I Was Anastasia, by Ariel Lawhon

I Was Anastasia, by Ariel Lawhon, is a historical ​​​​​​​fic​​​​​​​tion ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​story about​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Anna Anderson and Anastasia Rom​​​​​​​anov. It contains a dual narrative ​​​​​​​that is different from others in that it begins with the story of Anastasia (in first-person) about a year and a half before the family’s execution, while A​​​​​​​nna’s stor​​​​​​​y (in third-person) is told in reverse, beginning in the 1970s in Virgini​​​​​​​a. Flip-flopping between the two characters each chapter, it’s a different style, but it really comes together in the last part of the book. That said, if you listen to the audio, it can get confusing!

The attention to detail in this story really brought me into the timelines, which is what I love about historical fiction. There were some graphic details around the execution, but I think they were important to the story. I thought I already knew quite a bit about the topic of Anastasia versus Anna but found that I learned a lot from this book. It prompted me to look further into the story of both women, confirming that this was a well-researched book.