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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
An epic story of Russia during the revolution, up to the 1990s.
Rosie (Raisa) saw her sister and father murdered when she was a child. She and her mother fled Russia after this. Now, studying at Oxford, she is hired by a famous writer, Alexey, to do some research for him in Moscow. She longs to return there, and she takes the job. While there, she starts to research her mother's stories and dolls that fascinated her mother, and uncovers her own history and a love story of nearly 80 years. Rosie also discovers her own love.
This story outlines the harsh times that the Russian people had from 1917 until the Communist USSR was dissolved. The author's note laments the rise of Putin.
Very interesting and different.
Rosie (Raisa) saw her sister and father murdered when she was a child. She and her mother fled Russia after this. Now, studying at Oxford, she is hired by a famous writer, Alexey, to do some research for him in Moscow. She longs to return there, and she takes the job. While there, she starts to research her mother's stories and dolls that fascinated her mother, and uncovers her own history and a love story of nearly 80 years. Rosie also discovers her own love.
This story outlines the harsh times that the Russian people had from 1917 until the Communist USSR was dissolved. The author's note laments the rise of Putin.
Very interesting and different.
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Murder, War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Grief, War
3⭐️⭐️⭐️. I was bored. The ending I really loved, but the whole rest of it did not hold my attention whatsoever. I almost don’t feel right giving it a rating because I couldn’t tell you what happened - there was a dual timeline with some dolls and the Bolshevik revolution and you would not think those would be boring topics???? So idk. Maybe I’ll try it again someday just not on audio.
I absolutely loved this book. The beginning was a bit difficult to follow-but the stories intertwined beautifully. In the middle, I thought I had predicted the ending, but the author did a great job with red herrings and keeping people guessing. I am so glad i read this book, my only wish was more Raisa/Lev content.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
This is a beautiful, heartbreaking, and mysterious story with luscious writing! It's told through two time periods, with the main character in the later time period unraveling some of the secrets and mysteries of her family. I'm leaving from this story heartbroken from how the conflicts in Russia affected the families and lives of the characters, but I feel like I don't have a very good understanding of the history behind everything. I have some learning to do there! There is a lot of mystery packed into this story and I definitely don't have all of the answers that I was hoping to have. I noticed that often the reader was meant to infer something; details were left unsaid. This was amazing in adding to the intrigue of the story but I also think I might be missing some details I was supposed to pick up on! I was also not prepared for how sad this one was. Truly beautiful yet heartbreaking!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Miscarriage
I expected to like this book more than I did. Ultimately, there were too many things that felt widely unrealistic (for example, someone who is blacklisted by the communist party in the 1950s but is happily living a life in their own apartment and moving from city to city) that detracted from my enjoyment.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced