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Requiem: Rasputin's Last Love
One hundred years ago, the Russian Royal Family fell under the spell of Grigori Rasputin, a peasant from Siberia, with dire consequences. Now, almost everyone has heard the name: Rasputin, notorious womaniser and charlatan, the man who could not be killed.
Ruth Watson’s father lost everything in the Stock Market Crash of 1929. Now, in the midst of the Great Depression, and unable to marry her fiancé, Ruth takes work wherever she can in the hope it might bring her closer to her wedding day.
In Romanov Russia, Khioniya Gusyeva survived the poorest district of Syzran. At sixteen, pregnant and abandoned by the man she believed would change her life, she runs away to Saint Petersburg where she stagnates in brothel, until she meets a man by the name of Grigori Rasputin.
When Ruth begins working for an elderly Russian neighbour, her priorities are challenged as she becomes engrossed in stories of Russia and how the mystic Grigori Rasputin brought down the Russian Monarchy.
REQUIEM is the story of Rasputin, told through the eyes of the women who loved him, and in particular, Khioniya Gusyeva, the enigmatic former prostitute who twice tried and failed to assassinate him.
Ruth Watson’s father lost everything in the Stock Market Crash of 1929. Now, in the midst of the Great Depression, and unable to marry her fiancé, Ruth takes work wherever she can in the hope it might bring her closer to her wedding day.
In Romanov Russia, Khioniya Gusyeva survived the poorest district of Syzran. At sixteen, pregnant and abandoned by the man she believed would change her life, she runs away to Saint Petersburg where she stagnates in brothel, until she meets a man by the name of Grigori Rasputin.
When Ruth begins working for an elderly Russian neighbour, her priorities are challenged as she becomes engrossed in stories of Russia and how the mystic Grigori Rasputin brought down the Russian Monarchy.
REQUIEM is the story of Rasputin, told through the eyes of the women who loved him, and in particular, Khioniya Gusyeva, the enigmatic former prostitute who twice tried and failed to assassinate him.
308 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 17, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 25, 2015
This book is very good. It starts out a little too slowly, but hanging in for a few chapters really paid off. The story is well designed, and stands out as being something "different and better" than many other novels in this genre. It paints a vivid picture of Russia before and during the Revolution. I can't verify the accuracy of the picture since I personally have little knowledge of either the place or the time, but the deplorable status of women in that era is certainly correct. If Ms. Croft does not have personal knowledge of Russia, her research work is outstanding. Like "The Watcher," "Requiem" is somewhat depressing and seriously needs one of two more proofreads. In my review of "The Watcher" I said that I'd rate the author's future potential at 5 stars, and I still do. Better proofreading would make that 5-star potential more likely.
July 20, 2014
This book was confusing. By the end I had no idea what was true and what wasn't. I don't think the author intended it, either. Lots of spelling and grammatical errors, which always sets my teeth on edge. I didn't HATE it, but it wasn't my favorite.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews