clegg did incredible amounts of research compiling this book. After reading mentions of Queen Victoria’s relationship with her granddaughter, Alicky strewn through all of the books I have read about both of them, I’m glad to finally understand the dynamics of the relationship more thoroughly. Overall, I’m very happy to have read this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Pen & Sword History for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Well done and would consider reading more by this author.
Thank you NetGalley and Melanie clegg for the opportunity.

I read this ARC in exchange for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

I knew as soon as I saw the cover, this was right up my street
I absolutely loved this

Beautifully researched and written

A fascinating read

What a woman Queen Victoria was! Empress Alexandra is a wonderful book full of history and insights. A well-researched look at the relationship between Alexandra and her grandmother Queen Victoria.

A FRESH LOOK AT QUEEN VICTORIA AND EMPRESS ALEXANDRA

As a historian, I love reading biographies that take new approaches to the subjects. Having specialized in English Queenship and furthermore having a fascination with the Romanovs, the subject of Empress Alexandra and Queen Victoria was not new to me - but I was really enjoyed the way it was handled here! It took it somewhere new, which delighted me and made me want to keep reading. As a historian, however, I did have some issues with the historical work, but I am certain that others, who aren't hampered by this, will enjoy this very much!

👍 What I Liked 👍

Approach: Writing about the relationship between Victoria and Alexandra, grandmother and granddaughter, of course ensures that this is not a full biography of any of the two women. Still, it enlightens a relationship, that did much for the both of them, shaping the one and softening the other. It was a novel approach that I enjoyed very much.

Princess Alice: Clegg was very wise, I think, in including the birth and life of Empress Alexandra's mother, Alice. It was, I believe, in large part Victoria's relationship with Alice, that shaped her devotion for Alice's daughter. So while Alexandra is actually not even born until 1/3 through the book, the first 3rd was instrumental in telling the actual story.

👎 What I Disliked 👎

Writing: Sadly, I found the writing a bit hampering at times. There were some truly clumsy sentences (see example below) and the paragraphs were often laughably long and made me lose focus, because there was no natural stopping place.

"In the end, it was Alix's cousin Emperor Wilhelm who decided that enough was enough and decided to intervene, having decided that having a German cousin on the Russian throne might one day be of use to him as he furthered his own territorial ambitions in Europe."


Sources: I acknowledge that Queen Victoria's diaries and letters are a rich source of information. But the fact that Clegg almost exclusively uses these sources gives a very skewed picture. We only pretty much only hear about the relationship from Victoria's point of view, giving us little insight into Alexandra's thoughts and feelings. That was a shame.

This is such an interesting focus on a book, about the relationship between Queen Victoria and her granddaughter, Alix. And also Alix’s mother, Alice. Queen Victoria had a lot of children and grandchildren and Alix was apparently her favorite. We don’t hear much about Victoria except how she was heartbroken and in mourning after her husband’s death. The author uses her journals and finds some richly personal information there. We also really only know of Alix after she marries the Tsar, so this book is a unique look at the more personal side of these famous ladies. I found it to be well-researched, well-written and quite interesting.

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.

This was quite possibly the most interesting book I've read regarding Empress Alexandra. The author uses a very unique way of getting the reader to empathize with Alexandra. Clegg focuses greatly on how Queen Victoria's relationship with her daughter Alice was shaped and then subsequently how Alice's death molded the relationship between Queen Victoria and her granddaughter Alexandra. The reader is already 30% into the book before Alexandra is even born. This doesn't read like a typical, stuffy, non-fiction book but is fast paced and very easy to follow. The author is repetitive at times but it isn't enough to disengage the reader. My only complaint about this book is the title. By using the title Empress Alexandra it is easy to surmise that the book would have been more focused on the relationship the two women had while Alexandra was Empress. In fact, very little of the book takes place during those years after Alexandra was married and before Victoria passes away. Overall this book is a great addition to the documentation of the Romanov story.

If you love history and RoyaL history then this book if for you. The author Melanie Clegg has done such detailed research into the Empress and her family.

I always knew the Russian royals were related to the British Royal family but not how. So I was delighted to find out that Alix was actually the favoured grandchild of Queen Victoria. The Queen had taken her under her wing following the early death of her mother. Albert and Victoria’s third child.
This in not a work of fiction just well put together facts from archives and letters.
A thoroughly enjoyable read. Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc in return for an honest review

Empress Alexandra By Melanie Clegg
Genre: Historical Fiction, Non-Fiction
Publisher: Pen & Sword History
Publish Date: 30 September 2020

Like most people I’m quite fascinated with the riches and excessive lifestyle of the Romanovs. Their endless glamour, jewels and palaces, and their preventable violent end has a allure akin to the sinking of the Titanic. The death of any family is more than tragic but the slaughter of a royal family who are buried in unmarked graves, missing for decades captures the imagination. That’s why when I sow this book I needed to read it.

Empress Alexandra, tells the story of the last Empress of Russia, Empress Alexandra (Alix) through her relationship with her grandmother. A perspective I’ve not come across before and a clever one as Alix’s grandmother is no other than the formidable Queen Victoria of Great Britain. The story doesn’t cover from Alix’s birth to her death, it covers from her mothers birth to Alix’s birth and until Queen Victoria’s death. I hadn’t expected Alix to first make her appearance quite so far into the book but I’m glad Clegg took the time to cover her mothers life and more importantly her mothers life with Queen Victoria. I had always assumed Queen Victoria to be an over bearing mother who was far too strict and who lacked in maternal instincts before her husbands death and certainly after. however I’ve changed my opinion since reading this book. I still think Queen Victoria can fit into the above but its far more complex than that. Queen Victoria was very protective and did love quite a bit, it just comes off overbearing. After Alix’s mother dies Queen Victoria really steps in to be an adoptive mother to Alix and her siblings and Alix was her favourite. It terrified her when she began to hear rumours of a possible romance between her beloved Alix and the heir of Russia. Queen Victoria was no idiot. Russia was a million miles away from the tastes and personality that Britain was and she feared for Alix’s survival and future if she choose this path. How right, she ended up being… But the fall of the Romanov’s came due to many reasons and one of the strongest was the ‘blood disease’ of the Alix’s heir, a disease inherited from Queen Victoria herself.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Pen and Sword History, for an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.