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Ice Road
Irina Davydovna is a cleaner. She has no time for politics or even for that matter, 'rules and rulers may come and go, but dirt never changes.' Boris Aleksandrovich is a revolutionary. He thinks he understands power. But this is Leningrad in 1933 and Stalin is about to turn against their city. When the life of his beloved daughter Natasha is threatened and his old friend Anton saves a skinny little orphan he finds on a Moscow train, Boris' faith in his ideals are put to the test. While Irina, watching it all, must learn the power of loyalty and love.
'Powerful and moving, Ice Road is a novel whose epic scope never obscures the individual lives that are lived in the shadow of great events. I shall never forget Natasha and Kolya's love story . . . or Irina, whose sturdy self respect and determination to survive, seems, at times, to speak for an entire people. Gillian Slovo excels in depicting complex human beings, full of passion, love, ambition, self-interest, who are caught up in their country's history and swept along by it.' Pat Barker
'Powerful and moving, Ice Road is a novel whose epic scope never obscures the individual lives that are lived in the shadow of great events. I shall never forget Natasha and Kolya's love story . . . or Irina, whose sturdy self respect and determination to survive, seems, at times, to speak for an entire people. Gillian Slovo excels in depicting complex human beings, full of passion, love, ambition, self-interest, who are caught up in their country's history and swept along by it.' Pat Barker
544 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
24 people are currently reading
1546 people want to read
About the author
Gillian Slovo
38 books48 followersNovelist Gillian Slovo was born in 1952 in South Africa, the daughter of Joe Slovo, leader of the South African Communist party, and Ruth First, a journalist who was murdered in 1982.
Gillian Slovo has lived in England since 1964, working as a writer, journalist and film producer. Her first novel, Morbid Symptoms (1984), began a series of crime fiction featuring female detective Kate Baeier. Other novels in the series include Death by Analysis (1986), Death Comes Staccato (1987), Catnap (1994) and Close Call (1995). Her other novels include Ties of Blood (1989), The Betrayal (1991) and Red Dust (2000), a courtroom drama set in contemporary South Africa, which explores the effects of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Gillian Slovo has lived in England since 1964, working as a writer, journalist and film producer. Her first novel, Morbid Symptoms (1984), began a series of crime fiction featuring female detective Kate Baeier. Other novels in the series include Death by Analysis (1986), Death Comes Staccato (1987), Catnap (1994) and Close Call (1995). Her other novels include Ties of Blood (1989), The Betrayal (1991) and Red Dust (2000), a courtroom drama set in contemporary South Africa, which explores the effects of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
July 6, 2018
Book set almost entirely in Leningrad (although at the start of the book one character – Irina a cleaner – is on a Soviet steamship attempting an arctic expedition and which gets trapped and eventually sunk by ice) in three main eras: the early-mid 1930s up to the murder of the Party Head in the City; an interlude in the later 1930s when one of the characters is arrested in a purge for anti-communist statements and eventually executed; the declaration of war and the horrors of the German siege.
The book (interestingly like The Siege) is all set in the present tense – but has multi narrators mostly third person except Irina who narrates in the first person and is perhaps the only character we really fully understand their motivations.
An enjoyable book – powerful in many ways and sweeping in covering many themes: the gradual turning of revolutionaries into functionaries and the need to actually govern the state they have established; the growing sense of paranoia, betrayal and compromise; the Soviet re-writing and politicisation of history; the terror of the NVKD arrests, imprisonments and executions and the subsequent ostracisation of the executed’s family; the terrors of the siege and the effects of cold and hunger.
However also a flawed one – many of the sections (especially the ice ship and the murder scenes) seem superfluous to the main plot and contribute to the length and disjointedness of the plot; Irina turns from a simple cleaner to the all knowing glue that holds everyone together and whose thoughts are often expressed in complex literary ways; Anya never really seems to develop as much as the passage of time would surely permit
The book (interestingly like The Siege) is all set in the present tense – but has multi narrators mostly third person except Irina who narrates in the first person and is perhaps the only character we really fully understand their motivations.
An enjoyable book – powerful in many ways and sweeping in covering many themes: the gradual turning of revolutionaries into functionaries and the need to actually govern the state they have established; the growing sense of paranoia, betrayal and compromise; the Soviet re-writing and politicisation of history; the terror of the NVKD arrests, imprisonments and executions and the subsequent ostracisation of the executed’s family; the terrors of the siege and the effects of cold and hunger.
However also a flawed one – many of the sections (especially the ice ship and the murder scenes) seem superfluous to the main plot and contribute to the length and disjointedness of the plot; Irina turns from a simple cleaner to the all knowing glue that holds everyone together and whose thoughts are often expressed in complex literary ways; Anya never really seems to develop as much as the passage of time would surely permit
August 30, 2007
A chance purchase from Readings that turned out to be actually quite good. The narrative spans across almost a decade and the reader must maintain a more than elementary interest in pre-war Russian history to digest all of the details.
However, this is a character driven novel and Slovo makes the most of her insight in to the human mind with each characters she weaves in to the story. The characters don't come from the story, the stories come from them; they are gritty, funny, ugly yet fragile at the same time. Even though I have not read any of her other works, I extremely enjoyed Slovo's wordplay.
However, this is a character driven novel and Slovo makes the most of her insight in to the human mind with each characters she weaves in to the story. The characters don't come from the story, the stories come from them; they are gritty, funny, ugly yet fragile at the same time. Even though I have not read any of her other works, I extremely enjoyed Slovo's wordplay.
October 2, 2012
This is a beautiful book that I heartily recommend. I am very interested in Russian history over the Stalin years and this novel brought the whole period vividly to life for me. Read it and weep!
November 27, 2011
I was very affected by this book. It was surprisingly well researched, but I was also very impressed by how the pain and suffering of generation under Stalin came out so vividly in the human stories. The characters will haunt you long after you are done with the book. And had I mention how well researched it was? This is part of my culture and history, so I do know. Funny, I dont know if the writer intended that, but one of the main characters Natasha felt as if she was in a sense inspired by the journey of Natasha Rostova from War and Piece, but boy what a difference the century made :(
April 7, 2025
Review published in the New Zealand Herald, 15 May 2004
"Chill creeps through Russian tale"
Ice Road
Gillian Slovo
(Little, Brown)
Reviewed by Philippa Jamieson
Somewhere in the Arctic, 1933. The Chelyuskin is on a scientific and patriotic mission through polar waters from the Soviet Union's west to its far east, but the forces of nature are too great, and the ship becomes ice-bound. There is nothing its crew can do but wait for help to arrive. On board is Irina Davydovna, a cleaner of humble origins. Facing death on the voyage gives her the courage to leave her husband and change the course of her life.
Leningrad, 1933. Boris Aleksandrovich and his wife Lina are contemplating the prospect of their daughter Natasha coming of age and marrying. Boris' friend Anton Antonovich finds an orphaned street urchin and adopts her. Boris, who met Irina by chance (in a broom cupboard!), suggests she join Anton and the child as a housekeeper.
Two families. The first is privileged by virtue of Boris' career in the political elite, although as they discover, no-one is immune to the cruelty of Stalin's régime, and to seek justice could put others in jeopardy. Light, laughing Natasha becomes clouded by a dull hatred.
The second family is an unorthodox and apparently mismatched trio: the historian Anton, under pressure to rewrite history; street kid Anya, used to making herself invisible, unwilling to let anyone through her protective emotional barrier; and Irina, an astute observer of human character.
Almost another character in its own right is the ever-present cold, familiar and bleak, an acquaintance you can't shake off as it seeps into the bones.
Stalin's rule begins to sour, at first insidiously, then blatantly, without any apparent rhyme or reason. People are arrested and shot for being traitors, or they simply disappear. The grand themes of the time are mirrored in microcosm in the characters' lives: love, loyalty and patriotism are weighed down by betrayal, a gradual breakdown of trust, cruelty and despair. The war years bring further trials to an already broken people.
From the outset this novel pulled me along with its undertow. Gillian Slovo has a gift for painting a human story against the backdrop of a disturbing period of history. In Ice Road she has ably conveyed a Russian sensibility: passion and sadness, resignation and determination.
Although sombre, this is powerful writing that touches the core of human nature with honesty and compassion. Highly recommended.
"Chill creeps through Russian tale"
Ice Road
Gillian Slovo
(Little, Brown)
Reviewed by Philippa Jamieson
Somewhere in the Arctic, 1933. The Chelyuskin is on a scientific and patriotic mission through polar waters from the Soviet Union's west to its far east, but the forces of nature are too great, and the ship becomes ice-bound. There is nothing its crew can do but wait for help to arrive. On board is Irina Davydovna, a cleaner of humble origins. Facing death on the voyage gives her the courage to leave her husband and change the course of her life.
Leningrad, 1933. Boris Aleksandrovich and his wife Lina are contemplating the prospect of their daughter Natasha coming of age and marrying. Boris' friend Anton Antonovich finds an orphaned street urchin and adopts her. Boris, who met Irina by chance (in a broom cupboard!), suggests she join Anton and the child as a housekeeper.
Two families. The first is privileged by virtue of Boris' career in the political elite, although as they discover, no-one is immune to the cruelty of Stalin's régime, and to seek justice could put others in jeopardy. Light, laughing Natasha becomes clouded by a dull hatred.
The second family is an unorthodox and apparently mismatched trio: the historian Anton, under pressure to rewrite history; street kid Anya, used to making herself invisible, unwilling to let anyone through her protective emotional barrier; and Irina, an astute observer of human character.
Almost another character in its own right is the ever-present cold, familiar and bleak, an acquaintance you can't shake off as it seeps into the bones.
Stalin's rule begins to sour, at first insidiously, then blatantly, without any apparent rhyme or reason. People are arrested and shot for being traitors, or they simply disappear. The grand themes of the time are mirrored in microcosm in the characters' lives: love, loyalty and patriotism are weighed down by betrayal, a gradual breakdown of trust, cruelty and despair. The war years bring further trials to an already broken people.
From the outset this novel pulled me along with its undertow. Gillian Slovo has a gift for painting a human story against the backdrop of a disturbing period of history. In Ice Road she has ably conveyed a Russian sensibility: passion and sadness, resignation and determination.
Although sombre, this is powerful writing that touches the core of human nature with honesty and compassion. Highly recommended.
April 25, 2016
This is a wonderful tale of interlinked lives building up the the German invasion and siege of Leningrad just before the war.
The pillar of the story is a cleaning lady, Ira. The book begins with Ira's story as she is 'selected' to be part of a crew of a foolhardy boat heading up to the Arctic as winter begins.
The cold plays a significant role throughout, but it is only as the Germans arrive at the edge of town that the story really comes to strength. The last section is very special and Slovo gives the reader a real insight into the extreme hardships of that time.
The pillar of the story is a cleaning lady, Ira. The book begins with Ira's story as she is 'selected' to be part of a crew of a foolhardy boat heading up to the Arctic as winter begins.
The cold plays a significant role throughout, but it is only as the Germans arrive at the edge of town that the story really comes to strength. The last section is very special and Slovo gives the reader a real insight into the extreme hardships of that time.
March 20, 2021
Brilliant book
This is the second time I’ve read this book and enjoyed it as much as the first time.
Set mostly in Leningrad during the war and siege, with interesting and likeable characters. The book drew me in more and more as I read on and the end certainly didn’t disappoint as so many do. Recommended.
This is the second time I’ve read this book and enjoyed it as much as the first time.
Set mostly in Leningrad during the war and siege, with interesting and likeable characters. The book drew me in more and more as I read on and the end certainly didn’t disappoint as so many do. Recommended.
October 22, 2022
I would have given ten stars if I could. I did not know much about this part of the world and what a history lesson this was but not only that a lesson on human resilience, friendship and love.
February 15, 2020
This is a really slow book spanning many years, but it works for this story. I love the details of life in Soviet Russia and felt the pain of those enduring the siege of Leningrad.
November 22, 2010
Leningrad is in the grip of winter. Winter with a capitol W. In The Ice Road, by Gillain Slovo it is always winter. The winter of 1933 brings more than the usual grumblings about food and fuel shortages, politics in whats left of the revolution's aftermath and what your neighbor might possibly be up to. When the city's feared and respected leader, Kirov is assassinated, the already vicious and corrupt Stalin government spins out of control. Over the course of the next ten years, perpetual outsider Irina views this, a disastrous expedition to the Arctic and then still more winter, the Siege of Leningrad. She also watches the fate of the Aleksandrovich family. Upper middle class and as safe as anyone can be in this Russia the Aleksandrovich family and their friends have little choice but to do anything to survive.
Slovo's mastery of these historical events is striking. She has recreated a world where the weight of the cold is a feather compared to that of the oppressive government. The heartfelt rendering of the lives of the ordinary people that she constructs makes this novel powerful and harrowing. The everyday minutia of life, the struggle to survive in so inhospitable a season and regime is perfectly captured. Irina is a wonderfully fearsome character. It is her forceful voice in The Ice Road that Slovo uses most effectively to move through the lost souls of idealism to the brutal power grabbing kingpins who finally inherited the revolution.
Slovo's mastery of these historical events is striking. She has recreated a world where the weight of the cold is a feather compared to that of the oppressive government. The heartfelt rendering of the lives of the ordinary people that she constructs makes this novel powerful and harrowing. The everyday minutia of life, the struggle to survive in so inhospitable a season and regime is perfectly captured. Irina is a wonderfully fearsome character. It is her forceful voice in The Ice Road that Slovo uses most effectively to move through the lost souls of idealism to the brutal power grabbing kingpins who finally inherited the revolution.
December 6, 2018
The book is set in a specific time and place in history, Leningrad from 1933 to 1943. It starts with Hitler taking power in Germany and Stalin making himself all powerful in the USSR, then ends with the siege and evacuation of civilians over the Ice Road.
I think Gillian Slovo is more focused on Stalin's betrayal of the revolution than Stalin himself, which as the daughter of communists is understandable. She has former revolutionaries either dying with love for the country and the communist ideals on their lips, or compromising to the extent that they lose themselves, and new post-revolutionary citizens unable to understand what has gone wrong. It is taken as read by most characters that the revolution and the Lenin era were an improvement on the time before.
It is mainly a character driven novel, although the setting is important, and there are some great characters. My favourites were Irina and Boris, but all of the major ones are well written. (There are also several minor ones.) There is a nod to Tolstoy in the person of Natasha and perhaps Kolya standing in for the saintly peasant in a new era.
I think Gillian Slovo is more focused on Stalin's betrayal of the revolution than Stalin himself, which as the daughter of communists is understandable. She has former revolutionaries either dying with love for the country and the communist ideals on their lips, or compromising to the extent that they lose themselves, and new post-revolutionary citizens unable to understand what has gone wrong. It is taken as read by most characters that the revolution and the Lenin era were an improvement on the time before.
It is mainly a character driven novel, although the setting is important, and there are some great characters. My favourites were Irina and Boris, but all of the major ones are well written. (There are also several minor ones.) There is a nod to Tolstoy in the person of Natasha and perhaps Kolya standing in for the saintly peasant in a new era.
January 18, 2017
I stuttered through the beginning of this novel. 1930s Soviet Russia is told in the present tense giving a wholly different perspective on snatches of history with which I thought I had some familiarity. The snatches start with the voyage of The Chelyuskin to the Arctic, setting up the whole book with its background of ice, struggle and the Russian "soul". 1933 then progresses through the Stalin purges and leaves us still in the present, toward the end of the siege of Leningrad.
We follow a series of entwined characters through these years. They all have a different take on politics, idealism, motivations and consequences and we watch their "small" lives contort in front of the changing times and climate of fear.
I found the curious structure of the book accessible and a way of digesting the tragedy of idealism.
Not the easiest of reads yet not the easiset of times. Think this will sit with me for some time to come.
We follow a series of entwined characters through these years. They all have a different take on politics, idealism, motivations and consequences and we watch their "small" lives contort in front of the changing times and climate of fear.
I found the curious structure of the book accessible and a way of digesting the tragedy of idealism.
Not the easiest of reads yet not the easiset of times. Think this will sit with me for some time to come.
September 11, 2014
The story of Leningrad between 1917 and 1942, told through the eyes of three women, Irina, Natasha, Anya - telling of the purge's of Stalin which left the Soviet Union open to the devastation of the Nazis, and the will to live and survive the blockade of Leningrad. Coloured the history of the City in the blood and the ice of the terrible times with a soft compassion for the wonder of life, "finally seeing the world not as something to be moulded and improved, but as it is, in all its splendour." I spent a week there in 89 and felt the history overwhelm me, this book showed me why. Transforming to read, even now. For anyone who wants to feel the stories of those hard times brought sensitively to life, this is a great read. An epic must read for anyone with a passing interest in the history of the Soviet Union.
April 15, 2018
It is a topic that is supposed to interest me. The premise of the book is intriguing and extremely promising. However, I am not sure that the author has managed to capture the spirit of this excruciating time. The main characters have Russian names, but they are not believable. They could be placed pretty much anywhere, and none of them could create any sense of warmth. Although I read about the emotions they were experiencing in some detail, they came across as flat and emotionless.
Overall, I struggled with this novel not because of the historical context, but because of how little the storyline and characters could hold my attention. Other authors may provide a better perspective on this era, perhaps someone like Rybakov.
Overall, I struggled with this novel not because of the historical context, but because of how little the storyline and characters could hold my attention. Other authors may provide a better perspective on this era, perhaps someone like Rybakov.
April 30, 2009
Books are so interesting when they are from a time and culture not familiar to one. This particular story takes place during the siege of Leningrad during WWII. The characters are very human and we start with Natasha young and in love and where her life goes from there. Unfortunately that happy time doesn't last but she does find life worth living for she has a young daughter counting on her.
There are various other characters in the book, all with their own stories. I enjoyed the book very much and it was full of history that was interesting.
There are various other characters in the book, all with their own stories. I enjoyed the book very much and it was full of history that was interesting.
February 2, 2011
I really enjoyed this book. Set during a period of Russian History that I suspect most of us know little about - pre WWII - it shows the struggle of a family and a country. Beautiful, and painful and sad, but also uplifting. This is not a happy story, but is a compelling one. Read with one of my reading groups and it instigated one of our most wide-ranging and earnest discussions about life and the fate of individuals and countries.
July 13, 2014
A tale of intertwining stories set in Leningrad of the 1930s and 1940s. While the siege of Leningrad is significant in the later part of the novel, much of the story concerns the Stalinist purges of the 1930s and their repercussions on the lives of the characters. Very good reading, recommended for anyone interested in Soviet Russia.
February 4, 2016
This book was intriguing in that it relates the psychological disillusionment that Russians slowly developed toward Stalin and his regime. The tense political rivalries and purges are clearly portrayed. The novel closes with the brutal Siege of Leningrad and the citizens intent to survive. Very well done.
January 21, 2018
I loved the writing style of this book as the author seamlessly moved from third to first present tense. It wasn't jarring at all. I was just a little bit disappointed about the end. There were some characters I hoped to have a different and happier ending, as well as some I believed, should have had more of a plot in the book. All in all a good read I would recommend.
May 10, 2009
A wonderful powerful saga about Russia through the Revolution and into the hardships of WWII as seen through the eyes of a varied cast of characters. I enjoyed this book very much and it was a good insight into the politics of the times.
October 12, 2016
A beautifully written true "Russian classic" - it's cold... life's a b*tch... everyone dies... get over it... Loved it! Time to re-read the Russian classics from high school that I couldn't be bothered with back then. :)
June 24, 2019
Stories about how culture and politics organise human lives
I really enjoyed the way the author has tapped into real events to bring the quality of human resilience, humanity and adversity into the forefront.
I really enjoyed the way the author has tapped into real events to bring the quality of human resilience, humanity and adversity into the forefront.
June 8, 2009
This book has it all really. I really enjoyed the relationships in the story, how they evolved and came to be. The struggle of war-time paces through this book, giving it grit and honesty.
December 30, 2012
lovely tale featuring big historical events but told from a small story perspective
August 14, 2013
Life through the purges & war of Stalin's Russia through the eyes of 2 women. Brilliant. Almost a Russian Thomas Hardy, but with a hint of hope that perhaps never existed under Communism.
July 7, 2016
Fully lived up to the hype. Very powerful.
March 10, 2020
The unfortunate impact of communism on individual lives, relationships, and communities.
April 24, 2021
Wonderful book. The siege if Leningrad and everything that came before, after the Revolution. No glorification of the Communist state, but of the will to survive.
October 7, 2023
Best book, I’ve read in a long time!
July 19, 2023
This is the first book I've read by Slovo, and on the last page, I found myself looking back to see what else she's written, so I'm sure it won't be the last. The research for the Siege of Leningrad was done so well--not only the dates and specific details, but also the mind set of the Russian people going through it and how they tried to keep themselves safe from suspicion by adjusting their speech, thoughts and body movements to that end. It was a slow paced book of over 500 pages. The weather was a character all on its own, and like the politics, required special survival skills. Overall, it was a beautiful novel about a brutal time in history and I'm glad I happened upon it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews