NICHOLAS & ALEXANDRA

Robert Massie's sympathetic portrait of Russia's last czar and his family was a bestseller thirty years ago and has enjoyed renewed interest since the fall of communism. Massie and Crouse read alternating sections, a technique that makes the long narrative more easily digested. Massie, the academic, is authoritative, if not dramatic; Crouse holds the listener's attention with her smooth, even delivery, and is convincing in handling Russian words. The material in this program is fascinating, particularly Massie's heart-wrenching account of the young heir Alexis's suffering from hemophilia. The overall effect humanizes a mythical family that had a far-reaching effect on the unfolding of the twentieth century. D.B. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/MAR 99]