I never really considered myself interested in Russian history in general but the title was intriguing and I received this as an ARC.
Totally worth it.
While dense with information, the author manages to flow naturally between topics and figures. (Each chapter is dedicated to one subject, like authors or artists and various renowned figures are discussed within each). It would have been easy to stick with the behaviors or opinions of one or two individuals at a time and the author is careful to stick with the subjects rather than overload the reader with trivia.
I rate this 5 stars for being both incredibly informative while being readable to a previously uninterested layperson. Given the meticulous bibliography and references, I am hardly the target audience and I genuinely enjoyed the book.

After the Romanvs by Helen Rappaport is a thoroughly detailed book well written book on the after lives of the fallen russian families. The rich mainly that were able to escape the downfall etc. The intricate plots woven around emigre with footnotes to back up and help the reader to understand in detail the relationship. A lot of the stories yank at your emotions due to how sad and tragically well known these stories are. It feels as if so many questions are answered including movements and plots.

Great chance for an exciting read! Don't forget March 08 2022!

I was given this ARC by net galley in exchange for an Honest review. Amazing book.

In the Omar Sharif Dr. Zhivago, there is a scene where the doctor and his family are camped on railroad tracks waiting for a rumoured train that will take them from the horror show formerly known as Moscow. The good doctor and his good family have suffered the ire of the Bolsheviks and must flee. Home, friends, neighborhoods, schools, their entire life, gone; the only thing left is themselves. It is a frightening scene. It is a heartbreaking one, too.

And it is an encapsulation of this entire book: what happens to people when the new Soviet regime takes over? Everything everyone believed and counted on is now regarded as crime, so, your choices are: denounce everything you used to believe in, join the new regime, fight the new regime, or flee. Helen Rappaport focuses on those who fled to Paris, already a favored Russian destination long before Lenin raised his self-righteous head.

She does an excellent job setting the stage by describing the Belle Epoque, Russian style, and, after reading about some of the Russian antics, you can well understand the storming of Winter Palaces. Some of those Russian princes deserved a date with the guillotine. But not all of them. Not everyone.

Her description of the Bolshevik takeover and what they did to the former ruling class and their supporters is Zhivago at the train tracks. But that’s nothing compared to the exile across Russia in unseaworthy ships and frozen wastelands and refugee status in Constantinople…oh good Lord. It’s an untold story made starkly clear, and it is unpleasant, to understate things.

This book suffers from the same problem of any Russian book- more characters than you can safely carry around in a backpack and it is easy to lose track of who is who and where they are, especially if you, like me, are not that familiar with Russian names or relationships. A list of those would be nice. And where’s Trotsky?

Once everybody has found their way to Paris, life among the exiles becomes an ‘Oh well!” kind of existence. Maybe that’s the Russian psyche, I don’t know, but my sympathies lie with the hapless White Russian generals who still hold that forlorn hope of winning it all back. They come across as somewhat clown-like and I suppose that’s true; they still believed in a chivalry and class structure that they helped destroy during WW1. They simply don’t understand how ruthless a Bolshevik can be, and that makes them vulnerable.

Those with a schadenfreude bent will take some pleasure at the exiles’ sufferings. After all, what an oppressive exploitive society that richly deserved everything that happened to it.

But no one should be forced onto winter laden train tracks in fear of their lives. No one.

After the Romanovs by Helen Rappaport was a compelling read and I enjoyed every page. I have always been fascinated with the Romanov dynasty and the Russian Revolution, but I didn't know that many Russian exiles who moved to Paris during and after the Revolution. Rappaport pulled back the curtain on a place and time in history that greatly impacted WWI and WW@ and still resonates today. Highly recommend!!

It isn’t as compelling as some of the other books in her Last Romanovs/Russian Revolution series, but it is not without its charms. It’s a moving story in itself, people trying to move on and make new lives for themselves after a massive calamity has shaken everything they knew to the core.

historical-figures, historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-setting, history-and-culture, nonfiction*****

Russians in Paris before the Bolsheviks is a detailed account of the marvelous (from Nijinsky! the ballet! the music! to Singer of sewing machines), the overindulgent (excessive spending in food/jewelry/debauchery by the Russian aristocrats and the benefits to Paris.
Then the Great War followed by Revolution and elimination of the tsar and immediate family forcing the rest into exile.
Once again, the aristocracy returned to Paris, this time as poor exiles. Some were able to smuggle valuables with them to England, Finland, Japan, and the US, but they were a minority and the overarching hope of all was the great homesickness for Mother Russia.
The info is comprehensive, but the writing is more like a Publish or Perish.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

This book is not for me. I read for pleasure and this book is too much like a school book. I will not be finishing it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

This is a thorough look at the Romanovs, but I found it to be a cumbersome read. It is well researched and carefully written, but that is also what it feels like - like a paper written for a college course. It impedes the flow of the book. If you are looking for a detailed history book then this is the book for you, but if you are looking to learn and enjoy along the way you may want to try a different place to start. Thanks to NetGalley for the early read.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. I love soaking up anything and everything that involves history. I highly recommend this book.

After the Romanovs by Helen Rappaport is a great book, very informative and heart breaking especially what happened.

What a fascinating story! The contrast between the pre-Revolutionary and post-Revolutionary experience of Russians in Paris was illuminating and stunning in its stark contrasts. I found the individual stories as fascinating as the overarching descriptions of the period and the political upheaval that ensued. It was a very interesting book about a very interesting time and the evolution of contemporary Russia is, I think, definitely traceable to some of the attitudes and experiences going back to the Revolution...

3 stars
Not at all what I expected. I do feel there is a audience for this book. It is not for me. Thanks for the ARC of this book.

I have always been fascinated by the Romanovs; the entire dynasty. So when I was given the chance to read this book, I grabbed it. It isn’t about JUST the Romanov family, it’s about the history of Russians living in Paris starting in the late 1800’s. At first, just the very wealthy, royalty and nobility in the main, were able to spend vacations or “The Season” in Paris. Later, around 1900 came the immigrants who voluntarily or involuntarily fled to Paris. This included not just political exiles but poets, writers, artists, ballet dancers and others. This included religious and economic exiles such as members of the Ashkenazi Jewish community from the area of eastern Russia where they were allowed to live, known as “The Pale.”

The author discusses groups by chapters but also interconnects the various groups as she goes deeper into the narrative. The first chapter is about Russian nobility flocking to Paris to indulge their desire for luxury, starting in the 1800s. Their spending was on par with that of current Russian oligarchs.

Author Helen Rappaport introduces dancers and others associated with them such as Diaghilev and Stravinsky. Diaghilev was the founder of the famous Ballets Russe dance troupe. Stravinsky became world famous while working with the Ballets Russe in Paris prior to WWI. The author includes a lot of detail about the premieres of the Stravinsky ballets in Paris: “The Firebird,” “The Rite of Spring,” and “Parade.” The premieres were rocky, especially that for “The Rite of Spring,” but they made Stravinsky legendary.

The discussion really hits its stride when talking about the very poor immigrants that came to Paris, most of whom were starving and living in appalling conditions. This group cut across classifications but included artists, writers, poets, and others. The famous painter Marc Chagall, born into a Lithuanian Jewish Hasidic family in the Russian Empire, lived in Paris for a time until WWI, when he returned home to marry. He left Russia again for Paris in 1923.

There is detail on the exertions of the extended Romanov family to flee Russia, with many failures ending in their murders. At a certain point, Lenin must’ve known his enemy was broken, but instead he went for revenge. Revenge against anyone carrying the DNA of the Romanovs. Why? I don’t think the poverty of the peasant and working classes is a good answer for this.

The book goes on to detail how Russians as a group lived as emigres in Paris. How did they? Rather poorly, although the French Government graciously did help some. The rest really scratched to pay their way as their valuables did not command even a fraction of pre-WWI sales prices. Grand Duke Alexander’s (“Sandro”) numismatic collection sold for only 5% of its pre-war value, and a few belongings were all that most of the refugees could smuggle out.

On the other hand, as an example of a more successful outcome, the story of Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovna and his sister Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna is followed. Dmitri had an affair with Coco Chanel which led to Maria being employed as a seamstress and embroiderer in Chanel’s workshop. That was great for Maria’s survival but she soon discovered that the French workers became jealous and cold toward her, afraid that other Russians would take their jobs. This was a common experience for Russian emigres. Maria worked 12-14 hours per day producing embroidered sweaters, blouses, and tunics for Chanel’s 1922 collection. Dmitri went on to become a spokesman for champagne when Chanel began a long-term relationship with the Duke of Westminster. Neither did particularly well for themselves but managed better than most Russians.

The story of Dmitri and Maria is illustrative of many of this volume’s stories of Russian refugees; the men were handsome but lost in their tragedy, the women became ingenious and successful entrepreneurs, at least for a time. Between 1922 and 1935, 27 fashion houses were thus established by Russian immigrants. But fashion wasn’t the only area that the Russians conquered. Many of the men, particularly those out of the military, drove cabs, acted as doormen, and waiters. They were noted and sought out for their manners and good behavior.

And the stories of struggle, tragedy, and survival after great tragedy continue from there.

This is really a well-written book that clearly took a lot of time to research. There is tremendous detail about how Russian immigrants in general fared, as well as about the jobs that they were allowed to perform. France was well-regulated and training and licensure were expensive; immigrants could not do everything. This was probably the first great wave of refugees in Europe in the 20th Century. It’s interesting to compare the Russian immigrant crisis with more recent immigrant crises.

I have to point out a sentence at about 40% of the galley, that a man named Rubakhan “…still kept the Russian festivals and an icon burning in the corner….” I don’t think so. I’m sure he had candles burning in front of the icon.

This book explores artists known and unknown to me. Many are grand names that I have heard or seen referenced: Pavlova, Diaghilev, Stravinsky, Chagall, Nabokov. Finally I understand a little bit more about what drove their art and the general Russian melancholia of the early 20th Century. Suicide, alcoholism, and drug dependency were rife amongst the destitute population. I can understand why.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, author Helen Rappaport, and NetGalley for allowing me to read the eGalley of this book prior to publication. I have received nothing for my review which contains only my own, original opinions. I am posting this review to NetGalley, Goodreads, and my Twitter and Facebook accounts at this time. Upon publication of the book, I will also post to Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Coming into this with limited knowledge of Russian-Franco ties during the period, I feel like I learned a lot! While France wasn't home to Russian exiles, it was familiar and the author does a good job of showing that. I loved how this work painted a picture of a truly multinational city.

After the Romanovs is a fascinating look into the flight of "White Russians" (those of the privileged class and intelligentsia) into different parts of Europe, especially Paris. The author's extensive research is mind-boggling, because she covers the lives of both the aristocrats as well as poets and artists.

Even though was a non-fiction, informative historical piece of work, it was also entertaining. I kept Googling the different characters to learn more about them. It was a challenge keeping up with all those Russian names though!

A fantastic read for anyone interested in Russian history.

A fabulous but heartbreaking history of displaced peoples from Russia mostly to Paris but also Berlin and then to the United States during WWII. Imagine that the world is your oyster, that you have unbelievable power and prestige and then the next day that your whole world comes crashing down and you find that your assets are gone, and you must drive a taxi or haul coal just to survive and eat.

That you must travel almost 3,000 km to a foreign land that while opening its doors to you and your people - speaks a foreign language and has completely different customs and laws. Eventually, even this country turns against you and your people because you have taken over so many jobs, at below-market wages, that locally born citizens find it challenging to find employment.

Through the hardship, sorrows, and longing for your homeland more than a few happy stories can be found. Russian women had a large impact on the Paris fashion scene with their intricate and delicate sewing and fashion designs.

This book was so very well written it is sure to keep your interest. Chock full of references and research that could keep you reading about the impact of Russians in France for years if you were so inclined.

I highly recommend that you pick this book up and learn more about these displaced people - it will open your eyes, mind, and should open your heart by putting modern-day movements of those economically and socially displaced from their homes in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa towards Europe and the West; and the impact of people from Central and South America towards America and Canada.

Thank you to the author Helen Rappaport, the publisher St. Martin's Press; and to Net Galley for the advance copy in return for my honest opinion. I have not received any compensation nor interference in the posting of my review which remains my truthful thoughts on this book.

Dr. Helen Rappaport is a well known author of historical nonfiction. She tells the tale of the Romanovs and those in their circle with a deft writing style. She weaves the stories of the Belle Epoque with the harsh reality of those who escaped persecution with little to nothing.
Some books of this genre are a mere recitation of facts, but not so with After the Romanovs. The reader is captured with Rappaport's skill in crafting an enticing narrative.

Paris was a playground for the Russian nobles before the Revolution, a place to spend lavishly and love freely. After the slaughter of the Tsar’s family and friends, it became expedient for these nobles to run, carrying what valuables they could manage. And so the community grew, never feeling welcome. Some advanced in the arts and fashion, but many remained taxi drivers, mechanics and manual laborers. Reduced to menial jobs, they bonded together to feel a semblance of home and culture. Dreaming of a return to old Russia, they named a successor to the throne, debated the validity of “Princess Anastasia,” survived the French President’s assassination by an emigre, and met in Church to keep their faith alive. Distrust, jealousy and suspicion among the community was constant. Economic recession added to the melancholy; suicide became a solution. Some returned to their homeland in time for another world war. Helen Rappaport provides a tremendous amount of research. Reading of stars of the ballet, mingling with fashion designers and literary greats is fascinating, a who’s who of Russian notables. I learned much about this period. The amount of information is challenging, but in the end worth the effort.

"After the Romanovs" opens in a relatively light fashion as wealthy Russians, among them Romanovs, enjoy vacations and visits to France. Paris is a playground for them. Artists of all kinds flock there to rub shoulders with the elite of the world. Stars like Nijinsky shine. Intellectuals sought both rest and creativity, some even rubbing shoulders with a Russian visitor named Lenin. Yes, that Lenin.

Needless to say, the tone of the book switches gears quickly after the Russian Revolution and assassination of the Tsar and his family. The Romanovs were now targets for the new regime. Many of those who once sought amusement or simply enjoyed the thriving creativity to be found in Paris found themselves fleeing to Paris once again, this time as refugees. Now largely penniless and unable to find work, this is their story. Even the mysterious Anastasia makes an appearance in the book.

Watching this history unfold was at once both saddening and fascinating. The emotions of those in exile swung wildly from optimistic and hopeful for a return to Russia to lost and simply desperate to survive. Few had any practical skills and they were cut off from the past fortunes. The manner in which the French accepted them, of course, also varied. The Jazz Age occurred post revolution but the emigres, many of whom had never worked a day in their lives, were usually too busy trying just to stay alive with a roof over their heads and something to eat and wear, to be caught up in it. Interestingly enough, it was some of the female emigres who perhaps came closest, particularly those who found employment with Chanel or in the garment industry. Former duchesses found themselves doing piecework and embroidering to support their families. You might find yourself being seated at a ritzy restaurant by a former duke or driven about town by a taxi driver with royal connections. Rappaport writes at one point that the unifying thread between them all seemed to be a "solidarity in poverty". Starvation and suicide were common.

Even though I found it a bit difficult to keep the names straight in my head -- I found myself scrolling back-and-forth frequently -- I found the book fascinating. The author has done extensive research and the amount of information she shares is almost staggering. You'll also see the birth of the current communist society which, even then, especially after Stalin's ascent, used spies and kidnapping to its benefit both against its own countrymen and the Russian emigres. There's much to take in here and kudos to author Rappaport for sharing her research with us in such a readable fashion.

Thanks to #NetGallery and #StMartinsPress for the ARC. Even as a former history major and teacher, I came away with not just a more thorough knowledge of the post Russian Revolution emigres but history in general.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. I really thought the subject of this was interesting. I have read Russian history up until the revolution but nothing after. My only fault though is I felt this wandered too much for my taste. I ended up not finishing it completely.