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abookolive's review against another edition
4.0
An epic work of historical fiction that looks at three generations and their complicated relationships with Russia. Though I do think WWII was glossed over too much, this is a compelling story with great characters. I read it several years ago now and I still think about it all the time - the mark of a fantastic book, in my eyes.
See my full review on Booktube!
See my full review on Booktube!
rozereads's review against another edition
dark
informative
medium-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
4.0
prof_shoff's review against another edition
4.0
Despite many moments of wondering just how naive, stupid and/or unlucky a character can be, I enjoyed this novel: an interesting exploration of the things for which we choose to live and die.
schwarzer_elch's review
1.0
Como cuando intentas contar mucho y no terminas contando nada. Me aburrí harto.
attytheresa's review against another edition
4.0
Incredible novel telling the story of American Jews who go to Russia in the early 1930s as idealistic socialists looking to live in and contribute to the future only to be essentially trapped in the Soviet Union, unable to leave, surviving (or not) Stalin, WWII, 2 pogroms, the Gulag, not entering the US again until 1978. Story primarily is about - and from the viewpoint of - Florence Fein, the American-born daughter of Russian Jewish immigrants living in Brooklyn. It alternates narrative with that of her son who, during a 2008 business trip to Moscow, is able to read his mother'secret KGB file recently unsealed.
It is a harrowing story, leaving you admiring Florence's incredible ability to survive. But that survival cost her, too, and she is not likeable or admirable. I never understood her idealism, her political and social yearnings that led to her leaving the US in the first place, let alone had her making the decision time and again to stay in Russia (there was a man she followed at first - but that quickly ended and still she stayed). That may be less a weakness in the writing than in my ability to understand her ideology. The only glimmering of real empathy I had was with her belief that there was more equality for woman under Soviet socialism than in the US in the 1930s, and her yearning for that.
But oh does it present an incredible story set behind 'The Iron Curtain', what we called the Soviet Union during the early part of my life! BTW, the USA is not shown in a flattering or good light any more than the Soviet Union or today's Russia do.
This is my book with from a favorite prompt from a previous challenge (2 time periods) for the Pop Sugar 2018 Reading Challenge and for 2018 ATY #47. book where main character is a different religious (Jewish) identity than me.
It is a harrowing story, leaving you admiring Florence's incredible ability to survive. But that survival cost her, too, and she is not likeable or admirable. I never understood her idealism, her political and social yearnings that led to her leaving the US in the first place, let alone had her making the decision time and again to stay in Russia (there was a man she followed at first - but that quickly ended and still she stayed). That may be less a weakness in the writing than in my ability to understand her ideology. The only glimmering of real empathy I had was with her belief that there was more equality for woman under Soviet socialism than in the US in the 1930s, and her yearning for that.
But oh does it present an incredible story set behind 'The Iron Curtain', what we called the Soviet Union during the early part of my life! BTW, the USA is not shown in a flattering or good light any more than the Soviet Union or today's Russia do.
This is my book with from a favorite prompt from a previous challenge (2 time periods) for the Pop Sugar 2018 Reading Challenge and for 2018 ATY #47. book where main character is a different religious (Jewish) identity than me.
nicolepeck's review against another edition
3.0
10/11/17 -- Won this book on Goodreads.
10/31/17 -- Received this book.
1/24/18 -- I'm having to pause reading this one. I'm struggling a bit to connect with it.
3/5/18 -- I didn't love this book. There were many promising moments, but, for me, the time the book spent with just prose instead of action or with the characters and their story, I got lost. I enjoy learning about history when it's interwoven in fiction, but this one failed to bring it to life for me. Maybe if the story had been told from Leon's point of view instead of trying to focus on Florence, who from the very beginning is not likable and even by the end of the book I didn't feel she had redeemed herself. What a horrible time period for Americans who choose to go to Russia to live and want to be a part of their ancestors' homeland only to be abandoned by the U.S. government. However, with Florence, I didn't feel for her. She kept doing such stupid things that I felt no empathy for her. I also struggled with the jumping around between Florence and Leon's story in the past and their son Julian's in the present. I kept getting lost on what was going on with each time period. I liked Julian, but the story didn't spend as much time with him in relation to his mom, only to his present-day struggles, to help tie the two time periods together enough for me. And then all of a sudden there is "The Pilot" at the end of the book. It felt out of place and forced and I was too hardened against Florence to feel sorry for her by this point. Also, the author does not clarify the majority of the Russian/Yiddish terminology used. Only occasionally does she define the terms she is using or anything. So there were many times I had to stop to look things up, and that further disrupted the flow of the story for me.
This story is too disjointed for me and I wanted more of the characters' lives against the backdrop of the politics and war and all the trials going on for Russians and American expats in Russia instead of the political commentary that filled this book. As the action and the story focused on the characters, I was able to be drawn in, but those times were so short that all of a sudden I was thrown back into the politics that dragged on and on without drawing me in.
Unfortunately, this story didn't work for me. There are readers who may soak it up, but I struggled with liking the characters on top of not being able to be drawn into the story as much as I had hoped.
***I received this book via a giveaway here on Goodreads from the publisher.***
10/31/17 -- Received this book.
1/24/18 -- I'm having to pause reading this one. I'm struggling a bit to connect with it.
3/5/18 -- I didn't love this book. There were many promising moments, but, for me, the time the book spent with just prose instead of action or with the characters and their story, I got lost. I enjoy learning about history when it's interwoven in fiction, but this one failed to bring it to life for me. Maybe if the story had been told from Leon's point of view instead of trying to focus on Florence, who from the very beginning is not likable and even by the end of the book I didn't feel she had redeemed herself. What a horrible time period for Americans who choose to go to Russia to live and want to be a part of their ancestors' homeland only to be abandoned by the U.S. government. However, with Florence, I didn't feel for her. She kept doing such stupid things that I felt no empathy for her. I also struggled with the jumping around between Florence and Leon's story in the past and their son Julian's in the present. I kept getting lost on what was going on with each time period. I liked Julian, but the story didn't spend as much time with him in relation to his mom, only to his present-day struggles, to help tie the two time periods together enough for me. And then all of a sudden there is "The Pilot" at the end of the book. It felt out of place and forced and I was too hardened against Florence to feel sorry for her by this point. Also, the author does not clarify the majority of the Russian/Yiddish terminology used. Only occasionally does she define the terms she is using or anything. So there were many times I had to stop to look things up, and that further disrupted the flow of the story for me.
This story is too disjointed for me and I wanted more of the characters' lives against the backdrop of the politics and war and all the trials going on for Russians and American expats in Russia instead of the political commentary that filled this book. As the action and the story focused on the characters, I was able to be drawn in, but those times were so short that all of a sudden I was thrown back into the politics that dragged on and on without drawing me in.
Unfortunately, this story didn't work for me. There are readers who may soak it up, but I struggled with liking the characters on top of not being able to be drawn into the story as much as I had hoped.
***I received this book via a giveaway here on Goodreads from the publisher.***
melissam19's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
bethpriddy's review against another edition
4.0
3.5/4 One particular problematic paragraph from a character but otherwise solid historical fiction.
jennyreads17's review against another edition
2.0
I liked the concept of this book, but in the end I really struggled to not DNF it. Timelines, locations, and narrative perspectives are all over the place, which makes it hard to follow what is actually happening. A lot of important information is left out and replaced with random details, and we rarely get closure on any of the characters lives. The last 100 pages could have been cut in my opinion, rather than adding characters and new elements to this story, the author would have achieved more by simplifying things.