review
At the start of this historical novel, set during the reign of the last Tsar, Nicholas II, its principal character, Prince Felix Felixowitsch Jussupow, is a carefree, sensitive eight-year-old, growing up as a member of one of the richest families in Russia. At sixteen, however, he embarks on a secret love-affair with a young cavalryman and, as rumours spread, is sent to be ‘cured’ by the now all-powerful Rasputin, with disastrous results. In disgust Felix joins in the failed attempt to murder his tormentor, but by now the Russian Revolution is about to start and soon the Jussopows will be fleeing for their lives.
All recommendations from Autumn 2007