The Red Scarf

by Kate Furnivall

The Russian Concubine dazzled readers. Now, its gifted author delivers another sweeping historical novel.

Davinsky Labor Camp, Siberia, 1933: Only two things in this wretched place keep Sofia from giving up hope: the prospect of freedom, and the stories told by her friend and fellow prisoner Anna, of a charmed childhood in Petrograd, and her fervent girlhood love for a passionate revolutionary named Vasily.

After a perilous escape, Sofia endures months of desolation and hardship. But, clinging to a promise she made to Anna, she subsists on the belief that someday she will track down Vasily. In a remote village, she's nursed back to health by a Gypsy family, and there she finds more than refuge, she also finds Mikhail Pashin, who, her heart tells her, is Vasily in disguise. He's everything she has ever wanted but he belongs to Anna.

After coming this far, Sofia is tantalizingly close to freedom, family?even a future. All that stands in her way is the secret past that could endanger everything she has come to hold dear.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Russia, Historical, Romance, Book Club, Historical Romance

470 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Kate Furnivall was raised in Penarth, a small seaside town in Wales. Her mother, whose own childhood was spent in Russia, China and India, discovered at an early age that the world around us is so volatile, that the only things of true value are those inside your head and your heart. These values Kate explores in The Russian Concubine.

Kate went to London University where she studied English and from there she went into publishing, writing material for a series of books on the canals of Britain. Then into advertising where she met her future husband, Norman. She travelled widely, giving her an insight into how different cultures function which was to prove invaluable when writing The Russian Concubine.

It was when her mother died in 2000 that Kate decided to write a book inspired by her mother's story. The Russian Concubine contains fictional characters and events, but Kate made use of the extraordinary situation that was her mother's childhood experience - that of two White Russian refugees, a mother and daughter, stuck without money or papers in an International Settlement in China.

Reviews

[Helen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately I was unable to finish this book – which is not something that happens to me very often. I hadn't heard of Under a Blood Red Sky until I saw it in the library and I thought I'd give it a try as I love historical fiction set in Russia.

However, right from the beginning of the book I felt we were being asked to accept things that weren't plausible. The whole plot was just too far-fetched for me. The other (bigger) problem I had with this book was that I couldn't connect with any of the characters. Although they were constantly putting their lives at risk and facing unimaginable horrors under Stalin's communist regime, I found I didn't really care what happened to them. Sofia was one of those model heroines – beautiful, brave, intelligent and perfect. Everybody seemed to be captivated by her and I couldn't really understand why. She just didn't feel like a real person to me. Of course, there were some situations that even Sofia couldn't deal with – that's where the gypsy Rafik came in, using mesmerism and mind-control to overcome obstacles. I thought the whole magical aspect of the book seemed a bit out of place.

I tried to keep reading, thinking the book might get better but when I found I was almost halfway through and still wasn't enjoying it, I decided not to waste any more time on it and put it down with a sigh of relief. I'm glad I had borrowed this book from the library instead of spending money on it – at least I didn't lose anything apart from a couple of days when I could have been reading something else.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoa. Great book. I actually described the plot to my family at dinner yesterday and my husband sarcastically said, "It sounds really boring." My six-year-old son replied,"No it sound really exciting!"

I didn't know much about Russia in the 1930s or even anything about the Russian Revolution except for what happened to the Tsar's family. This book has given me a picture of what it might have been like to live in Russia in that time period. Sofia escapes from a Siberian Gulag in order to save a friend, Anna, who is too sick to survive another winter. She goes to try to get from a childhood friend of Anna's. Not only is there plenty of action, but great characters as well as some mystery and some mysticism as well. The author crafts the story well. At one point I was completely wrapped up in what Sofia was doing, and in my mind asked, "I wonder how Anna is coping back in the camp?" I turned the page, and there was an update on Anna. Did the author make me ask that question, or did she read my mind?

[Beatrix]

DNF at 40%

I really wanted to like this book, I really did.
I have a soft spot for all things Russian and books set in the Russian past are some of my favorites.

Sadly, this one was just not good.

The Red Scarf is all over the place. At first I didn't mind multiple POVs, I thought it added to the diversity of the novel, but as it's written in third person, after a while it became really confusing. Especially since the author switched between characters repeatedly.

Also constantly reading 'Spasibo. Thank you.' in the same sentence became annoying.

The blurb sounded really promising, and I expected an epic tale about Sofia, Anna and Vasily, but the main reason I'm giving up on this is because I could not connect with the characters at all. This book didn't inspire any emotions within me, and currently I have no time nor patience to continue with this.

[Lyd's Archive (7/'15 to 6/'18) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

What to expect
A somewhat confusing but quite well-done historical novel with a hint of fantasy. At times it doesn't seem entirely realistic, but it flows well most of the time. Many of the same problems I had with Furnivall's first book The Russian Concubine are still present to a lesser degree. The book is shorter, so I was less impatient, the character's mission came before the romance so I became a bit more sympathetic to Sofia before she fell in love with Mikhail. There is also racial stereotyping to a much lesser degree (there is a Roma man referred to as a g*psy who has magic and shows up occasionally to give foggy visions about the main character's journey that seem a little unnecessary). No spoilers ahead, but either I was terribly confused or the eventual conclusion was rather anticlimactic. Of course, both could be possible.

Trope check
myseterious magical person and stuff. Like I said

Her hand was starting to tremble, and Rafik could sense the layers of darkness descending on her mind. Quickly he reached out, removed the warm goblet from her fingers, and silently touched a finger to his daughter's wide forehead. Her eyes brightened.

"She must choose," he said. "A fork in the road. One path to life. One path to death."

Sappy purple prose

It wasn't hard to imagine him soaring through the blue sky, eyes bright with joy, mouth shouting insults to the silent clouds to his heart's content. But she didn't ask him the obvious question, made no attempt to search out the why and the how. Instead, she laid her cheek on his shoulder. They rode like that in silence and she could feel the thread between them spinning tighter, drawing them together til she wasn't sure where she ended and he began.

Heroine is more plot device than person Sofia doesn't really have a lot of defining traits. She just does what she does.
Love interest is a "hot rebel" type .

     "It looks to me," she said thoughtfully, "as though the machines are working the women rather than the other way around."
     "That is Stalin's intention. No people, just machines that do what they're told."
     "Mikhail!" Sofia hissed sharply, glancing towards the door. In a low whisper, she warned. "Don't talk so." Her eyes met his. "Please."

Fire-and-brimstone-type priest
Main character is special
The 'I love you' speech

"Sofia," he said gently, "until you came into my life I was incapable of loving anyone. I didn't trust anyone I despised myself and believed that others would despise me too, so I was wary in relationships. I went through all the motions but nothing more. "

Love interest saves main character all the time

Other thoughts
Even though this review is mostly objections, most reviewers know that it's much easier to put what you didn't like than what you did like into words. I personally found that most of the objections I had were balanced out by parts I liked. It was for the most part well-written and I guess I did manage to enjoy it.

[Mishelle LaBrash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I confess, I picked up this book, and devoured it because of its obvious semblance to 'The Bronze Horseman' by Paullina Simons..

Yes it's backround is set in Russia, during Stalin's reign. Yes, there is relentless suffering, starvation, and those whom grasp onto almost anything, in an attempt of survival during a horrific time. Yes, It is a love story... But that is where the similarities end.

Sofia and Anna, are best friends, torn from their families, and all they've known and loved, thrown into a torturous labour camp in Siberia, Russia for 'Crimes' (ridiculous as they may be) towards the Soviet Government.

Trying to survive their horrific exsistence, they love and protect one another, against all peril.

Anna, a remarkable story teller, hangs on to her memories, of her childhood sweetheart, Vasily, with fierce determination. Sharing her stories of great adventure, and unconditional love with Sofia, is the pairs only means of getting through the horrible life they are trapped in.

But when Anna falls ill, and it becomes apparent her survival depends soley on her escape from the abhorrent conditions in which they survive, Sofia decides to escape, determined to find Vasily, and convince him to help her save Anna...

However Sofia hadn't anticipated falling in love with her Best Friends long lost love....

It's complicated, and laden with mystery, love, and a tad bit of gypsy lore within the mysteries of the Ural Mountains, but above all it's about the power of unbreakable friendship...

Great Story...

Happy Reading

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome! Absolutely loved this in depth story about a split Russia in 1933 under Stalin's reign. In a Siberian women's labor camp we get to know two women, Sofia and Anna. Anna came from a well-to-do family and tells Sofia stories of Vasily, a family friend and revolutionary who she has been in love with since childhood. Sofia escapes the labor camp to find Vasily, their only hope in saving a dying Anna. Sofia finds the village where Vasily is now living under a different name. These are difficult times. Stalin's rule is hard on the small villages who seem to sacrifice everything and get little in return. Sofia by luck is taken in by a Gypsy family, which takes this story into a whole new direction full of layers of Gypsy lore. To say anymore will give too much away. Suffice it to say this is an epic story of love and loss, strength and courage, with a great twist of mysticism, revolution, the plight of downtrodden peoples and strong women. Definitely my kind of story and just what I needed!

[Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have nursed a slight obsession with Russia for years, so I was naturally intrigued by this, despite my concern that it might turn out to be a syrupy romance. I needn't have worried - it's a fantastically enjoyable, fast-paced adventure packed with unexpected twists and complex characters. And although this is primarily a novel about love and friendship, the attention to historical detail is extraordinary, making the book's depiction of life in Stalin's Russia incredibly vivid and believable. The action rarely lets up and the story always feels fresh; I raced through the book and stayed up all night to finish it. There are some plot holes, and the writing is slightly clumsy in places, but this was so much fun to read that I can easily forgive its flaws.

[Elizabeth Hay · Rating 3 out of 5]

BAJO UN CIELO ROJO SANGRE: Es una novela cruda con altas dosis de drama que se desarrolla entre los campos de concentración rusos y la sociedad burguesa en medio del conflicto de bolcheviques y los mencheviques. Es una historia entrañable de amistad, traición, miedo, persecución y todos los infortunios por el que suele pasar un ser humano inmerso en una guerra que parece perenne y en la que inequívocamente no se ve la salida, ni la luz al final del túnel. Entonces... tratas de atrapar lo mínimo, el pedacito de cielo que crees que existe para capturarlo procurándole resguardo que te permita mantener la esperanza en lo incierto, en medio del constante asedio a las ciudades y el miedo de ser descubierto, castigado y aniquilado por el sistema y las creencias de un grupo que anteponía y contradecía los mismos principios por los que fue creado; llegando a los niveles más bajo de destrucción sin compasión, en las que los habitantes se ven envueltos en una encrucijada en la que ya nada posee valor, en la que el ser humano se deshumaniza dando paso a una población autómata cegada e inmersa en su mayoría en el síndrome de Estocolmo.
La novela de Kate Furnivall es absolutamente descriptiva en cuantos la situación, los trabajos forzados y las condiciones insalubres y paupérrimas en las que se veían sometidas las mujeres en donde un sistema y la sociedad en pleno hambrienta, castigaba a sus mismos compatriotas en la lucha encarnizada de los ideales comunistas para luchar por Stalin.
El desarrollo de la trama paradójicamente inicia en uno de los campos de trabajos forzados pero esta vez te inmersa en las barracas de los campamentos femeninos y todo lo que aquellas mujeres debieron hacer y soportar para sobrevivir con la esperanza de alguna vez poder escapar. He de decir que es una historia conmovedora y atrapante en el inicio, nos deja ver los matices de los personajes en su propio caos al ver salir a la luz la parte más oscura de cada ser humano, pasando por la lucha secreta y el descubrimiento de un amor bonito y acendrado en medio de tanta muerte e injusticias que hace que al final sea capaz… la redención de personajes sombríos que nos sorprenden y de personajes casi heroicos que nos decepcionan...
La autora sabe muy bien jugar con la técnica de la caja china para mantenernos creyendo una argumento casi 3/4 partes de la trama que resulta una falacia. ¡Bravo por la autora! el elemento sorpresa siempre es bien recibido. La trama de atrapa, tiene giros y sobresaltos inesperados pero en la recta final va bajando mucho el nivel dejándonos un final pobre y poco creíble.

SUS PERSONAJES:
Lo mejor de trama: La forma como la autora desengrana el personaje de Fomenko: es el típico personaje que quieres odiar, pero no consigues saber porqué empatizas con él; como te hace vivir su realidad y cómo cambia a medida que avanza la trama tu percepción y tu visión de él. Es un personaje exquisitamente logrado… ¡BRAVO!
Las descripciones detalladas, físicas, de vestimentas, de los campos y barracones y lo transcurrido en los recuerdos del pasado, es sin duda lo mejor.

Lo peor de la trama: El personaje de Ana, débil, cobarde, pueril que no pisa tierra, sino que se mantiene en nubecitas. Ana es sin lugar a dudas el personaje por antonomasia estresante e irritante que deseas que su historia sea finiquitada rápidamente. Por otra parte, también encontramos el “supuesto” halo misterioso de los gitanos poco explicado y demasiado fantasioso.
Siempre he dicho que se vas a meter un elemento circunstancial que marque la trama debes explicarlo a cabalidad, de manera que el lector entienda la importancia y el desarrollo en el mismo. Demasiado abierto, muy irreal tratándose de un drama con aspectos históricos; además la historia al llegar 18% es repetitiva, aburrida y los que transcurre en ése lapso es irrelevante, este es un aspecto que la autora se hubiese podido ahorrar; para nuestra suerte la trama después de un 8% más de tedio da un revés y vuelve a atraparte casi hasta el decepcionante final.
En conclusión, esperaba mucho más del desarrollo de la historia con el alucinante inicio que nos regala la autora; pero si lo que buscas es una novela interesante, te gusta el género fantasía y lo que te nueve son los datos históricos a pesar de que la novela sea ficción, ésta es tu novela.

[Vrinda Desai · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just a few words.

Bullshit. This was a major disappointment. Also, I rather Sophia had taken the bullet instead of the dog.

Spasibo. Thank you.

[Joanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

If all the magical realism type stuff had been left out, I would have liked this book a lot better. I wasn't expecting it and I do not care for magical realism in general so I was disappointed by it.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I had to used one word to describe this book it would be awkward. The way in which Furnivall wrote the book was awkward, the addition of Russian words was awkward and the way the plot was treated was awkward! The premise of the book is wonderful, I just don't feel as though Furnivall was able to get it to its full potential--Paullina Simons would have done a better job with the storyline.

It took more than half of the book for me to feel ANY connection to the characters whatsoever. The addition of the gypsy family and the subsequent ending involving them was an odd and distracting aspect to the storyline. I felt as though Furnivall couldn't tell the story on her own, she had to add in gypsy mystical powers to make things make "sense".

In addition, Furnivall tended to write things as happening and then either not explain why or the subsequent result AT ALL or she would suddenly bring it up pages later like "oh yeah, I forget to tell you...".

Furnivall seemed to add in Russian words in order to remind us that we were reading a story about Russians. Shouldn't her story have been clear enough without doing this? I grew exceedingly tired of reading "Nyet. No." and other such situations. It is like watching a movie which is in English but all the characters have a (poor) Russian accent--but they are speaking to other Russians. I've never understood it and it can distract from the storyline in a movie and a book. If she had wanted to use Russian words she should have been more consistent with it AND included a glossary so people could look up the meanings!

I must say I did like the plot twist which occurred with about 100 pages left (which is about the time that things actually started happening!). The ending left much to be desired as unsurprisingly Furnivall left things up in the air and left us with only pieces of information.

The relationship between Pashin and Sophia seems to appear out of nowhere, suddenly they are both in love. Hmm, perhaps Furnivall should have tried to actually write more scenes that would have led to such a result. Too much in the book wasn't seemingly plausible. Furnivall had many scenes which I felt did not add to the story and just mucked up the storyline even further.

While I was disappointed with the handling of the story, I do have a soft spot for books set in Russia and I did eventually come to care for one or two of the characters in the end. However, it definitely needs some work to be a compelling story.

[Bren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es el año de 1933, dos mujeres presas en el campo de trabajo Davinsky en Siberia sobreviven el dia a día de trabajos forzados ante el inclemente frío, la falta de comida y el maltrato bajo los soldados soviéticos.
Sofía sabe que tiene que fugarse para poder sobrevivir y poder rescatar a Ana, para ello planea encontrar al Vasily, el amigo y amor de Ana, para que la ayude a rescatarla.
En independencia de la parte novelada de este libro de la historia de Sofía y Ana; la escritora nos muestra un estilo de vida en la Rusia profunda y comunista donde se ve como el pueblo, ese que se alzo en contra del Zar y apoyo a Lenin para convertir a Rusia en Comunista para poder salir de la pobreza absoluta, terminan viviendo en la misma pobreza, trabajando mas y además con miedo.
Así, entre la vida del gulag (campo de trabajo) y una granja colectiva en Tivil, este libro nos regala una historia que genera muchos sentimientos, pero sobre todo nos enseña la forma y estilo de vida una reciente creada Unión Soviética.
Me gusto mucho este libro, a pesar de lo angustioso que podía llegar a ser en momentos, aunque la historia de amistad y de amor resalta sobre la angustia.
Una narrativa extraordinaria que a pesar de ser un libro de poco mas de 600 páginas no se siente largo. Nos muestra además de toda la situación social y política de un Rusia recientemente convertida al comunismo y lo que su pueblo debe vivir y pasar para acostumbrarse a eso, la lealtad de una amistad y los peligros que pasa Sofia por esa amistad y por cumplir una promesa.
Amor, amistad, confianza, lealtad, miedo, desconfianza, coraje, injusticia, sobrevivencia, venganza, redención.
Muy recomendado.

[Avril · Rating 5 out of 5]

no es el tipo de libro que acostumbro a leer pero tengo que decir que es una maravilla, una historia envolvente mientras vemos un romance en desarrollo, me sentí en una verdadera película, tanto que me olvidé que estaba leyendo, I just love it.

[Yuana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome book 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

[S.S.G. Danvers · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 estrellas, y estoy siendo generosa.
Compré este libro por la ambientación en la URSS, y porque prometía una gran historia de amor. Tras haber leído la saga El jinete de bronce, necesitaba más drama de la Rusia de Lenin. Pero ese es todo el parecido que guardan ambas obras, el lugar y la época. La historia no merece la pena en absoluto. Entretiene, sí, no lo voy a negar. Pero no será una obra que recuerde ni que quiera releer.
Sofía y Ana son dos chicas prisioneras en un campo de trabajo en Siberia. Ana recuerda con cariño a Vasili, el hombre al que ella amaba cuando tenía -ojo- 12 años. Ahora tiene como el doble pero sueña con él. De tal modo que Sofía consigue escapar del campo y jura que encontrará a Vasili y hará que este vuelva para rescatar a Ana.
Todo es muy surrealista. A Sofía nada le sale mal. Consigue escapar sin dificultades, sobrevivir caminando por toda Rusia malnutrida y con harapos, llegar al pueblo donde se supone que está Vasili, pasearse por ahí sin documentos... Cuando parece que hay una dificultad, ella la esquiva sin despeinarse. Incluso se mete de espía. Ella, la hija menor de un granjero que no tiene idea de nada. Luego aparte en el pueblo hay unos gitanos que la acogen (sí, sí, no preguntéis) y que tienen como una especie de secta donde hacen rituales, uno de ellos tiene una piedra blanca y poderes que hacen que manipule los pensamientos de la gente... Luego aparte que Sofía es una Mary Sue de campeonato; todos la quieren, todos la admiran, hay un instalove bestial, no tiene fallos, nunca se equivoca... Es un personaje que ni te cae bien ni te cae mal, porque está vacía, la autora no le ha dado personalidad. Y por eso te da un poco igual lo que le pueda pasar. La historia de amor está bastante mal, en unos días ya se aman desesperadamente y eso que ella está convencida de que el maromo es Vasili. Todo muy lógico y normal.
Entretenido. Ya está. Y si le doy dos estrellas es por eso, porque darle una es ponerlo a la altura de bodrios aún peores. Pero no es un buen libro. Los hay mejores.

[Kinsey Breland .: avid_midnight_reader :. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sofia was such a strong female character. I admire her determination to help her friend. Escaping from the labor camp and traveling thousands of miles on foot to find Anna’s childhood friend, hoping that he would be willing to go back and help them, was really ambitious. It’s heartbreaking the things the women in those labor camps had to resort to in order to live.

At first I was confused as to why it took Sofia so long to tell Mikhail Pashin (aka Vasily) about Anna being alive back at the labor camp. That was the whole reason why she escaped and made that long trek across Russia to find him. Why she would wait so long to try and save her friend was strange to me, but I didn’t see that twist coming at all. Still, I don’t see how waiting to gather information herself would ever have led to her learning that information on her own.

I wasn’t expecting the slight magic that was added to this story, but I liked the direction the author took with it. I really liked the Gypsy family, and how they helped Sofia when she first showed up in the town was sweet of them.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be the best I read all Summer. I boughtthe book in an airport bookstore while I was away for a work conference. I began reading it on my plane ride home and found that I could not resist finishing it. I love historical fiction and have been interested in the Russian gulag camps since I read "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" in the tenth grade. Like Solzhenitsyn's piece, Furnivall created a detailed setting that allowed the reader to understand the brutal working conditions that those in the gulag camps experienced. Small details like Sofia catching mice for dinner created a vivid image of how the prisoners lived. As the story progressed, I was very much interested in the journey Sofia took, but I was skeptical as to whether she would truly be able to free Anna. I much enjoyed the twist with finding Vasily. I do wonder though if the day Sofia was in town and fleeing soldiers if it was indeed Vasily that she met. That added an interesting twist, though that was not explored deeply. I also liked the inclusion of gypsy lore, and I found myself being interested in gypsies and their way of life. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in one sitting, could not put it down until 2AM when I finished. The story is captivating, the characters are people we care about, and there are twists and turns you never see coming. I loved Furnivall's the Russian Concubine, but I think I love this one even more.

The tie of friendship between Sofia and Anna has faced unbelievable strife, yet that tie only grows stronger as they are apart and Sofia will do anything to find Vasily and save her best friends life. The author does an amazing job of painting the Russian landscape and climate for us, but not to the degree where it takes away from the story or characters. If you like historical fiction, don't miss this one

[Jack Coleman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the read it was an ok story, but Russian Atheists don't have
horns sticking out there heads any more than modern Catholics are architects of the Inquisition . Spare me the occult crap.I gives me a
real Siberian chill reflecting on how many people gave this book 5 stars!

[Bernice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting piece of history. We have never know the suffering of war and prison camps - let's hope we never do.

[Silvana · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 en realidad. El contexto histórico y los personajes están muy bien. Escrito con una prosa ágil hace que las casi 600 páginas no se hagan pesadas. La trama nunca aburre aunque hacía la mitad del libro se rentaliza para tomar nuevamente envión hacia el final donde la autora provoca un giro inesperado y bienvenido. En particular hubiese preferido que la protagonista absoluta fuese Ana y no Sofia, pero ese hubiese sido otro libro. Por otro lado el tema de los gitanos y el poder "magico" que ostentan lleva a la novela a una mix entre novela histórica y casi sobrenatural, inesperado y que no terminó de cerrarme. Destaco mucho la construcción del contexto histórico, mostrando una pincelada de lo que fue el estado de terror impuesto por Stalin en la Rusia post revolución bolchevique.

[Toast · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another surprise punch of a story really. Set in Stalin's Russia, the course of true love does not run smooth. Gulags, miles of pine forest, wolfs, survival, corruption, bloodshed, mixed identity all seem to get in the way for our two heroines. However, throw in a bit of gypsy magic and a happy ending can happen.
Not a bad little read.
Toast

[emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5. i feel like it wasn’t the most accurate book and the magic although interesting was a bit cliche? also the fact that mikhails interrogater saying mikhails son was mikhails witness was never mentioned again in the book confused me a bit. but i did enjoy reading it and it flowed pretty well.

[Victoria Gutierrez · Rating 1 out of 5]

Solo un comentario: NO VALE LOS 99 PESOS QUE PAGUÉ!!! 😠😠

[Lady Sybil · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ahorra tiempo de vida, ni te molestes en leerlo.

[Amy Webster-Bo · Rating 5 out of 5]

awesome book, loved the story and the characters and the 7th daughter, of the 7th daughter, it was such an easy read

[Gaby · Rating 1 out of 5]

Aburrido a más no poder. Qué bajón porque es en una época que disfruto mucho leer. Este libro se convirtió en una letanía. Decepción completa.

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really, this book deserves 3.5 stars, but since that isn't an option I was generous. As someone who doesn't generally like historical fiction I was happy to enjoy this book.

Admittedly, there was not a lot of "action" initially in the book, but the development of the relationships between the characters was wonderful. THe description of not only their conditions in the camp but Russian society as a whole were very detailed and complex. Nothing in the depiction of the society was one dimensional and I think that was clear when reading about Pyotr. His confusion about what was going on around him and the hypocracy of his role models really brought home for me the level of chaos in their society.

The two things about the book that I didn't enjoy were is formulatic style and the mysticism. Although there was a "twist" near to the end of the book, it wasn't particularly surprising nor was it a particularly creative way to resolve the issue of who Vasily "belonged" to. And the attempts to make Fomenko suddenly sympathetic were too weak to undo all of the weariness and suspicion she had built into the reader previously.

I could have overlooked all of that though, if only there hadn't been coincidental mysticism saving the characters. It was never really foreshadowed that Sofia had any mystic powers and as a plot device, it just kind of sucked. She could have acheived the same plot outcomes using logic and creativity if she had chosen to, it just would have required Rafik to be brilliant and creative rather than some gypsy. Hell, he even could have been a gypsy with just a really good knowledge of herbs and potions and she probably could have gotten the story where it needed to go. The mysticism just distracted from the fact that the rest of the story seemed so realistic and well researched.

Over all, though, it was a well written and (seemed to be) well researched story. I feel like I got some knowledge of post WWI Russia and I honeslty cared about the two women.

[Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started reading this book and was hooked. The storyline, involving a young woman trying to escape (and rescue her friend from) a labor camp in Siberia, was immediately appealing. Well-developed characters, fast-moving plot, detailed historical setting, skillful interweaving of past and present, it had it all.

Unfortunately, the book only went downhill from there.

At face value, it looks good, and The Red Scarf has a lot of potential--so much that I was sorry to see how quickly it devolved. Furnivall has a good grasp of how to write romance if that's what you're looking for, but here, it seems to be at the expense of the plot. Characters' actions have no consequences, so that we have a story set in a brutal world where people are killed or sent to labor camps for little or no reason, yet the main characters can get away with anything, up to and including murder. When misfortune does catch up with them, it usually comes out of the blue, not as a consequence of any of their numerous missteps, only to be too-easily solved. This is exacerbated as the book goes on--I won't spoil it, but at the end we have a couple of bizarre and completely unrealistic events, which Furnivall doesn't even attempt to explain, apparently hoping we won't notice.

Then the magic. Don't get me started. This book is set in a real, historical setting, in Russia during a brutal time. So, how to keep the characters from being arrested and killed or starving to death after the Soviet government confiscates all their food "for the good of the people"? Instead of showing us how real people in this time period dealt with these problems, Furnivall's solution is: bring in a gypsy with mind-twisting powers to save the day! It's a cop-out, and I for one felt cheated.

If you don't mind major plot holes, a series of increasingly unrealistic events, and a love story that quickly becomes nauseating for all but the most hardcore romance-novel fans, then this is the book for you. As for the rest of us, though, I don't recommend it.

[Emilie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best lines:

Now she could see clearly the look of loneliness in his young face, the need for something that felt like love even if it wasn't.

But he wasn't hers. She was stealing him. An ache started up in her chest.

A tiny worm of jealousy squirmed into being,, and she stamped on it again and again until it was nothing but a green lifeless smear. Sofia would never betray her.

She plunged under the surface of the water, a cold black world where you couldn't tell which way was up and which way was down.

"We'll make this the first time, my love," he breathed into her mouth. "For both of us."

And suddenly the terrible ache and the fear left Sofia. The ache of loving. The fear of losing. There was just this, just him, just her. Together.

She peeled back each layer of pain, like stripping bark, and looked at what lay underneath. It was a mass of confusion and error that encased a ferocious belief in ideas at the cost of all else. Mixed up in it all was such passion and hatred, yet at the same time she could see the black shadow of a desperate remorse and repentance. She forced herself to look at them, to pick through them all one by one and face up to what she found.

She'd kissed him farewell, a light brush of the lips, and with it everything cracked inside her.

She breathed, but only because she had to, not because she wanted to.

She wanted to rid this man she loved of those dark tense shadows, to make him as content and relaxed as the dog in the dust.

"It tastes of hope. Sweeter than honey on my tongue."

Their eyes held, a long, sweet, complicated moment.