“The Lost Daughter” by Gill Paul – Heritage of the Revolution

Gill Paul has without question established herself as a leading author in the seemingly emerging Romanov historical fiction genre, with notable entries such as The Secret Wife and I Am Anastasia.

In her recent novel, The Lost Daughter, Gill Paul tackles the fate of Grand Duchess Maria Romanov with the help of two parallel story lines.

One follows Maria as she lives her final days in imprisonment, while the second tells of a woman retracing her surprising, and perhaps even shameful heritage.

Gill Paul Explores the Third Romanov Daughter

For the longest time the Romanov name was mainly associated with Anastasia and her tragic story, popularized through countless forms of media over the decades, from books and short stories to cartoons and whole movies. The maelstrom of mysteries and false claims which came over the years had a twofold effect.

While it did expose the world to the story of the Romanovs, it also overshadowed the fates suffered by the rest of the family. For this reason, I find Gill Paul's writings particularly interesting; previously she focused on Tatiana Romanov in The Secret Wife, and now she returns to take a look at the fate which befell Grand Duchess Maria in The Lost Daughter.

The story is told from two perspectives, the first one taking us to 1918 to witness the final days of the Grand Duchess herself. Nineteen years of age and a true beauty with hopes of one day marrying and starting a family, she finds herself suffocated by the isolation, boredom and fear which come with being imprisoned.

Her only distractions are a few distant flirtations with some of the guards, and though she does not realize it, every step she takes can have severe repercussions... and as history has already shown, there were no longer any right steps left for the Romanovs at this point.

The second story transports us forward to 1973, introducing us to Val Doyle, recently shocked by her father's deathbed confession: “I didn't want to kill her”. Unable to lay these words to rest, Val sets out in search for the truth as to what he might have meant, in the process digging up relics from her own past.

Among the clues she discovers is an encrusted jewel box which cannot be opened as well as an old camera with its film still intact. Little does she know, Val is right on the verge of solving the persisting mystery of what really happened to the Grand Duchess Maria.

An Immersive Imprisonment

Before we begin with the review itself, I would just like to take the moment to give a bit of real-life context about the mystery surrounding the Grand Duchess Maria. When the family's grave was exhumed in 1991, it was theorized her remains were missing, which ended up fuelling the imagination of quite a few people, and rightfully so.

It took until 2007 to put it all to rest, when additional remains were discovered, proving (through DNA analysis) the demise of the entire imperial family. There are many unknown elements to her story, and in my opinion Gill Paul makes a fantastic use of them along with what facts we do know.

Grand Duchess Maria Romanov

As you might imagine, for people who enjoy historical fiction the main attraction of the book will most likely be the first narrative which follows Maria's imprisonment. I did actually have the impression the author's descriptive skills have improved even further from the last time I read her work, as she effortlessly described the young girl and the torturous conditions she spent her days in.

She brings to light many small details about her character which all come together and give her life. We do not simply witness Maria experiencing things, but rather, we traverse those events alongside her.

As I mentioned before, there are still many unknown elements in Maria's story, and Gill Paul doesn't shy away from filling in the blanks with her imagination. Thankfully though, she always supports her ideas with thorough research, which makes them believable and allow them to blend in seamlessly with the real facts. Perhaps someone who is more familiar than me with the history of the Romanovs could provide a more detailed take on this subject, but in my opinion it never stood as a problem.

Hunting for the Treasure of Knowledge

While the first story is indeed immensely immersive and fascinating in its own right, what it does lack is a tiny bit of drive and excitement, especially since we all know how the Romanov story ends. This is where the second narrative comes in, a structure which the author previously used with great success.

Val is a pleasant enough protagonist to follow, her curiosity rather endearing and her drive to find the truth impressive at times. She knows her search might take her to dark places, and she is bravely prepared to face the consequences.

The mystery is unravelled bit by bit with the help of the clues she finds along the way, and the author does a good job to drum up our curiosity as to the contents of the box, their meaning, as well as the full story behind the camera reel.

While I think most of us know what to suspect in regards to the deathbed confession, it is still interesting to see the chain of tragic events which led up until this point. This narrative is without question more focused on advancing the plot, so to speak, rather than focus on describing the characters and whatnot.

Having two narratives like these not only creates the potential for some interesting moments when they meet, but they also help to create a comfortable pace which never overwhelms us with any one element at a time.

Ultimately, it makes for a very pleasant and balanced mix of mystery and history, with a few details added with the reader's entertainment in consideration.

The Final Verdict

The Lost Daughter by Gill Paul is an excellent addition to her series of books about the Romanovs, showcasing what I believe to be the peak of her abilities so far. The historical narrative surrounding the Grand Duchess is impeccably written and profoundly described, while the mystery of her fate is developed skillfully and keeps the reader hooked. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys works of historical fiction, especially concerning the Romanov family.

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Gill Paul Personal site Gill Paul is a British writer from Glasgow known for dabbling in both fiction and non-fiction. Most prominently, she is the author of the Titanic Love Stories (based on the tale of an actual couple on the ship), The Affair and The Secret Wife. She mostly looks forward to writing romance stories in grand historical settings, such as WWI for example.