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grayduck's review
I read about the strange tale of Lillian Alling: a Belarusian woman who was so lonely for her homeland that she decided to WALK there from New York to Siberia. She made it through the lower 48, up the west coast and to Alaska, where she was last seen.
The author of the book goes on a rather fruitless journey to find out more about Lillian. There were never many records to begin with, and the trail she took is long overgrown and inaccessible. The book was more about the author's journey with her cantankerous trip-mate. I was more interested in Lillian's story than the author and her crabby friend, which turned out to be very unfortunate for me because although she was the impetus for the book and journey, she was barely a background figure. I think that Lillian's and her story has been lost to history.
The author of the book goes on a rather fruitless journey to find out more about Lillian. There were never many records to begin with, and the trail she took is long overgrown and inaccessible. The book was more about the author's journey with her cantankerous trip-mate. I was more interested in Lillian's story than the author and her crabby friend, which turned out to be very unfortunate for me because although she was the impetus for the book and journey, she was barely a background figure. I think that Lillian's and her story has been lost to history.
sftomi's review
3.0
Wish there was a way to give two and half stars - interesting story of the woman, but I found the author annoying
seanmcfinn's review
4.0
I enjoyed this book immensely. The narrator has strong and particular points of view on everything, but it's great to follow someone with such a strong point of view and singularity of purpose. She is very critical of her traveling companion, Gerry, and it's sometimes unpleasant but again I appreciate the person I'm following for the length of a book is not simply shrugging at circumstances.
She characterizes vast places in a generalized way ("America is a deeply religious place," she writes, regarding her seeing a hunter's wife kneeling by a pickup, rifle nearby, and praying). That's not necessarily a criticism, could simply be an observation, but it shows a minimizing naivete about America. Or a willingness to generalize and move on. This and a few other moments were irritating but not enough to distract from what is a detective/adventure story, with scads of far north history, both of the land and indigenous people.
Her passion for the land, the people, their history and their present are invigorating. And sometimes these passions aid her in attempting to track her mysterious quarry: a woman who walked across sub-arctic Canada and Alaska to...well, read it.
She characterizes vast places in a generalized way ("America is a deeply religious place," she writes, regarding her seeing a hunter's wife kneeling by a pickup, rifle nearby, and praying). That's not necessarily a criticism, could simply be an observation, but it shows a minimizing naivete about America. Or a willingness to generalize and move on. This and a few other moments were irritating but not enough to distract from what is a detective/adventure story, with scads of far north history, both of the land and indigenous people.
Her passion for the land, the people, their history and their present are invigorating. And sometimes these passions aid her in attempting to track her mysterious quarry: a woman who walked across sub-arctic Canada and Alaska to...well, read it.
stephybara's review
2.0
I was intrigued by the title and there were some parts of this book that I found interesting - the descriptions of the landscape and the stories of the people they meet are great - but overall I was frustrated by this book.
The story of Lillian ("the woman who walked to Russia") turns out to be a non-story, really. The author's telling of her research and her imagined stories were interesting, though.
The other aspect of the book, the so-called "Thelma and Louise" aspect - was uneven. Thelma and Louise at least liked each other - I got no such impression about Cassandra (the author) and Gerry (her long-lost friend and driver). And the lack of resolution about what happened to Gerry after she and Cassandra went their separate ways (without even a footnote or an afterword) sucked.
Also, the map in the front of the book was next to useless when the author was naming places and describing them, I wanted to know where they were - and most of them were not on the map! (As well, the map has notations in its legend that appear NOWHERE on the map in question. Frustrating.)
The story of Lillian ("the woman who walked to Russia") turns out to be a non-story, really. The author's telling of her research and her imagined stories were interesting, though.
The other aspect of the book, the so-called "Thelma and Louise" aspect - was uneven. Thelma and Louise at least liked each other - I got no such impression about Cassandra (the author) and Gerry (her long-lost friend and driver). And the lack of resolution about what happened to Gerry after she and Cassandra went their separate ways (without even a footnote or an afterword) sucked.
Also, the map in the front of the book was next to useless when the author was naming places and describing them, I wanted to know where they were - and most of them were not on the map! (As well, the map has notations in its legend that appear NOWHERE on the map in question. Frustrating.)
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