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The White Russian
Evie, a rebellious young American leaves New York in search of art and adventure in jazz-age Paris, where her grandmother lives. But on arrival, her grandmother’s sudden death leaves Evie compelled to carry out her dying wish: to find a man from her past called Zhenya.
The quest leads Evie deep into the heart of the Russian émigré community of Paris. With the world on the brink of war, she becomes embroiled in murder plots, conspiracies and illicit love affairs as White faces Red Russian and nothing is as it seems.
With Jean, a liberal Russian writer by her side, Evie finally seems to have found the passion and excitement she's yearned for. But is she any nearer to discovering the identity of the mysterious Zhenya, or the heartbreak of her grandmother's past?
The quest leads Evie deep into the heart of the Russian émigré community of Paris. With the world on the brink of war, she becomes embroiled in murder plots, conspiracies and illicit love affairs as White faces Red Russian and nothing is as it seems.
With Jean, a liberal Russian writer by her side, Evie finally seems to have found the passion and excitement she's yearned for. But is she any nearer to discovering the identity of the mysterious Zhenya, or the heartbreak of her grandmother's past?
368 pages, Paperback
First published April 24, 2014
33 people are currently reading
1196 people want to read
About the author
Vanora Bennett
12 books215 followersI 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
July 31, 2021
Evie is tired of being treated like a little girl. She wants to have an adventure. She wants to have a life filled with a great love story. She wants to experience something so very different from her stodgy upbringing. Her mother has never understood her and Evie has never acted the way her family expects. What she really needs is a relationship with her grandmother, who was exiled from the family when Evie was little. Her grandmother, Constance, is just as rebellious and adventurous. One day, Evie runs from her luxurious life to bond with her bohemian grandmother in Jazz Age Paris. When her grandmother suffers a stroke, Evie is left with wrapping up Constance’s affairs, including finding a man named Zhenya in order to make amends. As Evie attempts to settle Constance’s life, she finds herself immersed in the Russian immigrant community in Paris. Mysteries and secrets collide with each other, shifting Evie’s understanding of herself, her loved ones and her place in this world.
Evie and Constance are easily my favorite characters. Both women are headstrong and rebellious, but also focused on finding purpose in the world. While Evie has led a sheltered life, she has found ways to gain experience. Constance also battled against society and familial expectations to find love and comfort in a world that often destroys beautiful things. Evie discovers her grandmother’s secrets with the help of Jean, a Russian immigrant and son of a White Russian. With Jean, Evie learns about the struggles others have faced, ones that she has never had to worry about. She learns about the importance of family, including the ones you choose as family instead of the ones simply related by blood. Evie grows so much from the hopeful, starry-eyed girl at the beginning of the novel. Her story settles not only her life but the lives of so many around her. Constance’s life is a beautiful Russian tragedy fit for a Tolstoy epic. Bennett has created amazing female characters!
The shifting perspectives in the novel help to connect characters into a deeply moving story. Jean’s fierce loyalty to and love for his adopted father, General Miller, is quite emotional. The forbidden love between Constance and her Russian military man stretches across continents, wars and decades. The constant complaining of Marie-Therese and Gaston shows how the Parisians really feel about the Russian immigrants living in their city, reminding readers of how people (sadly) haven’t really changed in how they view an immigrant. The sad and pitiful life of a famous Russian singer, who sings for very few people and must suffer the indignity of being married to a lowly, exiled public servant. All of these characters weave together to reveal secrets or hide them, to illuminate the past or build the future and to deepen the experience of the main characters. Without these voices, the story would have suffered. Instead, I sit here still thinking about the opportunities, the sacrifices, the lost loves of each character - all told with a richness that makes them feel so alive in my imagination.
Vanora Bennett has done a superb job on her research. Pre-WWII Paris is so perfectly described. The ambiance, the secondary characters, the Russian immigrant experience, the White Russian and Red Soviet spies - it all adds insight into a period of history that not many focus on. Sure, authors love to focus on the American in Paris, wandering from one party to the next and rubbing elbows with the elite Jazz age writers, artists and musicians. Bennett chooses to have Evie immerse herself in a different world, one filled with great love, broken hearts, intrigue, and connecting mysteries. Bennett beautifully blends the facts with her fictional story, so much so that it is a bit difficult to track which is which. This is what historical fiction should be.
The White Russian is about finding love and purpose. It’s about understanding how to live a life that honors those who fight for us to have a good life. It’s about understanding that the past has a place in our present but it doesn’t rule our future. A thrilling and passionate story that will leave you satisfied and yet somehow longing for more.
Evie and Constance are easily my favorite characters. Both women are headstrong and rebellious, but also focused on finding purpose in the world. While Evie has led a sheltered life, she has found ways to gain experience. Constance also battled against society and familial expectations to find love and comfort in a world that often destroys beautiful things. Evie discovers her grandmother’s secrets with the help of Jean, a Russian immigrant and son of a White Russian. With Jean, Evie learns about the struggles others have faced, ones that she has never had to worry about. She learns about the importance of family, including the ones you choose as family instead of the ones simply related by blood. Evie grows so much from the hopeful, starry-eyed girl at the beginning of the novel. Her story settles not only her life but the lives of so many around her. Constance’s life is a beautiful Russian tragedy fit for a Tolstoy epic. Bennett has created amazing female characters!
The shifting perspectives in the novel help to connect characters into a deeply moving story. Jean’s fierce loyalty to and love for his adopted father, General Miller, is quite emotional. The forbidden love between Constance and her Russian military man stretches across continents, wars and decades. The constant complaining of Marie-Therese and Gaston shows how the Parisians really feel about the Russian immigrants living in their city, reminding readers of how people (sadly) haven’t really changed in how they view an immigrant. The sad and pitiful life of a famous Russian singer, who sings for very few people and must suffer the indignity of being married to a lowly, exiled public servant. All of these characters weave together to reveal secrets or hide them, to illuminate the past or build the future and to deepen the experience of the main characters. Without these voices, the story would have suffered. Instead, I sit here still thinking about the opportunities, the sacrifices, the lost loves of each character - all told with a richness that makes them feel so alive in my imagination.
Vanora Bennett has done a superb job on her research. Pre-WWII Paris is so perfectly described. The ambiance, the secondary characters, the Russian immigrant experience, the White Russian and Red Soviet spies - it all adds insight into a period of history that not many focus on. Sure, authors love to focus on the American in Paris, wandering from one party to the next and rubbing elbows with the elite Jazz age writers, artists and musicians. Bennett chooses to have Evie immerse herself in a different world, one filled with great love, broken hearts, intrigue, and connecting mysteries. Bennett beautifully blends the facts with her fictional story, so much so that it is a bit difficult to track which is which. This is what historical fiction should be.
The White Russian is about finding love and purpose. It’s about understanding how to live a life that honors those who fight for us to have a good life. It’s about understanding that the past has a place in our present but it doesn’t rule our future. A thrilling and passionate story that will leave you satisfied and yet somehow longing for more.
August 1, 2020
3.5 stars
Interesting novel. I learned a lot about the connection between Paris and white Russians in the 1920's and 30's. I like how the author took historical events and created a fictional story based around them.
Interesting novel. I learned a lot about the connection between Paris and white Russians in the 1920's and 30's. I like how the author took historical events and created a fictional story based around them.
August 6, 2016
The reason I wanted to read The White Russian is because I enjoyed reading Midnight in St Petersburg by Vanora Bennett.
I found I was so engaged in reading The White Russian I was just turning pages after pages. It is such a beautiful novel I just got completely lost into it.
The White Russian is set into four parts.
Evie did not know her grandmother until she turned eighteen.Out of the blue Evie's mother gets a letter from Evies grandmother in Paris offering to pay for her to go to college. Evie's unknown grandmother had enclosed a picture of herself. Without Evie's mother knowing Evie took the picture and put it in her own room.
As Evie arrives in Paris to see her grandmother she is had not expected to be in a situation out of her depth as she stumbles upon her grandmother in bed that is frail and so very thin. Her hair looked so very dull her hands frail and papery, blue-veined. Evie's grandmother makes frantic mumbled sound MMMM, she is trying to tell Evie something. As Evie's grandmother was finding it hard to talk she took to writing with a letter with M on that was repeated several times.
The sudden death of her grandmother leaves Evie to carry out her grandmothers dying wish to find a man from her past. Evie seeing her grandmother is just a little part of the story in The White Russian. There is so much more to this novel that is very touching and suprisingly waiting for readers to explore. I look forward to Vanora Bennett's next novel. Review by ireadnovels.wordpress.com
I found I was so engaged in reading The White Russian I was just turning pages after pages. It is such a beautiful novel I just got completely lost into it.
The White Russian is set into four parts.
Evie did not know her grandmother until she turned eighteen.Out of the blue Evie's mother gets a letter from Evies grandmother in Paris offering to pay for her to go to college. Evie's unknown grandmother had enclosed a picture of herself. Without Evie's mother knowing Evie took the picture and put it in her own room.
As Evie arrives in Paris to see her grandmother she is had not expected to be in a situation out of her depth as she stumbles upon her grandmother in bed that is frail and so very thin. Her hair looked so very dull her hands frail and papery, blue-veined. Evie's grandmother makes frantic mumbled sound MMMM, she is trying to tell Evie something. As Evie's grandmother was finding it hard to talk she took to writing with a letter with M on that was repeated several times.
The sudden death of her grandmother leaves Evie to carry out her grandmothers dying wish to find a man from her past. Evie seeing her grandmother is just a little part of the story in The White Russian. There is so much more to this novel that is very touching and suprisingly waiting for readers to explore. I look forward to Vanora Bennett's next novel. Review by ireadnovels.wordpress.com
December 9, 2017
I discovered this book in the library when I had just finished "Smiley's People" which had bits about Russian emigres and I was pining for a similar book because my library didn't have ANY Le Carre novels and I had waited weeks to order even "Smiley's People" from inter-library loan. I thought of re-reading Berberova's "The Italics Are Mine" which would have filled that yen but I wasn't ready for that yet. ANYWAY, this book filled that yen -- it has everything you could want in a Paris Russian emigre type book with cafes and vodka and mysteries and murder and people being kidnapped and forcibly taken back to the Motherland by the NKVD and everything. All good.
BUT...I kept feeling as if the author was too "modern" in her writing and not immersed enough in the era. I don't mean that she had to write "Swell" or "You're elected!" with 1930s American jargon but just -- the psychological studies just seemed too modern. I kept expecting that the White Russian of the title was going to appear with his Sony Walkman if not check his Facebook... I dunno. It's hard to describe, the feeling that someone is just too modern in their rendering of a story that is in the past. It's harder to do than you might think. There's a bit of over-the-top melodrama with the White Russian's adopted son or whatever, but it's a novel about Russian emigres in Paris, what else? I loved some of the characters who were very life-like, such as her grandmother's friend, the gypsy torch singer. There were a lot of little realistic touches. I still think this writer needs to read a long book (Berberova would do!) or hang out in Russia for longer and then try again.
BUT...I kept feeling as if the author was too "modern" in her writing and not immersed enough in the era. I don't mean that she had to write "Swell" or "You're elected!" with 1930s American jargon but just -- the psychological studies just seemed too modern. I kept expecting that the White Russian of the title was going to appear with his Sony Walkman if not check his Facebook... I dunno. It's hard to describe, the feeling that someone is just too modern in their rendering of a story that is in the past. It's harder to do than you might think. There's a bit of over-the-top melodrama with the White Russian's adopted son or whatever, but it's a novel about Russian emigres in Paris, what else? I loved some of the characters who were very life-like, such as her grandmother's friend, the gypsy torch singer. There were a lot of little realistic touches. I still think this writer needs to read a long book (Berberova would do!) or hang out in Russia for longer and then try again.
July 13, 2022
4,5 stars - English Ebook
Quote page 159:" Why had she come all the way across the world to visit a family member, yet knew so little about the grandmother who'd died that she'd been reduced to driving around Paris at night, asking strangers questions about names scribbled on bits of paper?" -
1937 Paris is inundated with displaced Russian emigrants perplexed between longing for home and the hope of a future. War is on the horizon and the Russians are unable to let go of the past.
With some real historical figures to lend authenticity to this tale of intrigue Ms. Bennett has crafted a splendid story of love, lost and new, as well as adventure and suspense.
Evie, the main character, has a difficult and distant relationship with her mother. After graduation from college she travels, on a whim, from New York to Paris to meet the bohemian grandmother she never had the chance to know. She arrives too late. Her grandmother has suffered a stroke and by the next day she has died.
What ensues is a story of lost love and family secrets; leading Evie into a web of deceptions revolving around her grandmother's true past and the displaced Russian emigrants with whom she surrounded herself.
Quote page 159:" Why had she come all the way across the world to visit a family member, yet knew so little about the grandmother who'd died that she'd been reduced to driving around Paris at night, asking strangers questions about names scribbled on bits of paper?" -
1937 Paris is inundated with displaced Russian emigrants perplexed between longing for home and the hope of a future. War is on the horizon and the Russians are unable to let go of the past.
With some real historical figures to lend authenticity to this tale of intrigue Ms. Bennett has crafted a splendid story of love, lost and new, as well as adventure and suspense.
Evie, the main character, has a difficult and distant relationship with her mother. After graduation from college she travels, on a whim, from New York to Paris to meet the bohemian grandmother she never had the chance to know. She arrives too late. Her grandmother has suffered a stroke and by the next day she has died.
What ensues is a story of lost love and family secrets; leading Evie into a web of deceptions revolving around her grandmother's true past and the displaced Russian emigrants with whom she surrounded herself.
August 11, 2019
Thirties Paris, with Russian immigrants looking for a better life and love.
July 9, 2025
Could’ve been a great novel. It’s pretty much a case of the author showing versus telling. Should have been way more descriptive!
June 29, 2015
Despite the inclusion of some very real people, focus was on the fictional characters and they were unfortunately tedious and 2 dimensional. I was especially disappointed in the love story as it seemed to come out of nowhere. Long lost relatives were also part of the theme and that was also quite annoying and soap opera-ish.
February 8, 2017
I wanted to like this book so much, but I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would.
It has all the makings of a good book : coming of age, conflict, love and Paris. It wasn't engaging. I am, however, considering reading some of her other novels.
It has all the makings of a good book : coming of age, conflict, love and Paris. It wasn't engaging. I am, however, considering reading some of her other novels.
December 13, 2022
1937 Paris is inundated with displaced Russian emigrants perplexed between longing for home and the hope of a future. War is on the horizon and the Russians are unable to let go of the past.
With some real historical figures to lend authenticity to this tale of intrigue Ms. Bennett has crafted a splendid story of love – lost and new – as well as adventure and suspense.
Evie, the main character, has a difficult and distant relationship with her mother. After graduation from college she travels, on a whim, from New York to Paris to meet the bohemian grandmother she never had the chance to know. She arrives too late. Her grandmother has suffered a stroke and by the next day she has died.
“Why had she come all the way across the world to visit a family member, yet knew so little about the grandmother who’d died that she’d been reduced to driving around Paris at night, asking strangers questions about names scribbled on bits of paper?” (Pg. 159)
What ensues is a story of lost love and family secrets; leading Evie into a web of deceptions revolving around her grandmother’s true past and the displaced Russian emigrants with whom she surrounded herself.
**I think the choice of title for this book was unfortunate because it is too easily confused with another novel of the same name written in 2004.
With some real historical figures to lend authenticity to this tale of intrigue Ms. Bennett has crafted a splendid story of love – lost and new – as well as adventure and suspense.
Evie, the main character, has a difficult and distant relationship with her mother. After graduation from college she travels, on a whim, from New York to Paris to meet the bohemian grandmother she never had the chance to know. She arrives too late. Her grandmother has suffered a stroke and by the next day she has died.
“Why had she come all the way across the world to visit a family member, yet knew so little about the grandmother who’d died that she’d been reduced to driving around Paris at night, asking strangers questions about names scribbled on bits of paper?” (Pg. 159)
What ensues is a story of lost love and family secrets; leading Evie into a web of deceptions revolving around her grandmother’s true past and the displaced Russian emigrants with whom she surrounded herself.
**I think the choice of title for this book was unfortunate because it is too easily confused with another novel of the same name written in 2004.
March 20, 2020
I've been terrible about posting books... Now that we're all home, I will catch up for this year.
*****
The White Russian was a sale book at @barnesandnoble . The cover spoke to me, so I was in. #vanorabennett 's story of exiled Russians in Paris started as a simple young-woman-being-rebellious story. And then it got super interesting. A little romance, a little spy intrigue, a little history and a little tragedy kept me rapt.
If you're a lover of Russian history, you will love this. Or are interested in White Russian exiles in Paris, again love. It strikes me that I know quite a few people who are Russian by way of Paris -- something to look into later.
*****
#bookstagram #bookchallenge2020 #readeveryday
*****
The White Russian was a sale book at @barnesandnoble . The cover spoke to me, so I was in. #vanorabennett 's story of exiled Russians in Paris started as a simple young-woman-being-rebellious story. And then it got super interesting. A little romance, a little spy intrigue, a little history and a little tragedy kept me rapt.
If you're a lover of Russian history, you will love this. Or are interested in White Russian exiles in Paris, again love. It strikes me that I know quite a few people who are Russian by way of Paris -- something to look into later.
*****
#bookstagram #bookchallenge2020 #readeveryday
January 7, 2022
This is an tale set in the late 1930s about a young girl, who has a difficult relationship with her mother, and following graduation from college, goes off to Paris to find her grandmother, who is estranged from the family. Immediately after finding her grandmother, the grandmother dies from an apparent stroke. The girl continues to live in the grandmother’s quarters and tries to learn as much as she can about her grandmother from the acquaintances of the grandmother whom she meets. So far, this doesn’t seem like it could be an interesting story, but because of the location, and the people she meets, it turns into a tale of intrigue that has many twists and turns.
The book is well researched and reflects some actual events of that time and location.
The book is well researched and reflects some actual events of that time and location.
June 10, 2019
This satisfied my criteria for a perfect beach read: 1) immersive story; 2) well-written; and 3) believable, likable characters. The setting - the micro world of White Russians in Paris - adds to the romance and color of the novel. Evie, our protagonist, is a somewhat naive, conflict-avoidant young woman who both comes into her own and finds love in her search to understand where she comes from by seeking out her Parisian-based grandmother. It was somewhat disappointing not to get to know her grandmother more (she seemed like a fascinating personality) but that disappointment is shared by Evie so I suppose it’s intentionally done by the author. Verdict: 👍🏖
January 30, 2020
This book gave good insight into the conflict between the Whites and the Reds in Paris during the 1930's. While it started out strong, it petered out quickly. Evie's grandmother has been estranged from her family. Evie decides to go to Paris and get to know her. Immediately upon her arrival the Grandmother dies. The Grandmother, Constance, has left a piece of paper instructing Evie to find a person. This results in a dull search for the person and a dull romance. The ending has Evie coming back to America married to the Russian. The reasoning behind the determination of who Constance was looking for is not explained. This book was a bit of a let down.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2024
Ack! Another case where I intended to read a different book with the exact same title (the one by Tom Bradby). I guess in my defense is the fact that no library anywhere near me owns the Bradby book. Anyway, this is an absorbing historical fiction/semi-thriller. On the negative side, the romance is pretty much unbelievable and there are too many loose ends. I felt the author, by profession a journalist, was too constrained by historical facts, not necessarily a bad thing, but can leave you with an imperfect novel.
February 18, 2017
I really looked forward to this book based on the summary. But even just a few pages in I could not get past the contemporary language being used to try and tell a story based in the early 20th century. That really killed it for me and I couldn't fully get into the plot with this superficial layer holding back the authenticity. I did like the concept of the plot but when doing historical fiction the writing style is so important.
January 19, 2023
I was very excited about this book based on the cover. The summary was suspenseful and fast paced sounding. I was disappointed. All the events in the summary happened but did not end up being very exciting. It took me a lot to get into the book which I never really did. It had some moments where things were good and I was hooked but it never lasted long. Not a bad book by any means but I felt the story lines had more potential that what actually happened.
March 26, 2019
More like a 2.5 or 2.75. I was really hopeful about this story because there aren't too many written about the White Emigres and this time period so I was anxious to learn about it. Unfortunately, things didn't start to pick up until midway and ending left me unsatisfied. Most of the issues were tied up, but not very neatly.
July 28, 2019
A bit far fetched incorporating a sheltered unworldly young female American in the middle of a Russian spy network in Paris in the late 1930's. I struggled to engage with the story and found Evie's character hard to believe. Some of her aggressive behavior toward the Russians lacked credibility. Required reading for my book club, or I would have put this book back on a shelf long ago.
July 30, 2021
Had a hard time follow the story, since I knew nothing about Russian history.
Checking on Wikipedia, I finally learned a little bit about the The Reds and Whites,
Looks like each country has gone through political turmoil and people on the
losing side suffer great deal. The love affair between the American girl and Russian
boy was well weaved. It is still a romance.
Checking on Wikipedia, I finally learned a little bit about the The Reds and Whites,
Looks like each country has gone through political turmoil and people on the
losing side suffer great deal. The love affair between the American girl and Russian
boy was well weaved. It is still a romance.
March 2, 2022
Interesting time period. Liked the author's notes about this period. Story was good in parts. Protagonists were developed enough that you started to feel an attachment but the antagonists were not given enough space to be understood. It is easy to criticize but the author tried but never reached her goal. I just wouldn’t recommend this book.
June 16, 2024
A good story, but a star off for the author’s style which I found to be a little too repetitive. And Evie could have been a little less dramatic and a little more observant for my tastes. The author’s explanation of the White Russians in Paris after the Bolshevik revolution was great background, tho.
June 21, 2020
I enjoy historical fiction with a love story but this book fell short on its history. The live atory also was lacking some details. I think she was trying to include to much and failes on focusing in on a specific subject.
August 8, 2017
4.5 stars
November 10, 2017
Eh. The idea was interesting, but I don't think some of the storylines were as well executed as they could have been.
February 8, 2018
I enjoy reading historical fiction. This was especially interesting because so much of it was based on fact.
February 27, 2018
took too long to get the plot moving.
March 12, 2018
I enjoyed this book about Russians in Paris after World War II. There was a big build up throughout the book but the end came quickly with many loose ends tied up neatly which felt false.
August 19, 2018
This was really good. A page turner. I couldn't wait to get to the end. When I did, I wept. Worth reading.
August 20, 2018
I liked the setting and the story of the Russian émigrés but the romance seemed forced and out of place. I felt like this book jumped around a lot and was lacking some narrative flow.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews