REVIEW: The Romanov Empress by C. W. Gortner

The Romanov Empress
by C W Gortner

Publisher: Ballantine Books
Page Count: 431
Release Date: July 10, 2018
Format: Trade Paperback ARC

How got: LibraryThing giveaway

First attention getter: author

Synopsis:

From GoodReads:

Even from behind the throne, a woman can rule.
Narrated by the mother of Russia's last tsar, this vivid, historically authentic novel brings to life the courageous story of Maria Feodorovna, one of Imperial Russia's most compelling women who witnessed the splendor and tragic downfall of the Romanovs as she fought to save her dynasty in the final years of its long reign.

Barely nineteen, Minnie knows that her station in life as a Danish princess is to leave her family and enter into a royal marriage--as her older sister Alix has done, moving to England to wed Queen Victoria's eldest son. The winds of fortune bring Minnie to Russia, where she marries the Romanov heir and becomes empress once he ascends the throne. When resistance to his reign strikes at the heart of her family and the tsar sets out to crush all who oppose him, Minnie--now called Maria--must tread a perilous path of compromise in a country she has come to love.

Her husband's death leaves their son Nicholas as the inexperienced ruler of a deeply divided and crumbling empire. Determined to guide him to reforms that will bring Russia into the modern age, Maria faces implacable opposition from Nicholas's strong-willed wife, Alexandra, whose fervor has lead her into a disturbing relationship with a mystic named Rasputin. As the unstoppable wave of revolution rises anew to engulf Russia, Maria will face her most dangerous challenge and her greatest heartache.

From the opulent palaces of St. Petersburg and the intrigue-laced salons of the aristocracy to the World War I battlefields and the bloodied countryside occupied by the Bolsheviks, C. W. Gortner sweeps us into the anarchic fall of an empire and the complex, bold heart of the woman who tried to save it.

My Thoughts:

Star Rating - 5

I always know that when I pick up a C. W. Gortner book, I’m in for a great read. This title is no different. An incredible woman’s journey through glittery extravagance, personal tragedy, and the downfall of an era, the reader gets a fantastic tale that stays with the mind far longer after it’s over.

As always, Gortner does a great job in setting his scenes. Maria’s dazzling wedding, endless parties and charities in the early years, rumblings of unrest in bombings galore, and the eventual takeover of Russia by the Bolsheviks suck the reader in by the author’s generous usage of descriptions and sensory details. He strikes a subtle balance between descriptive passages and dialogue that gives the reader a wonderful imaginary world to explore the events portrayed. All this without going overboard and drowning the reader in too many details.

The only exposure I’ve had to Maria’s story is her fictionalized portrayal in the animated movie Anastasia, and I mean come on, can that really count?? So this woman’s incredible life was a complete mystery to me. I loved getting to know her strength of will, her deep love for her children, how she grew to adore her new country, and her adaptability in ever increasing changes in Russia’s political landscape. My heart hurt for her personal tragedies and crowed in triumph when things went well. I was that drawn into her story with Gortner’s great job at building her character.

I also loved how well we got to know the people in Maria’s life: her husband, father-in-law, children, and grandchildren. The lives of Nicholas Romanov, his empress, children, and Rasputin has been built up so much over the years to be almost legendary and mythical nowadays. I loved getting to know their personalities in all their human glory. I loved how human Gortner made everyone, really. From foreign spouses to cousins to grandchildren, everyone is beautifully fleshed out.

I've been reading or interested in reading Russian history lately. So I had great timing in winning it. I loved exploring how the Russian world of tsarism changed to Bolshevik revolutionary fervor in such a landslide time frame. I mean within only a couple generations, Russia went from a autocratic monarchy to what amounted almost to anarchism until Communism took firm hold. Seeing all that bold change through Maria's strong-willed eyes was a treat. She falls in love with Russia when crowned as one of it's royals and mourns to see it's fall into deprivation, anarchy, and death.

Again, Gortner has created a true masterwork of biographical historical fiction. He creates bold, intriguing characters and explores a world rich in detail and change. He's got another work here I'm more than happy to recommend to any reader, but especially if you love Russian history. This is truly a book to get lost in. Thanks again, Mr. Gortner, for another fantastic work!

Note: Book received for free from LibraryThing giveaway in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Who Is To Blame? by Jane Marlow

Who Is To Blame?: A Russian Riddle
by Jane Marlow

Publisher: River Grove Books
Page Count: 301
Release Date: Oct 18, 2016
Format: Trade Paperback

Synopsis:

From GoodReads:

Who is to Blame? is a historical saga of two families—one born of noble heritage and the other bound as serfs to the noble’s household. Set during the mid-1800s in the vast grainfields of Russia, Who Is to Blame? follows the lives of two star-crossed serfs, Elizaveta and Feodor, torn apart by their own families and the Church while simultaneously trapped in the inhumane life of poverty to which they were born.

At the other end of the spectrum, Count Maximov and his family struggle to maintain harmony amidst a tapestry of deception and debauchery woven by the Count’s son. The plot twists further when the Tsar emancipates twenty million serfs from bondage as the rural gentry’s life of privilege and carelessness takes its final bow, and much of Russia’s nobility faces possible financial ruin.

My Thoughts:

Star Rating - 4

The author gets a real feel for the times. This era of history, 1860s rural Russia, is a complete mystery to me so exploring its diametrically opposed lifestyles was a shock to me. The reader senses how bleak it was as a peasant in serfdom-era Russia and how plush it was as an aristocrat. Serving as small kingdom tyrants in essence, landowners could even dictate things as personal as marriages for their people.

Yet, given the era this book takes place in, we get a sense of the balance of power shifting. As the tsar contemplates freeing the serfs from land bondage, the aristocrats start to feel the pinch of their fortunes slipping away. The peasants also start to feel their bargaining power as they contemplate a future of choice and uncertainty. As they’re freed from the continuing cycle of farming and the seasons, they start to wonder what will happen to them and what their choices are.

In amongst all that, we get an intimate view into these two worlds as well. Stepan’s world of wealth and landowner responsibility contrasts sharply with Elizaveta’s miserable world. We do get a sense of how much Stepan feels that responsibility as it contrasts sharply with his son, Anton, whom shows no interest in manor management nor anything else but vodka, easy money, peasant girl molestation, and gambling.

In the later half, we do show some growth for Anton. He feels his age as the years go on, shows some responsibility towards an illegitimate daughter, and vague interest in land management later in life. Anton’s journey is actually probably one of my favorite parts of the book. I started out really hating him, especially after that first molestation scene. Yet, towards the end, I could see a maturity and sense of wanting to right past wrongs in him. I started to like him as the book closed.

Elizaveta’s journey was just the opposite. She started out young and full of hope, in love with a childhood friend and certain their future together could be arranged despite religious and societal strictures against it. However, in steps Stepan and his dictates which throws Elizaveta’s dreams and life down the drain. Once her downward spiral starts, there’s no end in sight.

Once Elizaveta's life takes that dark turn, it stays dark all the way to the end. While she does get some resolution and victory over one odious antagonist, there's still no HAE here. So bear that in mind when reading her story, as there will be light at the end of the tunnel. Only a bitter satisfaction over one minor dark victory with a lifetime still ahead full of hardship and mistrust.

So ultimately, the author shows her true skills in these two individual's journeys. We get a look into their minds and hearts as they grow and change with the times. While happiness and life goal achievements aren't in the cards, the reader is still taken on an incredible journey of character change and growth with the advancement of time.

The one area of this book that didn't flow as well as the pacing. I felt like the author was trying to force too many years into too few pages. Within less than 300 pages, 25 years of events and complex Russian history is crammed along with examinations on how they affect the various characters involved. Add that to exploring three different character story arcs and you've got too much information squeezed into too little a space. I felt like there were times I didn't get to know Stepan, Anton, and Elizaveta as much as I wanted to.

With that in mind, though, I still feel this is a book worth checking out. Exploring a historical time period not often played in and great character arcs make this a historical fiction tale worth the read. The author isn't afraid to explore the bleakness that came with difficult life circumstances, giving the reader a real sense of the harshness of life at times. Not every author would be brave enough to do this, so kudos for that. I would definitely recommend this tale to lovers of historical fiction, especially for those who enjoy the more obscure of history.

Note: Book received for free from author in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: The Chosen Maiden by Eva Stachniak

The Chosen Maiden 
by Eva Stachniak


Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Page Count: 412
Release Date: Jan 17, 2017
Format: Trade Paperback ARC

How got: ARC GoodReads giveaway

First attention getter: obscure female historical figure protagonist

Synopsis:

From GoodReads:

The passionate, sweeping story of Bronia, an extraordinary ballerina forever in the shadow of the legendary Nijinsky--Russia's greatest dancer and her older brother. 

Born on the road to dancer parents, the Nijinsky children seem destined for the stage. Vaslav is an early prodigy, and through single-minded pursuit will grow into arguably the greatest--and most infamous--Russian ballet dancer of the 20th century. His talented younger sister Bronia, however, also longs to dance. Overshadowed by Vaslav, plagued by a body deemed less than ideal and struggling against the constraints of her gender, Bronia will have to work triply hard to prove herself worthy.

Bronia's stunning discipline and mesmerizing talent will eventually elevate her to the highest stage in Russia: the prestigious, old-world Mariinsky Ballet. But as the First World War rages, revolution sparks in Russia. In her politics, love life and career, Bronia will be forced to confront the choice between old and new; traditional and groundbreaking; safe and passionate.

Through gorgeous and graceful prose, readers will be swept from St. Petersburg and Kiev to London and Paris and plunged into the tumultuous world of modern art. Against the fascinating and tragic backdrop of early 20th century Europe, and surrounded by legends like Anna Pavlova, Coco Chanel, Serge Diaghilev and Pablo Picasso, Bronia must come into her own--as a dancer, mother and revolutionary--in a world that only wishes to see her fall.

My Thoughts:

Star Rating - 3

This novel took me forever to finish. First receiving it earlier this year and starting it in September, I’m only now just finishing it. So many times I’d start and get further, only to get bored and want to move on to other projects. I found enjoyment in our main character and her life‘s journey. The author also does a great job in description. However, she let some aspects overweight others to the detriment of her overall work.

Bronia shines as the bright star to Stachniak’s work. Her resilience and finding her own art within the rigid structures of the classical Russian ballet world makes her a figure to be admired. She doesn’t let others dictate to her; she finds herself no matter what. She also faces an uncertain time with a spine of iron and a deep well of courage. Having to flee multiple times an ever dangerous European landscape in the first half of the 20th century, she always finds a way to build her life a new, even in the face of familial pressures with mental illness and finding herself professionally.

Stachniak also has a talent when it comes to description. Her scenes put you right into the story with rich descriptions of classical ballet schools, the intricate details behind the scenes of ballet productions, and all that goes into actually getting hired into ballet companies or launching one’s own. Yet, this is also a downfall. I’ve seen other reviewers make this point, and they’re correct. At times, the author tends to be TOO descriptive to the disadvantage of her narrative.

To me, the biggest drawback is the authors writing style and her overuse of the descriptive paragraphs. Yeah, I love a lot of description in my historical settings; however, the way Stachniak incorporated hers doesn’t work well. When you’ve got paragraph after paragraph of description, down to the tiniest detail, I personally felt drowned in imagery. She also tends to run lyrical and poetic in her phrasing. While that writing style works with some readers, for me, I felt lost when her prose ran to such. That combined with an imbalance of description versus dialogue ran me sour on this title. This is the biggest reason why it took me so long to read this.

It’s this last detail that unfortunately leaves the most impression with me. It’s the reason it took me three months to get through this one. Yet, I loved Bronia to death; her journey and growth as a woman is what makes this book. The unique historical background and the author’s abilities with description also were superb. Ultimately, though, this book was a slog through with too abundant of those descriptive paragraphs back to back and too much poetic language. This book might please others, but it didn’t do it for my palate.

Note: Book received for free via Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall

The Russian Concubine
by Kate Furnivall

Publisher: Berkley
Page Count: 517

Release Date: June 27, 2007

Format: Trade Paperback

How got: personal library; bought via local library used book sale

First attention getter: the interracial romance angle

Synopsis:

From GoodReads:

A sweeping novel set in war-torn 1928 China, with a star-crossed love story at its center.

In a city full of thieves and Communists, danger and death, spirited young Lydia Ivanova has lived a hard life. Always looking over her shoulder, the sixteen-year-old must steal to feed herself and her mother, Valentina, who numbered among the Russian elite until Bolsheviks murdered most of them, including her husband. As exiles, Lydia and Valentina have learned to survive in a foreign land.

Often, Lydia steals away to meet with the handsome young freedom fighter Chang An Lo. But they face danger: Chiang Kai Shek's troops are headed toward Junchow to kill Reds like Chang, who has in his possession the jewels of a tsarina, meant as a gift for the despot's wife. The young pair's all-consuming love can only bring shame and peril upon them, from both sides. Those in power will do anything to quell it. But Lydia and Chang are powerless to end it.

My Thoughts:

Star Rating - 4

Kate still impresses with her skills at world building, characterization, and relationship dynamics. I’ve only read one book by her so far, one of her newer works. This one seems to be the one she’s known most for so I’m glad I was able to experience it.

And “experience” is the correct term to use! The reader can literally smell the Chinese incense scents, see the vivid reds and golds of Chinese architecture and fabrics, and hear the calls of stall owners and shops of the markets. All of this is interposed over the rigid, orderly world of British society that ruled this area of China at the time. Then there’s Lydia, her mom, and the other Russian refugees caught in between, struggling to survive in a world caught between posh British who look down on them and poor Chinese who resent them. The author excels in making every bit of this world shine and breathe with life.

Furnivall is almost without peer when it comes to characterization. She does an incredible job balancing out virtues with vices. I can always count on her people being very human. There’s really only one exception to this in the book, and even then it’s not that blaring. In her previous work I’ve read, she gave one of her characters so many foibles that I ended up not liking them at all.

In this one, she’s made one of her characters almost too perfect. Chang is almost the perfect paragon: virtuous, courageous, principled, dedicated, and awesome at martial arts. He also gives his heart whole-heartedly when he falls in love. His love for Lydia does fall into the “obsessive” end of the spectrum at times so that saves him from being too perfect. Yet, Furnivall does such a great job with everything else that Chang doesn’t blare out that much, at least to me. I still enjoyed reading him.

I loved reading Furnivall’s examination of different relationship types as well. Friendships, lovers, husband/wife, father/daughter, teacher/student…. All are explored in depth within the story, really digging into how people relate to each other under different circumstances. She gives her readers an eye into how same relationship types differ as well, like how Lydia’s/Chang’s relationship differed from the teacher’s and Mei’s. How different circumstances can come to bear and steer and relationship into a different direction was fascinating.

Despite some aspects of Chang’s character making him read too perfect at times, I felt this was a very strong work by Furnivall. It definitely reads as the work that made her name. She makes her readers live the setting, feel for the characters, and just get sucked into the story. I’d recommend this one to any lovers of historical fiction or just a great story. Can’t wait to dig into more by this author!

REVIEW: Rachel's Secret by Shelly Sanders

Rachel's Secret 
by Shelly Sanders

Publisher: Second Story Press
Page Count: 241
Release Date: April 1, 2012
Format: Paperback

How got: personal library, bought from Amazon

First attention getter: time period and description

Synopsis:

From GoodReads:

Rachel, a Jew, and Sergei, a Christian, find their worlds torn apart by violence in pre-revolutionary Russia...

Rachel is a Jew living in Kishinev, Russia. At fourteen, Rachel knows that she wants more from life than the traditional role of wife and mother. She has dreams of being a writer. But everything is put on hold when a young Christian man is murdered and Rachel is forced to keep the murderer’s identity a secret. Tensions mount as the Christians’ distrust of the Jews is fueled by prejudice and rumour.

While Rachel keeps the truth to herself, she watches as lies and anti-Jewish propaganda leap off the pages of the local newspaper, inciting Christians to riot against the Jews. Violence breaks out on Easter Sunday, 1903, and when it finally ends, Rachel finds that the person she loves most is dead and that her home has been destroyed. As she struggles to survive the aftermath of the riots – or pogroms – support comes from someone totally unexpected, when a young Christian named Sergei turns against his father, a police officer complicit in the riots, to help Rachel.

With everything against them, the two young people find comfort in the bond that is growing between them, one of the few signs of goodness and hope in a time of chaos and violence.

My Thoughts:

Star Rating - 5

A promising start to this trilogy, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. YA novels are sometimes a toss-up; they can be shockingly awesome or heaping piles of stinky stuff. It all depends on which part of the YA audience the author is targeting, I think, and how much effort goes into telling a truly great story. This one falls on the awesome side.

First off, I was surprised by how much the author DIDN’T shy away from the tragedy, drama, suspense, and horror that revolve around the early 20th century pogroms in Russia. Events are shown in all their horrific and bloody boldness; giving the reader an immediate portrayal of these sad historical events.

I found this go-for-broke portrayal refreshing as its stuff that the younger generations really need to be exposed to, in my opinion. But if you want to protect your kids longer, maybe screen this one first.

I admired the amount of real historical research that was incorporated into the storyline, too. Real people and real event sequences found themselves woven into Rachel’s story with seamless effort. The times and effort the author put into getting her facts right shows.

Our leads, Rachel and Sergei, made me invested in the story even more. Very human and understandably young, the story in these horrific surroundings seems more immediate due to them. Rachel is trying to find an identity for herself outside of her society’s expectations, dreaming dreams bigger than her circumstances. Sergei is rebelling against the expectations of his father as well, standing up for his dreams of a different life as well as his own inner moral code that differs significantly from his fathers. How these two deal with the trauma and tragedy of the Kishinev pogrom pulled at the heartstrings and made me live the events with them.

This was a winner of a YA historical novel. The author took her time in her research and portrayal, giving homage to the original material at the same time making it her own for her story. Brutality wasn’t shied away from, giving the book extra weight. Our lead characters made the story very immediate and close to my heart, their young eyes providing fresh horror and depth to the intolerance of anti-Semitism. This is the first in a trilogy, and I can’t wait to follow Rachel and Sergei as they travel the world and follow their dreams.