One Bear's Opinion: The Three Emperors

The Three Emperors: Three Cousins, Three Empires, and the Road to World War One
by Miranda Carter

This is a hefty book, in every sense. It's a long book, with a hefty feel, and the subject matter is complex, complicated, and heavy. It took me a month and a half to read it, though I did read a couple of other books at the same time. This book benefits from having a "fun" book to read at the same time.

I have read other biographies of Tsar Nicholas II, but this one was different in that it wove the stories of Kaiser Wilhelm II, Tsar Nicholas II, and King George V together. Their stories were woven together, as they were all related to each other, but this book did a good job linking their stories, and the path to World War I.

Reading the book, I realized just how inevitable World War I was. Though none of the monarchs truly wanted it, their actions set the series of events that could only lead to the War in motion.

The Three Emperors is written much as another book I read was written. Both this book and Imperial Requiem, about the lives of wives of the Emperors, were written with each chapter covering events in the lives of the Emperors in a particular period of time. It's an interesting way to write the story, and the way I have long believed we should teach history. Because the lives of the Emperors were intertwined and events happened concurrently, it's far easier to keep the timeline straight if it's presented in actual time, rather the reader having to piece it all together from separate stories told individually.

Even though the book, and its subject matter, was heavy, I found myself laughing out loud in reaction to some of the tales the author includes. I found it a bit clunky in the writing and it could have used a bit harsher editor, but it was a good book to read. It's an easy-to-read account of a very hard-to-read time in history. Having read other biographies, and knowing history's ending to the story, the end of the lives of the Emperors came as no surprise. The author treated the history with as much respect and reverence as possible. It's not a happy ending, but it's reported as well as possible.

One Bear's Opinion: Five strong glasses of whisky, and then another five.

Happy Reading Everyone, 
Oliver