The Longest Winter

by Daphne Wright

Russia, Christmas 1916, the eve of Revolution: dark-eyed, beautiful Evelyn Markham has arrived from England to stay in Petrograd with her cousins, the Suvarovs. Outwardly aloof, inwardly desperately vulnerable, Evelyn is tormented by Petrograd society's hedonistic disregard of the great war that is destroying Europe and by the memory of her fiance John, missing in the trenches. Aware of the tensions seething beneath the opulence of her new life, Evelyn is disturbed by the political squabbles of her student cousins Piotr and Georgii, and particularly fears the revolutionary activites she thinks are encouraged by their disagreeable friend Bob Adamson, an American journalist. Only their handsome cousing, Segei Voroshilov, on leave from the front, seems to comprehend her pain.

Then Revolution comes, and life can never be the same again. As chaos overwhelms Petrograd, the Suvarovs are forced to flee to Shenkursk, near Archangel in the frozen, twilit north. There, in the bitter turmoil of civil war, Evelyn is faced with the grim reality of suffering as she nurses the tropps; forced to shake off convention, she begins to question her values...and her judgement of the people around her.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Russia

308 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Daphne Wright is a historical novelist with a special interest in the way wars have liberated women. Born in London, she worked in publishing for ten years before becoming a writer. After six historical novels, she turned to crime under the pseudonym of Natasha Cooper. She now divides her time between the city and the Somerset Levels.

Reviews

[Dorcas · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 Stars

IN A NUTSHELL :
A young woman mourning the loss of her MIA fiancee travels to Russia to stay with her father's cousins, in order to be closer to where the fighting is in hopes of getting word of John and to be close if he is found.

Meanwhile, things are heating up in Russia between the White Russians and the Reds, tearing families apart and blurring loyalties. Petrograd; at one time a "safe retreat " for the well heeled has become a cauldron of terror as brother rises up against brother and the pampered are forced to flee.
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This could have been a higher star rating if it wasn't so darn depressing. Knowing the subject matter going in I knew it wasn't going to be Pollyanna but still I would have liked to see a bit more happiness scattered about somewhere.

Evelyn, the heroine, started out pretty cookie cutter but over the course of the book grew to be a more likeable character. I really liked Nikolai, Evelyn's uncle. He was like a Russian bear, kindly and discerning in his own quiet observant way, by far my favorite character in the book; I loved him.

There's also an interesting intertwining story of twins with opposing political viewpoints that revisits the family through the generations which I found both intriguing and comforting if you can somehow view the former as prophetic of the latter.

There's a running theme in this book and it is: Never judge on face value. Things are never all they seem to be. Live and learn. (And that's not as easy as it sounds) .

As for the setting, its cold and dark. Did I say dark? Oh! And cold, too. But I will say this: I would love to be there in the Spring when the river ice breaks up.

CONTENT:

SEX : Fade to black (one instance) and someone is propositioned by a group of drunk soldiers.
PROFANITY: Brief strong language. (one F) Otherwise, mostly D's and B 's
VIOLENCE: None firsthand but there are reports of war violence on the part of whites and reds.

MY RATING: PG-13

[Misfit · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Neither side in this struggle has a monopoly on cruelty-or on justification."

Petrograd, 1916. The Great War continues on and revolution is in the air. Grieving over the presumed deaths of both her fiancé and brother, Evelyn Markham has come to stay with her uncle and cousins, the Suvarovs. I think everyone knows what happens next, and as much as Evelyn would like to get back to England and safety, there's no way out at the moment and stays with the Suvarovs when they head to the relative safety in the far north. Safety being a relative term, mind you, because things are seething up there as well with the White movement in full swing and the Western allies set on helping them.

The jacket blurb at Goodreads pretty much recaps it all nicely, and I've just wasted an hour trying to say it differently so I give up trying. I have better things to do today ;)

This was a good solid read, and focused on a bit of Russian history we don't find often in historical novels. While I wouldn't call Evelyn a self-centered miss, she did have a lot of growing up to do in this novel, especially when she and the younger Suvarovs retreat to Archangel (Arkhangelsk) to wait out the winter in hopes of catching a ship to England. I also liked watching the developing relationship between Evelyn and American reporter Bob Adamson, who she loathed from the start (he was somewhat supportive of the early revolutionaries). Loved it when the blinders finally fell off and she realized what a treasure she had.

And what did I end up taking away with me upon finishing? No matter what side of the *party* you are on, War. Is. Hell.

[Luminita Szen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am very grateful to have seen this book recommended by the few others listed here on GR.This is a jem of a book! The subject of it is very grim ,describing WWI and the start of the russian revolution.Evelyn Markham travels to Russia to stay with his father's cousins,after her fiancé is reported missing in a battle. She is fourcefully removed from her sheltered day to day living with her relatives,the wealthy Surinovs,as the bolshevik revolution starts.The Surinovs have to flee their home in Petrograd (St. Petersburg),loosing their house and bussiness. The family is thorn also by the different allegiances that Piotr and his twim brother (Evelyn's cousins) make,one suporting the reds and the other the whites.Also thrown in the tumultuous events is the american journalist Robert Adamson,reporting on the events in Russia.
He and Evelyn have very different life views,often quarell and can't stand each other. They both develop and evolve throughout the story,exposed to horrid trauma and forced to alter their way of life and their life beliefs. A very slow burn love story evolves.They suffer a lot before they can at last find peace and happiness.
I also loved Evelyn's uncle Nikki,who they meet in a small village near Arkhangelsk,where they live after fleeing Petrograd.

In conclusion,read this novel if you can,it is a well written story(very grim though) worth your time.

[M Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is very good, BUT it takes a long time to get into it.
This is more an exploration of developing characters, partially the main fem lead: the romance between her and her paramour is slow and initially from a place of animosity and how their characters develop in response to the events of the early Russian Revolution. In regards to the revolution, it's surprising balanced: the rationale of both sides are examined but, more impressively, the effect of both sides' action is incorporated into the story, e.g. while the "lower" classes are empowered, it means that the servants become snobby to neglectful and there are raids by the Bolsheviks to the homes of the nobles that leave them on the verge of starving.
Tl;dr: Its more about the psychology, emotion and effect on the characters rather than the action of the plot, rather than glorified action.