Ms. Wilson, thank you so much for your detailed replies to my own statement and the statements of other respondents. Although I can understand that many people might find an interest in this particular subject repugnant or uncomfortable, I think it is important. Hostage/prisoner situations are becoming more and more familiar to us, and anyone from a newspaper heiress to a passenger on a plane or even someone working in a shop can become embroiled in a hostage situation that might last less than an hour or might continue for days, weeks, months, or years. In the case of "OTMA," I am interested because (1) We have four different personalities, but with a common upbringing and (2) so much of the OTMA information shows (or purports) them to be fairly uncomplicated young women . . . and yet here was a very complicated situation indeed. The contrast from a sequestered, protected existence to one in which very little protected them, save their parents and servants and their own upbringing, is also compelling. In one of the generally omited scenes from the film of "Nicholas and Alexandra"--the source of my initial interest, back in 1972!--Tatiana is the daughter who briefly "acts out" her own tension with regards to the imprisonment. But I have always felt that the screenwriter got it wrong and that if any member of OTMA would have acted out, it probably would have been Marie. She was not only a died-in-the-wool romantic, but also the least confident of the daughters, which sets her up for being more vulnerable to outside attentions. Your added information--in three parts, thank you again--makes the situation the Romanovs faced seem all the more real to me, and less iconic. So, while I appreciate the iconic status of the Romanovs, I admit that I am most interested in their human side. I feel the same way about Anne Frank, who of course is a powerful symbol of the consequences of anti-Semitism, but also can (and should) be appreciated as a young girl--bright, talented, and with much promise, but also (as is the case with us all) very much a human being with both strengths and weaknesses.
Most of all, I am gratified to know that life at Ekaterinberg for OTMA was not 100% onerous. Bad enough that we know of their horrific deaths. But if we also can be reasonably sure that OTMA--or at least TMA--found some diversions, some hope . . . and that they maintained, to at least some degree, their youthful spirits . . . I personally find that comforting. There is so much evil in the world, and we know that many young people are being trained and used for that evil. But if these young people have the opporutnity to see beyond the propaganda they are stuffed with, and have a chance to realize that their violent actions are not for the ultimate good of anyone, and in fact destroy much of what is innocent and right . . . well, maybe our world has a chance afterall.
By the way, I will admit that upon first reading your book and the details of their imprisonment--especially the voyage from Toblosk to Ekaterinberg--I was initially in a state of some shock, to be followed by a great deal of depression; the girls are admittedly tremendous icons. But, after several days of working through my emotions, I became more reconciled to the information, and I am grateful to you and Mr. King for your research and integrity in reporting this research.