Book Review: The Lost Daughter by Gill Paul

Hi all,

I’ve been reading a great many books about the Romanovs, some non-fiction and some fiction – so believe me when I say that this historical fiction novel about what might have happened to one of the daughters – Maria – is excellent. Here is more about this novel and my review.

The Lost Daughter

Gill Paul

Book Description:

1918: Pretty, vivacious Grand Duchess Maria Romanov, the nineteen-year-old daughter of the fallen Tsar Nicholas II, lives with her family in suffocating isolation, a far cry from their once-glittering royal household. Her days are a combination of endless boredom and paralyzing fear; her only respite are clandestine flirtations with a few of the guards imprisoning the family—never realizing her innocent actions could mean the difference between life and death

1973: When Val Doyle hears her father’s end-of-life confession, “I didn’t want to kill her,” she’s stunned. So, she begins a search for the truth—about his words and her past. The clues she discovers are baffling—a jewel-encrusted box that won’t open and a camera with its film intact. What she finds out pulls Val into one of the world’s greatest mysteries—what truly happened to the Grand Duchess Maria?

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My 5-Star Review:

The Romanov family never expected what would happen to them until up to the very last minute. History proves that to be true. So as the Tsar and Tsarina and their daughters and son waited under house arrest, they had no idea what was to be their fate. Maria, with her vivacious personality made friends with her captors, often spending time with the guards and getting to know them. But then when the family’s tragedy occurred, she wasn’t ready for what was to come.

Without giving away the story – I’ll just say that decades later, a women discovers her father’s past is nothing like she’d been told. With a few clues to guide her, she researches his past – and what she finds is extraordinary. And what we learn may have happened to the Grand Duchess Maria is also shocking.

This is a well-crafted tale that you truly do not want to put down. I was enthralled by the history woven with the fictional story, and one could believe that it may have happened this way. A wonderful story that historical fiction readers are sure to enjoy.

About the Author:

Gill Paul's historical novels have reached the top of the USA Today, Toronto Globe & Mail and kindle charts, and been translated into twenty languages. They include two bestselling Romanov novels -THE SECRET WIFE and THE LOST DAUGHTER - as well as WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST, which was shortlisted for the 2013 RNA Epic Novel of the Year award, NO PLACE FOR A LADY, shortlisted for a Love Stories award, and ANOTHER WOMAN'S HUSBAND, about links between Wallis Simpson and Princess Diana.

Gill also writes historical non-fiction, including A HISTORY OF MEDICINE IN 50 OBJECTS, and she speaks at libraries and literary festivals on subjects ranging from the Titanic to the Romanovs.

Gill lives in London, where she is working on her tenth novel, and she swims daily in an outdoor pond.