Reviews

This book is colorful, quotable, and has a surprising amount of heart. I really liked Nina and her dynamic with the Count and couldn't get enough of those chapters. While I didn't enjoy the Count + Sofia antics quite as much, the passage where he gives her a photo to hold on to touched me much more than I thought it would. My only minor issue is that I found the ending a little anti-climactic; nevertheless I had a ton of fun reading this.

leggup's review against another edition

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4.0

This took me a little longer than I expected because the writing style is extremely ... parenthetical. The protagonist (and by turn, the author, having found himself at the helm, so to speak) takes detours in story telling connecting subtle daily events with Cain and Tolstoy. It could have used a more prodigious editor.

This isn't quite classic Russian lit, though it is a studied take on it. There's subtly, multigenerational dramas of the heart, looks and nods, and 3-4 names per character. He mostly calls characters by one nickname, maybe two- a rookie mistake for anyone imitating the style.

I enjoyed the story, in part because of the cloistered take on the 20s-50s in Moscow. I didn't predict a few twists, a few poems. I fully intend to have a glass of vodka and espouse the merits of Russia this weekend (but not now because it is unwise to drink after midnight and I stayed up until 2 am because I needed desperately to finish this book tonight).

vickiterlap's review against another edition

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hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

user3478's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing sad 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

5.0

jules_ochura's review

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Too slow!

accidentallyinspace's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted 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? No

3.0

Lighthearted, with an interesting core, and perhaps just a little too much pride in places. Overall I liked the story and structure, but it felt a bit long-winded at times. In addition, while I am no history buff, I'm wondering if the representation of the revolution and everything that followed was a bit... understated?

ap3ghp's review against another edition

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emotional funny informative inspiring 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? No

5.0

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