misterintensity's review against another edition
3.0
Marina Makarova is the sixteen year old daughter of a Russian bourgeoisie official living in luxury on the eve of the Russian Revolution. The tumultuous events of the revolution is the beginning of a tumultuous period in Marina's life. During the three year span of 1917-1919, a lot of changes occurred in Russia which is reflected in the events of Marina's life in this historical novel about this daughter of the bourgeoisie. While the circumstances of Marina's life does change throughout the novel, in many ways she's the same, wide-eyed school girl that she was when the novel began. Your enjoyment of the novel will very well depend on whether you could tolerate Marina, who often comes across as very unlikable and bratty throughout. It gets to the point that even the other characters point out how mercurial she could be when she pops in and out of the other characters' lives, especially toward the end of this very long novel. The other characters are not much more likable than Marina which makes it hard to identify with any one of the many characters that come in and out of the narrative. Fitch's research into the Russian Revolution, especially how it effected everyday Russian citizens of all classes is impeccable but those expecting a straightforward novel of the effects of the Russian Revolution from the point of a view of a bourgeois individual who gets caught up in its effects will be disappointed since as you read on this book becomes a variation of the "Perils of Pauline" as Marina gets herself into ever more absurd situations. The description of the despair faced by Russian workers and peasants due to the broken promises of the revolution is the novel's strength. That could have been the basis of a compelling novel, instead what we get is an overly long "woman in peril" novel.
karissakate's review against another edition
3.0
I absolutely loved parts of this book, but the ending was just lackluster! Fitch's writing is always a joy to read, but I found even that didn't seem as precise in the end. It was a long book and there is apparently a second installment in the works, but I think it may have been better suited as a stand alone novel with a different ending.
sarahbloomington's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This is a hard book for me to review. Like others, Fitch is one of my favorite authors and Russian history has always fascinated me. But this book was difficult to get through, and not because of the length.
My first thought is, I kept waiting for the book to get started. At around 200 pages in, I realized that this was just the book, kind of meandering and disjointed at times. I felt that Marina was a mostly believable character, especially in the first third or half. As time went on, she became less believable and less likeable. Don't get me wrong, I can enjoy unlikable characters, but Marina was mean at times. There's a lot of focus in the first half on looks, but I didn't feel like it added anything to the book. Marina thinks her best ftiend is ugly and fat, and when talking to suffering proletariat women, she focuses on a large mole on a woman's face, etc. To what end? We already know she was spoiled, but this mean streak doesn't add anything valuable, it just makes me like her less.
The twists in the book, while they helped keep my attention, quickly became unbelievable, especially the last few hundred pages. And it's not just that the twists were unrealistic, they came out of nowhere and felt like random plot devices. There were times when Marina showed signs of PTSD from some of her experiences, but this was fleeting. I didn't get the feeling that she actually, emotionally experienced some of these wild events that she went through.
Overall, this book wasn't it for me. I love Fitch's writing and appreciate her level of research for this book. (Though, it did sometimes feel like she was trying to cram in facts and names that the average reader would have a hard time following.) After 800 pages and every plot twist imagineable, it still felt like not a lot happened. That said, I'm invested in the story and just ordered the second book.
If you didn't care for this book, please don't let it deter you from reading Fitch's others, they are worlds different!
My first thought is, I kept waiting for the book to get started. At around 200 pages in, I realized that this was just the book, kind of meandering and disjointed at times. I felt that Marina was a mostly believable character, especially in the first third or half. As time went on, she became less believable and less likeable. Don't get me wrong, I can enjoy unlikable characters, but Marina was mean at times. There's a lot of focus in the first half on looks, but I didn't feel like it added anything to the book. Marina thinks her best ftiend is ugly and fat, and when talking to suffering proletariat women, she focuses on a large mole on a woman's face, etc. To what end? We already know she was spoiled, but this mean streak doesn't add anything valuable, it just makes me like her less.
The twists in the book, while they helped keep my attention, quickly became unbelievable, especially the last few hundred pages. And it's not just that the twists were unrealistic, they came out of nowhere and felt like random plot devices. There were times when Marina showed signs of PTSD from some of her experiences, but this was fleeting. I didn't get the feeling that she actually, emotionally experienced some of these wild events that she went through.
Overall, this book wasn't it for me. I love Fitch's writing and appreciate her level of research for this book. (Though, it did sometimes feel like she was trying to cram in facts and names that the average reader would have a hard time following.) After 800 pages and every plot twist imagineable, it still felt like not a lot happened. That said, I'm invested in the story and just ordered the second book.
If you didn't care for this book, please don't let it deter you from reading Fitch's others, they are worlds different!
mad_s11's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
tinyviolet's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
misty15's review against another edition
Moved very slow and I had a hard time staying interested.
nataliereads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
mfoltz's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
leahsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Just wow.
I loved everything about this book! Marina’s character was relatable and likable. She makes some really poor choices in the book, but who among us hadn’t at 16?
The Russian revolution was a period in history that was touched on briefly in school, but I had no idea how dramatic and violent it was. This book really brought that home for me. It made me realize how difficult life was in that period, and how tough Marina really was, while still retaining her humanity and her poet’s spirit.
The book moved a little slow at first, but it picked up and was well worth the time. I’m looking forward to the next book.
I loved everything about this book! Marina’s character was relatable and likable. She makes some really poor choices in the book, but who among us hadn’t at 16?
The Russian revolution was a period in history that was touched on briefly in school, but I had no idea how dramatic and violent it was. This book really brought that home for me. It made me realize how difficult life was in that period, and how tough Marina really was, while still retaining her humanity and her poet’s spirit.
The book moved a little slow at first, but it picked up and was well worth the time. I’m looking forward to the next book.
readingwithmoe's review against another edition
3.0
I would give this book a solid 3.5 stars, if it weren’t for janet fitch writing it this is probably not a book I would have picked up. I love her writing so much. I liked this book, but the length and me getting a bit lost in all the russian politics were too factors that hold me back from giving it a higher rating. I still can’t figure out if I like the main character or not, she is a bourgeoisie girl who joins the russian revolution. Midway in the book a lot of turns are taken that I didn’t see coming. I will probably read the sequel when it comes out to see where the story goes.