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A review by vegancleopatra
Six Days in Leningrad by Paullina Simons
3.0
Overall Six Days in Leningrad is an enjoyable memoir and many elements within it allow you to see where some Bronze Horseman pieces came in. I especially enjoyed Simons' conflict with her memories from her childhood and what she actually saw while in Leningrad. There was an interesting psychological element within the pages pertaining to memories, childhood and the impacts of leaving your roots as a young child. I found that Simons expressed the juxtapositions of her memory and reality and Russia then and Russia now very well. These are the elements I found most interesting. Simons' arrival back in the USA also left her in a different kind of culture shock and raw from her visit to Russia, I felt she expressed this well.
However, there is a good amount of unnecessary detail, which is probably not surprising to fans of The Bronze Horseman series. Editing was needed here as it was needed in that series as well. There were numerous scenes that added nothing to the overall story and many family members and old friends that made appearances that only caused you to think they would play a larger role, only for them to disappear. Also, there was a considerable amount of back and forth between Simons and her father, which is great for their memories but I do not think it added anything for readers. Also, Simons seriously needed to at some point tell her father she was going to do X,Y, and Z and he would just have to deal with it. There were far too many times when Simons father would tell her she didn't have time or she wanted to do too much etc, even if it was directly related to the novel she was writing!
Overall I did enjoy tagging along with Simons to her return to Leningrad, I found it quite interesting and informative. But do expect to deal with some superfluous details.
However, there is a good amount of unnecessary detail, which is probably not surprising to fans of The Bronze Horseman series. Editing was needed here as it was needed in that series as well. There were numerous scenes that added nothing to the overall story and many family members and old friends that made appearances that only caused you to think they would play a larger role, only for them to disappear. Also, there was a considerable amount of back and forth between Simons and her father, which is great for their memories but I do not think it added anything for readers. Also, Simons seriously needed to at some point tell her father she was going to do X,Y, and Z and he would just have to deal with it. There were far too many times when Simons father would tell her she didn't have time or she wanted to do too much etc, even if it was directly related to the novel she was writing!
Overall I did enjoy tagging along with Simons to her return to Leningrad, I found it quite interesting and informative. But do expect to deal with some superfluous details.