The Winter Palace

Catherine #1

by Eva Stachniak

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
The Wall Street Journal • The Washington Post
 
From award-winning author Eva Stachniak comes this passionate novel that illuminates, as only fiction can, the early life of one of history’s boldest women. The Winter Palace tells the epic story of Catherine the Great’s improbable rise to power—as seen through the ever-watchful eyes of an all-but-invisible servant close to the throne.
 
Her name is Barbara—in Russian, Varvara. Nimble-witted and attentive, she’s allowed into the employ of the Empress Elizabeth, amid the glitter and cruelty of the world’s most eminent court. Under the tutelage of Count Bestuzhev, Chancellor and spymaster, Varvara will be educated in skills from lock picking to lovemaking, learning above all else to listen—and to wait for opportunity. That opportunity arrives in a slender young princess from Zerbst named Sophie, a playful teenager destined to become the indomitable Catherine the Great. Sophie’s destiny at court is to marry the Empress’s nephew, but she has other, loftier, more dangerous ambitions, and she proves to be more guileful than she first appears.
 
What Sophie needs is an insider at court, a loyal pair of eyes and ears who knows the traps, the conspiracies, and the treacheries that surround her. Varvara will become Sophie’s confidante—and together the two young women will rise to the pinnacle of absolute power.
 
With dazzling details and intense drama, Eva Stachniak depicts Varvara’s secret alliance with Catherine as the princess grows into a legend—through an enforced marriage, illicit seductions, and, at last, the shocking coup to assume the throne of all of Russia.
 
Impeccably researched and magnificently written, The Winter Palace is an irresistible peek through the keyhole of one of history’s grandest tales.
 
Praise for The Winter Palace
 
“A majestic and splendidly written tale of pride, passion, intrigue, and deceit that is brought alive from the first page to the last.”—Rosalind Laker
 
“At the same time baroque and intimate, worldly and domestic, wildly strange and soulfully familiar, The Winter Palace offers a flickering glimpse of history through the gauze of deft entertainment.”— The Washington Post
 
“A thrilling point of view . . . Readers are treated to a firsthand account of the young princess’s slow ascent to the throne, a path deliciously strewn with discarded lovers and sanguine court intrigues.”—Minneapolis Star-Tribune
 
“[A] brilliant, bold historical novel . . . This superb biographical epic proves the Tudors don’t have a monopoly on marital scandal, royal intrigue, or feminine triumph.”— Booklist (starred review)

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Russia, Book Club, 18th Century, Royalty

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Eva Stachniak was born in Wrocław, Poland. She moved to Canada in 1981 and has worked for Radio Canada International and Sheridan College, where she taught English and humanities. Her debut novel, Necessary Lies, won the Amazon.ca/Books in Canada First Novel Award in 2000. Her first novel of Catherine the Great, The Winter Palace, has been included in the Washington Post 2011 list of most notable fiction and was a #1 international bestseller.
Stachniak lives in Toronto. Her latest novel is The School of Mirrors (2022).

Reviews

[C.W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the crowded historical fiction marketplace, THE WINTER PALACE stands out for being a book set in mid-eighteenth century Russia, an unusual setting. But what makes this novel unique is its perspective. Told from the viewpoint of Varvara, a young Polish woman who rises to influence in the Russian Court of Tsarina Elizabeth as a spy, we are swept into a tumultuous era when the fortunes of an entire empire hovered on the often incomprehensible whims of the aging tsarina, and where an enterprising servant could rise high, if she was willing to sacrifice enough to achieve her goals. Varvara is more than up to the task— a book binder’s daughter with little to recommend her save her ingenuity, she enters service as a secret “tongue”, ferreting out petty secrets to amuse her employers, until the young German princess Sophie arrives to wed the Tsarina's nephew. In lovely, maligned Sophie, Varvara finds the perfect ploy to both succeed in her quest for independence and play a pivotal role in the future shaping of a ruler. But as Sophie grows from naive pawn to expert manipulator of circumstance, her own fight for survival in the ruthlessness of the court unravels Varvara's carefully constructed plans. Sophie will, in time, seize fame as Catherine the Great; Varvara’s destiny, however, becomes less certain as she begins to realize the price her intrigues and trust in the fickle nature of power could cost her— and those around her.

Elegantly written and gilded with details of the flamboyant decadence of the Russian court, THE WINTER PALACE is a compelling and vivid novel that is sure to please fans of historical and literary fiction alike.

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of becoming Catherine the Great starts interesting. However, one-fourth through the book, the story starts slowing down. Half-way through it is stagnant, not making any progress. It is concentrated on painful journey of Catherine the Great to reach the throne while Empress Elizabeth is ruling.

The story is told by Varvara who becomes the closest confidante to Catherine the Great. Varvara’s story is the most interesting part. Her father’s skill of bookbinding, especially skilled in gold tooling, gets him a job for Empress Anna (who plays very short part here and soon is succeeded by Empress Elizabeth) in St. Petersburg at the Imperial Library. They arrive in the city in the fall of 1734. Her father is of noble blood and mother of poor family status; the description of her parents is impressive, showing how skillful the writer is.

At the age of 16, she is orphaned and given a chance as seamstress at the Winter Palace. At nights as she wanders corridors, she encounters Count Bestuzhev, the Chancellor of Russia. He teaches her how to be an impeccable spy and presents her to Empress Elizabeth, who gives her a position of the Chief Maid to serve the Grand Duke.

When young Princess Sophie arrives at Moscow’s court, she finds confidante in Varvara. Shortly, after Princess Sophie gets married to the prospective tsar Peter (nephew of Empress Elizabeth), the Empress marries Varvara to a Palace Guard. Her marriage takes her away from the palace, but she finds her way back.

The story is skillfully written, but the progression of the story is slow.

[librarianka · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book sets the stage for the next book, a clever idea. In The Winter Palace we read about what went on before the relatively obscure German princess Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg transformed herself into the empress Catherine the Great.

I found it quite an intense story about what, we would call today, an abusive and toxic environment and women who found themselves living inside it. Sophie and everybody else is placed under the tyranny of empress Elizabeth, who is a cruel self centered ruler. Everybody is forced to live a double life, one in public and quite another one clandestinely. This type of living under constant terror is shared by the main protagonist of the story, fictional Barbara (in Polish) or Varvara (in Russian), who finds herself an orphan, a foreigner at the Russian court at the mercy of the empress Elizabeth. Both Sophie and Barbara become friends, or so it seems. Both have to deny or cover up their true feelings, have to make alliances and rid themselves of any scruples in order to survive.

The fictional main character is very skillfully placed within the historical context making the story interesting as well as educational. It's the best way to learn history, through the eyes of a very credible and very sympathetic character. I love reading about the minuscule details, descriptions of everyday life, food, fashion, occupations, behaviour of the protagonists, coming into close contact with the reality of Russia of the eighteen century.

The book is essentially dedicated to the seventeen years during which Sophie waited and learnt all she could in order to prepare herself for taking the throne. She also endured tremendous hardship in her personal life, having everybody who she loved taken away from her. She knew that her fortune depended completely on her strenght and proceeded with the iron will to will what she wanted.

[Alice Poon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving this novel 3.7 stars.

This was an entertaining novel that read like a melodrama. The plot is believable and fastidiously executed. The writing is melodious and sentimental. The novel is immensely rich in descriptive details, especially about court etiquette, palatial decor, clothes and jewelry. Having recently read Robert Massie’s factual non-fiction title Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman, I can avow that this novel is based on meticulous research.

The novel is written from the perspective of Varvara, a bookbinder’s daughter turned spy in the Russian court during Empress Elizabeth’s reign. The first two-thirds of the novel dwell on Elizabeth’s vagaries, her extravagance and her suspicious and jealous nature, all seen through Varvara’s critical eyes. By comparison, the character of Catherine the Great is given a much less detailed treatment, although it can be said that Catherine is shown in a much less flattering light here, compared to Massie’s biography.

Often, the narrative is bogged down with Varvara’s personal maturing pains and many unnecessary details about places and things that are unrelated to the royalties. As much as Varvara functions as an effective narrator, it seems that she occupies the center stage for too much of the novel to leave enough room for the leading character – who should be Catherine, as the novel subtitle suggests.

On balance, it is a remarkable historical novel about 18th century Russian court life. I’m giving it 3.7 stars.

[AliceinWonderland · Rating 2 out of 5]

- I was so looking forward to this book, only to be disappointed AGAIN!
- The unfortunate part is that the premise of the book, including the time period and all of the characters *could* have had such an interesting story to tell, but Stachniak falls short.
- To start off with, I believe the choice of a first person narrator told from the point of a view of a spy or "tongue" under the guise as a chamber maid ruined the writer's ability to truly potray Catherine the Great.
- I mean, who is she really?? This daunting figure in history, yet Stachniak leaves me wondering...Is Catherine heartless or is she full of love? Is she clever and full of guile or being manipulated by others, or was it just good timing? Is she loyal or not?
- Honestly, 3/4 of the book felt like it was about Empress Elizabeth's temper tantrums!
- We don't see the characters true motivations, fears or inner wants/desires...(not counting the supremely obvious favourites: MONEY SEX AND POWER.)
- Though Stachniak's writing style was decent, I felt like all she was doing was the proverbial "info-dumping" to show how much supposed research she did. Aside from descriptions of gowns, fabrics and plants/flowers, I don't see much detail at all...
- In 1746 this happened, and then in the fall/autumn, that happened - YAWN!
- If you want a good historical fiction with good characterizeration and dialogue, try "WOLF HALL" by Hilary Mantel instead! At least I felt I knew WHO Thomas Cromwell really was, or at least who Mantel wanted to portray him to be...instead this book, where I really didn't care about Catherine at all, which is kind'of a problem when the book is about her!
- Disappointed.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was selected for my Historical Fiction group's January group read, and since I'm trying (somewhat successfully so far, but the year is still young) to read more group read selections, I read this one.

And... Well, I liked it, but I can't say that I loved it. It really wasn't what I was expecting at all, though that's not really a bad thing. Just different.

I had expected this novel of Catherine the Great to be about Catherine the Great. Instead, it was about the girl, Sophie, who would become her. And that's fine, because I love learning about the origins of things, like how people come to power. But so much of the book was not about 'Catherine the Great' that it just felt a little like the title was misleading.

Still, I enjoyed seeing Russian Imperial court life, and the way that the story was told through a servant was interesting, because we get a different perspective. The mundane details come through bright and clear, and it really gives the whole thing a sense of reality that a lot of HF about royalty doesn't have. We see the boring and the ugly and the stupid side of things, not only the intriguing political and powerful side of things. Of course that latter aspect is quite a large part of the story, considering that our narrator, Varvara, is trained to be a court spy, a "tongue". So, really, it's a pretty well-rounded story.

But I did have some complaints about it. First, there is just a TON of description in the book. I get that Empress Elizabeth wears a different gown every day... I don't need every single one described to me. I don't really need descriptions of palace rooms and the tapestries and mirrors and layout of the area, unless it's important to the story.

Secondly, two things kept reminding me of Kushiel's Dart, which was not exactly a favorable comparison. One was the fact that the narrator was a spy, though the methods were... different. And the other thing was the copious amounts of foreshadowing. This was handled much better in The Winter Palace than Kushiel's Dart, which contained immensely and ridiculously clumsy foreshadowing, but still the amount of it was over the top, I think, and unnecessary.

But, overall, it was a good book, and I can see myself recommending it to people interested in this period of Russian history.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Winter Palace is historical fiction, based on historical sources of the life of Catherine the Great of Russia. We see the center of the empire through the eyes of one member of the court, an insignificant child initially brought to Russia by her Polish parents. This child, Barbara, soon to be renamed Varvara, enters into the world of court intrigue after her parents death and we follow the intrigues of court life under Elizabeth, Grand Duke Peter, the search for a wife for Peter, and the transformation of Sophy of Prussia into Catherine.

As stated by the author,


"A spy is a marvelous narrator.In the corridors of the
Winter Palace, Varvara can see and hear what remains
hidden to others, so she is well-suited to become my
eyes and ears. She can comment with authority on the
atmosphere of secrets and deceit the permeates the court
life. She is not innocent. as she tries to navigate the
stormy waters of the intrigues and deceit, she betrays
and learns what it means to be betrayed. Many of her insights
and observations are as valid now as they were in
eighteenth-century Russia."


This is taken from the author's afterword in which she discusses her sources and methods of creating the novel.

Varvara becomes our eyes and ears in the court during Elizabeth's reign, the search for a bride for the child Peter and the marriage of Peter and Catherine. This book ends with the early years of Catherine's reign but a second novel, dealing with the later years, is due in 2014.

I am not an historian and definitely not knowledgeable about Russian history, but this novel provided an interesting, exciting and stimulating picture of the era which makes me want to know more. I also very much appreciate the author's notes providing historical footing in the afterword.

Recommended for those who enjoy historical fiction and Russian history.

[Dem · Rating 3 out of 5]

The winter palace by Eva is an interesting and easy to read Novel and if you are somebody who does not like to get bogged down with historical dates and facts but like to learn a little of Russian royal courts, then this is the book for you, however if you are somebody who loves historical fiction with a capital L and want your novels to read like history books then you will not enjoy this book.

I picked this book up recently at an airport bookshop as the two books I had packed were heavy reading and I realised not very good holiday reads. After quickly scanning the blurb of this book I felt it would be just a nice easy read.

The story of the winter place is narrated by the orphaned daughter of the bookbinder to the Empress Elizabeth I of Russia, whom in the event of his death he had asked that she be cared for by the palace, Upon this event Barbara ends up in various positions in the court. She is eventually made a mistress and spy of the Chancellor of Russia and she spends her time spying on the Grand Duke and Princess Sophie. While spying on the Princess, Varenka(Barbara's name is changed to Valenka at the court) finds herself growing to like Princess Sophie and wanting to protect her. This story concentrates (very loosely) on the last half of Empress Elizabeth's reign and then the first part of Catherine the Great's life at court.

Firstly and very importantly this is not a novel about Catherine the Great, the story is told from the perspective of Barbara, or as she's known in Russia as Varenka, Some historical elements of the novel are well researched and written but there is a lot of important facts left out.

The author does however capture the atmosphere of the winter palace and the period in which the novel is written and I will certainly look out for other novels which deal with Catherine the Great's reign.
All in all an easy read, I would like the plot to have had a little more bite to it and the characters a little more historically correct. I think the author concentrated too much on the love life’s of these powerful women when there was so much more interesting historical information that would have been more educational for the reader.

[Lolly's Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Eva Stachniak is an excellent writer. She immerses the reader fully into the story, allowing one to hear the susurration of silken petticoats, feel the chill bite of the howling Russian winter wind, smell the perfume and mildew which permeated the grand yet dilapidated Winter Palace. She does so with complex sentences, unlike some historical fiction writers *cough* Philippa Gregory *cough* who can't seem to string together sentences more involved than the "See Jane, See Spot, See Jane and Spot" variety, weaving together a intricate and compelling story. Eva also managed to introduce numerous characters without overwhelming the reader or constantly repeating how each character related to another and the importance of said relationship as some writers *cough* Philippa Gregory *cough* do, relying on the reader's intelligence to keep names straight (as well as a handy list at the back of the book, identifying the major players in the Russian Court).

However, I did encounter a few problems. The first was the story really wasn't about Catherine the Great, at least, not in the way I had imagined the novel might be. The book is told from the first-person perspective of Barbara, or as she's known in Russia, Varvara, the daughter of a lowly bookbinder who comes to the court of Empress Elizabeth and eventually becomes her "tongue" or spy. Varvara's job is to ingratiate herself with the young Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, the future Catherine and bride of Empress Elizabeth's nephew, Ivan, in order to spy on her activities and report back to the Empress. Along the way, Varvara becomes conflicted over her duties as she finds herself truly liking the naive Grand Duchess and instead of helping the Empress, she begins to help Catherine become a power player in the Russian court, actions which inevitably lead to a clashing of forces and a palace coup. While the story told is powerful and entrancing, I found it was more about Varvara and her fortunes and follies than anyone else; Catherine, while present, seemed to be a side note. Yes, we see Catherine change from a frightened, lonely young woman to a confident manipulator of her surroundings. However, all the thoughts we see are Varvara's. All the emotions and upheavals we experience are Varvara's. Everything of Catherine's is second-hand and, thus, less poignant. Also, the first-person narration didn't always serve the story well and this is something I'd like to dwell upon for a moment. It seems to be the "in" thing lately to have historical fiction novels told from a first-person perspective, often from a secondary source. Why? If you want to have first-person narration, why can't the principal character do the narration? Why does it have to be first-person? Why can't we go back to the tried-and-true third person omniscient narration? Or be truly daring and try an epistolary narration? Because, and here's the problem with first-person narration from a secondary character, you lose some of the immediacy and flow of the tale, especially if, as in the case with The Winter Palace, your character leaves the main action. For seven years, after she displeases the Empress and is forcefully married off, Varvara is banished from court and the novel focuses on her time spent with her husband and child. As such, we hear about the actions of Catherine, who is supposedly meant to be the main thrust of the novel, from tertiary sources--letters, reports, rumors--passed on to Varvara. If this is a book about Catherine, why is Varvara the one we sympathize with, suffer with, ride along with? Shouldn't it be Catherine?

Ultimately, that is the reason behind my rating. While the writing is beautiful and the story excellently told, it's mislabeled. It should be subtitled A Novel Set in the Court of Catherine the Great. Because, in the end, it's Varvara who takes center stage, about whom all the other characters dance.

[Misfit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Novels on Catherine the Great are few and far between, and I believe most of those are out of print and rather hard to find, so I was thrilled to bits to see a new one coming out. While this is billed as "A Novel of Catherine the Great", the narrator is Barbara (Varvara in Russian), a daughter of a Polish bookbinder who works as a spy in the household of the Empress Elizabeth, beginning at the time a young Princess Sophie is brought to court to marry Elizabeth's nephew and heir. Barbara and the newly renamed Catherine become friends (making Barbara a double agent of sorts), and the narration continues through Catherine's becoming Empress. Fascinating stuff, yes?

Well, no. At least not in this one.

I'm generally not fond of first person narratives, but this one really started off well despite that. I liked Barbara's voice and I liked the way she managed to impart a lot of historical background without endless exposition. I liked the spy in the household bit, and at first it was believable as Barbara was such a minor servant, but towards the end her indispensability to all and sundry as well her intimate knowledge of everything that happened began to stretch credulity. I also felt the choice to marry Barbara off to one of Elizabeth's soldiers and remove her from the household for seven years was a poor one, because at that point anything that happened had court had to be relayed to her second-hand via letters or visitors and thus began the info dumps and I began nodding off...

I couldn't help comparing this novel to Annette Motley's Men on White Horses, a book I read last year and enjoyed a lot. Motley's book focused on Catherine, and I was able to *see* her thoughts and feelings first hand. With Barbara as the narrator, we're only seeing what Barbara thinks about Catherine's thoughts and feelings, and that was a difference that didn't work as well for me as it did for other readers. I also loved what Motley did with Catherine's nutty husband Peter (those poor rats...), and I just didn't find much of that in this book, nor any author's notes to let me know why that was left out. Three stars.

[Bücherwunder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mit diesem Buch habe ich nach langer Zeit wieder einmal einen historischen Roman zur Hand genommen und es nicht bereut.
Durch die ungewöhnliche Perspektive einer Angestellten des Hofes wird die Geschichte von Katharina der Großen erzählt - bevor sie den russischen Thron für sich eroberte.
Schnell kommt man in die Geschichte und fiebert mit den Protagonisten mit, wobei sich dabei vordergründlich auf deren Privatleben und weniger auf historische Ereignisse oder politische Vorgänge konzentriert wird. Das macht es auch Lesern wie mir, die nicht besonders informiert über russische Historie sind, leicht, sich in die Geschehnisse einzufinden.
Einige Längen bleiben dabei nicht aus, stören das Leseerlebnis aber nicht wesentlich.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really so enjoyed this! Right up my alley. Historical Fiction and court intrigue. Politics, succession, warring sides. Relationships, espionage, lavish balls, masques, and dances. Paranoia, crafty long sight planning.

I had always wanted to know more about Catherine the Great. And since this book was all about her rise to Empress, I suppose now I will have to read the sequel.

I think what what was hardest for me about the book, is the way children are treated - particularly children of heirs. Kept from their mothers, possibly imprisoned or poisoned. Trained to be rulers, yet trained to be alone. The truth of that is difficult to digest, but is embedded in the history of all court and royal life.

I have read this book with a few other people and so look forward to hearing your thoughts. Since I picked it, I pray you enjoyed it, or if you didn't, that the discussion will enhance your experience of the book.

[Dorine · Rating 4 out of 5]

For hardcore Historical fiction lovers, THE WINTER PALACE by Eva Stachniak is an excellent book. The novel gives great insight into Russian history and I thought it was fascinating.

It's written from the point of view of Varvara, a young orphaned woman, who becomes a spy within the Empress' palace. Her father was a bookbinder and upon his death, Varvara is left within the Empress' care. At first, she doesn't have much choice about becoming a spy - it's either that or continue working as a seamstress, where she's mistreated by the servant in charge. You begin to think that spying might be her way out of a miserable predicament, but being under someone elses control means nothing in life can be predicted. Then, as the novel progresses, you hope she'll someday have the freedom to choose her own destiny.

Varvara's friendship with Catherine the Great as a young woman, as well as her service to Empress Elizabeth, kept me wondering about Varvara's true loyalties. Filled with intrigue, you're never quite sure if she'll live long enough to have a family and enjoy a normal life. There are harsh realities of the time that make it difficult to even imagine what her life was like. I often feared for Varvara's future and couldn't wait to finish the book to find out if she'd be dealt the happiness she deserved. For me, Varvara's character growth was very moving and throughout everything that happened, it was her future that keep me reading until the end.

A great prequel to Catherine the Great's reign, THE WINTER PALACE is a gripping historical novel, told from a viewpoint that adds suspense to an already mesmerizing time in history.

[Josie · Rating 2 out of 5]

[Audiobook version]

Now that the days are shorter, I was looking for a sweeping historical novel to listen to on the dark drive to and from work. This seemed ideal -- an orphaned Polish girl working in the Russian court becomes one of Empress Elizabeth's "tongues" (a palace spy) but ultimately ends up helping the young German princess Sophie to become the notorious Catherine the Great.

Except, my knowledge of Russian (and European) history of that era is veeeery vague, so I honestly have no idea why Catherine was eventually dubbed "the Great". This book spans a period of about twenty years, and focuses on the events leading up to the coup when Catherine took the throne, which is where the story ends. But despite my ignorance, I disagree with the reviewers who said this book "should have" been about Catherine. I much preferred Varvara's story!

So why only two stars? Because, ultimately, this was boring. The writing style was overly wordy and had long descriptive passages that didn't add anything to the plot or even the atmosphere. Eva Stachniak seemed to love describing random things: the view from a window, the contents of a dressing table, a fight between two cats. It just felt pointless, and made the whole thing drag on too much.

[MaryannC Victorian Dreamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasnt sure if I was going to like this, I read a mixed bag of reviews on this book. This was my first book about Catherine The Great and I have to say I really liked it. I liked the details and the author's writing style. It wasnt complicated, it was just a nice, solid read that kept me coming back for more.

[Sina & Ilona Glimmerfee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historischer Roman um Katharina der Großen erzählt aus der Sicht einer Spionin, die zur Freundin der späterin Zarin wird. Liest sich gut, weiß aber noch nicht, ob ich den zweiten Teil in der nächsten Zeit auch lesen werde.

[Helena (Renchi King) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Za moj ukus previše romantično i bajkovito. Povijesno vrijedna tema potrošena na banalnosti...

[Ivy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Die Geschichte Russlands durch die Augen von Warwara, Dienerin von Kaiserin Elisabeth und gleichzeitig Spionin von Katharina der Großen.
Die Perspektive war für mich das spannendste in dem Buch. Teilweise gut rüber gebracht durch überraschende Wendung, teilweise aber auch flach und emotionslos, so dass man nicht mitfiebert.
Da hatte ich definitiv mehr erwartet...

[Manda Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was recently sent two outstanding books for cover quotes. This is the first:

Published in January next year by Doubleday, 'The Winter Palace' is the story of the ascent of the poor little German princess, Sophie who, dragged to the Russian court as bride for the youthful Grand Duke (a Prussian, who spends his life playing with his toy soldiers and fails to consummate their marriage), rises in time to become Catherine the Great.

But she is not great when we meet her: she's the princess with darned stockings, who risks death or exile daily in a court that hums with intrigue and secrecy, where every lock is waiting to be picked with a hairpin, every secret compartment is known, every conversation overheard by those who stand in the dust-laden corridors behind the walls, with their eyes pressed to peep holes. This is a place where the Empress' word is law and it changes daily with the whims and tempers of the strange, over-indulged, over-sexed, over-pampered woman whose increasingly dissolute lifestyle threatens to bankrupt her country. And to destroy Sophie.

She also has power of life and death over our narrator, Barbara. Daughter of a Poilish bookbinder, Barbara is brought to court to be viewed by the Empress when her father is asked to bind an old book for her. Soon, orphaned, the girl now known as Varvara (the Russian pronunciation of her name) is taken in and dumped into a life as a seamstress. But she is clever, and can read in several languages and soon she is a 'tongue' - one of those spies whose job it is to see and hear all that happens and report to the Empress. Set to spy on Sophie, she becomes her friend and confidante.

And so we see the rise to power of a woman whose ultimate fate we all know. But I didn't know the depradations and cruelty, the mental torture she had suffered; that her children were taken from her at birth and grew up as strangers, that she was taunted by her husband who publicly supplanted her and installed his mistress, how the Orlov brothers gave her love and demanded power in return.

As with Wolf Hall, the tension arises because we know the ultimate outcome, not because we don't. Catherine the Great was a merciless woman, but here, she is shown in all her vulnerability, and if she is without compassion later, there are good reasons. The writing is beautiful: light, assured, intricate but never boring. The author manages to span half a life - from Varvara's youth to her own daughter's adolescence and never once do we miss the intimacy and the passion, the small details of a daughter's foot, kissed in wonder, the terror of a night spent watching and waiting when death might fall at any moment - but never do we lose the momentum, the inexorable forward march of history. It's a book to fall into and become lost in - I genuinely nearly missed my stop on the train because I couldn't bear to put it down and was lost again in the Imperial palace, in the spying and the lies and the half-truths and the ultimate truth beneath.

Few books are worth reading again these days - this is definitely one of them. Like the Russian dolls we all know, each layer peeled opens another beneath, just as intricate, just as beautiful, just as perfect.

This comes out in January - so if you have some book-buying money or a token from Christmas, this will be the one to spend it on.

Manda

[Meg - A Bookish Affair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guys, I've been bitten by the all things Russian bug. Lucky for me, 2012 is shaping up to be the year of Russian lit, especially in the genre of historical fiction, which is one of my favorites as you may have figured out.

I was so excited once I heard this book was coming out. Back in August, I visited Odessa in Ukraine, which had basically been planned out by Catherine the Great. There are statues and plaques of her everywhere in the city. It's a cool city; definitely one of the more traditional Western European looking places that I visited while I was in Ukraine.

I knew that Catherine the Great was one of the great Russian monarchs but I knew very little about her. This book covers her time from when she came to Russia as a young German princess (I didn't realize that she was not Russian born actually) to when she become Empress of Russia.

The story was told from the point of Varvara (or Barbara in her native Polish tongue; there isn't really a hard "B" sound in Russian), a book binder's daughter who rises through the ranks to become a trusted friend and advisor to the Russian monarchs. She's also tapped to become a sort of spy of the household. Which will she choose as her ultimate position?

I got sucked into this story. The Russian monarchy is sort of interesting in that there were foreigners on the throne and the monarch at the time that Catherine comes to Russia to be matched with the Grand Duke, Elizabeth, is sort of building the monarch from scratch. She claimed the throne and did not have any descendents so she pulls her Prussian nephew to be her successor and he becomes the Grand Duke. This is very different from a lot of the other monarchies that I've read about where the line of ascension was much straight forward.

Stachniak does a fantastic job of making Catherine and Varvara's world come alive. You can tell how much research she must have done on their world. The details like all of the different foods and the way things were decorated really add to pull you in the story.

The names of everyone in the book are a little bit difficult to follow sometimes but there is a key of the major players of the Russian court in the back (I read an ARC so the placement could be moved in the market version of the book) was really helpful but it would have been better to have it in the front of the book.

Stachniak is apparently working on a follow on book, which I am assuming will follow more of Catherine's actual reign. I could not find any date as to when the next book will come out, nor a title. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next book. I just hope it comes out quickly!!! I'm impatient!

[Natasa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing is good, but the pacing is slow. Too many times the author makes vague foreshadowing remarks that get annoying. Ultimately, this is the story of another woman. Catherine the Great is more of a side figure.

[Evan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was in a bit of a reading rut, so I thought the best way to break it would be to find something a little silly with a lot of history and descriptions of fancy dresses, some palace intrigue, and maybe a little romance too. This was that (the rise of Catherine the Great through the eyes of a palace servant/spy), but maybe just a little too silly because I found it incredibly low-stakes and boring.

Part of the problem was that I was so bored that I kept on reading ahead but by the time I'd get to those sections I'd have already read them so then I was bored again and kept reading ahead. Rinse and repeat.

Best part was reading some Russian phrases! And the ending was quite satisfactory.

[JG (Introverted Reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barbara is a Prussian bookbinder's daughter who moves to Russia with her family so that her father can have better work opportunities. After the deaths of her parents, Barbara goes to work in the Imperial Palace, where she quickly makes herself useful by becoming a spy. She is ideally placed and of the perfect age to befriend young Sophie when she arrives in the palace to marry the Grand Duke Peter, heir to the Imperial Throne. Sophie is renamed Catherine and Barbara remains by her side as she is first seen as the future of the Court, then reviled, and ultimately comes to power as the woman known throughout history as Catherine the Great.

Oh my gosh, Russian novels, even when they aren't written by Russians, defeat me with the names. Everyone has at least two or three wildly different (to me, anyway) names! I can't keep them straight! This one wasn't too bad but I would still draw the occasional blank. I just had to keep reading and hope that I eventually got that character placed.

I got lost at the end as Elizabeth was dying and the power plays were starting to occur. I wasn't even sure who Barbara was really spying on. She seemed to be firmly in Catherine's camp but since I was confused about names, I wasn't sure what she was reporting about her back to Elizabeth. I think this could have been corrected by cutting out some of the earlier, "daily life" stuff that felt a bit unnecessary to me, and giving more space to the complicated political gambits.

That all sounds bad and I don't mean it to. The novel was strong and I did enjoy reading about the early life of this ruler who has pretty much remained just a name to me. I feel like I learned quite a bit about her and Russian culture of the time. Catherine does feel like a real person in these pages, neither all good nor all bad. She grows and shifts and changes in unpredictable ways. The book ends during the early days of her rule and she became even more complex to me. I expected her to be a benevolent ruler for whatever reason, but she quickly shows that she will be ruthless when she has to be. She was an intelligent woman who played her hand well to get where she was. These ladies are always fascinating subjects for historical fiction.

My complaints are actually fairly minor and I do recommend this for fans of historical fiction. With winter days upon us, it's a perfect time to pick up The Winter Palace.

[Anissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this on my Kindle quite a while ago & finally got to reading it as it was a monthly pick for a historical fiction reading group that I’m a member of. The story is told by Varvara (or Varenka, as she is called by Catherine) who is “the tongue” of Catherine. We are told of both Catherine’s & Varvara’s arrival to the palace of the Empress & how their lives entwine like the bees in the amber stone that Catherine once gifts to Varvara. It’s a story that tells of great palace intrigue & there’s plenty of spying and people doing their best to stay one step ahead of unfavor. I loved it. Varvara’s voice easily swept along & I even enjoyed reading about her life when she and Catherine were estranged for long periods of time. Their woes, travails & victories were fascinating to read about.

By the end, Catherine has ascended to the throne & I had the feeling that things we’re really about to get good, especially since there’s another estrangement between Catherine & Varvara. Alas, I’m still sure it does but that isn’t in this book. This is a series you see, not a stand alone book. I had no idea when I bought this that this would be a series as there wasn’t any indication of that in the titling or summary. And even with that being a mild disappointment, I am perfectly happy to read the next book. I’m so taken by both Varvara & Catherine as they’ve grown into women that I want to know where life & their decisions take them.

I’d definitely recommend this but only if you’re really wanting to get stuck into another series. I have more than a few to finish up & this series is now on that list.

[Megan Baxter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the other historical fiction I was reading while I was reading Wolf Hall, and musing about my reactions to both. I would still say that Wolf Hall is a step above most historical fiction I've ever read, but this wasn't bad. It wasn't earth-shattering, either. But not bad.

Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.

In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zanimljiv roman o mladoj Katarini II (koja tada još nije bila "velika" pa se ne osjeti ta njena odlučnost, čvrstoća....ali je odlično prikazan život, muvanja, spletkarenja, špijuniranja, ljubovanja...i godine idu, idu,idu...dok ne dođe taj dan :)

[Lori Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reminded me of a Philippa Gregory novel... good, but not a Chadwick or Penman!!! I did like the Russian Monarchy... makes me want to learn more!!!

[Erin Al-Mehairi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Winter Palace, by Eva Stachniak, was released this January and I am so happy to have finally been able to complete this outstanding fiction work regarding the rise of a woman history knows as Catherine the Great. Surprisingly, after an over 30 year reign (which was the longest by any female ruler in Russia (1762-1796)), Catherine II did not have a novel on the shelves about her until this one! Stachniak certainly takes the shelves by storm with this historical fiction of grand design and includes all the elaborate scenery, trickery, politics, and debauchery of the time period that keeps readers engrossed in the story late into the night.

Though this novel doesn’t take place during Catherine the Great’s lengthy rule (only covers her covert ascension at the very end), it’s such an interesting story because it’s told through the eyes of a court servant and spy, Barbara-or Varvara in Russian. The child of a deceased book binder, and Polish immigrant, Varvara becomes an orphan taken in by Empress Elizabeth Petrova on a favor, who then observes and assists in Catherine’s growth into womanhood throughout a book that outlines all the intrigue and machinations of the elaborate Russian court during a time when many outside of the Royal Family were extremely poor and hungry and dissent abounded.

Before she becomes Catherine the Great, she is Sophie, a German teenage princess from Zerbst who comes at the age of 14 to a court ruled by Empress Elizabeth, the youngest daughter of Peter the Great. The Empress is just 35 years of age and exorbitant in her vices of decadence, lovers, and drink. This makes her impulsive and sometimes curt even through her bouts of kindness. Princess Sophie is brought to the Palace to become the wife of the Crown Prince Peter, who is Empress Elizabeth’s nephew. He’s not enthralled with his new wife and the many issues that plague him make him distant, unloving, and not a player in politics, or in the bedroom, and Empress Elizabeth is expecting (and demanding) an heir. To Varvara, she is her closest friend.

I have always had a love affair with Russian history during the time period of the 16th to 19th centuries. I loved the depth of the character of Varvara and how her life is held constantly in the balance by her usefulness (what she sees and hears) at court. The ending was amazing. I don’t want to give it away, but the redemptive stance it took was so properly portrayed as to how I thought it should be.

I highly recommend this book if you love any type of historical drama regarding life surrounding those in court politics. For me, I especially enjoyed that it surrounded Russian court in the 1600s, as I love Russian history, intrigue, and mystery. Again, I am astounded by strong women of history, both those of royalty as well as those who serve them.

Read more on my blog about the book and read her interview: http://hookofabook.wordpress.com/2012...

[Linda C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is another example of the need for Goodreads to offer half stars. I am somewhat reluctantly giving it four stars, because I think it was better than a 3 star book, but I'm not sure that it really deserves four. That being said, although it had some flaws, it was a good read.

As other reviewers noted, this really wasn't a novel of Catherine the Great, but rather a novel of her friend and spy, Barbara (or Varvara in Russian), a Polish girl working in the imperial palace. I didn't read it expecting a novel about Catherine, so that part didn't bother me, but I can see that readers who expected to read a book about Catherine may have been annoyed, especially since the book was told in the first person by Barbara. The author masterfully re-created St. Petersburg of the early-to-mid 1700s. It was cold; it was smelly; people lived hard and died young. As with all good historical novels, it made me very grateful for central heat, indoor plumbing, and the dentist.

My biggest problem with the book came in the middle section. The author covered a lot of years and she generally moved things along at a rapid clip. However, the middle section dragged quite a bit. The court was waiting for death of the prior Empress (a very painful death, by the way, so I am also grateful for modern hospitals)-- We were ALL waiting for the Empress to die and I, personally, wanted her to get along with it. Once she died, then the last 100 pages again moved rapidly.

I was a bit disappointed with the ending. Barbara/Varvara had a falling out with Catherine and retreats with her teenage daughter to Poland. Without giving away the ending, I thought that it was quite immature for Barbara to believe that she had been Catherine's only friend and to get pissy when she realized that she was not the only one.

I also think that the author left the door open for a sequel about Barbara's daughter, Darya, who played with Catherine's son as a child. When the book ended, Barbara was moving to a small castle in the Polish countryside, not the place that a beautiful teenage girl who grew up in the palaces of St. Petersburg will want to stay for very long. Barbara believed that she was giving her daughter a better life by leaving Russia, but we will see... I think we may see Darya again...

[Sally · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a First Reads winner, I received an advanced reader's copy, and a part of my perception of the book might be because of that. As a work of historical fiction, it serves its purpose; it describes the atmosphere and the social classes of the era in rich detail. The level of distrust and paranoia within the Russian court during Empress Elizabeth's reign is emphasized in a realistic and informational manner. However, I felt the novel lacks certain qualities that prevented me from enjoying it as much as I would have liked to.

I think my greatest issue with it was that I felt the characters were not fully developed. Varvara is a strong female character, who hardens herself against the world, with exception to her daughter and Catherine. Despite Vavara's loyalty and her obvious intelligence, I was annoyed with her closed-mindedness throughout the entirety of the book. For instance, it's only after Egor's death that Varvara realizes she could have loved and trusted him. The rest of the characters are rather flat as well, until near the conclusion, in which the reader only gets a taste of the hidden personalities of the characters, such as Peter, and on a greater level, Catherine. I would have preferred if the author continued on this strain, but as it is, this glimpse is merely that -- a glimpse. Still, I enjoyed the ending, because there I finally got a sense of openness and relief, after having felt frustrated and stifled. In a way, I can see that perhaps the lack of character development was intentional, precisely to show the reader the mood of the time, but it nevertheless left a negative impression on me.

The writing style is a bit tiresome as well. The strategy of short sentence fragments for emphasis or suspense is overused, which defeats its purpose.

On the whole, it was definitely an intriguing read, but I will probably not be re-reading it any time soon.