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Sashenka (2008)

by Simon Sebag Montefiore(Favorite Author)

3.86 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1416595546 (ISBN13: 9781416595540)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Simon & Schuster

review 1: I enjoyed this book it really does capture Russia before the revolution, it's corruption ,seediness and inequality just as the revolution gathers pace. It then moves on to capture the fear of life under Stalin especially if you were on anyway close to him. The main character in this book makes a fatal mistake for her and her family that in just 11days destroys their world and puts them all in mortal danger despite them being key architects in the revolution and "good comrades". This counts for nothing and the swift brutality that follows is shocking. My only gripe is that the author felt it necessary to have a romance in the modern era part of the story, it was not necessary and felt a bit mills and boon! Also I saw the twist coming a mile away but it did not spoil the ... morebook.
review 2: I read this book in two days over the holiday period last year and it was amazing, Montefiore has the gift of being able to seamlessly weave through the years of the protagonist's life (and her descendants life) with ease. The novel, engaging throughout, is a bildungsroman and what's especially different is the way in which the events in Russia's history are presented. There is no bias and no attempt to 'pit' different factions against each other or give each one a platform in the story, as is sometimes the case when reading historical fiction. The author allows the reader to engage with the novel politically to an extent, whilst making sure the focus stays on protagonist's personal life as Russia is falling apart. Many authors try to do this but fail, you often feel as if you are reading two separate things written in the same time period, a diary and a newspaper, something which is definitely not the case with Sashenka. The subtlety with which Montefiore conveys the tragedies in the story also makes this book a captivating read. It can only be described as a 'saga' due to its melodramatic themes, however, Montefiore's competent presentation of characters such as Lenin and Stalin adds to it's historical and political integrity. less

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