I reread 'Nicholas and Alexandra' in my early twenties, and I never forgot the story. Kathryn Harrison More Quotes by Kathryn Harrison More Quotes From Kathryn Harrison I remember seeing my father only twice as a child for brief visits. As I grew up, I invented a father who was larger than life - stronger, smarter, more handsome, and even holier than other men. Kathryn Harrison handsomemenlifefather The Russian revolution is one of history's car wrecks. We do know the ending, but we continue to watch. It expresses aspects of human nature we find unacceptable. Kathryn Harrison endingcarnaturehistory I was raised by maternal grandparents who were born in 1890 and 1899, respectively. They were British subjects; George V was the cousin of the tsar. The Romanovs were very real in their household. Kathryn Harrison grandparentsi-was-raisedbornreal Rasputin's daughter understands the revolution. She would have been an outsider, a spectator in the royal family and to the revolution. Kathryn Harrison royalrevolutionfamilydaughter I got history solidly under my belt, reading Russian history and biographies. I couldn't change the facts. I could only play with how the people might have responded to the facts of their lives. Kathryn Harrison readingchangehistorypeople Looking at the Obamas, they have a lot to manage with their children and having Michelle go out and have everybody comment on what she was wearing, what it means. I think you have to create a pretty large private world to live in. Kathryn Harrison lookingyouchildrenworld It's hard for me not to have a great deal of compassion for the last Romanov family because, really, I don't know if a politically savvy ruler would have been able to make the situation turn out much differently. Kathryn Harrison greatmefamilycompassion I wrote 'The Kiss' 12 hours a day for six months. Kathryn Harrison kissdayhourssix It is my conviction that secrets are more costly in the long run than honesty. Kathryn Harrison secretsrunhonestylong I'm always sorry to finish a book, to let go of characters I love, people I've struggled to understand for years, people who evolve before me. Kathryn Harrison mesorrylovepeople Whether writing fiction or nonfiction, I've never had the sense I was 'making up' a character. It feels more like watching people reveal themselves, ever more deeply, more intimately. Kathryn Harrison neverwritingcharacterpeople For years, the place I really lived - the world I watched, the one I thought and wrote about - was 15th-century France. Kathryn Harrison placethoughtworldyears I'll never have so compelling a figure within my embrace as Joan of Arc; there will never be a book whose last chapter is so very hard to get right. Kathryn Harrison chapterwillneverbook I used to enjoy reading true crime, but I've discovered that I don't have the journalism nose for blood. Kathryn Harrison truejournalismenjoyreading When I was eleven, my mother gave me Robert K. Massie's 'Nicholas and Alexandra.' It was the first 'grownup' book I read, and I loved it. Kathryn Harrison lovedmemotherbook
