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ariems's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
utahmomreads's review against another edition
4.0
The Mirrored World by Debra Dean is the resplendent and fascinating tale of St. Xenia, a holy fool in eighteenth-century Russia. Told by Xenia's beloved cousin, the story tells of Xenia's passionate love for her husband, then her visions of tragedy followed by turning away from the material world to serve the impoverished of St. Petersburg.
Debra Dean tells this historical tale with an eye for the details of Elizabeth's eccentric court and then the paranoia that plagued Catherine the Great. I read the majority of the biography Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie earlier this year and I think my prior knowledge of the society and history in Russia helped me enjoy and understand The Mirrored World better.
Dean has an engaging style of writing that is at lyrical and luxurious. She succeeds at bringing the history of St. Petersburg to life with her eye for detail and her knowledge of the history. However, much of the story is simply told by Dasha and was lacking the passion that Xenia allegedly felt for her husband Andrei. Overall, The Mirrored World is worth the read and one that is sure to pique your interest in Russian history.
Debra Dean tells this historical tale with an eye for the details of Elizabeth's eccentric court and then the paranoia that plagued Catherine the Great. I read the majority of the biography Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie earlier this year and I think my prior knowledge of the society and history in Russia helped me enjoy and understand The Mirrored World better.
Dean has an engaging style of writing that is at lyrical and luxurious. She succeeds at bringing the history of St. Petersburg to life with her eye for detail and her knowledge of the history. However, much of the story is simply told by Dasha and was lacking the passion that Xenia allegedly felt for her husband Andrei. Overall, The Mirrored World is worth the read and one that is sure to pique your interest in Russian history.
kdurham2's review against another edition
2.0
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
A book that is narrated by Dasha, but centers around Xenia who in the middle of her life makes a drastic change and Dasha is there with a front row view. Starting from the very beginning, this short book took a quick trip through Xenia and Dasha's entire lives from a very young age through tragedy to older age.
A book that is narrated by Dasha, but centers around Xenia who in the middle of her life makes a drastic change and Dasha is there with a front row view. Starting from the very beginning, this short book took a quick trip through Xenia and Dasha's entire lives from a very young age through tragedy to older age.
bmg20's review against another edition
2.0
Expected Publication Date: August 28, 2012
The Mirrored World was kindly provided to me by Edelweiss for Harper.
Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog!
The Mirrored World tells the story of the life of Xenia, who later became the mysterious and holy figure St. Xenia of St. Petersburg. The story begins when she was a young child growing up in Russia, continues on with her marriage to Colonel Andrei Feodorovich Petrov, whom she loved terribly, and then her terrible grief after losing both her child and the love of her life. In order for her to come to terms with her grief she became a "holy fool" and devoted her life to caring for the poor.
It took me a good chunk of the book to really feel I had an understanding of what was going on. When you consider the synopsis, you would expect to be learning about the life of Xenia. Well, for a vast majority of the first part of the book you really didn't see a lot of her. The story is told by her cousin, Dasha, and I think that had a negative effect as I would have loved to have read this story from Xenia's point of view to better determine who she was. Maybe it was because of the lack of information known of Xenia's life but despite being an extremely short read still ended up being dreadfully dull at times and I struggled to finish. Definitely had potential but failed to impress in the long run.
The Mirrored World was kindly provided to me by Edelweiss for Harper.
Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog!
The Mirrored World tells the story of the life of Xenia, who later became the mysterious and holy figure St. Xenia of St. Petersburg. The story begins when she was a young child growing up in Russia, continues on with her marriage to Colonel Andrei Feodorovich Petrov, whom she loved terribly, and then her terrible grief after losing both her child and the love of her life. In order for her to come to terms with her grief she became a "holy fool" and devoted her life to caring for the poor.
It took me a good chunk of the book to really feel I had an understanding of what was going on. When you consider the synopsis, you would expect to be learning about the life of Xenia. Well, for a vast majority of the first part of the book you really didn't see a lot of her. The story is told by her cousin, Dasha, and I think that had a negative effect as I would have loved to have read this story from Xenia's point of view to better determine who she was. Maybe it was because of the lack of information known of Xenia's life but despite being an extremely short read still ended up being dreadfully dull at times and I struggled to finish. Definitely had potential but failed to impress in the long run.
moirwyn's review against another edition
5.0
For a full review, see:
http://bookswithoutanypictures.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/the-mirrored-world-by-debra-dean/
Just some brief notes here, especially since nobody's really talked about this book on Goodreads yet. I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
"The Mirrored World" tells the story of Xenia, a Russian Orthodox saint renowned for her charity to the poor. The story is told from the perspective of her cousin Dasha and recounts their entry into Petersburg society. Xenia falls in love and marries, but when a tragedy strikes she begins to descend into madness. The historical detail in this novel is wonderful, highlighting the excesses of the court while telling the story of a saint.
Highly recommended.
http://bookswithoutanypictures.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/the-mirrored-world-by-debra-dean/
Just some brief notes here, especially since nobody's really talked about this book on Goodreads yet. I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
"The Mirrored World" tells the story of Xenia, a Russian Orthodox saint renowned for her charity to the poor. The story is told from the perspective of her cousin Dasha and recounts their entry into Petersburg society. Xenia falls in love and marries, but when a tragedy strikes she begins to descend into madness. The historical detail in this novel is wonderful, highlighting the excesses of the court while telling the story of a saint.
Highly recommended.
brittwake22's review against another edition
2.0
Thought the description of the book was misleading in the fact it said it was all about St. Xenia and her life as a saint of the poor and unfortunate, however the book really focuses on her cousins outlook and her life more than i felt it portrayed Xenia.
skigirl1689's review against another edition
2.0
This was a quick read; I read it in about 3 hours. It was well written, but I found it weird that it was marketed as being about St. Xenia, a most-revered Russian saint, but it focuses on her cousin's life that intersects with Xenia's. I found the novel moved way too fast, spanning the narrator's lifetime in 256 pages. I found myself pretty lost in the first third of the novel, not sure why the cousins' childhoods were relevant to the rest of the novel.
The novel does raise the question if St. Xenia went insane after she lost her husband, feeling burdened to give the poor all of her earthly possessions for a life on the streets, or if she was inspired by God to do this. I'd like to think it was the latter, but I am not sure.
The novel does raise the question if St. Xenia went insane after she lost her husband, feeling burdened to give the poor all of her earthly possessions for a life on the streets, or if she was inspired by God to do this. I'd like to think it was the latter, but I am not sure.
lazygal's review against another edition
3.0
Prior to reading this, I knew nothing about St. Xenia (she's not a "character" in Massie's Catherine the Great), so this was my introduction to her.
As historical fiction goes, this is well done. There are enough elements to set the time and place, while the political scene is touched on lightly, with references to the King of Sweden and other foreign rulers to reinforce the timing. Because this was an ARC, I don't know if there will be more information included about the succession - it got confusing as to who ruled when (we start with Empress Anna and end with Catherine, having gone through Elizabeth and - briefly Emperor Peter II).
At first we're in the sweep of the court life, with Xenia and Daria (her cousin, through whose eyes we see the events) attending balls in order to attract husbands. Xenia marries a singer, her "nightingale", and has problems conceiving. She eventually does give birth but within a few months the daughter dies, throwing Xenia into a depression. This depression only worsens when her husband dies in a freak accident, hitting his head on some steps. She emerges from her semi-catatonic state to start playing the role of "holy fool", giving everything - even, literally, the clothes off her back - to the poor of St. Petersburg, and developing a reputation for healing and prophecy.
The role of "holy fool" in Russian Orthodox life is not going to be that easy for those unfamiliar with the religion to understand. Likewise the role of serfs in the daily life of upper class Russians. Little Russia is mentioned, but I didn't know it was Ukraine until I looked it up. And then there's Gaspari, clearly a castrati but not named as such (he's called a musico, which may not have the same meaning to readers) Again, these things may be covered in additional material in the final book.
What will stay with me is the overwhelming sense of loss that Xenia feels, and how that loss turns to a holy madness.
ARC provided by publisher.
As historical fiction goes, this is well done. There are enough elements to set the time and place, while the political scene is touched on lightly, with references to the King of Sweden and other foreign rulers to reinforce the timing. Because this was an ARC, I don't know if there will be more information included about the succession - it got confusing as to who ruled when (we start with Empress Anna and end with Catherine, having gone through Elizabeth and - briefly Emperor Peter II).
At first we're in the sweep of the court life, with Xenia and Daria (her cousin, through whose eyes we see the events) attending balls in order to attract husbands. Xenia marries a singer, her "nightingale", and has problems conceiving. She eventually does give birth but within a few months the daughter dies, throwing Xenia into a depression. This depression only worsens when her husband dies in a freak accident, hitting his head on some steps. She emerges from her semi-catatonic state to start playing the role of "holy fool", giving everything - even, literally, the clothes off her back - to the poor of St. Petersburg, and developing a reputation for healing and prophecy.
The role of "holy fool" in Russian Orthodox life is not going to be that easy for those unfamiliar with the religion to understand. Likewise the role of serfs in the daily life of upper class Russians. Little Russia is mentioned, but I didn't know it was Ukraine until I looked it up. And then there's Gaspari, clearly a castrati but not named as such (he's called a musico, which may not have the same meaning to readers) Again, these things may be covered in additional material in the final book.
What will stay with me is the overwhelming sense of loss that Xenia feels, and how that loss turns to a holy madness.
ARC provided by publisher.
libkatem's review against another edition
3.0
I don't know that much about Orthodox saints, and I had never heard of St. Xenia, but the period of time in which she lived... I am very familiar. It's pretty much the rise and rule of Catherine the Great. This time period is told through the eyes of Xenia's cousin, Dasha. What this book contains is a look at Russian life just outside the Court, a glimpse at what faith and mental illness might mean in 18th century St Petersburg.
I didn't find this to be as strong as The Madonnas of Leningrad but there is a quiet sort of urgency that compels the reader from beginning to end.
I didn't find this to be as strong as The Madonnas of Leningrad but there is a quiet sort of urgency that compels the reader from beginning to end.
diannel_04's review against another edition
5.0
Rich and spoiled Xenia has everything she could want in life and more. When her beloved husband dies in freak accident she gives up all her worldly possessions to the poor. After giving her house to her cousin, the story's narrator, she goes to live with them as well. There she becomes what is known as a holy fool, a transient blessed with the second sight.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.