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khornstein1's review against another edition
3.0
I have such mixed feelings about this book. I picked it up at the library because I loved "White Oleander."
First, I think it would make a better movie than a book. Sort of like "War and Peace" mixed with "Reds." It would be hard to edit this book--it kind of needs to be long and sweeping, but somehow I feel like it would be easier and more compelling to tell this story in a two-hour movie.
At times, the narrator was super-annoying to me and then I realized: she's supposed to be 17! That's why she's annoying! I was wondering why she made such quick (and badly thought out) decisions and why she was so focused on sex when her and her family's entire life as she knew it was about to change. She's a kid--that's why!
At times, the book moved a little too quickly for me to realize what was going on (much like the Russian Revolution of 1917 itself) and then at times it dragged with long descriptions of the countryside or rabbit hunting.
Confession: I got to the middle of the book and almost abandoned it. Where was this book going? By then, you've devoted many hours to the book though and read 400+ pages--eek! So I pressed on with an audio book. It got a little more interesting as Marina went from riches to rags but then--so many chapters on a weird cult/commune she joined? Why???
I had hoped to learn more about the Russian Revolution but really what this book best relays is what it's like to live through war time when you're a 17-year-old, grappling with independence, separation from parents, first loves, etc. And for that, it's quite good.
First, I think it would make a better movie than a book. Sort of like "War and Peace" mixed with "Reds." It would be hard to edit this book--it kind of needs to be long and sweeping, but somehow I feel like it would be easier and more compelling to tell this story in a two-hour movie.
At times, the narrator was super-annoying to me and then I realized: she's supposed to be 17! That's why she's annoying! I was wondering why she made such quick (and badly thought out) decisions and why she was so focused on sex when her and her family's entire life as she knew it was about to change. She's a kid--that's why!
At times, the book moved a little too quickly for me to realize what was going on (much like the Russian Revolution of 1917 itself) and then at times it dragged with long descriptions of the countryside or rabbit hunting.
Confession: I got to the middle of the book and almost abandoned it. Where was this book going? By then, you've devoted many hours to the book though and read 400+ pages--eek! So I pressed on with an audio book. It got a little more interesting as Marina went from riches to rags but then--so many chapters on a weird cult/commune she joined? Why???
I had hoped to learn more about the Russian Revolution but really what this book best relays is what it's like to live through war time when you're a 17-year-old, grappling with independence, separation from parents, first loves, etc. And for that, it's quite good.
mbkarapcik's review against another edition
3.0
Marina Makarova, a wealthy, privileged young lady living in St. Petersburg in 1916, wants more from life and eventually embarks on a journey where she becomes involved with the Russian Revolution through a love interest. Her journey takes horrific and surprising turns, ending nowhere near it began.
I cannot say that I loved this book. At times, I wasn’t sure that I even liked it. The writing is descriptive, and some of the passages were beautifully written, but I found some passages disturbing and violent in unexpected places.
The book was too long. Sometimes, I felt like I was slogging through the Siberian tundra. If you do want to read it, invest in the Kindle version — the book is very heavy (both figuratively and literally).
Marina goes through so many changes (or revolutions), relationships, and names that it may be hard to keep up with everything. It ends in such a way that even if the author didn’t tell you that there is a part two, you know there has to be a sequel. And, frankly, despite my negative feelings toward the book, I’m curious about the next installment, called Chimes of a Lost Cathedral, which came out in July 2019. Then again, I don’t think that I can endure that much more turmoil.
I cannot say that I loved this book. At times, I wasn’t sure that I even liked it. The writing is descriptive, and some of the passages were beautifully written, but I found some passages disturbing and violent in unexpected places.
The book was too long. Sometimes, I felt like I was slogging through the Siberian tundra. If you do want to read it, invest in the Kindle version — the book is very heavy (both figuratively and literally).
Marina goes through so many changes (or revolutions), relationships, and names that it may be hard to keep up with everything. It ends in such a way that even if the author didn’t tell you that there is a part two, you know there has to be a sequel. And, frankly, despite my negative feelings toward the book, I’m curious about the next installment, called Chimes of a Lost Cathedral, which came out in July 2019. Then again, I don’t think that I can endure that much more turmoil.
caitlyndiane's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
This was my first ever audiobook because I just knew if I read the physical book, it was going to take me like two months to read. I definitely enjoyed it as an audiobook and got through it a lot faster. My only real complaint is that Marina is so freaking wishy-washy.
krobart's review against another edition
3.0
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/review-1307-the-revolution-of-marina-m/
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2019/01/22/review-1307-the-revolution-of-marina-m/
jenniferstringer's review against another edition
3.0
Wish I’d known going in that it was a 2-parter...
korka's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
rachelbookdragon's review against another edition
4.0
This is a coming of age story of grief, suffering, enlightenment, love, friendship, poetry, and self-discovery. Beautifully written and heart wrenching character growth of Marina, our protagonist.
Well, this book was very long. I didn’t expect the magnitude of the story of one young girl living through the Russian Revolution to be 800 pages and 30 hours of audiobook, but I’ve finally finished it.
There were so many things to love about the book. The prose, written by Janet Fitch, was spectacular. There were so many descriptive moments of gorgeous writing that I loved. The pieces of the story in which Marina fell in love and fought for revolution were my favorite pieces of the story. Her family is incredibly complicated, but her network of friends got her through.
There were some difficult moments, like her kidnapping and torture and her stay at the cult. Just when I thought her life couldn’t get more difficult as she starved and worked toward basic necessities, these experiences turned my stomach.
There is so much history to unpack on this tale, and yet it unfortunately held the least appeal to me. I don’t have that appreciation for history that I wish I did, but seeing the revolution told through Marina’s eyes was a really interesting approach as she, a privileged young woman, fought against her own privilege to help the working class and suffered and grew as a result.
I don’t know if I’m going to feel the need to continue on in the sequel. Though I felt the ending of this book unsatisfying because there is obviously so much more story to tell, I need a break from this world and to venture into more stories before I return to this one.
Well, this book was very long. I didn’t expect the magnitude of the story of one young girl living through the Russian Revolution to be 800 pages and 30 hours of audiobook, but I’ve finally finished it.
There were so many things to love about the book. The prose, written by Janet Fitch, was spectacular. There were so many descriptive moments of gorgeous writing that I loved. The pieces of the story in which Marina fell in love and fought for revolution were my favorite pieces of the story. Her family is incredibly complicated, but her network of friends got her through.
There were some difficult moments, like her kidnapping and torture and her stay at the cult. Just when I thought her life couldn’t get more difficult as she starved and worked toward basic necessities, these experiences turned my stomach.
There is so much history to unpack on this tale, and yet it unfortunately held the least appeal to me. I don’t have that appreciation for history that I wish I did, but seeing the revolution told through Marina’s eyes was a really interesting approach as she, a privileged young woman, fought against her own privilege to help the working class and suffered and grew as a result.
I don’t know if I’m going to feel the need to continue on in the sequel. Though I felt the ending of this book unsatisfying because there is obviously so much more story to tell, I need a break from this world and to venture into more stories before I return to this one.
tensy's review against another edition
2.0
I stopped listening to the audiobook around the 5th CD. I thought I would enjoy this lengthy novel about the 1917 Russian Revolution. However, while it showed the author's extensive research on this time period in history, the characters were thinly developed and put in situations where a sheltered 16-year-old could not possibly have been present for all those historic moments. Lots of literary and historical name dropping, but little that makes us care about the characters. The plot at this point goes nowhere except to place Marina in locations where history happened. There is a sequel planned, but I'd rather re-watch the movie Reds.
a_r_e_l_i_c's review
2.0
09 roasted goose & Christmas pine
13 cherry tobacco {Dmitry}
14 rotting flowers {Vsevolod}
15 Floris Limes & cigars {Kolya}
17 lilacs & firecrackers {genius}
18 Après L’Ondée {Vera}
41 carbolic & human waste
68 warm honey & musk {Kolya’s armpits}
89 ozone before a storm
95 the sweat of their horses
98 roses kept in a box & illicit cigarettes {Mariya}
—-violet eau de toilette {Masha}
126 darkroom chemicals
165 fennel seeds
177 hay & fresh wood {Genya}
204 leather & wood smoke
231 peaty, scorched scent of scotch
246 gun smoke
273 wet wood & wet coats
278 graphite & paper & apple cores {Varvara}
400 centuries of incense & damp
413 cold cellars & decaying pines
457 antiseptic wormwood {Arkady}
647 cedar chests & old wedding dresses
685 yeast & lavender {Avdokia}
705 clove & sandalwood {Ukashin}
13 cherry tobacco {Dmitry}
14 rotting flowers {Vsevolod}
15 Floris Limes & cigars {Kolya}
17 lilacs & firecrackers {genius}
18 Après L’Ondée {Vera}
41 carbolic & human waste
68 warm honey & musk {Kolya’s armpits}
89 ozone before a storm
95 the sweat of their horses
98 roses kept in a box & illicit cigarettes {Mariya}
—-violet eau de toilette {Masha}
126 darkroom chemicals
165 fennel seeds
177 hay & fresh wood {Genya}
204 leather & wood smoke
231 peaty, scorched scent of scotch
246 gun smoke
273 wet wood & wet coats
278 graphite & paper & apple cores {Varvara}
400 centuries of incense & damp
413 cold cellars & decaying pines
457 antiseptic wormwood {Arkady}
647 cedar chests & old wedding dresses
685 yeast & lavender {Avdokia}
705 clove & sandalwood {Ukashin}
jemsizzleton's review against another edition
3.0
I am so confused and conflicted. I fell in and out of love with this thing several times. Lots of good in here, and I am just sprung on Russian stuff now, as a result. Definitely had some page-turning times, and some yawns on occasion. The confusion for me was the what in the hell is going on NOW sensation every 30 pages. This thing took more turns than trying to drive downtown with a lagging GPS. I have so much to say, but I don’t want to take away anyone’s WTH moments the way I experienced them. I will say that the ultimate turn was getting to the end and realizing that it is just part one, where we end in an abrupt LOTR fashion, and that kind of made me flip out. 800 pages wasn’t enuf?! Maybe Marina will join the circus, run for office, run a whore house, fight a war, and leave someone for dead in the next one, that would be appropriate considering the 17 lives she managed to live in the first. The most infuriating part is that I actually kind of want to read the next one. Ugghhh. GODDAMMIT!