The Last Grand Duchess by Bryn Turnbull
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Thank you to the publisher, MIRA, for providing me with an ARC of The Last Grand Duchess in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The Gist
I have to confess I started The Last Grand Duchess with apprehension. After having read Turnbull’s other novel, The Woman Before Wallis, I also had a certain amount of bias. I struggled through the first and worried that I would do so through The Last Grand Duchess.
Well, my hunch proved correct. It’s unfortunate, because the prospect of reading a story about a rather lesser known Romanov daughter excited me.
I am fascinated by the Romanov legend and periodically I read whatever I can find about their lives and tragic deaths, mostly focusing on Anastasia.
The Details
The story begins with a seven-page long dramatis personae, including rather lengthy explantations of who is who. I understand that it can get confusing when characters have the same name, but starting a story with seven pages of information dump on a reader is rather discouraging.
When I think of the Romanovs, two main facts always pop first into my mind. One: The mystery (now solved) about Anastasia’s possible survival. Two: Alexei’s hemophilia.
So, why would a story that is supposed to centre around the oldest Romanov daughter begin with a scene clearly focusing on Alexei’s condition?
This draws the attention in the wrong direction. Now I’m thinking more of Alexei than poor Olga.
It’s very frustrating, since we are already dealing with a very patriarchal subject matter. Throughout history the man has always been more important when it comes to inheriting power, money and freedom.
The Last Grand Duchess is suppose to give the first born daughter a chance to shine; a voice so to speak. She is clearly overseen and not considered important enough except for helping raise her sibling. Yet, even in this story she plays the second fiddle right from the start.
I saw someone else describe the story as disjointed and I have to agree. I felt the same about Turnbull’s other novel and the same is true for The Last Grant Duchess.
The dialogue does not match the age of the character, whose perspective the reader is supposed to see. The syntax is a lot more mature than the 12-year-old Olga, who is meant to be the protagonist. This makes it very difficult to establish a connection between the story and the reader.
The Verdict
Overall, The Last Grand Duchess is a bit of a disappointment for me. I must confess that Turnbull’s writing style is not my cup of tea.
I would suggest it to readers who loved her other novel.
