Tsarina (Paperback)
Ellen Alpsten (author)- 10+ in stock
Oozing with elegance and atmosphere, Alpsten’s alluring novel reimagines the journey of Catherine I of Russia from lowly birth and work in servitude to becoming the second wife of Peter the Great, Russia’s great moderniser.
Lover, mother, murderer, Tsarina.
1699: Illegitimate, destitute and strikingly beautiful, Marta is sold into labour at the age of fifteen - where in desperation she commits a crime that will force her to go on the run.
Cheating death at every turn, she is swept into the current of the Great Northern War. Working as a washer woman at a battle camp, she catches the eye of none other than Peter the Great. Passionate and iron-willed, Peter has a vision for transforming the traditionalist Tsardom of Russia into a modern, Western empire.
With nothing but wits, courage and formidable ambition, Marta will rise from nothing to become Catherine I of Russia. But it comes at a steep price and is tied to the destiny of Russia itself.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN: 9781526606440
Number of pages: 496
Weight: 346 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'Alpsten's colourful narrative does full justice to her extraordinary career' - Sunday Times
'With its sprawling canvas and huge cast...it's an entertaining romp through the endless intrigue, violence and debauchery of court life.' - Mail on Sunday
'The extraordinary life of Catherine I of Russia is brought to life in Alpsten's colourful novel.' - Sunday Times, Summer Picks
'This is the ultimate Cinderella story of an illiterate peasant girl who becomes the empress of Russia. It makes Game of Thrones look like a nursery rhyme.' - Daisy Goodwin
'As detailed as the jewels and enamel inlay on the creations of Fabergé...[a] crisp, elegant fictional account of history, woven with emotion and brio.' - Adriana Trigiani
'Luscious...Alpsten has clearly done some brilliant research. It reads like Game of Thrones without the dragons.' - Natasha Pulley
'[Alpsten] recounts this remarkable woman's colourful life and times.' - Count Nikolai Tolstoy
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“An epic rags to riches tale, I loved it!”
Tsarina is an epic, rags to riches tale inspired by the story of Catherine I, who was the second wife of Peter the Great and Empress of Russia from 1725 until her death.
As a fan of historical fiction, I was excited...
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“Brilliant work of historical fiction about Russia’s first Empress”
My thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing U.K. for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Tsarina’ by Ellen Alpsten
in exchange for an honest review.
Like a few other advance readers I had initially thought that this was a fictional...
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“Historical fiction at its best”
Initially I thought the book was about Catherine The Great. However, the opening of the book depicts a woman who cannot read and as we know Catherine the Great was an educated woman. It soon becomes apparent that... More
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