Scan barcode
eilidh_hunter77's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
ohwaitiforgot's review
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
meribiaa's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this! It had so much personality and captured a different time and place. It reads like a Russian novel, not just a novel set in Russia.
The eccentric characters, the depth and detail of the setting, were all wonderful.
The plot....... Frankly, what plot? But I didn't care because of how atmospheric it was.
I didn't want it to end because I felt so comfortable reading about this little world in pre-WWI Moscow.
There were some surprises towards the end.
The eccentric characters, the depth and detail of the setting, were all wonderful.
The plot....... Frankly, what plot? But I didn't care because of how atmospheric it was.
I didn't want it to end because I felt so comfortable reading about this little world in pre-WWI Moscow.
There were some surprises towards the end.
sarahkjs's review
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
gh7's review against another edition
4.0
Our knowledge of what, historically, is about to happen haunts every page of this novel set in Moscow in 1913. That's a big advantage of historical fiction. History itself can be called upon to supply a crackling power grid of foreknowledge.
Frank Reid is another of Fitzgerald's decent, likeable, but emotionally stilted male characters. His wife leaves him early in the novel, taking with her their three children. However, unable to cope with them, she almost immediately sends the children back. The children are wonderfully precocious creations - Fitzgerald is brilliant at doing children. I always want more of them. But it's a Fitzgerald trademark to populate her novels with more characters than other writers would need. She's a kind of restless writer who enjoys flitting about like a butterfly, who enjoys economy and transience and leaving you wanting more. Sometimes I find she flits off to a character I'm not terribly interested in while ignoring another I want to know better.
So, Frank's wife leaves him and his household buckles, anticipating the disruption that will soon sweep the entire city. And with one gesture Fitzgerald has also introduced us to the new woman. History is undergoing one of those radical transitions that happen every so often. With such monumental themes playing out this is an extraordinarily localised quirky novel. And it's remarkable how confidently and intimately Fitzgerald writes of Russia and the period. 4+ stars.
Frank Reid is another of Fitzgerald's decent, likeable, but emotionally stilted male characters. His wife leaves him early in the novel, taking with her their three children. However, unable to cope with them, she almost immediately sends the children back. The children are wonderfully precocious creations - Fitzgerald is brilliant at doing children. I always want more of them. But it's a Fitzgerald trademark to populate her novels with more characters than other writers would need. She's a kind of restless writer who enjoys flitting about like a butterfly, who enjoys economy and transience and leaving you wanting more. Sometimes I find she flits off to a character I'm not terribly interested in while ignoring another I want to know better.
So, Frank's wife leaves him and his household buckles, anticipating the disruption that will soon sweep the entire city. And with one gesture Fitzgerald has also introduced us to the new woman. History is undergoing one of those radical transitions that happen every so often. With such monumental themes playing out this is an extraordinarily localised quirky novel. And it's remarkable how confidently and intimately Fitzgerald writes of Russia and the period. 4+ stars.
tildafin16's review
emotional
funny
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mimima's review against another edition
2.0
I think I heard about Fitzgerald from The Readers and I don't know that she would have landed on my radar without their recommendation.
This was not a fascinating book, but it was enjoyable, and the writing was very lovely. I probably will read another of her novels ([b:The Bookshop|319388|The Bookshop|Penelope Fitzgerald|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1267596033s/319388.jpg|310154] has caught my eye.)
This was not a fascinating book, but it was enjoyable, and the writing was very lovely. I probably will read another of her novels ([b:The Bookshop|319388|The Bookshop|Penelope Fitzgerald|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1267596033s/319388.jpg|310154] has caught my eye.)
botanist's review
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75