Rate this book

Anjers In Sint-Petersburg (2000)

by Linda Holeman(Favorite Author)

3.75 of 5 Votes: 5

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Van Holkema & Warendorf

review 1: There are elements to this story that were very promising, and initially drew me to this book. The main backdrop to the story is the emancipation of Russian serfs in 1861 by Czar Alexander II. The novel highlights the struggles of not only the Russian nobility that suddenly lost their enormous source of free labour needed to run their estates, but also that of the newly released serfs who were suddenly faced with extreme poverty and no to little ways of sustaining themselves and their families. With this social upheaval happening in the background, we are introduced to Count Konstantin Mitlovsky and his son, Mikhail out for an afternoon ride. They come across a group of Cossacks who kidnap Mikhail and gravely injure Konstantin in the process. The story then shifts to Konst... moreantin's wife Antonina and her attempts to come to turns with the kidnapping, the slow demise of her husband, and her husband's crumbling estate of Angelkov.I wanted to like this book, but I just could not get into it. The story is told in the present tense, which I found somewhat jarring. There are several flashbacks throughout the novel, and I found myself looking forward to them just to get away from the awkwardness of the present tense. Also, the pacing of the book was painfully slow. The flashbacks were the strongest part of novel in that they helped explain the main character's backgrounds and how they ended up at Angelkov. However, the main plot line dragged on, I often found myself bored and skimming the page to either get to a flashback or to get to the end of novel. I also found the character development in this book somewhat problematic: most of the characters in the book were one dimensional and/or stereotypical. For example, the mothers in this novel were either overly attached to their children, overwrought and hysterical over the loss of said children, or they were entirely disinterested in their children. Nobility men (such as Konstantin and Antonina's father) were presented as self involved and uncaring towards their wives, children, and serfs. The musicians were presented as being weak and effeminate in comparisons to other men in the novel. The peasant men were depicted as being violent, uneducated oafs (such as Soso and Lilya's father) or being devoted, nondescript slaves to their masters (such as Lyosha and Pavel). There were no shades of grey. The main characters Antonina, Grisha, and Lilya are not immune to being one dimensional, even though we get to see more character development from them. They are all unlikeable however, with few redeeming qualities. I wanted to like Antonina, but I often felt frustrated by her paralysis and inability to do anything. I understood that she had just lost her son and she she struggled with alcohol and drug abuse, but I grew bored reading about her simply waiting for news of her son by drinking copious amounts of vodka.Finally, I felt that even though the emancipation of serfs was heavily emphasized in the book, it never really meshed with Antonina's story. She is aware of the emancipation due to the fact that most of the serfs desert Angelkov, but it never seems to go beyond that. The two story lines would occasionally touch upon each other, but, for the most part, ran parallel to each other throughout the novel. There is so much potential in this book, but in the end was not one I would ever read again.
review 2: Another outstanding historical fiction novel by Linda Holeman. I have read many of her young adult novels with great enjoyment and I am pleased that she continues her writing gift for adults. I particularly enjoy how she takes a relatively unknown piece of history or country and brings it to life by exploring everyday lives. (sometimes not so everyday.) I recommend her to all lovers of historical fiction. less

Download links for: Anjers in Sint-Petersburg

Advertising