Tsarina

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 * A vivid page-turner of a debut * The Times * Alpsten’s colourful narrative does full justice to her extraordinary career * Sunday Times * 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 Tsarina should come with a health warning- once you start reading, it’s impossible to stop -- Hannah Rothschild Ellen Apsten’s Tsarina brings to life the dramatic life of Catherine I, wife of Peter the Great, and afterwards Empress of Russia in her own right. She recounts this remarkable woman’s colourful life and times in the form of a novel, drawing however throughout on documentary evidence – this proves a highly effective approach -- Nikolai Tolstoy Tsarina is luscious. As detailed as the jewels and enamel inlay on the creations of Faberge, Ellen Alpsten writes the story of Catherine Alexeyevna, born poor with a lust for power and riches, who sets her mind to achieve both, and sets in motion all that will follow in Russian history, including the reign of Catherine the Great. You will marvel at this crisp, elegant fictional account of history, woven with emotion and brio -- Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of The Shoemaker's Wife Luscious: Alpsten has clearly done some brilliant research. It reads like Game of Thrones without the dragons -- Natasha Pulley