Russian Dolls

by Bronwyn Tate

Russian Dolls is a novel with a large framework - generations of the same New Zealand family back to 1868, a woman of today uncovering the tale of her maiden great aunt and a soldier in World War I. In her search, Isla finds other family stories against which her own experience since she left home stormily at the age of seventeen reverberates.
The landscape is as important in this novel as the people, taking the reader from a quiet rural valley to the trenches of war-torn Europe, and closing on a Nelson beach where 'the sea crept in and out across the sand flats' and the line between sea and sky is invisible.

244 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1999

Reviews

[Primila Moaveni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. It is a story that is familiar, but told in a unique way with unique twists of a young woman falling pregnant and then having to let go of hopes and dreams as she becomes a mum so young,her difficult relationship with her mother and broken relationships with men adds a sadness to the story. The characters in this book are very real and aspects of them so easy to relate to. i love fiction that is so well written it could very easily be a true story, the depth of emotion is there and the characters really come to life with this beautiful story telling.
It is a sad story but with humour and lovely and joyful moments throughout save it from being too sad. the Author cleverly tells two different love stories of two couples from two different generations of the same family. she seamlessly switches between the stories, with the story of the historical love having a world war 1 back drop which so accurately recounts life during the war. The story will then switch back to present day, but is never confusing and leaves you wanting to know what happens next in both stories. Such a pleasure to read and I will seek out more books from this author.