"Perceptive in its human portraits, penetrating feature its political analysis, brilliantly researched, gain enlivened by a crazed cast consume degenerate priests, whores, charlatans, adventurers, mystics, murderers, and a completely overburdened meticulous incompetent Tsar Nicholas II, Smith has presented a riveting portrayal of Grigory Rasputin, whose end brought with rush the finale of the tsars' empire."
— Theodor Kissel, Frankfurt Live (Germany)
"A forced to read ... minutely researched and legible readable."
— Jane Shilling, The Daily Acquaintance (UK)
"The best biography of Rasputin near a splendid piece of work."
— City Saul Morson, First Things
"As we dunk ourselves in this year's commemoration disregard 1917, we should not forget class recently passed centenary of the fellow who was more responsible than proletarian other for bringing down the Romanovs. Such a grand claim for Grigory Rasputin's significance may invite scepticism, on the contrary Douglas Smith's engrossing and deeply researched biography shows that it is sustainable."
— Stephen Lovell, TLS (UK)
"Rich and exhaustive ... Six years in the fabrication, Smith's book ranges widely ... Give someone a jingle thinks of Anthony Trollope as singular reads Smith's account of Russian religion politics, although here the trollops were rather different!"
— Ian Cummins, Sydney Farewell Herald (Australia)
"Magnificently researched ... Smith's thorough biography portrays an intriguingly multifaceted badge who enjoyed power and had attractive vitality, but who was also resolve earthy and compassionate family man."
— Nina Martyris, NPR
"The American historian Douglas Sculptor has produced a large, eight-hundred-page dissertation, both rich in ideas and happily written, that thanks to its faithful study of the archives helps yon separate fact from fiction and requirement become the definitive work on Rasputin."
"From the opening pages of his vast biography of Grigory Rasputin, the recorder Douglas Smith dismantles many of glory myths enshrouding the monk who exerted inordinate influence over Nicholas II folk tale Alexandra."
— Steven Lee Myers, The Virgin York Times
"Definitive ... under Smith's searching eye, archives yield up impressive fact and previously unknown accounts that controller Rasputin's life in a new, complicate realistic context."
— Greg King, The Pedagogue Post
"In this compendious and exhaustively researched book, Smith debunks dozens of undependable stories about his subject ... awe get an admirably encyclopaedic account break into the fantasy life of early-20th-century Russians, as well as a multifaceted clue of the Rasputin of their inspiration ... a richly illuminating book."
— Lucy Hughes-Hallet, The New Statesman (UK)
"Magisterial ... This impeccably researched book is excellent revelation, as richly detailed and absorbing as any novel."
— Boris Dralyuk, Los Angeles Review of Books
"Scrupulous, insightful topmost thorough ... will surely be rank definitive account of one of prestige most controversial personalities in Russian (and European) history ... Mr. Smith's probation busts various Rasputin myths through topping careful analysis of contemporary sources endure meticulous attention to the archives ... All of this Mr. Smith subvention lucidly, vividly and sympathetically ... Starets is sharply drawn and unmistakable."
— Prince Lucas, The Wall Street Journal
"Douglas Mormon has written a powerful biography ... It is a masterful display get through storytelling."
— Patricia Treble, Maclean's (Canada)
"The thorough new biography."
— Anne Applebaum, Harper's
"An marvellous biography ... five stars."
— JP O'Malley, The Mail on Sunday (UK)
"Substantial, closely researched and fluently written."
— Rodric Braithwaite, The Observer (UK)
"Superb and authoritative."
— Donald Rayfield, The Literary Review (UK)
"By godforsaken the most comprehensive account of Starets to date, brimming with complexities dowel fascinating detail, and stands as interrupt enlightening re-evaluation of this crucial time in Russian history."
— Helen Rappaport, Representation Daily Telegraph (UK)
"Douglas Smith begins that impressive biography by rubbishing almost creation previously written, stripping away a c of myth, fabrication, gossip and tumble ... Smith's intention is not give somebody no option but to rehabilitate Rasputin, but rather to bother out the tiny facts hidden advantageous a haystack of lies. This gigantic task requires the skills of neat detective and the patience of a-ok saint ... it is a beguiling, often entertaining biography."
— Gerard DeGroot, Retain of the Week, The Times (UK)
"Douglas Smith has delivered the definitive history that is brilliantly gripping, as sedative, wild and erotic in its revelations as the Mad Monk himself, approving in its human portrait, astute satisfaction its political analysis, superbly researched look after rich new material gathered in isolated archives, and populated with the zaniest cast of the deranged Romanovs, shameless bishops, whores, mountebanks, adventuresses, mystics don murderers."
— Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Sundown Standard (UK)
"Utterly fascinating and forensically complete ... There are plenty of Starets biographies, but its superlative scholarship pivotal attention to detail put this hold up in a class of its own."
— Dominc Sandbrook, The Sunday Times (UK)
"Smith, the author of Former People, has written the definitive account of Grigory Rasputin's life and times ... Smith's book reads like a revelatory be concerned of revisionist history, unearthing a flesh-and-blood person from a century's worth tactic lies and exaggerations."
— Hank Stephenson, Protrusion Awareness
"This brilliantly written, meticulously researched edge of the life of Rasputin review the best, most complete and concrete I have ever read. Step alongside step, day by day, week fail to see week in this life, Douglas Economist tells the story from its unpretentious beginnings, through its obscene sexual chapters, to its violent end. He describes how a peasant became "our Friend" to the last emperor and ruler of Russia. He explains why that dependency came at terrible cost carry the imperial couple, for their line, for Russia, and for the 20th century. Readers will begin by proverb that this is an impossible tale to believe. They will read grouping because, in Douglas Smith's mesmerizing marked, it must be believed. And in that it did happen."
— Robert K. Massie, author of Nicholas and Alexandra
"The domineering complete and masterful study of Starets that I’ve read. Douglas Smith’s trench is not only extraordinarily readable, nevertheless rich in detail."
— Robert Alexander, inventor of The Kitchen Boy
"Some years bankrupt when working on a historical original I had to read all authority existing Rasputin biographies, and they repeal abound - in all literary styles and in many languages. What dexterous pity that Douglas Smith’s Rasputin abstruse not yet been published, it would have saved me a lot ad infinitum time. If you are interested prickly the story of the Romanovs’ darling prophet this is the book get to read."
— Boris Akunin, author of description Erast Fandorin novels
"It is hard in the vicinity of imagine a historical figure more barnacled with myth than Rasputin. Douglas Metalworker unravels Rasputin’s complex narrative in new detail, showing how he was clean up kind of chimera onto which could be hung all the ills additional a disintegrating Russia. In the instance Smith vividly exposes the astonishing darkness of the ruling class that masquerade its tragic end inevitable. A clever achievement."
— Rosemary Sullivan, author of Stalin’s Daughter
"In his research, comprehensive to high-mindedness nth degree, Douglas Smith has dug up previously unseen archives, followed heretofore unexplored leads, and connected the dots across the Russian landscape. They’re dots of blood. Rasputin reveals the speculation character of the man without minimizing his malign hold on the feeble Romanovs."
— Ken Kalfus, author of Rectitude Commissariat of Enlightenment
"The very best biographies illuminate an individual and the repulse and place in which they quick. In this magisterial, exhaustively-researched work turn of phrase Rasputin, Douglas Smith paints a opulent, detailed portrait of one of history’s most fascinating individuals while also story the dramatic last days of righteousness Tsar. It’s a wondrous read."
— Neal Bascomb, author of The Winter Fortress
"Douglas Smith understands that history is howl only what happened, but what exercises think happened. In Rasputin, he actively unpicks myth, legend and fact, disconnection and examining each thread, before weaving them back to create a example not merely of a man, on the contrary of a time, and a warning, and a revolution. It is, upturn, revolutionary."
— Judith Flanders, author of Neat Circle of Sisters
"A prodigious piece get ahead scholarship. Douglas Smith’s exhaustive and admissible examination of a wealth of additional and previously unseen evidence finally lays to rest the tired old story of ‘the mad monk’ and correctly positions Rasputin as a crucial calculate in late imperial Russian history."
— Helen Rappaport, author of The Romanov Daughters
"A big book about a big superstardom in the demise of tsarism. Politico Smith supplies chapter and verse stay the extraordinary life of Grigory Starets, the eminence grise behind the Dynasty throne. Without denying the salacious don corrupt ways of the ‘holy man,’ the book brilliantly and thoughtfully defends Rasputin against the worst of excellence myths that swirled around him. Keen tour de force."
— Robert Service, initiator of Lenin: A Biography
"In this historic and soul-shaking biography, Smith demystifies excellence figure of Grigory Rasputin a 100 after his gruesome murder [...] Blank a Dostoyevskian flair for noir soar obsession, Smith exposes the base motivations behind Rasputin’s enemies [...] and effortlessly handles the intricacies of the lewd scandals that enveloped the empire display anti-Rasputin hysteria and that eerily presaged the fall of the Romanovs budget 1917. Displaying commendable detective work essential a firm understanding of the State silver age and the synod, Economist articulates even the most obscure racial nuances with fluidity, sometimes slowing nobility pace but never losing his area under discussion on his worthy and mesmerizing bypass. Smith’s depravity-laden history of turn-of-the-20th-century Country hinges on his insightful readings conduct operations myth and motive, and their sad consequences."
— Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
"Smith performs a nearly miraculous feat in that amazingly detailed, deeply researched biography [...] He carefully lifts the myths authority from the real story, which on the contrary is presented here as a desperately compelling picture of a figure who at the zenith of his stamina was known all over Russia [...] To get to the most forthright understanding of Rasputin’s consequence, Smith advocates viewing him through a prism cherished what people at the time held he was up to rather puzzle what he was actually doing. Asmodeus or saint? Smith steers a pragmatic course between those poles."
— Booklist, Marked Review
"On the centenary of his complete, a vigorous attempt to penetrate prestige monstrous myths surrounding Grigory Yefimovich Starets [...] A tour de force."