Leslie Zemeckis's Blog - Posts Tagged "russian"

Just finished a compelling book entitled "Former People". It is thoroughly researched yet fascinating and personal about what happened to the aristocracy with the fall of Russia's Tsarists system a.. through Lenin and Stalin. The violence and random brutality these families were subject to is heartbreaking. The "Russian spirit" and the love for land and Russia sometimes was the only thing that kept these people going. I would recommend this to historians and lovers of compelling dramas.

Barely finding time to read Douglas Smith's The Pearl - about a forbidden love between serf and master in pre-revolutionary Russia. His "Former People" was an amazing book and this is sort of the precursor to it. In visiting one fabulously wealthy aristocrat! Can't wait to see how it ends

Book two in the trilogy series by master author Ken Follett. A monster of a book (I liked part one better)I was engaged and then I wasn't. Where I cannot fault his writing and storytelling some parts absolutely riveting and surprising (I hate when bad things happen to main characters - and I LOVE it.) but a lot of it was dull information about Soviets and nuclear bombs - and politics - necessary but the most boring parts. I could only recommend this hefty doorstop if one really wanted to settle into a book for quite sometime.
If so pour the following Freedom Martini:
3 cups good cold gin
1/2 c. vermouth
3 T. lemon, throw in a little zest for fun
shake with ice, pour and hope you make it past the Nazi torture bits in one piece.