Midnight in St Petersburg

by Vanora Bennett

Fabergé jewels, the mysterious Rasputin and a rare, priceless violin are dangerous temptations for a young woman struggling to survive and love in revolutionary Russia

St. Petersburg, 1911: Inna Feldman has fled the pogroms of the south to take refuge with distant relatives in Russia’s capital city. Welcomed into the flamboyant Leman family, she is apprenticed into their violin-making workshop.

With her good looks and talent, she feels instantly at home in their bohemian circle, but revolution is in the air, and as society begins to fracture, she is forced to choose between her heart and her head. She loves her brooding cousin, Yasha, but he is wild, destructive and devoted to revolution; Horace Wallick, an Englishman who works for Fabergé, is older and promises security and respectability. And, like many, she is drawn to the mysterious, charismatic figure who befriended her on the train and who is beginning to make a name for himself in the city: Rasputin.

As the revolution descends into anarchy and blood-letting, a commission to repair a priceless Stradivarius violin offers Inna a means of escape. But which man will she choose to take with her? And is it already too late? Steeped in Vanora Bennett’s love and deep knowledge of Russia, Midnight in St. Petersburg is an extraordinary novel about music, politics and the toll that revolution exacts on the human heart.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Russia, Fiction, Romance, Historical, 20th Century, Historical Romance

480 pages, Paperback

First published April 11, 2013

About the author

I became a journalist almost by accident. Having learned Russian and been hired after university by Reuters (to my own surprise and the slight dismay of traditionally-minded editors who weren’t sure a Guardian-reading blonde female would be tough enough for the job), I was then catapulted into the adrenaline-charged realm of conflict reporting. While on a trainee assignment in Paris, I fell in with the Cambodian émigré community and ended up reporting in Cambodia myself, a decade after the Khmer Rouge regime ended, as well as covering Cambodian peace talks in places as far apart as Indonesia and Paris. That led to a conflict reporting job in Africa, commuting between Angola and Mozambique and writing about death, destruction, diamonds and disease, and later to a posting in a country that stopped being the Soviet Union three months after I arrived. I spent much of the early 1990s in smoky taxis in the Caucasus mountains, covering a series of small post-Soviet conflicts that built up to the war in Chechnya.

My fascination with the cultural and religious differences between Russians and the many peoples once ruled by Moscow grew into a book on the Chechen war (Crying Wolf: The Return of War to Chechnya). A second, more light-hearted book followed, about post-Soviet Russia’s illegal caviar trade, once I’d got homesick for London and moved back to writer leaders on foreign affairs for The Times. This book was The Taste of Dreams: An Obsession with Russia and Caviar.

I now lead a more sedate life in North London with my husband and two small sons, enjoying the reading, research, writing and metropolitan leisure activities that I grew up expecting adult life to involve. I’ve found that writing books is much of a surprise, a pleasure and an adventure of the mind as it was to become a foreign correspondent.

As a journalist I’ve written for, among others, The Times and its website, TimesOnline, the Los Angeles Times, Prospect, The Times Literary Supplement, the Guardian Saturday magazine, the Daily Mail, the Evening Standard, Eve magazine, The Observer Food Monthlyand The Erotic Review.

Reviews

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story of a young woman, who flees pogroms of the southern Russia to take refuge with distant relatives in St. Petersburg in 1911. The turbulent times of Russian history are skillfully weaved into the story.

In St. Petersburg, she is apprenticed into violin-making workshop. As a player of violin, she also displays love for making the instrument. That deep connection for the birth of each instrument and the first sound is beautifully presented.

In her new destined city, she meets an Englishman, an artist who makes precious Faberge creations. Maybe it’s the love of art that connects them on a deeper level.

I didn’t enjoy the love triangle part, which for me weakened the plot. The story would have been much stronger without it. Nevertheless, overall it is a very engaging and well-written story.

@Facebook: Best Historical Fiction

[Natassia_trav · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kada je mjesto radnje knjige Rusija, moj interes za knjigu već je tu. Kada je knjiga na tragu dobrih starih klasika - tim bolje. Dakle, ova knjiga već bi u svojoj osnovi trebala od mene dobiti prolaznu ocjenu. Tako je i bilo. Zanimljivi likovi, stvarne povijesne osobe umiješane u živote imaginarnih likova koji su se našli u ovom povijesnom okruženju Petrograda iz vremena Prvog svjetskog rata. Mašta isprepletena sa stvarnom pozadinom...

Ipak, moj dojam ostao je na razini odgovarajućoj ocjeni 3-4, a prevagnula je ipak ova veća, jer knjiga mi se, u osnovi, sviđa. Glavnu zamjerku možda bi se moglo pripisati umjetničkoj slobodi i stilu pisanja autorice, ali meni ipak nije "sjela" činjenica da se odnosi između likova razvijaju između poglavlja. Primjerice, na kraju jednog poglavlja likovi prvi puta razgovaraju o zajedničkim interesima dok se u sljedećem već nalaze u vrlo vrlo intimnom okruženju. Po meni, autorica tako izmiče potrebi da postepeno razvija odnos između likova, pa čak i ako je to bila njezina želja, smatram da ista uskraćuje čitatelja za puno zanimljivih i, prije svega, potrebnih redaka. Slično se ponavlja više puta kroz knjigu, pa tako dobivamo more manje bitnih informacija, ali one koje bismo željeli znati autorica ostavlja mašti čitatelja...

Druga zamjerka bila bi ta da glavna junakinja neodoljivo podsjeća na Anu Karenjinu, što samo po sebi ne bi bilo problematično da ista za mene ne predstavlja jedan od najantipatičnijih likova koji su ikad stupili u svjetsku literaturu. (Napomena, skidam kapu za "Anu Karenjinu" kao djelo svjetske klasične literature, moja antipatija tiče se samo osobina glavne junakinje... a i to smatram uspjehom autora, jer rijetko se razvije toliko jasan osjećaj prema nekom liku kao da je isti stvarna osoba, bio on pozitivan ili negativan). Ipak, ovaj puta junakinja je ipak ostala pozitivna u mojim očima, unatoč tim "bljeskovima pozantoga".

U svakom slučaju, prevagnula je ova dosta visoka ocjena, iako postoje zamjerke i jako puno mjesta za poboljšanje.

[Amy Dal]

Ovom romanu dajem velikodušnu ocjenu 4.
Vjerodostojno je prikazana atmosfera u Rusiji pred I svjetski rat i neporedni nakon njega.
Likovi su mi prilično neuvjerljivi, posebno Inna, koja me neodoljivo podsjeća na Anu Karenjinu. Međutim, njen ljubavni trougao ima drugačiji završetak. Mnogo toga je nedorečeno, ali su neki momenti osvojili moju pažnju.
Nepravedno je mala ocjena na GR, zaslužuje višu ocjenu.

[The Lit Bitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a lot to recommend itself: a stunning cover, a unique setting, and tender romance. In recent years I’ve read a lot of books set in Russia or by Russian authors. It’s a region that I don’t know much history about nor do I know much about their culture. But I’m intrigued by the area so I love reading books set in Russia or by Russian authors so I can gain a better understanding of an often forgotten culture in literature.

So needless to say this story about three unlikely characters set in a period of unrest and a period in history I absolutely LOVE, was a win win for me! There were a lot of things I liked about this novel but there were parts that I felt fell short making this just a three star book for me. That said, I hate when people knock three star reviews. The book was good and I enjoyed it…..that’s what a three star book is to me, but it didn’t blow me away.

The history was the strongest aspect of this novel for me. The story is rich in Russian history and the author was careful to help the reader navigate the complex history. I felt like I walked away with a better understanding of the period and the politics of the time. I was able to keep up and was never bogged down by the historic elements of the story.

This story also had a lot of romance. Now I love a sappy romance on occasion and this one did not disappoint. But while this had romance, I didn’t get that warm fuzzy feeling that I had expected and I think part of my issue was that I didn’t fully connect to Inna in the way that I had hoped. I think my biggest issue was I found Inna a little too fickle. I wished she was more decisive when it came to her heart and feelings. But that said, there is a happy ending and I am totally on board with how the book ended…..wonderful!

And can we talk about the cover for a minute? The cover captured my heart! It’s stunning and made me want to read this novel even more. It screams romance and history all at once. Well done with the cover, I’m completely in love with it!

While there were some obstacles with this book, overall I felt that it was a satisfying read that not only filled my desire to read something romantic, but also helps me better understand Russian culture and some of it’s history of this time period. A very satisfying, good read!

See my full review here

[Theresa Duncan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was very disappointed in the book; I had high hopes for it as I love historical fiction and pre-revolutionary Russia is a fascinating time.

However, I did not like or understand the main characters' motivations. And I found the book dragged on; I literally fell asleep reading it a few times. Normally, I wouldn't finish a book like this (and therefore not write a review) but I kept hoping it would turn around for me and it just never did.

[Robert Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is really my type of book. Historic fiction at its best. Although the ending is a little too convenient, it doesn't detract from the story. It reminds me of City of Shadows by Ariana Franklin set in Germany, just prior to the rise of Hitler. Good stuff.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is our book club choice, due to be scrutinised next Saturday. I am afraid I will struggle to say many kind words about it, apart from "I enjoyed the last sixty pages". It is in this faint praise that my problems with the book can be found. It is much too long; at least 100 pages too long; which means that it lacks dramatic tension. When you add to that my lack of empathy towards any of the three main characters. Reading the afterword made me wonder if the author was too close to both one character and the location. I will not be looking for Ms Bennett's other books.

[Elizabeta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually a very good story, but it wasn't told well. No connection to the characters, lack of emotions/strange emotions in some hard situations, no explanations for very bad decisions...

[Sara Zovko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tipična ljubavna priča i borba između osjećaja i razuma.
Nisam neki ljubitelj takvih knjiga, ali ova nije toliko sladunjava i donosi opise Rusije toga doba, prekrasne violine i Fabergéova jaja, te neke važne povijesne ličnosti koje su tada utjecale na događaje u Rusiji.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Calling this "historical fiction" is a bit of a stretch. It's a romance novel -- not my preferred genre -- that happens to be set in St. Petersburg.

[Meteori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uvijek mi je lijepo pročitati knjigu koja posjeduje istorijske činjenice. Dodatni bonus su ličnosti koje su inspirisale stvaranje priče nebitno da li se pisac slijepo držao događaja ili je uljepšao priču.

Isprepliću se socijalni, politički, istorijski, ljubavni elementi i "pitka" je za čitanje.

Ocjena 3 koja naginje ka ocjeni 4. Nema toliko uzbuđenja da se jedva čeka otvoriti i nastaviti čitati, ali je dovoljno dobra za preporuku.

[Lyd's Archive (7/'15 to 6/'18)]

I can't really rate this one. There is not real driving plot elements, and some parts are well-done while others are not so much. It was like driving on a road where some of it was paved last month and some was paved in the last century. The level of rockiness in the storytelling can vary. I guess I was a bit more disappointed than not, since I was expecting a gritty and honest telling of life for Jews in pre-revolutionary Russia, but instead we just got all this love-triangle BS and the history seemed almost a bit trivialized.

He was an almost comically unlikeable character, this Lenin, as Horace told his fellow workers at Fabergé. He'd lived abroad until April, and hated all the home-grown revolutionaries he'd found here on his return, and wanted to steal their triumph from them. His head was polished smooth like a billiard ball... and who hated music because, he said, it made him want to say kind, stupid things, and pat people's heads, when what you wanted to do nowadays was beat them without mercy.

Needless to say, this one was more historically accurate than Tsarina but I wish it had that book's plot constancy (but please no magic eggs, thank you very much). I'm not sure whether to applaud Bennett for not giving a definite position on certain issues, just as her characters would have been confused by a man such as Grigori Rasputin, or if it would've been better she showed he did have affairs but not with the empress.

Everything regarding the romance in this book also seemed a little rushed. I can excuse a little instalove between Inna and Yasha, but I didn't really get the chemistry between Inna and Horace. Like, I get the plot importance, but it would've been nice if we'd gotten used to the fact that Inna and Horace were married instead of skipping five years.

Another thing I noticed is that Inna doesn't have a lot of personality. She's like one big plot device, only there isn't a lot of plot. Considering everyone seems to know she's a Jew, the characters seem a bit too nice to her. Judging from the treatment the Rabinovitch family faced in A Countess Below Stairs the English at that time were also kind of anti-Semitic too, so I'm not sure if Horace would've really been so easily attracted to Inna.

One particular part that confuses me is that when Inna and Madame Leman visited the bread lines and laughed the whole time. Was this commonplace or is there something the author doesn't quite get.

Despite this, there are some good observations made about life in revolutionary Petrograd, but no clear mood is set for the duration of these scenes.

What Horace said... whenever the conversation turned to the Revolution was 'fine words butter no parsnips.' And he was right. Inna couldn't help noticing that Madame Leman cooked soup for midday, on good days, if there were cabbages or potatoes on sale.

Pavlov, a Nobel scientist growing his own carrots and potatoes; poor old professor Gezekhus, blown up with hunger.... or Nastya, the teenage daughter of the family upstairs, who'd taken to hanging around outside on the street, not with the icons and pearl brooches... but with her cheeks boldly rouged and a pinched look on her face. How long before Agrippina went the same way? How long before she herself...

The one character here with definite traits is Yasha, the only one who's perspective really gets into the motives of the revolutionaries, but - like Kestrel in The Winner's Curse - I did not like him with Inna having sex for no apparent reason.

I'm not totally against sex in books (I loved The Blood of Flowers and Empress of the Night), but when it's not necessary to show a part of the plot it seems cheap. I mean

Perhaps it was only because of her secret with Yasha - that snatched other life with her lover, experienced in minutes and whispers and kisses in that roon, in the dust and dark, by lamplight, which she hardly dared call to mind here in front of her husband - that Inna could even begin to understand that, in a different way, she also, secretly yet profoundly, desired that Stradivarius of Yousoupoff's.

Overall, I was disappointed, but I see potential in this author with a better story to tell, hopefully with less love triangle.

[Jessica *The Lovely Books* · Rating 1 out of 5]

Do you ever read a book and at the end of it, all you can find yourself saying is wow? Well, this story has the opposite effect. Instead, I found myself saying, "thank goodness it's over!" because this was just way too long and way too boring. I seriously thought I would love this because of the time period: pre-revolutionary Russia. I don't read many books involving Russia, so I jumped at the chance to read Midnight in St. Petersburg.

The story started off very strong with our female lead, Inna, a Jewish girl on the run to find refuge with a distant relative. It's through this relative, Yasha, that she meets and ends up staying with, the Lemans. A very interesting family that owns a workshop making violins and the place that Inna becomes an apprentice at. And that's where it stops for me. As I stated before, it was long and boring. I think the book could have been cut down a lot; maybe then, I wouldn't have felt as bored.

Aside from that, I don't quite think this is historical fiction, it's more of a romance novel. There's nothing wrong with that but I know some people in the historical fiction genre expect it to stay that way. I was okay with the romance, it may have been the only upside for me. I really would wish to read a book from this timeline and one a little more interesting.

[Thomas George Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Novel begins in St. Petersburg, 1911. The main protagonist is Inna Feldman. She has just fled the pogroms of the south in hopes of reuniting with distant relations in Russia's capital. While she is in route to St. Petersburg she meets a seemly looking peasant who comes to some assistance to her. This peasant turns out to be Grigori Rasputin. Inna apprentices as a violin-making in the family workshop she finds herself living with. Her future husband, Englishman, Horace Wallick, works for Swiss Jeweler Carl Faberge. This novel covers the entire pre, during, post Russian Revolution. And anyone who enjoys this historic period will truly enjoy reading this Novel.

[Yassemin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come

[HoboWannaBe · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 really. Great Russian love story. The afterword of the author’s life lesson from her book research was very interesting. Very realistic and interesting. I learned some Russian history, about violins, and relocating your whole life while making tough choices. Nice love story of devotion and sacrifice.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good historical novel, with romance at its very heart, one woman and two suitors, set in pre-revolutionary Russia. The story spans September 1911 until 1919 and reflects the plight of Jews; the struggle of the lower classes and desire for the upper classes to maintain their splendour and privilege.
One is initially drawn to the central character Inna, a young Jew, already orphaned by the persecutions towards her kind forced to flee Kiev and seek refuge with a distant relative in St Petersburg. You identify with her fears and vulnerability which are represented by her physical desire to extend her palm’s lifeline.
Her befriending by a peasant monk holds promise and a degree of mystery but she throws her lot in with Yasha her “revolutionary” cousin and the Leman family he lives with and works for as a luthier, mending violins.
The love interest then stirs between heart and mind, her passion for Yasha and the practical need for security which may come in the form of Horace, a respectable Englishmen working for Faberge also a friend of the Leman family.
This love triangle is played out against the background of uncertainty Russia is plunged into leading up to and through the Bolshevik revolution. The background is huge and the novel is let down by its direct links with almost every significant player in the drama from Rasputin to Lenin. Being an historical piece I would have preferred a smaller but more imagined backdrop; and amidst it all the doomed love affair and struggle to survive. Inna’s choices and lack of empathy to others despite insights along the way mean I lose all connection with her and do not care how it turns out for her in the last third of the book.
This is an opportunity missed. The historical incidents appear to be events ticked off the calendar rather than real interactions with our characters. I found the middle section dragged too much and the conclusion was melodramatic rather than a thrilling ending to the book.
However, one plus is the writer’s style. The book is very readable and well written with a sense of place and time. Setting aside the turgid love triangle it ultimately fails as historical fiction as it names drops too much and is scant on details and impact.

[Bookread2day · Rating 5 out of 5]

Midnight In St Petersburg fiction story is based on a personal story, of the author Vanora Bennett. It was Vanora's great-uncle that worked for Faberge before the Russian Revolution and he fled to England as the Revolution took hold. I like the fact that it releases the story into a historical novel. The whole novel has impressive words that just seem to flow on each page. It is without no question a heart tugging story not to be missed. The story is set in St Petersburg during the Russian Revolution, a sweeping novel of love and loss as Inna fights for her own survival and for the man she loves.Part one of the story starts in September to December 1911. Inna a jew has to flee Kiev by train to St Petersburg to stay with her cousin. While Inna is on the train she has her fortune told by a gypsy. The gypsy woman with a scowl pushed Inna's hand away muttering one thing for sure we live in evil times and explaining her about her lifeline. A spell developed all over me. I wanted to find out what was in store for Inna's life. Inna an orphan was on her way to stay with her cousin Yasha and the flamboyant Leman family. When Inna gets of the train in St Petersburg station she is stopped and has to show her documents that she held in her little internal passport that she had stolen.If you wished to go more than fifteen miles from your home, you needed permission from the police and the Ministery's of Interior that ran them. It was the ministry's task to stop terrorists. You could be watched, searched, fingerprinted, arrested, interrogated, exiled, fined or handed over to military justice on nothing more than a policeman's hunch that you might be doing something political or were a Jew since Jews, it was believed, were especially prone to dangerous politics. All was well for Inna after showing her stolen documents and she set forward to find her cousin's house.Soon Inna is forced to choose beween following her heart or her head. I recommend Midnight In St Petersburg as it is full of passion and danger.

[Martina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nakon smrti premijera u kazalištu, pokraj kojega je bio sami car, Inna Feldman se uputila sa ispravama Olje Morozove u Petrograd iz Kijeva. Iskoristila je komešanje nakon ubojstva, uzela isprave iz Oljine torbice i odlučila se uputiti Jaši Kaganu. Dotad je živjela kod Jašine obitelji, ali kako je život za židove u Rusiji postao težak, odlučili su se otputovati u Palestinu, te je ona ostala prepuštena sama sebi, a to ju je nagnalo na ovaj korak. U vlaku je upoznala seljaka koji je gatari platio da joj gata iz dlana. Gatara joj je rekla da nije dobro, da nema dugačku životnu crtu. Taj seljak joj je pomogao i u Petrogradu, da dođe do Jašine kuće bez da joj provjeravaju isprave i da ju netko napadne. Kad se pojavila na vratima Lemanovih, Jaša joj je otvorio no nije znao tko je ona. Rekla im je da su njegovi roditelji poslali po njoj pismo Jaši. Jaša je shvatio da bi joj trebalo prenočište, a tijekom večere je shvatio i da nema gdje, kad se sjetio priče o Inni i njezinoj obitelji, a shvatio je da na pismu njegovih roditelja ne piše osobno predati. Pošto je bio pobornik revolucije, nije mu odgovaralo što su mu roditelji otišli u Palestinu, kad je on zagovarao stavove ostanka. Dok je Jaša bio u radionici, Inna je Lemanovima zasvirala na Jašinoj violini koju je ponijela sa sobom, te joj je gospodin Leman ponudio posao u radionici na izradi violina. Inna je dobila sobu u potkrovlju pokraj Jašine i prvu večer si je izrezala ruke urezujući bolju životnu crtu. Sutradan ujutro je otišla do seljaka za kojega je saznala da je otac Grigorij, vjerski čovjek kojega prate ljudi iz plemićkih obitelji, pa i sama carica. Kod njega je upoznala Horacea Wallicka i s njim njegovog prijatelja kraljevića Feliksa Jusupova. Šutke se povukla u radionicu i mela dok su Tolja, Marcus i Jaša pričali i radili. Kad su je opazili gospodin Leman joj je pokazao izradu violina. Jaša je pisao letke vezane za revoluciju koje je noću dostavljao na odredište. Iako su se u početku dosta svađali i prepirali, Jaša i Inna su se zaljubili. A zajedno su, zid do zida, svirali violine. No, Inna se jako svidjela i Englezu Horaceu koji je započeo svoje ulizivanje iako je bio dosta stariji od Inne. Lidija Leman je znala Horacea od prije i jako ga je cijenila, pa je Inni posuđivala svoju odjeću za sastanke s Lemanovima. Gospodin Leman je uspio pribaviti dokumente za Innu kako bi ostala 3 mjeseca. Horace joj je htio pribaviti dozvolu za ostanak uz pomoć učitelja violine Leopolda Auera i uspio je nagovoriti Auera da posluša Innino sviranje. Kad je došao, Inna je imala veliku tremu i opustila se tek kad je došao Jaša s kojim je zasvirala dok su Leman i Auer dolazili iz radionice. No odbio je da podučava Innu, a Horaceu je rekao da nedvojbeno ima talent, ali on ne podučava zaljubljene cure. Kasnije te večeri, Jaša je otišao u noć, naljutivši se na Innu i mislili su da je otišao za revolucijom. Inna je nakon toga oboljela od gripe i kad joj je bilo bolje, Horace ju je izveo van misleći je zaprositi no nije skupio hrabrosti, ali kad ga je pri odlasku iz kafića nepoznati čovjek napao Horacea da će sigurno morati otići, Inna je u obranu rekla da će ostati uz ženu. Par godina poslije, Horace i Inna su bili u sladnu braku. Horace je i dalje radio kod Carla Fabergea u draguljarnici oslikavajući tabakere i druge sitnice, a Inna je radila u Lemanovoj radionici i petkom je odlazili u provizornu vojnu bolnicu koja je bila u dijelu imanja Feliksa Jusupova volonterski se brinući za ranjene vojnike. Sve do večeri kad je Jusupov sa svojim kolegama ubio oca Grigorija i od tada se Inna povukla od Horacea nakon što je otišao po novac za tabakeru koju je radio za Jusupova. Kako je Leman umro, obitelji Leman je financijski pomagao Horace bez Innina znanja. Rat je bjesnio i vladalo je siromaštvo na sve strane, tako da su za hranu morali čekati u redovima.. Jedan dan, kad je Inna išla s Lidijom i Agrapinom po namirnice, izbio je bunč, te su zatvorenici isto u tom metežu uspjeli pobjeći pa su se Inna i Jaša pronašli. Jaša je sve te godine bio u zatvoru jer su ga zatvorili one večeri kad je otišao. Jaša se vratio Lemanovima i radu u radionici s Marcusom, koji je bio bez noge koju je kao vojnik izgubio u ratu, i Innom. Jaša i Inna su se sastajali u njegovoj sobi u potkrovlju sve dok Horace nije s Lidijom dogovorio da se njih dvoje presele kod njih u potkrovlje. Kad su se preselili, Horace je čuo ljubavnike i kako Inna govori Jaši da ne može ostaviti Horacea. Tada su Marcus, Inna i Jaša radili na Stradivarijevoj violini Feliksa Jusupova. Horace je radio pritisak na Jašu koji je na kraju otišao iz kuće i radionice, a nisu još dovršili Feliksovu violinu. Par mjeseci nakon odlaska, Jaša je došao do Lemanovih donijevši violinu na kojoj je radio i vidio je da i Lemanovi i Wallickovi žive u jednoj prostoriji zbog grijanja i neimaštine. Rekli su mu i da je Jusupov otišao na Jaltu ne dajući novac za violinu. Horace je imao dogovor s Fabergeom te je blago klijenata čuvao u škrinji ispod podnih dasaka, a imao je dogovor i s Maksimom koji je nabavljao putne isprave za Horaceove klijenete. To ih je hranilo, sve dok i zadnji nije otišao. Onda je Horace priznao sve Inni. Inna je željela otići, ali ne i Horace. Kad je Inna jedan dan otišla s Lidijom do Maksima, srela je Jašu koji je bio za stolom s nekim iz Čeke. A ti iz Čeke su bili opasni. Pošla je za Jašom i oni su se u njegovom stanu prepustili strastima, ali mu je Inna rekla da se više ne mogu viđati. Horace i Inna su odlučili otići na Jaltu nakon što su Horacea napali na ulici i Jaša ga je jedva spasio. Inna je prve dane putovanja vlakom plakala za Jašom, iako se malo brinula i za Horacea koji je šepao zbog bolne noge. Rana mu se na kraju inficirala i na Jalti mu je vlasnik hotela uspio pomoći. Dok je Horace još bio u bunilu, u hotelu se pojavio i Jaša donoseći Stradivarijevu violinu, a Horace i Inna su mislili da oni nose Jusupovu, a ne Jašinu kopiju. Inna je rekla Jaši kako je trudna, i on je odmah znao da je dijete njegovo te joj je ponudio da dovedu Horacea do engleskih brodova, a njih dvoje odu živjeti zajedno. Nije mu ništa odgovorila. On je prespavao dok je ona bila uz Horacea te su se ujutro sa Selifanom koji je vozio Horacea u kočiji uputili do engleskih brodova. Na putu su ih napali razbojnici te se Jaša žrtvovao za Innu i dijete. Inna i Horace su uspjeli doći na brod i Horaceu je već bilo malo bolje.

[Suzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

obozavam knjige s tematikom carske rusije i obicno ih procitam u hipu, moram priznati da me ova knjiga poprilicno napatila, ne znam zasto ali stil pisanja, tromost, vrlo bitne stvari su ovlas dotaknute, stalno cekanje da se nesto dogodi

sve u svemu tko ju ne procita nista nece izgubiti

[Anastasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ohhh goood, I remember hating this book the first time I've started reading it!
See, when I was younger, I used to have a bad habit of going to the back of the book just to see if the main character survives.

*Spoiler alert* my favourite Jewish rebel doesn't. He gives up his life so Inna and her beloved Horace can safely escape. Yes, call me hot headed, but I would rather die in the fire for love than escape to safety at the cost of love.

But later, I've grown to understand Inna's choices. She had her life to hang on to, and she couldn't really leave Horace, could she? Although I remain team Yasha, I must say he made some really questionable life choices.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good historical novel. I was especially interested because the events occurred around the time my grandpa left Russia and came to Canada. It was interesting to read about the life of ordinary people living during such a historically significant time in world history. The story was good. I enjoyed it.

[amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't care that it was a heavy romance book--I just didn't like how the romances progressed/ended.

[Nives Knezevic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely slow plot development. Gets a bit exciting at the 60% of the book approx. The ending is quite ok.

[Valerie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A stirring time in history, and our characters are touched by the changing tides of politics and nationalism. In the last half, it just got too much of a slog and I had to stop reading.

[Ljiljana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Priča odlična, likovi sjajno zamišljeni, ali jako loše razrađeni. Vanora Benet priču prenosi iz perspektive tri lika, ali sva tri ostaju nedovršena i mlaka.

Ina je duboko traumatizovana ličnost, bez porodice, bez stalnog boravišta, bez ičega stalnog u svom životu, djevojka koja sama sebi ureže liniju života kako se ne bi ispunilo proročanstvo proročice, neko spreman da se bori za sebe jer samo sebe i ima, ukratko, jedan fantastičan karakter, koji u nastavku knjige postaje tako bezličan i dosadan. Nema strasti, nema unutrašnje borbe, nema ličnih stavova, želja, maštanja, sve to je preskočeno i imamo samo nizanje događaja. Jaša, pa Horas, pa Jaša, pa opet Horas, pa sve tako dok na kraju ne samo da je izabrala Horasa zbog sigurnosti i stabilnosti koju život sa njim pruža, što samo po sebi nije uopšte nelogičan izbor, već autorka mora dodatno da romantizuje situaciju i Ina shvata da Horasa oduvijek voli. Ne, nije ga zavoljela kao rezultat čitave drame koja se odigrala, nego shvata da ga je zapravo oduvijek voljela, što je apsurdno i nelogično.

Jašin lik još slabije razrađen. Imamo revolucionarni duh, imamo želju da bude bolji i hrabriji od svog oca, imamo prezir prema konformizmu, želju za promjenom i onda autorka ponovo staje i ponovo samo niže događaje. Jaša je u zatvoru 5 godina i ništa o tom dijelu njegovog života ne znamo, on izlazi i nema potrebe za bilo kakvom adaptacijom na novonastalu situaciju, da ne govorimo o mogućim preživljenim traumama, on se vraća svom životu, revoluciji, Ini, kao da se ništa nije dogodilo.Susret Jaše i Ine nakon toga jedna je od najslabije prikazanih scena u čitavom romanu. Čitava Jašina revolucionarna istorija jako loše opisana, on eto samo tako ugleda Lenjina s prozora u noći revolucije (da, baš Lenjina glavom i bradom) i odlučuje da se priključi boljševicima. Na kraju je Jaša slomljen, porušenih ideala, uhvaćen u mrežu političkih previranja, drugim riječima,još jedna žrtva revolucije, koja jede svoju djecu. Ipak, autorka i ovdje mora da romantizuje priču i Jaša se magično pojavljuje na jugu. Čitavo putovanje koje su Horas i Ina prošli posle mnogo priprema i peripetija, Jaša, koga pripadnici Čeke drže na oku, prolazi najlaganije samo da bi joj donio violinu. Naravno, tu se patetika ne završava i on gine da bi Ina živjela, nakon što je saznao da ona nosi njegovo dijete.

Na sve ovo imamo preko svake granice idealizovan lik Horasa Volika. On je staložen, nasuprot Jašinoj plahovitosti, elegantan, snalažljiv, brine za porodicu, brine o Ini, ima rješenje za svaki problem. Horasova ljubav prema Ini je potupuno nejasna. U jednom trenutku on u Ini vidi talentovanu violinistkinju čije bi mu društvo podiglo popularnost u umjetničkim krugovima, već u sledećem on je toliko voli, da za nju sve čini.Ostaje dostojanstven i staložen i dok zna da mu žena ima ljubavnika i ne samo da joj oprašta, on to nikad i ne spomene, jer eto, najbitnije u svemu je da njoj ne bude neprijatno. Strpljivo podnosi bol u stopalu tokom čitavog puta, nikad se ne žali, nikad ne gunđa, herojski podnosi sve nevolje i na kraju izlazi iz svega kao pobjednik.

Potencijala ima. Tu je carska Rusija, tu je Raspućin, tu je revolucija, umjetnost, antisemitizam, borba za život, mnoga važna pitanja su pokrenuta, a na kraju imamo rasplet u stilu latino-američke sapunice. Ina je dobra i slatka i nije uspjela nikom da se zamjeri, Jaša umire za nju, ona nosi njegovo dijete i ostaje sa Horasom čije vrline čitalac može samo da niže.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high expectations for this novel, and I have to say that I'm not very impressed.

I'll start by saying that I only read up to Chapter 18, which is actually a good chunk of the book, so I did give it the old college try. However, Bennett's way of crafting her story left me really confused. Inna shows up at the house of her "cousin" Yasha, but it takes forever for Bennett to tease out both of their backstories. Even when more details are revealed, it is done in such a disjointed way that I still feel mildly confused as a reader, as if I'm still missing some important piece of information. She also has a weird way of wording things. For example: Rasputin gets beaten up at some point and Yasha and Inna rush to help him, not realizing who he is. As they try to figure out what to do, Inna suggest that they bring him "into the warm." What kind of wording is that? Things like this kept cropping up and I originally thought they were typos. I soon realized that this is just how Bennett writes.

Yasha is this young revolutionary who wants to fight on behalf of Jewish rights in Russia, and flip-flops between seeing Inna as an unwelcome nuisance and a potential rival for his job, yet seeing her as attractive and in need of protection. I feel that their romance progressed too quickly. They go from mildly hating each other to kissing and walking hand-in-hand in a few chapters. There are details that flesh out the story of their relationship, but they are written in that choppy, stilted manner that continually irritated me. Yasha also throws a fit when Inna wears the little Faberge violin that Horace gives her, and it doesn't come across as a serious romantic betrayal, but more of a petty, teenage, boyfriend/girlfriend meltdown. I found it ridiculous, and decided to move on to a different book after that.

However, I do have to say that one of my favorite parts was when Yasha and Inna had violin battles while each was in their room. It was a way of speaking to each other without having to worry about direct confrontation, especially since they were not exactly friends at the time. I thought it was really poignant and beautiful, but it also made me sad because I wished the rest of the book was that great. The violin shop was a really interesting backdrop as well. Bennett got a little bit too technical when describing how Yasha and Inna make violins, so that part felt out of place as well. Who is going to know how to build a violin? I sure don't, and her in-depth, documentary-like descriptions didn't assist me in any way.

Also, I did not enjoy Bennett's version of Rasputin. She makes him seem as if he's just a nice, old, misunderstood peasant man. Anyone who has read about the real Rasputin knows that this is NOT true. He was a womanizer, never bathed, and enjoyed worldly comforts while posing as a helper of the downtrodden. Now, I don't know if Bennett's description of him alters in any way throughout the rest of the book, since I only read to Chapter 18, but for as far as I read, there was no variation from the "mysterious-but-nice, religious peasant" picture. If one is going to write about a period of history, it's better if one sticks to the facts.

I think this novel had the potential to be really, really good, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. The premise was solid, but the way in which it was written left a lot to be desired.

[Quirkybookwormkat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine my delight when I discovered this book was written by a foreigner who was very familiar with the area. You can tell she did a lot of research in that area during an era between 1911 through 1919.
Okay you guys know I'm not a sucker for romance. There is romance in it however it was portrayed differently than most romance novel that involved nitty gritty details which I hate. Basically it dealt with life
She described the buildings, the eras, the changes, strife, hunger, fear, hope, faith, confusion, music, and love so well which I got caught up in the book.
I believe this book has received a lot of low reviews because many did not understand that era especially with a lot of politics changes during that time. They were expecting a a plot, quicker drama and reading. This has to be one of the hardest story to be written in that era because there was so much chaos in Russia especially with the politics involved. There were famous figures named in the book.
I quite enjoyed reading the book.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 this book has a lot of wonderful language to paint the scene of the Russian Revolution as seen through the eyes of a Revolutionary, a Fabrege artist, and a female violin luthier. I liked the descriptions of the famous people of this time, Fabrege, Rasputin, the Empress, Lenin, Trotsky. However, the main female character is the woman who cannot make up her mind or commit to anything. It made her seem weak. I really got tired of the wishy washy nature of this character. I don’t know if the author was trying to portray the limited options to women in this time period, but it got old having the main character constantly ‘woe is me I have to choose between these men’ for hundreds of pages. Just make a choice already lady, the world is falling apart around you, there are more important things.

[кристина · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ponoć u Sankt Peterburgu (serbian)

A story about a young woman that fled to Sankt Perersbug to find refuge in the Leman family. It doesnt take very long for Inna to fall in love with her cousin Yasha and vise versa. She starts working in their violin shop to earn her stay. However later she meets an Englishman Horace who makes Faberge creations.

Contrary to Yasha, Horace is more mature, stable and can help Inna with her career. Yasha on the other side is devoted to revolution and wild.
She also meets Rasputin, a man starting to make a name for himself, a very controversial figure. He is hated by many, though she finds something fascinating in him.

Circumstances in Russia became serious and it started getting worse so Inna thought it was the best for them to leave Russia and move somewhere else where they can be safe.

She finds out she is pregnant by one of the two men and since she is engaged to Horace decides it is time to go and leave the past behind for the better, hoping to start a new life with him.

In this book you learn a lot about Russia during that period (1911), their economical and political state. We also get to read about Faberges famous creations and about the best violin brand Stradivarius. Thus the book is very educational and Its followed by a compelling story.