Book Review: Alix and Nicky: The Passion of the Last Tsar and Tsarina

     I'm fascinated by Russian history, and Virginia Rounding's Alix and Nicky is the perfect read for anyone new to Russian history or seasoned scholars. At the center of this book is the love that Alix (Alexandra) and Nicky (Nicholas II) have for each other. Using letters between the couple that spanned decades, Rounding paints a beautiful and ultimately tragic love story.

    We learn early on that their marriage almost didn't come to be. Both were quite infatuated with each other, but Alix was very reluctant to marry into the Romanov family. She would be required to convert to the Russian orthodox faith, which she found inconceivable. Rounding makes an interesting claim that I think is very astute; she argues that Alix's real fear was embarking on a new chapter and essentially leaving childhood behind. I imagine this has been a fear for many royals ranging from the Bourbons to the Hapsburgs! 

    The sweet domesticity within the Romanov household comes across very clearly in the letters. Despite the country being desperate for a male heir, Nicky was overjoyed at the birth of his daughters. He notes in his diary that each birth was a blessing from God. Both he and Alix had a custom of writing the other a letter before they left on a trip, so even in those first moments apart each had a memento of the other. 

    Of course even during these heartwarming family scenes there was political strife across the country. Both Nicky and Alix viewed the revolutionaries as not representative of the real Russian people. The revolutionaries in their view were cosmopolitan and not really in touch with what it meant to be Russian. They were contrasted with the Russian peasantry, good simple folks who loved and feared the Tsar as they would God. This may explain why they were so susceptible to Rasputin, and valued his council above even their own staff. 

    For more on the Romanov family, I also recommend the historian Helen Rappaport! Her The Romanov Sisters is an excellent companion piece to Rounding. 

Historical Sketch: Diva Brown

 I recently had the opportunity to travel to Atlanta, which is home to the Coca Cola Museum. This post is inspired by that trip! There I learned about Diva Brown, also known as "The Original Coca Cola Woman." Also a trip to Coke museum is nothing without spending a lot of time in their tasting room. Can I just say how surprised I was that a lot of Coke products from around the world tasted downright medicinal? Besides my beloved cherry vanilla Coke, I found one new favorite-Korean Minute Maid. It was lychee flavored and so refreshing (lychee just so happens to be my favorite boba tea flavor too). Grab something fizzy and see how history remembers Diva Brown:

-Born Caroline Mayfield, divorced from J.C Mayfield in the late 1890s

-J.C Mayfield was an associate of Dr. John Pemberton, the creator of the Coke formula. Although Mayfield owned the rights to the Pemberton  Medical Company in 1888, Pemberton also sold the rights to others. This led to a free for all known as the Cola Wars of the early 1900s.

-Diva Brown began selling her own formula and sold it under the name and slogan: "My-Cola: Made from The Original Coca-Cola Formula."

-She had her own syrup making factory in Alabama by 1909

-She was never sued by the Coca Cola Company!

-Mentions of her in The National Bottler's Gazette call her both  "Successful New Woman of the South," and a "Fake and a Humbug."

Sources: The Kola Wars: John Pemberton and the Birth of Coca-Cola and The Original Coca-Cola Woman