Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by alwayslivedinthecastle
Sashenka by Simon Sebag Montefiore
4.0
This would have been a five-star book for me, except the third act jumps into the near-present and becomes a sloppy mystery novel. There is a twist at the end which you can see coming a mile off and will probably make you want to scream. I also had some gripes with the characterisation of the children (they are teeth-grittingly annoying).
HOWEVER, the first two thirds of the book are detailed, tense and (mostly) brilliant. The followup novel "One Night in Winter" is technically stronger and relies less on coincidences and characters making silly mistakes, but "Sashenka" is still a page-turner.
HOWEVER, the first two thirds of the book are detailed, tense and (mostly) brilliant. The followup novel "One Night in Winter" is technically stronger and relies less on coincidences and characters making silly mistakes, but "Sashenka" is still a page-turner.