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The Mirrored World
The critically acclaimed author of The Madonnas of Leningrad (“Elegant and poetic, the rare kind of book that you want to keep but you have to share” —Isabel Allende), Debra Dean returns with The Mirrored World, a breathtaking novel of love and madness set in 18th century Russia. Transporting readers to St. Petersburg during the reign of Catherine the Great, Dean brilliantly reconstructs and reimagines the life of St. Xenia, one of Russia’s most revered and mysterious holy figures, in a richly told and thought-provoking work of historical fiction that recounts the unlikely transformation of a young girl, a child of privilege, into a saint beloved by the poor.
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 28, 2012
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2458 people want to read
About the author
Debra Dean
11 books126 followersDebra Dean is the bestselling author of four critically acclaimed books that have been published in twenty-two languages. Her debut novel, THE MADONNAS OF LENINGRAD, was a New York Times Editors’ Choice, a #1 Booksense Pick, a Booklist Top Ten Novel, and an American Library Association Notable Book of the Year. Her newest book is HIDDEN TAPESTRY: JAN YOORS, HIS TWO WIVES, AND THE WAR THAT MADE THEM ONE.
A native of Seattle, Debra lives in Miami and teaches at Florida International University. She loves to talk with book groups. You can find her at https://www.debradean.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/debradeanauthor.
A native of Seattle, Debra lives in Miami and teaches at Florida International University. She loves to talk with book groups. You can find her at https://www.debradean.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/debradeanauthor.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 274 reviews
July 4, 2012
The Mirrored World is a very brief novel of St. Xenia of Russia. The narrator is Xenia's cousin, and through eyes we see a young Xenia wed to Colonel Andrey Fyodorovich Petrov. The marriage is a solid one, but tragedy strikes and Xenia's method of coping with it lead her to become a "holy fool", wandering the streets of St. Petersburg in her husband's old uniform.
OK, interesting subject matter, lyrical writing, nice sense of place and time (love the Russian setting); but in the end this one just didn't capture my interest. Perhaps it was the POV of the cousin that didn't work well, I would have liked to have been inside Xenia's head and found out what made her tick - must have been a lot of pain going on inside her head. I would have liked seeing the underbelly of St. Petersburg through her eyes as well while she was living in the gutters. Oh well, that's just me on the outside looking in again, I see others are loving this to bits. A good read, nothing earth-shattering, and at just over 200 pages with generous font and spacing, one that can be banged out in a matter of hours.
OK, interesting subject matter, lyrical writing, nice sense of place and time (love the Russian setting); but in the end this one just didn't capture my interest. Perhaps it was the POV of the cousin that didn't work well, I would have liked to have been inside Xenia's head and found out what made her tick - must have been a lot of pain going on inside her head. I would have liked seeing the underbelly of St. Petersburg through her eyes as well while she was living in the gutters. Oh well, that's just me on the outside looking in again, I see others are loving this to bits. A good read, nothing earth-shattering, and at just over 200 pages with generous font and spacing, one that can be banged out in a matter of hours.
July 29, 2013
I suspect this shall be one of those reviews that sounds like I didn't like the book, but I did for the most part, so make note of that. Debra Dean writes beautifully, and I never found my attention waning from The Mirrored World. However, the story really lacked any sort of emotional impact or connection, largely because of the over-brisk pacing and dull main character.
Let me start, however, with what kept The Mirrored World a positive read for me. For one thing, I am hugely into anything about Russia or the Soviet Union, thus my interest in Dean's novel. There's something about Russia I find so captivating, and I suspect that has to do with the wide divide between the serfs and the upper classes. The pomposity of the events and the exhibitionism of the tsars and tsarinas is astounding. Dean delves into the excesses of the reins of Elizabeth, Peter III, and Catherine the Great. Throughout are such historical goodies as a party where Elizabeth ordered everyone to crossdress or the way she married off people for her own entertainment. I was definitely in it for the historical pageantry, and that was enough to get me through.
Unfortunately, the pace moves so quickly through time that much of history is glossed over, like watching decades of Russian history pass by from a bullet train. The Mirrored World clocks in at just over 200 pages, and it could have been much longer. In those pages, Dean takes Dasha from a child to an old woman, which gives you a sense of how quickly the pace goes. Brevity may be the soul of wit, but this novel is not a humorous one and meaning was obscured in the rush to the finish.
Dasha, however, is the biggest obstacle. She has almost no personality, and is more an observer of the people around her than anything. Of course, the people around her are interesting, but I kept expecting their to be a purpose to her, for her to learn something or do something in the course of the narrative, but she only ever reflected the values of those around her, particularly Xenia, though for a while she reflects her eunuch husband, who was definitely my favorite character.
More than anything, The Mirrored World is a tale of Dasha mirroring Xenia's life. She follows the lively Xenia everywhere, going to live with Xenia and her husband after the marriage. When Xenia tells Dasha to wed Gaspari, Dasha does. As Xenia becomes a holy fool, Dasha turns more and more to charity, even with the prospect of bankrupting herself in the process, as Xenia did before her. Their dynamic baffled me, and is perhaps a bit alien to our culture.
While a prettily-written novel, The Mirrored World failed to captivate me, skimming on the surface of history, rather than really diving in to where the feelings and the meaning reside. I liked it, but couldn't help comparing it to another book I enjoyed more set in the exact same time period, The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak. By no means will this experience with Debra Dean be my last, but I do hope for a bit more from The Madonnas of Leningrad.
Let me start, however, with what kept The Mirrored World a positive read for me. For one thing, I am hugely into anything about Russia or the Soviet Union, thus my interest in Dean's novel. There's something about Russia I find so captivating, and I suspect that has to do with the wide divide between the serfs and the upper classes. The pomposity of the events and the exhibitionism of the tsars and tsarinas is astounding. Dean delves into the excesses of the reins of Elizabeth, Peter III, and Catherine the Great. Throughout are such historical goodies as a party where Elizabeth ordered everyone to crossdress or the way she married off people for her own entertainment. I was definitely in it for the historical pageantry, and that was enough to get me through.
Unfortunately, the pace moves so quickly through time that much of history is glossed over, like watching decades of Russian history pass by from a bullet train. The Mirrored World clocks in at just over 200 pages, and it could have been much longer. In those pages, Dean takes Dasha from a child to an old woman, which gives you a sense of how quickly the pace goes. Brevity may be the soul of wit, but this novel is not a humorous one and meaning was obscured in the rush to the finish.
Dasha, however, is the biggest obstacle. She has almost no personality, and is more an observer of the people around her than anything. Of course, the people around her are interesting, but I kept expecting their to be a purpose to her, for her to learn something or do something in the course of the narrative, but she only ever reflected the values of those around her, particularly Xenia, though for a while she reflects her eunuch husband, who was definitely my favorite character.
More than anything, The Mirrored World is a tale of Dasha mirroring Xenia's life. She follows the lively Xenia everywhere, going to live with Xenia and her husband after the marriage. When Xenia tells Dasha to wed Gaspari, Dasha does. As Xenia becomes a holy fool, Dasha turns more and more to charity, even with the prospect of bankrupting herself in the process, as Xenia did before her. Their dynamic baffled me, and is perhaps a bit alien to our culture.
While a prettily-written novel, The Mirrored World failed to captivate me, skimming on the surface of history, rather than really diving in to where the feelings and the meaning reside. I liked it, but couldn't help comparing it to another book I enjoyed more set in the exact same time period, The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak. By no means will this experience with Debra Dean be my last, but I do hope for a bit more from The Madonnas of Leningrad.
January 22, 2014
In general, I loved this book. Having come to close the back cover now, I almost feel as though the author was inspired directly by her subject (whom we Orthodox believe continues to intercede for us to God), so believable a picture did she paint of the most renowned of Russia's holy fools, or "Fools for Christ" (1 Corinthians 4:10), Blessed St. Xenia of St. Petersburg. Not only are we given a realistic portrayal of what it might be like to witness a person giving herself and her life utterly and completely and unreservedly to the care of God - to the point of taking Christ's words to "give all to the poor and follow Me" at face value (Matthew 19:21, Luke 18:22, Mark 10:21) - but we are thereby also painted a picture of the very real human toll such a decision can have on the loved ones of such a person, though ultimately Xenia's thorn-in-the-side actions are eventually received by most of those closest to her as gifts from the Holy Spirit. Ultimately, through Xenia's convention-flouting character, we come to see in a very tangible way how Christ's kingdom is "not of this world" (John 18:36).
Only two things bothered me about the book: the inclusion of a sex scene between Xenia and her husband (as someone who venerates this saint and believes in the virtue of modesty, I would have been more than content with having had it implied), though fairly tame by present entertainment media standards; and a totally colossal gaffe on the part of the author, the mispelling of Mary the Mother of God's title in Greek as "Theotokis"! Presumably she confused it with the Greek surname, though given the amount of research obviously put into the novel (the author is neither Russian nor Orthodox), this was a surprising oversight. Neither of these however significantly diminished my enjoyment of the book.
Aside from the subject matter which on its own is of considerable interest to me, the writing style of the novel played itself out in my mind's eye almost as vividly as a lush period film. In fact, I can very easily see a successful screenplay being based on this book. Here's hoping and praying!
Only two things bothered me about the book: the inclusion of a sex scene between Xenia and her husband (as someone who venerates this saint and believes in the virtue of modesty, I would have been more than content with having had it implied), though fairly tame by present entertainment media standards; and a totally colossal gaffe on the part of the author, the mispelling of Mary the Mother of God's title in Greek as "Theotokis"! Presumably she confused it with the Greek surname, though given the amount of research obviously put into the novel (the author is neither Russian nor Orthodox), this was a surprising oversight. Neither of these however significantly diminished my enjoyment of the book.
Aside from the subject matter which on its own is of considerable interest to me, the writing style of the novel played itself out in my mind's eye almost as vividly as a lush period film. In fact, I can very easily see a successful screenplay being based on this book. Here's hoping and praying!
November 15, 2015
Expected Publication Date: August 28, 2012
The Mirrored World was kindly provided to me by Edelweiss for Harper.
Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog!
The Mirrored World tells the story of the life of Xenia, who later became the mysterious and holy figure St. Xenia of St. Petersburg. The story begins when she was a young child growing up in Russia, continues on with her marriage to Colonel Andrei Feodorovich Petrov, whom she loved terribly, and then her terrible grief after losing both her child and the love of her life. In order for her to come to terms with her grief she became a "holy fool" and devoted her life to caring for the poor.
It took me a good chunk of the book to really feel I had an understanding of what was going on. When you consider the synopsis, you would expect to be learning about the life of Xenia. Well, for a vast majority of the first part of the book you really didn't see a lot of her. The story is told by her cousin, Dasha, and I think that had a negative effect as I would have loved to have read this story from Xenia's point of view to better determine who she was. Maybe it was because of the lack of information known of Xenia's life but despite being an extremely short read still ended up being dreadfully dull at times and I struggled to finish. Definitely had potential but failed to impress in the long run.
The Mirrored World was kindly provided to me by Edelweiss for Harper.
Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog!
The Mirrored World tells the story of the life of Xenia, who later became the mysterious and holy figure St. Xenia of St. Petersburg. The story begins when she was a young child growing up in Russia, continues on with her marriage to Colonel Andrei Feodorovich Petrov, whom she loved terribly, and then her terrible grief after losing both her child and the love of her life. In order for her to come to terms with her grief she became a "holy fool" and devoted her life to caring for the poor.
It took me a good chunk of the book to really feel I had an understanding of what was going on. When you consider the synopsis, you would expect to be learning about the life of Xenia. Well, for a vast majority of the first part of the book you really didn't see a lot of her. The story is told by her cousin, Dasha, and I think that had a negative effect as I would have loved to have read this story from Xenia's point of view to better determine who she was. Maybe it was because of the lack of information known of Xenia's life but despite being an extremely short read still ended up being dreadfully dull at times and I struggled to finish. Definitely had potential but failed to impress in the long run.
November 15, 2021
The Mirrored World ultimately fell flat for me. Many of the characters seemed like stock historical fiction figures that I’ve met in countless books: the well-meaning but ultimately destructive mother; the nasty older sister whose nastiness goes unexplained; the parents who don’t care about their daughter because she is female (as if parents didn’t love their female children in centuries past because of ~society~ and ~oppression~); the main character with little interior life who is solely an observer (like Nick Carraway but less well-written). A few stuck out to me, like Gaspari, but the character of Xenia was ultimately a disappointment.
St Xenia of Petersburg was a holy fool in the late 18th century. While her representation here is fine on paper, she never quite came alive for me, and ultimately Dean’s portrayal of Xenia as a holy fool is bland to me. We see Xenia through the eyes of Dasha, who lives with her and knows her best. Thus, we are cut out of Xenia’s interior life and piety. When she transitions to being a holy fool, Xenia becomes an enigmatic character. There are two ways I can interpret this, one more charitable than the other, which is where I’ll start.
Charitably, The Mirrored World can be read as the story of a close friend to a holy fool, who is forced to watch from the sidelines as their loved one becomes so detached from the world that relationships are lost and harm is done. This interpretation focuses more on the character of the friend, in this case Dasha, rather than on the holy fool. The blurb would have us believe The Mirrored World is about Xenia, as the narrator and main character Dasha is not named, but Xenia is absent for long periods in the text. At points, I could read The Mirrored World as the story of the sidelined friend, who struggles with their loved one being drawn away into holier things. Someone I know who counsels missionary kids speaks tearfully of how these children struggle with abandonment and separation because they are the “sacrifice” spoken of when talking about what missionaries relinquish earthly ties to spread the faith.
This leads me into the less charitable interpretation I wrestled with. For all her prophecies and good deeds, Xenia is more foolish than holy in the novel. Sure, she gives all her possessions away to the poor, but her employees and friend starve as a result. She gives valuable items to the poor instead of selling them and distributing food or cash. (I couldn’t help but think of one of Xenia’s beggars taking an expensive item into a pawn shop and getting arrested for theft. What good is a jeweled necklace to someone who doesn’t have shoes?) Since we don’t see much of Xenia’s spirituality in the novel, we are left to interpret her actions for ourselves. Here, I’m separating the historical St Xenia, a real person, from the character Xenia in this novel.
By the end, Dasha herself becomes a tiny bit of a holy fool herself. She takes in unwanted children, often sent to her by Xenia, and raises them like her own. Of course, Dasha has to actually provide for these children in the long run, a burden of which Xenia has freed herself, so her problems are different. Yet, I liked seeing her character develop in this way. It was the one emotionally redeeming aspect of The Mirrored World.
Parts of the novel seemed to show more of an affinity with Western intellectual history than Russian/Eastern Orthodox thought, particularly the portrayal of Xenia’s marriage and the counsel she receives regarding her infertility. Russia has always been a curious place, neither Asia nor Europe, following the beat of its own drum. The Mirrored World didn’t provide that flavor of Russia I’ve gotten from Russian literature, and other novels written by non-Russians, like A Gentleman in Moscow and The Bear and the Nightingale. Ultimately, The Mirrored World was a disappointment, and I’m not hastening to read another book by Dean. Gorgeous cover, though.
St Xenia of Petersburg was a holy fool in the late 18th century. While her representation here is fine on paper, she never quite came alive for me, and ultimately Dean’s portrayal of Xenia as a holy fool is bland to me. We see Xenia through the eyes of Dasha, who lives with her and knows her best. Thus, we are cut out of Xenia’s interior life and piety. When she transitions to being a holy fool, Xenia becomes an enigmatic character. There are two ways I can interpret this, one more charitable than the other, which is where I’ll start.
Charitably, The Mirrored World can be read as the story of a close friend to a holy fool, who is forced to watch from the sidelines as their loved one becomes so detached from the world that relationships are lost and harm is done. This interpretation focuses more on the character of the friend, in this case Dasha, rather than on the holy fool. The blurb would have us believe The Mirrored World is about Xenia, as the narrator and main character Dasha is not named, but Xenia is absent for long periods in the text. At points, I could read The Mirrored World as the story of the sidelined friend, who struggles with their loved one being drawn away into holier things. Someone I know who counsels missionary kids speaks tearfully of how these children struggle with abandonment and separation because they are the “sacrifice” spoken of when talking about what missionaries relinquish earthly ties to spread the faith.
This leads me into the less charitable interpretation I wrestled with. For all her prophecies and good deeds, Xenia is more foolish than holy in the novel. Sure, she gives all her possessions away to the poor, but her employees and friend starve as a result. She gives valuable items to the poor instead of selling them and distributing food or cash. (I couldn’t help but think of one of Xenia’s beggars taking an expensive item into a pawn shop and getting arrested for theft. What good is a jeweled necklace to someone who doesn’t have shoes?) Since we don’t see much of Xenia’s spirituality in the novel, we are left to interpret her actions for ourselves. Here, I’m separating the historical St Xenia, a real person, from the character Xenia in this novel.
By the end, Dasha herself becomes a tiny bit of a holy fool herself. She takes in unwanted children, often sent to her by Xenia, and raises them like her own. Of course, Dasha has to actually provide for these children in the long run, a burden of which Xenia has freed herself, so her problems are different. Yet, I liked seeing her character develop in this way. It was the one emotionally redeeming aspect of The Mirrored World.
Parts of the novel seemed to show more of an affinity with Western intellectual history than Russian/Eastern Orthodox thought, particularly the portrayal of Xenia’s marriage and the counsel she receives regarding her infertility. Russia has always been a curious place, neither Asia nor Europe, following the beat of its own drum. The Mirrored World didn’t provide that flavor of Russia I’ve gotten from Russian literature, and other novels written by non-Russians, like A Gentleman in Moscow and The Bear and the Nightingale. Ultimately, The Mirrored World was a disappointment, and I’m not hastening to read another book by Dean. Gorgeous cover, though.
May 18, 2014
Xenia and Nadya lose their home when a fire in St. Petersburg in 1736 burns down over 2,000 houses. They move in with their father's cousin in another part of St. Petersburg and share the bed of his daughter, Dasha, a very young child. Dasha screams when she meets Xenia, having been awakened in the middle of the night, because instead of seeing another little girl like herself, she thinks she sees a hunting wolf. Later, she grows to genuinely love her cousin, who turns out to be more of a soft-hearted sheep, if a brave one. Xenia sees herself as a fallen angel, after a misguided adventure attempting to 'fly' from a tree limb and instead falls into a river.
Both of the fathers are fighting the Turks on behalf of Her Imperial Majesty Anna Ioannovna of Russia, but only one returns. Nadya and Xenia remain with Dasha's family, growing up together. Xenia and Dasha become friends since they are close in age, but Xenia usually leads while Dasha follows. Besides being somewhat fearless, Xenia appears to see into the future, predicting events she can't possibly know.
When Nadya turns 17, the family prepares for her coming out into society and lets it be known they will be taking proposals for marriage as soon as possible. Deciding to economize, the aunts bring out all three girls at the same time. The Empress Elizabeth held two balls a week, one of them being for all those of Noble rank, and this is the one where the girls are paraded for inspection and offers. After several dances, the family goes home hopeful of a few possible prospects. Nadya is forced to marry an old rich man, Kuzma Zakharovich, which makes everyone happy except Nadya; however, she gets over it when she realizes she enjoys being rich. Xenia is allowed a love match with a handsome young officer, a singer in the court's choir, Andrei Feodorovich. Poor Dasha does not attract any proposals, perhaps because she knows how to read. Good thing for us, gentle reader, since this lack of interest by gentlemen who are Noble wife hunting frees Dasha for the narration of 'The Mirrored World' and for following the unexpected career of the woman who becomes the St. Xenia of legend.
Life takes unexpected turns!
This book is about actual people whose histories are partially known. Xenia has passed into religious legend and today lots of believers kneel before icons of her, praying for relief from their poverty. (I'm not sure that this works very well, since I still see a lot of poverty, and I've noticed many religious people who pray to her remain not only poor, but often die of their poverty, having never received any relief.) 'The Mirrored World' treats her respectfully, but does not tell her story with any overt religious mysticism (unless you feel mentioning precognition and clairvoyance without religious emphasis is evidence of a religious tone in itself) (or unless you are Evangelical, in which case you have been taught psychic powers are sent by the Devil.)
The book is very well written. The prose is a delight. However, these characters are as bland as a wall and almost as interesting. The world of St. Petersburg Russia in the Empress Anna's, then Catherine's, Court is very interesting, but unfortunately there isn't enough of it. In the foreground is how Dasha fares with the challenges and unexpected twists her life takes. While almost engaging, somehow her voice never becomes animated. Xenia travels here and back again, but we never see into her head or have a hint as to why she does what she does.
After finishing the last page, I was very disappointed by the book. However, it might be of some interest for those curious about St. Xenia. It does give an idea of what Xenia's family may have experienced during Xenia's transformation into a saint. As for myself, frankly, while I was interested in the historical details, I do not recommend this to either Orthodox believers or anyone else to read, unless something like bland gruel is a necessary part of your diet due to nervous sensitivities, or you are an ecstatic fan of the saint.
Both of the fathers are fighting the Turks on behalf of Her Imperial Majesty Anna Ioannovna of Russia, but only one returns. Nadya and Xenia remain with Dasha's family, growing up together. Xenia and Dasha become friends since they are close in age, but Xenia usually leads while Dasha follows. Besides being somewhat fearless, Xenia appears to see into the future, predicting events she can't possibly know.
When Nadya turns 17, the family prepares for her coming out into society and lets it be known they will be taking proposals for marriage as soon as possible. Deciding to economize, the aunts bring out all three girls at the same time. The Empress Elizabeth held two balls a week, one of them being for all those of Noble rank, and this is the one where the girls are paraded for inspection and offers. After several dances, the family goes home hopeful of a few possible prospects. Nadya is forced to marry an old rich man, Kuzma Zakharovich, which makes everyone happy except Nadya; however, she gets over it when she realizes she enjoys being rich. Xenia is allowed a love match with a handsome young officer, a singer in the court's choir, Andrei Feodorovich. Poor Dasha does not attract any proposals, perhaps because she knows how to read. Good thing for us, gentle reader, since this lack of interest by gentlemen who are Noble wife hunting frees Dasha for the narration of 'The Mirrored World' and for following the unexpected career of the woman who becomes the St. Xenia of legend.
Life takes unexpected turns!
This book is about actual people whose histories are partially known. Xenia has passed into religious legend and today lots of believers kneel before icons of her, praying for relief from their poverty. (I'm not sure that this works very well, since I still see a lot of poverty, and I've noticed many religious people who pray to her remain not only poor, but often die of their poverty, having never received any relief.) 'The Mirrored World' treats her respectfully, but does not tell her story with any overt religious mysticism (unless you feel mentioning precognition and clairvoyance without religious emphasis is evidence of a religious tone in itself) (or unless you are Evangelical, in which case you have been taught psychic powers are sent by the Devil.)
The book is very well written. The prose is a delight. However, these characters are as bland as a wall and almost as interesting. The world of St. Petersburg Russia in the Empress Anna's, then Catherine's, Court is very interesting, but unfortunately there isn't enough of it. In the foreground is how Dasha fares with the challenges and unexpected twists her life takes. While almost engaging, somehow her voice never becomes animated. Xenia travels here and back again, but we never see into her head or have a hint as to why she does what she does.
After finishing the last page, I was very disappointed by the book. However, it might be of some interest for those curious about St. Xenia. It does give an idea of what Xenia's family may have experienced during Xenia's transformation into a saint. As for myself, frankly, while I was interested in the historical details, I do not recommend this to either Orthodox believers or anyone else to read, unless something like bland gruel is a necessary part of your diet due to nervous sensitivities, or you are an ecstatic fan of the saint.
August 16, 2012
Review of The Mirrored World by Debra Dean.
I was happy to have received an advanced readers copy of this novel through the goodreads giveaway.
"Yes, this was her house, many years ago, when she was still Xenia." So opens The Mirrored World by Debra Dean. I judge a book by the opening lines, just like I judge a book by it's cover (and The Mirrored World has a gorgeous cover), and this line caught me. It's the voice of an old woman remembering her past, it's the stray thought of someone closing their eyes to go to bed and catching an image of a dream from the night before. When the beginning of the book seemed to drag in the opening chapters, I held on to this line with hope.
And, almost without knowing it, first Andrei's death and then Xenia's grief pulled me into the story just in time to be immersed in Dasha. Dasha who is dull by comparison to Xenia, left alone on the sidelines of this tragedy and watching her childhood idol unravel just as the walls of 18th century Russia--winter-stricken and rotting at the court while embroiled in a conflict with Prussia abroad--close in around her.
The image of mirrors, and fancy and distortion associated with them, reoccur throughout the novel. I loved this and the many manifestations this takes. It starts with the ice castle, something straight from a dream, and the mirror inside that didn't reflect anything. And the masquerade ball with the men and women cross-dressing! What a wonderful, loud distortion to illustrate the absurdity of an isolated, backward country trying to catch up with the emerging culture and civilization of the European world. And then Dasha eventually mirroring the "holy fool" Xenia, becoming eccentric in her own way, believing in something other than herself (even if it's just believing that Xenia believes in something bigger and otherworldly), and then sheltering the poor of the city while conscious of the security risk to her own future.
In the center of the novel is the theme of love. What love is, especially love in marriage. After all of her experiences, Dasha postulates that it's not one's place to judge--or even underestimate--the kind of love a husband and wife might have. Central in the theme of love is the yearning to be loved. Dasha yearns for it, especially when the realization of her loneliness is first felt when she loses Andrei (to death) and Xenia (to madness) and then again when her own husband passes away. At the close of the novel, Xenia is at the height of her madness brought on grief. However, the author provides in the opening pages of the book a quote: "For if we genuinely love Him, we waken as the beloved in every part of our body." So it's maybe better to say that at the end of the story Xenia has reached the height of love. She overflows with it, so much so that Dasha latches on to that love, and everything comes full circle with both women damaged but with Xenia as Dasha's idol once again: "I looked at her and she at me, and in that moment it did not matter whether she recalled any of our shared past or what we had been to one another; in her gaze I felt utterly and inescapably beheld."
In summary, the writing is lyrical and gorgeous without being a swamp of prose that one has to labor through. The setting is remarkable, capturing the many contrasts that is Russia and letting that dissonance bleed over into the lives of the characters. Dasha isn't the most sympathetic character, nor is Xenia very relatable, but as the story tips into the spiritual, material-less world near the end it is forgivable and in fact fits the tone of the story.
I did not read the summary of the novel when I entered the giveaway. Actually, I didn't read it until after I finished the book. It's interesting that the summary seems to say that the novel is about Xenia when the point of view and (I think) the story itself is more about Dasha, who's life is almost entirely influenced by Xenia. This discrepancy will probably be off-putting to most, but I recommend that people stick it out and read the book anyway. I know The Mirrored World is going on my bookshelf, and will probably be a book I will want to re-read in the future.
I was happy to have received an advanced readers copy of this novel through the goodreads giveaway.
"Yes, this was her house, many years ago, when she was still Xenia." So opens The Mirrored World by Debra Dean. I judge a book by the opening lines, just like I judge a book by it's cover (and The Mirrored World has a gorgeous cover), and this line caught me. It's the voice of an old woman remembering her past, it's the stray thought of someone closing their eyes to go to bed and catching an image of a dream from the night before. When the beginning of the book seemed to drag in the opening chapters, I held on to this line with hope.
And, almost without knowing it, first Andrei's death and then Xenia's grief pulled me into the story just in time to be immersed in Dasha. Dasha who is dull by comparison to Xenia, left alone on the sidelines of this tragedy and watching her childhood idol unravel just as the walls of 18th century Russia--winter-stricken and rotting at the court while embroiled in a conflict with Prussia abroad--close in around her.
The image of mirrors, and fancy and distortion associated with them, reoccur throughout the novel. I loved this and the many manifestations this takes. It starts with the ice castle, something straight from a dream, and the mirror inside that didn't reflect anything. And the masquerade ball with the men and women cross-dressing! What a wonderful, loud distortion to illustrate the absurdity of an isolated, backward country trying to catch up with the emerging culture and civilization of the European world. And then Dasha eventually mirroring the "holy fool" Xenia, becoming eccentric in her own way, believing in something other than herself (even if it's just believing that Xenia believes in something bigger and otherworldly), and then sheltering the poor of the city while conscious of the security risk to her own future.
In the center of the novel is the theme of love. What love is, especially love in marriage. After all of her experiences, Dasha postulates that it's not one's place to judge--or even underestimate--the kind of love a husband and wife might have. Central in the theme of love is the yearning to be loved. Dasha yearns for it, especially when the realization of her loneliness is first felt when she loses Andrei (to death) and Xenia (to madness) and then again when her own husband passes away. At the close of the novel, Xenia is at the height of her madness brought on grief. However, the author provides in the opening pages of the book a quote: "For if we genuinely love Him, we waken as the beloved in every part of our body." So it's maybe better to say that at the end of the story Xenia has reached the height of love. She overflows with it, so much so that Dasha latches on to that love, and everything comes full circle with both women damaged but with Xenia as Dasha's idol once again: "I looked at her and she at me, and in that moment it did not matter whether she recalled any of our shared past or what we had been to one another; in her gaze I felt utterly and inescapably beheld."
In summary, the writing is lyrical and gorgeous without being a swamp of prose that one has to labor through. The setting is remarkable, capturing the many contrasts that is Russia and letting that dissonance bleed over into the lives of the characters. Dasha isn't the most sympathetic character, nor is Xenia very relatable, but as the story tips into the spiritual, material-less world near the end it is forgivable and in fact fits the tone of the story.
I did not read the summary of the novel when I entered the giveaway. Actually, I didn't read it until after I finished the book. It's interesting that the summary seems to say that the novel is about Xenia when the point of view and (I think) the story itself is more about Dasha, who's life is almost entirely influenced by Xenia. This discrepancy will probably be off-putting to most, but I recommend that people stick it out and read the book anyway. I know The Mirrored World is going on my bookshelf, and will probably be a book I will want to re-read in the future.
October 28, 2012
At the center of Debra Dean’s The Mirrored World is the theme of transformation. The novel, a retelling of the story of St. Xenia of Petersburg, connects the saint’s story with that of the narrator, Xenia’s cousin Dasha.
As much as the reading experience enjoyable, I also found it a learning experience. Dean has a way of capturing an appropriate level of spirituality and moralistic tone without overstepping the bounds and going into sappiness or oversentimentality. By having Dasha relate her story with that of Xenia’s from her perspective, we gradually see how closely their lives become intertwined and connected. The second half of the novel, where Dasha must overcome her own set of tragedies, was especially moving. We find that there is a distinctive link and connection between these two women. Certainly, there is a moral that Dasha arrives at in the book’s second half, particularly in her search for Xenia and her quest to understand her cousin. Without giving anything away, I thought the closing movements were especially poignant and momentous, and the author is careful to leave us to our own interpretations and conclusions.
As for Xenia, she is a true saint, truly an individual in a different time. Our materialistic society may have a difficult time identifying with her ways. Her noble character is so far removed from materialistic society that she welcomes depravity as a blessing.
While reading about the life of Xenia, I was reminded a bit of Walden, where Thoreau arrives at the conviction that sometimes one must free themselves of the modern world and its distractions to essentially understand and better their lives. Simplifying our lives essentially makes us aware of a larger existence. Xenia’s case is a bit extreme, as she takes drastic measures, but I think Dean does an apt job capturing this idea that to truly experience change, a person must be willing to sacrifice, even if it uncomfortable and life-altering.
There are points where the novel is a bit slow, but these moments do not detract from the story at hand. I was very pleased and found The Mirrored World an enlightening read.
As much as the reading experience enjoyable, I also found it a learning experience. Dean has a way of capturing an appropriate level of spirituality and moralistic tone without overstepping the bounds and going into sappiness or oversentimentality. By having Dasha relate her story with that of Xenia’s from her perspective, we gradually see how closely their lives become intertwined and connected. The second half of the novel, where Dasha must overcome her own set of tragedies, was especially moving. We find that there is a distinctive link and connection between these two women. Certainly, there is a moral that Dasha arrives at in the book’s second half, particularly in her search for Xenia and her quest to understand her cousin. Without giving anything away, I thought the closing movements were especially poignant and momentous, and the author is careful to leave us to our own interpretations and conclusions.
As for Xenia, she is a true saint, truly an individual in a different time. Our materialistic society may have a difficult time identifying with her ways. Her noble character is so far removed from materialistic society that she welcomes depravity as a blessing.
While reading about the life of Xenia, I was reminded a bit of Walden, where Thoreau arrives at the conviction that sometimes one must free themselves of the modern world and its distractions to essentially understand and better their lives. Simplifying our lives essentially makes us aware of a larger existence. Xenia’s case is a bit extreme, as she takes drastic measures, but I think Dean does an apt job capturing this idea that to truly experience change, a person must be willing to sacrifice, even if it uncomfortable and life-altering.
There are points where the novel is a bit slow, but these moments do not detract from the story at hand. I was very pleased and found The Mirrored World an enlightening read.
March 4, 2013
I received a copy of this book from Harper Collins. 2.5 stars
The Mirrored World is based on the life of St. Xenia of St. Petersburg, who supposedly gave all her possessions to the poor after the death of her husband, and wandered the streets for 45 years wearing her husband's military uniform. Yet what the jacket cover of this novel fails to tell you is that this book is narrated by Xenia's cousin Dasha, and is largely about her life. Dasha provides a levelheaded account of events, particularly necessary since Xenia is portrayed as having lost her mind with the grief of the death of her child and husband.
I was frustrated with the narration of this novel, which felt very fragmented. Years of childhood pass in the first few chapters without description. Xenia is quickly married and then suddenly celebrating her fourth year of marriage. It was also unclear where Dasha and her family fall socially - they are invited to royal parties, but yet the family constantly seems on the verge of poverty.
Additionally, considering that St. Xenia is considered a revered figure in Russia, I didn't think Dean captured this fact through Dasha's narrative. While outsiders seem to respect her giving nature, her family is mostly exasperated with her behavior and she is portrayed as a mentally ill woman who thoughtlessly gives every worldly possession away, even when it will serve no purpose - for example, giving lace gloves to a freezing child on the street.
Finally, this book felt like a cheap imitation of many of the themes of another Russian novel, Anna Karenina - doomed love, love destroying females, tragic endings, etc. Yet where that novel was long, this was short. Too short to flesh out the characters or develop the true meaning of Xenia's tragic life.
The Mirrored World is based on the life of St. Xenia of St. Petersburg, who supposedly gave all her possessions to the poor after the death of her husband, and wandered the streets for 45 years wearing her husband's military uniform. Yet what the jacket cover of this novel fails to tell you is that this book is narrated by Xenia's cousin Dasha, and is largely about her life. Dasha provides a levelheaded account of events, particularly necessary since Xenia is portrayed as having lost her mind with the grief of the death of her child and husband.
I was frustrated with the narration of this novel, which felt very fragmented. Years of childhood pass in the first few chapters without description. Xenia is quickly married and then suddenly celebrating her fourth year of marriage. It was also unclear where Dasha and her family fall socially - they are invited to royal parties, but yet the family constantly seems on the verge of poverty.
Additionally, considering that St. Xenia is considered a revered figure in Russia, I didn't think Dean captured this fact through Dasha's narrative. While outsiders seem to respect her giving nature, her family is mostly exasperated with her behavior and she is portrayed as a mentally ill woman who thoughtlessly gives every worldly possession away, even when it will serve no purpose - for example, giving lace gloves to a freezing child on the street.
Finally, this book felt like a cheap imitation of many of the themes of another Russian novel, Anna Karenina - doomed love, love destroying females, tragic endings, etc. Yet where that novel was long, this was short. Too short to flesh out the characters or develop the true meaning of Xenia's tragic life.
August 13, 2015
I can't think of a book I've been more excited to read than this one, after seeing it on the shelf. The cover looked great, the synopsis sounded good, and Debra Dean teaches at the university I graduated from, so I thought I'd be guaranteed to love this book, right?
And I tried to love this book and get into it. I really did. I made tea instead of letting myself fall asleep and I trooped through to page 90.
Then I realized: I was like 40% through the novel and I couldn't tell you who the main character was. The narrator painfully refused to focus on herself but no other character seemed to dominate as the #1. I also realized this book had completely failed to make me care about any of the characters, and even as Xenia and her hubs went through some stuff, I just sat there like 'oh that's nice what's the point?'
I'm not a fan of being an apathetic reader, so I'm just putting the book down here and waking away. I'm really disappointed, and a little bit unnerved, actually. This book ignores lessons I learned in Intro to Creative Writing, like avoiding passive main characters, or making sure all of your characters want something. I'm a little embarrassed that professors from the university that taught me that stuff are so easily ignoring their own lessons. Awkward.
And I tried to love this book and get into it. I really did. I made tea instead of letting myself fall asleep and I trooped through to page 90.
Then I realized: I was like 40% through the novel and I couldn't tell you who the main character was. The narrator painfully refused to focus on herself but no other character seemed to dominate as the #1. I also realized this book had completely failed to make me care about any of the characters, and even as Xenia and her hubs went through some stuff, I just sat there like 'oh that's nice what's the point?'
I'm not a fan of being an apathetic reader, so I'm just putting the book down here and waking away. I'm really disappointed, and a little bit unnerved, actually. This book ignores lessons I learned in Intro to Creative Writing, like avoiding passive main characters, or making sure all of your characters want something. I'm a little embarrassed that professors from the university that taught me that stuff are so easily ignoring their own lessons. Awkward.
July 11, 2012
3.0 out of 5 stars - a story of Russia's "holy fool"
This novel, set in 18th century Russia, is a reconstruction of the life and times of St. Xenia. She was born into the lower nobility and marries the love of her life during the extravagant years of the royal court in St. Petersburg. Tragedy strikes and Xenia leaves her home and possessions to lead a life of a mad fool caring for the poor and sick in the slums surrounding the city. She has a gift of foretelling the future and is both loved and feared by the royal court and the people she moves among in her elusive way.
I found this to be terribly depressing, but beautifully written. It's quite short at only 240+ pages and a quick read. It left me with vague feelings of disquiet and I can't say it's a book I'd recommend to anyone unless he/she is particularly interested in Russian religious figures or wants a brief glimpse into court life during that time period. Mostly I felt the coldness of the climate and the sadness and futility of life. Definitely not a beach read!
This novel, set in 18th century Russia, is a reconstruction of the life and times of St. Xenia. She was born into the lower nobility and marries the love of her life during the extravagant years of the royal court in St. Petersburg. Tragedy strikes and Xenia leaves her home and possessions to lead a life of a mad fool caring for the poor and sick in the slums surrounding the city. She has a gift of foretelling the future and is both loved and feared by the royal court and the people she moves among in her elusive way.
I found this to be terribly depressing, but beautifully written. It's quite short at only 240+ pages and a quick read. It left me with vague feelings of disquiet and I can't say it's a book I'd recommend to anyone unless he/she is particularly interested in Russian religious figures or wants a brief glimpse into court life during that time period. Mostly I felt the coldness of the climate and the sadness and futility of life. Definitely not a beach read!
October 4, 2012
It is so unusual to have an Orthodox Saint featured as the heroin of a novel that I requested right away a copy of The Mirrored World when I realized what it was about – actually, the beautiful cover does point to Orthodoxy. I’m very grateful to the author Debra Dean and to HarperCollins who sent me the book right away: I got it the following day!!
I had not read Debra Dean’s previous books. I like very much her writing, very fluid and full of lively details. From very little, she managed to create a very plausible historical environment to one of Russia’s most revered saints. Saint Xenia’s life is actually presented here by her imaginary cousin Dasha.
I liked the way Debra Dean managed to articulate Xenia’s call to the vocation of fool-for-Christ to her personal tremendous grief. We see little by little Xenia drowning into the depth of....
Read my full review:
http://wordsandpeace.com/2012/09/22/2...
I had not read Debra Dean’s previous books. I like very much her writing, very fluid and full of lively details. From very little, she managed to create a very plausible historical environment to one of Russia’s most revered saints. Saint Xenia’s life is actually presented here by her imaginary cousin Dasha.
I liked the way Debra Dean managed to articulate Xenia’s call to the vocation of fool-for-Christ to her personal tremendous grief. We see little by little Xenia drowning into the depth of....
Read my full review:
http://wordsandpeace.com/2012/09/22/2...
July 23, 2012
I often wonder what makes a book a slow starter - is it the book or is it me? Is it finding the footing for a character and a story, or is it me having to get into the rhythm of the writing?
These are the things I found myself pondering as I began this novel - a secular Historical Fiction about St. Xenia of Petersburg, a very beloved Orthodox Saint. For a lot of the novel, I felt that it was a bit hampered by the choice of the narrator not being Xenia herself, but a cousin. I think that the concept of a Holy Fool outside of an Orthodox background is hard to convey.
However, as the story progresses, the impact of being related to a Holy Fool really begins to be felt by the narrator, and it ends on a very strong note.
These are the things I found myself pondering as I began this novel - a secular Historical Fiction about St. Xenia of Petersburg, a very beloved Orthodox Saint. For a lot of the novel, I felt that it was a bit hampered by the choice of the narrator not being Xenia herself, but a cousin. I think that the concept of a Holy Fool outside of an Orthodox background is hard to convey.
However, as the story progresses, the impact of being related to a Holy Fool really begins to be felt by the narrator, and it ends on a very strong note.
February 3, 2021
I knew nothing about Xenia, St. Petersburg’s patron saint, before I read The Mirrored World. In fact, I’d had the book on my to-read list for so long that I’d forgotten what the dust jacket clearly states: it’s about St. Xenia. I had no idea who this eccentric and overdramatic character Xenia was. To learn that the character was historically based boggled my mind. The only consistency in her character was fanaticism about her current obsession, whether in riches or in rags. From ardently desiring a husband to freaking out about children to giving absolutely everything to the poor, her “overdoing it” is evident in all circumstances. Also, her clairvoyance is more quietly mentioned throughout.
Author Dean wrote the progression of Xenia’s life and times most convincingly, through the eyes of her younger, introverted female cousin whom she adores. From a young lady attending the royal court with an eye out for a husband, to a privileged and seemingly deranged widow who gives up everything to go “coo-coo for Christ,” to a crone obsessed with helping the poor, Xenia is portrayed as a woman who sets intentions and does not waver. In the end, her compassion and willingness to accommodate others, provided they don’t try to sway her from her path, shine through.
A strong sense of place permeates the writing. Throughout the book the author comments on the different monarchs following Peter the Great, and specifically on how each monarch views the arts. As both women marry singers, their home lives are directly impacted by contrasting rulers and their beliefs. In particular, the austere and patriarchal Peter III, following the decadent and fun-loving Elizabeth had a devastating impact on performers and their families.
Recommended reading for fans of history, historical fiction, and Russia. A well-researched and completely plausible story of St. Xenia, as well as an absorbing depiction of 18th century Russia.
Author Dean wrote the progression of Xenia’s life and times most convincingly, through the eyes of her younger, introverted female cousin whom she adores. From a young lady attending the royal court with an eye out for a husband, to a privileged and seemingly deranged widow who gives up everything to go “coo-coo for Christ,” to a crone obsessed with helping the poor, Xenia is portrayed as a woman who sets intentions and does not waver. In the end, her compassion and willingness to accommodate others, provided they don’t try to sway her from her path, shine through.
A strong sense of place permeates the writing. Throughout the book the author comments on the different monarchs following Peter the Great, and specifically on how each monarch views the arts. As both women marry singers, their home lives are directly impacted by contrasting rulers and their beliefs. In particular, the austere and patriarchal Peter III, following the decadent and fun-loving Elizabeth had a devastating impact on performers and their families.
Recommended reading for fans of history, historical fiction, and Russia. A well-researched and completely plausible story of St. Xenia, as well as an absorbing depiction of 18th century Russia.
November 27, 2017
So much Russian history is unfamiliar to me and I am glad to get a little glimpse of life there in the 18th century. This book centered around St. Xenia, which I found very interesting, but also about the royal court and traditions and perspectives. I enjoyed it - a short book with some tender moments.
February 1, 2013
When I first received this book by winning a Goodreads giveaway, I was hesitant to start reading it. This was partly because I had mistakenly thought this book was about something else when I first entered the giveaway, and partly because after reading the reviews of this book I felt like I would be disappointed in this book - after all, its average rating is 3.16 and I have a habit of not reading books unless their rating is 3.5 or above.
I saw this book sitting on my bookshelf month after month and I felt obligated to read it. "The cover is beautiful," I thought, "I feel guilty for NOT reading it." I absolutely hate being in possession of a book for more than a few months without having the chance to devour it. "Okay, I'll read it" I finally told myself as I picked it up, expecting it to be a dull retelling of a story I have already heard before.
[It is here that I must mention that I grew up in a Russian Orthodox Christian household where I was taught the lives of some of the most famous saints in Russia's history. St. Xenia just happens to be one of my mother's most favorite saints and the picture below is of an icon that still hangs on the wall in the living room of my mother's house.]
As I have already mentioned, this story is about St. Xenia of St. Petersburg - a well-known and revered "holy fool" that lived in the 18th century in Russia. Xenia grew up in a fairly rich household where she was lucky enough to marry for love (so uncommon in those days where parents were the ones to make the decision on who their daughters would marry). Xenia's beloved was a court singer and Xenia and her husband got to experience many of the splendors, parties, and riches of the royal court. Their life was great! Unfortunately, there was an accident after one of the court parties and Xenia's husband fell down and died after hitting his head on the ground.
After her husband's death, life for Xenia completely changed. In the Russian Orthodox tradition, it is a great tragedy for a person to die before receiving his last communion and confession. Xenia desperately wants to save her husband's soul and so she begins to do that by fervently praying to God for her husband's soul and giving all of her earthly possessions to the poor people of St. Petersburg (almsgiving is a common practice after somebody dies but Xenia takes it to a whole another level!). Xenia also - curiously - puts on her husband's clothes and completely abandons her way of life; instead of partying and living the life of a rich Russian woman she gives away everything (even her house!) and wanders around barefoot and homeless praying, comforting the poor and forsaken, prophesying the future, and performing miracles wherever she goes.
This is a very fascinating tale! I was expecting dull historical fiction, but although this book is based on the life of a real person, it was RIVETING and interesting and I couldn't stop reading it! What makes this book great is that it is told from Dasha's point of view, rather than Xenia's. Dasha is Xenia's cousin and therefore is able to witness her from a close friend's point of view and therefore show the reader not only Xenia's holy side but also her human side, the part of her that is vulnerable and fallible, the part of her that me and you can relate to.
Overall - this is a very good book; I am rating it as 4 out of 5 stars. I think that even if you don't know very much about Russian history and even if you are not a reader of Christian material, you will find yourself liking this book.
I saw this book sitting on my bookshelf month after month and I felt obligated to read it. "The cover is beautiful," I thought, "I feel guilty for NOT reading it." I absolutely hate being in possession of a book for more than a few months without having the chance to devour it. "Okay, I'll read it" I finally told myself as I picked it up, expecting it to be a dull retelling of a story I have already heard before.
[It is here that I must mention that I grew up in a Russian Orthodox Christian household where I was taught the lives of some of the most famous saints in Russia's history. St. Xenia just happens to be one of my mother's most favorite saints and the picture below is of an icon that still hangs on the wall in the living room of my mother's house.]
As I have already mentioned, this story is about St. Xenia of St. Petersburg - a well-known and revered "holy fool" that lived in the 18th century in Russia. Xenia grew up in a fairly rich household where she was lucky enough to marry for love (so uncommon in those days where parents were the ones to make the decision on who their daughters would marry). Xenia's beloved was a court singer and Xenia and her husband got to experience many of the splendors, parties, and riches of the royal court. Their life was great! Unfortunately, there was an accident after one of the court parties and Xenia's husband fell down and died after hitting his head on the ground.
After her husband's death, life for Xenia completely changed. In the Russian Orthodox tradition, it is a great tragedy for a person to die before receiving his last communion and confession. Xenia desperately wants to save her husband's soul and so she begins to do that by fervently praying to God for her husband's soul and giving all of her earthly possessions to the poor people of St. Petersburg (almsgiving is a common practice after somebody dies but Xenia takes it to a whole another level!). Xenia also - curiously - puts on her husband's clothes and completely abandons her way of life; instead of partying and living the life of a rich Russian woman she gives away everything (even her house!) and wanders around barefoot and homeless praying, comforting the poor and forsaken, prophesying the future, and performing miracles wherever she goes.
This is a very fascinating tale! I was expecting dull historical fiction, but although this book is based on the life of a real person, it was RIVETING and interesting and I couldn't stop reading it! What makes this book great is that it is told from Dasha's point of view, rather than Xenia's. Dasha is Xenia's cousin and therefore is able to witness her from a close friend's point of view and therefore show the reader not only Xenia's holy side but also her human side, the part of her that is vulnerable and fallible, the part of her that me and you can relate to.
Overall - this is a very good book; I am rating it as 4 out of 5 stars. I think that even if you don't know very much about Russian history and even if you are not a reader of Christian material, you will find yourself liking this book.
October 12, 2012
This is Debra Dean’s second novel, and though it is in some ways less ambitious than her first (the NYT-best-selling Madonnas of Leningrad), I think it’s the better of the two. The storytelling is crisp, the pacing consistent, the characters well-drawn, the prose never flat and often very good.
My meager experience of contemporary fiction has shown me that most of it is truly awful. As a rule I avoid it. I make an exception for Ms Dean because she isn’t at all awful and because (full disclosure) she was my creative writing professor almost twenty years ago. I’m always anxious to see what she’ll do next. Maybe something set in the U.S. next time?
This doesn’t mean I can’t be properly critical, however. For example, the development of Dasha’s character isn’t cashed out as well I’d like it to be. The changes of tense in the final two chapters I found distracting. And I think I caught an anachronism when the young Dasha and Xenia are playing with what sounds like a kaleidoscope: David Brewster only invented the kaleidoscope ca. 1820, sixty or so years later than the period depicted.
Most of these are small things, however, and authorial good decisions abound. For example, despite misgivings expressed by some readers here, Dean was clearly wise to anchor us with Dasha as narrator, to let us observe her sainted cousin’s life from that distance and wonder with her where the lines are drawn between sanctity, self-indulgence, and madness. This is fruitful novelistic territory, harvested by Dean with some discernment.
Christ instructed his disciples not to lay up their treasure on earth but in heaven. For where your treasure is, there shall your heart be also. But the heart stubbornly attaches to familiar places and things and would rather have these, no matter how humble, than to exchange them for the promise of what is glorious but unknown.
My meager experience of contemporary fiction has shown me that most of it is truly awful. As a rule I avoid it. I make an exception for Ms Dean because she isn’t at all awful and because (full disclosure) she was my creative writing professor almost twenty years ago. I’m always anxious to see what she’ll do next. Maybe something set in the U.S. next time?
This doesn’t mean I can’t be properly critical, however. For example, the development of Dasha’s character isn’t cashed out as well I’d like it to be. The changes of tense in the final two chapters I found distracting. And I think I caught an anachronism when the young Dasha and Xenia are playing with what sounds like a kaleidoscope: David Brewster only invented the kaleidoscope ca. 1820, sixty or so years later than the period depicted.
Most of these are small things, however, and authorial good decisions abound. For example, despite misgivings expressed by some readers here, Dean was clearly wise to anchor us with Dasha as narrator, to let us observe her sainted cousin’s life from that distance and wonder with her where the lines are drawn between sanctity, self-indulgence, and madness. This is fruitful novelistic territory, harvested by Dean with some discernment.
Christ instructed his disciples not to lay up their treasure on earth but in heaven. For where your treasure is, there shall your heart be also. But the heart stubbornly attaches to familiar places and things and would rather have these, no matter how humble, than to exchange them for the promise of what is glorious but unknown.
September 7, 2012
Saints are fascinating subjects; bringing in to question the lines between devotion and mania, as well as sanity and lunacy. In her latest novel, The Mirrored World, Debra Dean explores the life of the Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg, an 18th Century saint also known as the fool for Christ. Born to relative privileged and married for love, Xenia dreamed of a happy life with children. Shortly after the death of her infant daughter her beloved husband met with an accident and died. Xenia gave all of her possessions away to the poor and turned to a life of God. This may not seem unusual except for the fact that Xenia did not join a religious order but instead lived as a homeless person and wandered the streets in her husband’s military uniform, and answered only to his name. Xenia also seemed to be able to see the future and is credited for predicting the deaths of the Empress Elizabeth in 1761, as well as the imprisoned John IV Antonovich, the great-great-grandson of Tsar Alexis, in 1764. In lesser hands the story could become bogged down and dry, however Dean presents Xenia’s life through the eyes of her adoring younger cousin Dasha. Readers will find themselves enthralled by relationship between these two women. Dean brilliantly recreates St. Petersburg of the 18th century, and the narration has the old world feel of a beloved folktale; however it is the remarkable questions that the reader is left with that make this novel an unforgettable read. What is the nature of devotion? Can the loss of love drive a person to madness? Did Xenia have the gift of prophecy or was she simply insane? The Mirrored World is a natural fit for book club discussions and should not be missed.
September 12, 2012
Because I won this book I would like to thank Harper Collins and Goodreads for sending me this book. I was so exited when I found out I won. Winning stuff is always fun :)
The writing style of The Mirrored World took some getting used too. The book is written like a fairy tale. In the beginning of the book I found it hard to focus on the story because of the dreamy way of writing. Also in the first part of the book it's not really clear who the person is telling the story and where the story is going, if it is actually going anywhere. I didn't really care for the first two/three chapters.
But I am glad I carried on reading because as the story continues it keeps getting better. As you can see by my rating I ended up liking the book a lot. The dreamy writing bothered me a bit at first but once I go used to it I started to like the writing style. It fits the story so well. The story is quite sad but very beautiful. Even if there are quite a few deaths, families breaking apart and poverty in the book it still is very heartwarming and when I finished I didn't feel sad. It's a moving story.
While I loved the story, reviews I read of The Mirrored World mention that it gives a lot of information on the Russia of the 18th century. Personally I thought there wasn't really that much history in the book, apart form Xenia's story. The book wouldn't necessarily be better if it had more historical information but would have liked to learn more about the period.
One should not judge a book by the cover, but in this case the cover does fit the book perfectly, it has the same dream-like feeling.
The writing style of The Mirrored World took some getting used too. The book is written like a fairy tale. In the beginning of the book I found it hard to focus on the story because of the dreamy way of writing. Also in the first part of the book it's not really clear who the person is telling the story and where the story is going, if it is actually going anywhere. I didn't really care for the first two/three chapters.
But I am glad I carried on reading because as the story continues it keeps getting better. As you can see by my rating I ended up liking the book a lot. The dreamy writing bothered me a bit at first but once I go used to it I started to like the writing style. It fits the story so well. The story is quite sad but very beautiful. Even if there are quite a few deaths, families breaking apart and poverty in the book it still is very heartwarming and when I finished I didn't feel sad. It's a moving story.
While I loved the story, reviews I read of The Mirrored World mention that it gives a lot of information on the Russia of the 18th century. Personally I thought there wasn't really that much history in the book, apart form Xenia's story. The book wouldn't necessarily be better if it had more historical information but would have liked to learn more about the period.
One should not judge a book by the cover, but in this case the cover does fit the book perfectly, it has the same dream-like feeling.
August 14, 2012
The Mirrored World by Debra Dean is the resplendent and fascinating tale of St. Xenia, a holy fool in eighteenth-century Russia. Told by Xenia's beloved cousin, the story tells of Xenia's passionate love for her husband, then her visions of tragedy followed by turning away from the material world to serve the impoverished of St. Petersburg.
Debra Dean tells this historical tale with an eye for the details of Elizabeth's eccentric court and then the paranoia that plagued Catherine the Great. I read the majority of the biography Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie earlier this year and I think my prior knowledge of the society and history in Russia helped me enjoy and understand The Mirrored World better.
Dean has an engaging style of writing that is at lyrical and luxurious. She succeeds at bringing the history of St. Petersburg to life with her eye for detail and her knowledge of the history. However, much of the story is simply told by Dasha and was lacking the passion that Xenia allegedly felt for her husband Andrei. Overall, The Mirrored World is worth the read and one that is sure to pique your interest in Russian history.
Debra Dean tells this historical tale with an eye for the details of Elizabeth's eccentric court and then the paranoia that plagued Catherine the Great. I read the majority of the biography Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie earlier this year and I think my prior knowledge of the society and history in Russia helped me enjoy and understand The Mirrored World better.
Dean has an engaging style of writing that is at lyrical and luxurious. She succeeds at bringing the history of St. Petersburg to life with her eye for detail and her knowledge of the history. However, much of the story is simply told by Dasha and was lacking the passion that Xenia allegedly felt for her husband Andrei. Overall, The Mirrored World is worth the read and one that is sure to pique your interest in Russian history.
September 14, 2012
Want more than a superficial reflection.
Needed more of the "holy" less of the "fool"
I so loved The Madonnas Of Leningrad that I may be judging this too harshly. MOL was a multi faceted book (read my review : http://book-file.blogspot.com.au/2011...) that came to life. TMW stays on the page, flat, uninspiring.
I don't mind dark, grim, bleak ... and this setting was all of those things. My problem was that I never felt empathy for the characters, I never felt I was there, I never felt I cared (I finished it just to finish it).
Xenia comes across more as a woman with a broken mind than a saint in the making. While Dean is a lyrical writer, I found the narrative was lacking. We were just provided with tantalising glimpses of Cathrerine's court and the contrasting riches and poverty and we were introduced to Xenia's early life but then followed her cousin to the conclusion. The "holy fool" came across more as a heart-and-mind broken "fool" than a "holy" mystic. I never felt a belief in why Xenia would be sainted (other than her broken-minded generosity).
Needed more of the "holy" less of the "fool"
I so loved The Madonnas Of Leningrad that I may be judging this too harshly. MOL was a multi faceted book (read my review : http://book-file.blogspot.com.au/2011...) that came to life. TMW stays on the page, flat, uninspiring.
I don't mind dark, grim, bleak ... and this setting was all of those things. My problem was that I never felt empathy for the characters, I never felt I was there, I never felt I cared (I finished it just to finish it).
Xenia comes across more as a woman with a broken mind than a saint in the making. While Dean is a lyrical writer, I found the narrative was lacking. We were just provided with tantalising glimpses of Cathrerine's court and the contrasting riches and poverty and we were introduced to Xenia's early life but then followed her cousin to the conclusion. The "holy fool" came across more as a heart-and-mind broken "fool" than a "holy" mystic. I never felt a belief in why Xenia would be sainted (other than her broken-minded generosity).
September 7, 2016
I found the beginning of this book quite intriguing. I enjoyed the descriptions of the young St Petersburg and the goings on of The Royal Court.
The book seemed to bog down in the second half, perhaps because the true subject of the book was Xenia but the story was told through the eyes of a fictional cousin, Dasha. Xenia was based on Xenia, a patron saint of St Petersburg who lived in the 18th century. We just didn't learn enough about either Xenia or Dasha in the end.
For more on Saint Xenia see:
http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2011/...
http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2010/...
For more on the fascinating story of the wedding and the ice palace see:
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/cu...
The book seemed to bog down in the second half, perhaps because the true subject of the book was Xenia but the story was told through the eyes of a fictional cousin, Dasha. Xenia was based on Xenia, a patron saint of St Petersburg who lived in the 18th century. We just didn't learn enough about either Xenia or Dasha in the end.
For more on Saint Xenia see:
http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2011/...
http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2010/...
For more on the fascinating story of the wedding and the ice palace see:
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/cu...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 1, 2012
The pages of this beautifully-written, evocative novel flew by. Dean fleshes out the life of St. Xenia, patron saint of St. Petersburg, seen through the loving but mystified eyes of fictional cousin Dasha. I must be pretty worldly because I admit I most enjoyed the first 2/3 of the book, BEFORE Xenia went saintly holy fool on everyone. After that I found her as opaque as Dasha does, and the book reads more like this summary of the real Xenia I found online: http://www.stxenia.org/stxenia.html .
Dean has done her research--The Mirrored World is worth a read just for her description of the ice palace and other glimpses into 18th century St. Petersburg. Plenty of mirrors and gender-bending symbolism for literary fiction lovers, and plenty of clothing and carriages for the Downtown-Abbey-loving, historical fiction crowd. Highly recommend.
Dean has done her research--The Mirrored World is worth a read just for her description of the ice palace and other glimpses into 18th century St. Petersburg. Plenty of mirrors and gender-bending symbolism for literary fiction lovers, and plenty of clothing and carriages for the Downtown-Abbey-loving, historical fiction crowd. Highly recommend.
December 30, 2015
I loved her debut novel, The Madonnas of Leningrad, that I gave away several copies to friends. I enjoyed her short story collection, Confessions of a Falling Woman, too. Yet somehow this book just didn't grab me the way the others did.
I love her voice and her writing style. I think it is the setting that doesn't speak to me. 18th-century Russia is depressing. The void between the rich and the poor is so huge it is unbridgeable. The relationship between the two sisters and their marriages are hard to enter into for me. I don't share the reverence and respect for mad people wandering the streets that the people in the book do.
Still, two out of three isn't bad. This isn't a bad book, just one that lacked a certain something for me, but Dean is such a good writer, I'll read her next book when it comes out. It's not her, it's me.
I love her voice and her writing style. I think it is the setting that doesn't speak to me. 18th-century Russia is depressing. The void between the rich and the poor is so huge it is unbridgeable. The relationship between the two sisters and their marriages are hard to enter into for me. I don't share the reverence and respect for mad people wandering the streets that the people in the book do.
Still, two out of three isn't bad. This isn't a bad book, just one that lacked a certain something for me, but Dean is such a good writer, I'll read her next book when it comes out. It's not her, it's me.
July 28, 2025
I was entertained and educated.
I first listened to the story, then checked out the ebook so I could read the open and the close.
The reader, being a native Russian speaker, not only pronounced the Russian words better than I ever could, but also had the lilt and rhythm that Dasha would have had in her delivery. When I re-read the open and close, I read it in what I remembered of her voice.
An interesting picture of the 18th century Russian court, and of St. Petersburg, both wealthy and poor. Not having an Orthodox, or even Catholic background, I don't know that I'd heard of St. Xenia before. But this story seems a fitting tribute to any Fool for Christ.
The ebook version had some very interesting additional notes about how the author discovered and went about the story. And what it means to be a fool.
I first listened to the story, then checked out the ebook so I could read the open and the close.
The reader, being a native Russian speaker, not only pronounced the Russian words better than I ever could, but also had the lilt and rhythm that Dasha would have had in her delivery. When I re-read the open and close, I read it in what I remembered of her voice.
An interesting picture of the 18th century Russian court, and of St. Petersburg, both wealthy and poor. Not having an Orthodox, or even Catholic background, I don't know that I'd heard of St. Xenia before. But this story seems a fitting tribute to any Fool for Christ.
The ebook version had some very interesting additional notes about how the author discovered and went about the story. And what it means to be a fool.
September 25, 2012
St. Xenia of St. Petersburg is a saint I had never heard of. This book was quite fascinating, the decadence of the court of the Empress Elizabeth, the introduction of Catherine, the Winter Palace, the balls, the idle lifestyles, the banquets that went on forever are wonderfully portrayed. The book is narrated by Xenia's cousin and it is through her that we learn of Xenia's life. After the death of her beloved husband, Xenia quickly looses her bearings and becomes more than dissatisfied with the empty lives of the nobility and court hanger ons. Enjoyed this book but am not sure if Xenia was really a saint or just some mad from grief. I did look her up and it said many miracles were attributed to her grave-site so who knows, I guess anything is possible.
August 7, 2014
The beginning of the book beautifully portrayed the society of St. Petersburg in the mid 18th century and I was initially captivated by the romantic deptiction of the ice palace and the grand balls. After the first 50 or 60 pages, though, the plot lost my interest a bit. Witnessing a woman descend into madness because of her grief isn’t exactly uplifting. Xenia’s tragic life is heartbreaking, but her transformation to a devout mystic is unsettling. The narrator Dasha wasn’t entirely engaging despite her devotion to her mad cousin. Add to that a conclusion that felt unresolved and I was left unsatisfied with a book that had potential.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via the Amazon Vine Program.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via the Amazon Vine Program.
October 8, 2015
Such a disappointment as I loved The Madonnas of Leningrad. I couldn't connect with any of the characters, there was zero character development and I could not get any sense of the time and place. Given that this was 18th century Russia this is a real shame. This is, again, a very short novel, but this time around it doesn't work. More time, and pages, would be needed to set the scene and bring the period to live. That said, curiously there is still a lot I did like. The writing was, once again, beautiful and touching. Some bits were truly memorable, I just wished they had been part of a more structured, more elaborate and longer story. This is the imagined life of Xenia of St. Petersburg, a holy fool and revered figure in Russian culture. I would have liked to get to know her better.
September 9, 2014
How many ways are lives mirrored in the world of Catherine the Great's royal court? Perhaps it's not only outward lives that are mirrored, but inward as well. Perhaps the mirror of life is a dream. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately at times), mirrors do distort the reality. Ann Hood's blurb on the back of the book jacket describes the novel well: "The Mirrored World explores the mysteries of love and grief and devotion. Against a vivid backdrop of eighteenth-century St. Petersburg and Catherine the Great's royal court, the woman who would become St. Xenia is brought fully to life. Is there a more imaginative, elegant storyteller than Debra Dean?"
August 29, 2017
Quite honestly I'm not sure what this book was about! It was set in Russia during the run up to Catherine the Great's reign. It followed the lives of three girls - two sisters and their cousin (who was the narrator). Some of the writing was beautiful and the characters fairly well drawn but I just felt that something was missing - or I was missing something.
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