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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
Were it not for the last 10%, I’d have given this book a solid 5⭐️’s as I loved every minute of it up to that point. It didn’t need the twist/reveal at the end as it cheapened what was an otherwise heartfelt, beautiful book.
emotional
sad
medium-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
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
This book is so good! Totally heartbreaking but I couldn’t put it down. Will definitely read again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Torture, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment
Minor: Religious bigotry
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I first became aware of Simon Sebag Montefiore through the reviews of his non-fiction book (which I have yet to read), "Young Stalin." When I saw that he had written a fiction book about a woman who lived through the Revolution and Stalin's Terror, I was excited and eagerly ordered a copy.
Montefiore is a fine historian, and that really comes through in this novel. However, he is not a great writer, and that also comes through. The storyline was not compelling, and I was often struggling to keep interest in the characters. However, the history was compelling and I was thinking about that as I read the novel.
It's a strong 2.5 but not quite three stars.
Montefiore is a fine historian, and that really comes through in this novel. However, he is not a great writer, and that also comes through. The storyline was not compelling, and I was often struggling to keep interest in the characters. However, the history was compelling and I was thinking about that as I read the novel.
It's a strong 2.5 but not quite three stars.
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The first book read in 2017 and it was soooooo goooooood!
I tried to read it few years back, but for some reason I couldn't push myself through it. This time was different. The story was so captivating from the very beginning that I couldn't put it down. I didn't like the main character, but I feel like that was a point of this story. This book shows how people acted in communistic Russia and how rulers were able to manipulate and play with the minds of their people in order to make them fully believe in the cause. This book refers to real historic events and people, which makes it even more interesting to read.
The one thing I didn't really like was the way in which the author created children in this book. I just didn't find them realistic enough.
I tried to read it few years back, but for some reason I couldn't push myself through it. This time was different. The story was so captivating from the very beginning that I couldn't put it down. I didn't like the main character, but I feel like that was a point of this story. This book shows how people acted in communistic Russia and how rulers were able to manipulate and play with the minds of their people in order to make them fully believe in the cause. This book refers to real historic events and people, which makes it even more interesting to read.
The one thing I didn't really like was the way in which the author created children in this book. I just didn't find them realistic enough.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
This is an outstanding work from a serious scholar of Russian history. I'll be interested to try one of his nonfiction books. The author's knowledge of period details, mindsets, and customs really makes this novel stand out. There are so many fascinating little extras.
My summaries of the sections are deliberately vague, as I think it's essential to be in the dark about where the story is going for best enjoyment. All three of the parts are very nicely tied in with each other by the end of the novel.
Part I: 1916--Sashenka Zeitlin is a willful and reckless 16-year-old. Her father is wealthy and influential, so the family is allowed to live in St. Petersburg rather than in the Pale of Settlement with the other Jews. Sashenka rejects the excesses and debauchery of her Tsarist parents and becomes a Bolshevik spy.
Part II: 1939 Moscow--Sashenka is now married to a Party leader and has two small children. She has remained a loyal Party member for over 20 years and still supports Stalin and the Soviet system. Just when they think the purging and "The Terror" is over, the arrests and disappearances start up again. This time, Sashenka fears that she and her husband may be targeted.
Part III: 1994 Moscow and London--Katinka, a young historian, is hired in London by Roza Getman to find out what happened to Roza's family in Russia during the years of Stalin's Terror. In the course of her research, Katinka stumbles upon Sashenka's story. This part of the book was what sealed the deal for me on the five-star rating. I could not stop reading. It's a great mystery with the clock running down and old-timers trying to keep their secrets safe.
Overall very well written and engaging. There is some awkwardness here and there where it's clear the author hasn't quite made that transition from nonfiction writer to novelist, but nothing glaring. Mostly just places where the thoughts or dialogue don't sound true to the way normal people think and speak. It doesn't detract from the story. It just stands out now and then.
My summaries of the sections are deliberately vague, as I think it's essential to be in the dark about where the story is going for best enjoyment. All three of the parts are very nicely tied in with each other by the end of the novel.
Part I: 1916--Sashenka Zeitlin is a willful and reckless 16-year-old. Her father is wealthy and influential, so the family is allowed to live in St. Petersburg rather than in the Pale of Settlement with the other Jews. Sashenka rejects the excesses and debauchery of her Tsarist parents and becomes a Bolshevik spy.
Part II: 1939 Moscow--Sashenka is now married to a Party leader and has two small children. She has remained a loyal Party member for over 20 years and still supports Stalin and the Soviet system. Just when they think the purging and "The Terror" is over, the arrests and disappearances start up again. This time, Sashenka fears that she and her husband may be targeted.
Part III: 1994 Moscow and London--Katinka, a young historian, is hired in London by Roza Getman to find out what happened to Roza's family in Russia during the years of Stalin's Terror. In the course of her research, Katinka stumbles upon Sashenka's story. This part of the book was what sealed the deal for me on the five-star rating. I could not stop reading. It's a great mystery with the clock running down and old-timers trying to keep their secrets safe.
Overall very well written and engaging. There is some awkwardness here and there where it's clear the author hasn't quite made that transition from nonfiction writer to novelist, but nothing glaring. Mostly just places where the thoughts or dialogue don't sound true to the way normal people think and speak. It doesn't detract from the story. It just stands out now and then.