A review by johannalm
The Imperial Wife by Irina Reyn
3.0
The Imperial Wife, Irina Reyn
Second book I've read recently involving, to some degree, Russian Oligarchs buying art. This novel focuses on Tanya, a Russian Jewish immigrant who now heads Russian art at a famous New York auction house. Tanya is putting together a big auction which she hopes will include Catherine the Great's Order of Saint Catherine, as long as she can authenticate the piece's origin. In the meantime, her marriage to her husband, Carl the writer and professor, appears to be falling apart.
Tanya's story is told in tandem with the story of young Catherine the Great, before her marriage to pathetic Peter, up to her ultimate ascension to empress. The reader thinks the Catherine story is from Tanya's husband's novel, but that assumption may change as the story nears its ending.
There are a few big reveals in both stories and a lot of focus spent on the life styles of filthy rich oligarch, which makes this a fun summer read.
Second book I've read recently involving, to some degree, Russian Oligarchs buying art. This novel focuses on Tanya, a Russian Jewish immigrant who now heads Russian art at a famous New York auction house. Tanya is putting together a big auction which she hopes will include Catherine the Great's Order of Saint Catherine, as long as she can authenticate the piece's origin. In the meantime, her marriage to her husband, Carl the writer and professor, appears to be falling apart.
Tanya's story is told in tandem with the story of young Catherine the Great, before her marriage to pathetic Peter, up to her ultimate ascension to empress. The reader thinks the Catherine story is from Tanya's husband's novel, but that assumption may change as the story nears its ending.
There are a few big reveals in both stories and a lot of focus spent on the life styles of filthy rich oligarch, which makes this a fun summer read.