Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
An interesting spin through Russian history, from the fall of the Romanovs to the fall of the USSR. For the most part it's fast-paced and intriguing, making you want to press on to find out what's going to happen and how all the pieces fit together. My one quibble is that I couldn't understand the love affair -- the author simply didn't make Sashenka's love interest appealing at all. That section is also the only part where things really slowed down and got a little dull. Fortunately, what happens next more than makes up for it.
This is a disturbing and haunting novel, so seeing it marketed as one of those sweeping sagas of a headstrong 16-year old strikes me as a huge disservice to readers. The UK edition had one of those big-hats-and-troikas-in-the-snow covers (thanks to Simon and Schuster for the darker and more representative Constructivist choice). I wonder what romance readers thought when Sashenka and her husband consider killing themselves and their children once they are denounced by enemies within the Communist party?
Sashenka is a pretty hair-raising novel and impossible to put down. The question it asks about how people could remain so devoted to the Communist (or any) party even after seeing from the inside what it did to people is compelling anf thought-provoking. This was one of my favorite novels of 2008.
Sashenka is a pretty hair-raising novel and impossible to put down. The question it asks about how people could remain so devoted to the Communist (or any) party even after seeing from the inside what it did to people is compelling anf thought-provoking. This was one of my favorite novels of 2008.
This book annoyed me. Sashenka seems like Sebag's ideal woman incarnated, it is ever so obvious that she is written through a man's eyes. Additionally, Sebag always tells the reader of Sashenka's qualities, he never shows them. She's an intellectual, she thinks deeply - but where is the proof of that?
Setting and plot would be interesting, but got unfortunately lost in the contrived style of Sebag's writing.
Setting and plot would be interesting, but got unfortunately lost in the contrived style of Sebag's writing.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
slow-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:
Yes
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I did enjoy this book a lot, but it was hard to get into. Really getting into it took over 200 pages I think. After that, I was completely hooked. Especially the insight into post-soviet Russia was really interesting and enlightening, and the heartbreak that comes to light at the end had me sobbing a bit.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
If you can make it through the interminably slow first half (and the cringeworthy love scenes) the second half turns into a really interesting tale with great insights into post-Soviet Russia.
I have to say, I was skeptical about reading this book as I know next to nothing about Russian history, but that turns out to not matter at all! Montefiore ingeniously combines his in depth knowledge with a fictional family and has created an incredible story set over three time periods. 'Sashenka' is one of those few books that I did not want to put down, the characters are all delicately crafted and their stories are so intricately woven and there are no loose ends. I have finished this book feeling totally satisfied which is highly unusual!