Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia. Like the fingers on a hand — first headstrong Olga, then Tatiana the tallest, Anastasia the smallest, and Maria most hopeful for a ring. These are the daughters of Tsar Nicholas II, Russian grand duchesses living a life steeped in tradition and privilege. For these young women each on the brink of beginning their own lives at the mercy of royal matchmakers, summer 1914 promises to be a precious last wink of time to be sisters together — sisters that still link arms and laugh, sisters that share their dreams and worries, and flirt with the officers of their imperial yacht.

But in a gunshot the future changes — for them, and for Russia.

As World War I ignites across Europe, political unrest sweeps Russia. First dissent, then disorder, mutiny — and revolution. For Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia, the end of their girlhood together is colliding with the end of more than they ever imagined.

At the same time hopeful and hopeless, naive and wise, the voices of these sisters become a chorus singing the final song of Imperial Russia. Impeccably researched and utterly fascinating, acclaimed author Sarah Miller recounts the final days of Imperial Russia with lyricism, criticism and true compassion.

Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia | OTMA

The Lost Crown

Buy on Amazon.com

Buy on Barnes & Noble

Buy on Indiebound

HONORS & DISTINCTIONS

ALA/YALSA Best Book for Young Adults

Reviews

  • “Tsar Nicholas II’s four ill-fated daughters provide a fictional, inside look at Imperial Russia’s dying days in this thoroughly researched, poignant and compelling account of how the deposed Romanovs coped with abdication and arrest from 1914 to 1918.”

    - Kirkus (Starred Review)

  • “This thoroughly researched novel brings the four young women to readers in their own voices... [E]ach girl is given time and space to reveal and reflect, and like the best historical novels, this allows modern-day teens to see parts of themselves in very different people....[B]y the heartbreaking book's conclusion, readers will be caught up in the girls’ story.”

    - Booklist

  • “The end may be inevitable and heart breaking, but the journey is fascinating....it never loses its hold on the reader.”

    - Children’s Literature

  • “Meticulous research lends convincing detail to the final year of the Imperial family as the novel approaches its grim conclusion.”

    - Horn Book Guide

  • “The author has made the Romanov family real.”

    - Library Media Connection

  • “The Lost Crown is a wonderful way to demonstrate that all history - not just historical fiction - has a point of view, but it is also a finely crafted, character-infused novel that leaves readers wishing it could have ended another way for the Romanovs....A finely wrought and complex novel.”

    - School Library Journal

  • “The Lost Crown is a well-crafted and engrossing story that would make a worthwhile addition to any middle school or high school media center.”

    - VOYA

Interviews

Print

March 2012
Pittsburg Examiner

With Kayla Posney

July 2011
ReaWrite

With Kellie

Nice Girls Read Books

With Brittany

June 2011
Robin Bridges YA Reviews

With Robin Bridges

Frozentears.org

With Laura Mabee

10654

Photographs Collected

33

Books Imported from Russia

1464

Letters & Diary Entries Collected

12

Research Volunteers Worldwide