Books That Made a Difference to Ali Wentworth
The writer and comedian, whose memoir,
Ali in Wonderland, is out next month, gets serious about Russian history, politics, and anything that pokes fun at her family.
By As told to Lesley Gaspar
Photo: Lara Robby/Studio D
2 of 4
The Romanovs: The Final Chapter
By Robert K. Massie
320 pages;
Random House Trade Paperbacks
"I love the story of Anastasia, the youngest daughter of Czar Nicholas
II," who, along with the rest of the Romanov family, was murdered during
the Russian Revolution. "The idea that she may be alive is so
romantic." Wentworth comes by this interest naturally; her mother was obsessed enough with history to name her daughter Alexandra, after the czarina. When she was 20, Wentworth met author Robert Massie on a trip to Russia. "I took the train from Moscow to Leningrad... It was one of those rare moments when all these different things merged: the author, the book, the place, drinking tea from an old silver mug on the old train with the snow outside."
— As told to Lesley Gaspar
Published 12/23/2011