An absolutely excellent bunch of photographs never before seen in any other book about the Last Imperial Family; they're on their yacht, at the beloved palace Livadia, at the front... everywhere. Quite a few dates are off and there are some misidentifications with Nicholas and Alexandra's daughters (rather typical, sadly enough), but it's still excellent. I recommend this to ANYONE interested in the Romanovs, even slightly. It even throws in Grabbe's views on Nicholas, Alexandra and their five children.

Don't be fooled into passing up this book because of its hideous bright red book jacket. It is a good book, albiet only 189 pages. Written in fisrt person, Windows on the River Neva is an incite into the thoughts of a privileged youth mixed with the reflections and opinions of his adult counterpart who has gained wisdom and maturity through his family's flight from Russia. Paul Grabbe never attemps to assert what he does not know, but he does unfortunately shift from past to present too quickly at some parts which takes away some suspense and itensity the book may have otherwise had. Nevertheless, it is worth reading and is filled with passages describing a mischievous, exuberant child caught up in life's splendor until swept away from his country by revolution. I give this book 4 stars instead of five because I feel some chapters were extraordinarily, awkwardly short.