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A review by wwatts1734
Russka by Edward Rutherfurd
3.0
I was a bit disappointed with this book. Perhaps some of the disappointment comes from the fact that this is a novel about Russia written by a non-Russian author. Although I think that the main source of my disappointment is the span of this novel. This novel literally stretches from 100 AD to 1990. With a span like that, it's hard to keep a consistent plot, and certainly the characters bear no relation to each other, other than the fact that they all live in the same place.
This novel is the story of a fictional town called Russka. Actually, it's the story of two fictional towns called Russka. One is in the black-earth area of Ukraine in the old Kievan Rus, the other is in the frozen north of Russia. The narrative begins in the pre-historic era prior to Kiev and spans the Kievan Rus, the Mongol period, the era of Ivan the Terrible and the Romanov period. It spends a very short chapter in the Soviet era, and then ends in the post Soviet era of Russia in the early 1990s. The novel gives some very interesting cultural and historical oddities about Russia through the century. But there is no cohesive story. For those of us who actually enjoy Russian novels with their profound characters and plot twists, this novel about Russia is so very much not like that. It is more like a historical caricature than a novel.
While this novel does have its drawbacks, if you have an interest in the historical development of the Russian people, this book is interesting. You learn a lot about the various invaders of Russia, the way the Russian people lived at various times in its history and how the culture shifted due to all these influences. However, if you are looking for a good story, this book is not for you. Especially considering that it would take you over 900 pages of reading to come to that conclusion.
This novel is the story of a fictional town called Russka. Actually, it's the story of two fictional towns called Russka. One is in the black-earth area of Ukraine in the old Kievan Rus, the other is in the frozen north of Russia. The narrative begins in the pre-historic era prior to Kiev and spans the Kievan Rus, the Mongol period, the era of Ivan the Terrible and the Romanov period. It spends a very short chapter in the Soviet era, and then ends in the post Soviet era of Russia in the early 1990s. The novel gives some very interesting cultural and historical oddities about Russia through the century. But there is no cohesive story. For those of us who actually enjoy Russian novels with their profound characters and plot twists, this novel about Russia is so very much not like that. It is more like a historical caricature than a novel.
While this novel does have its drawbacks, if you have an interest in the historical development of the Russian people, this book is interesting. You learn a lot about the various invaders of Russia, the way the Russian people lived at various times in its history and how the culture shifted due to all these influences. However, if you are looking for a good story, this book is not for you. Especially considering that it would take you over 900 pages of reading to come to that conclusion.