The Snow Mountain

Russian Revolution #2

by Catherine Gavin

An exciting novel of passion and great happenings, set at the time of the Russian Revolution.

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

509 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Catherine Gavin was born in 1907 in Aberdeen and educated at Albyn Place School and Aberdeen University. She lectured for a time in the History Department and then became a War Correspondent with Kemsley newspapers. She wrote mainly historical fiction, dramatising such events as the Russian Revolution and the battle of Jutland.

Reviews

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful read full of heartache, mistakes, and lessons learned the hard way. It makes you wonder, if different choices were made, would history be telling a very different story? Catherine Gavin does an excellent job openning us up to the world of the Romanov's and the why's of their downfall. I'm not going to lie. The ending was very hard to read and I cried thinking, this story could have gone a very different direction if only....

[Misfit · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Snow Mountain begins in 1914 and follows the final years of the Romanov family told through the viewpoint of Czar Nicholas II's eldest daughter Olga Nicolaievna, and her secret love for soldier Simon Hendrikova. The author parallels Olga's story with that of Joe Calvert, attaché to the American Embassy and his friendships with a British diplomat, Simon's sister Dolly and revolutionist Mara Trenova. As an assassination in Sarajevo sparks events that have repercussions around the world, author Gavin takes the reader from the opulence of the Romanov lifestyle, through the terrors of the revolution and on to the horrific end of the Czar and his family in a cellar in Ekaterinburg.

Despite the historical accuracy of the novel, I was quite disappointed with Gavin as a novelist. What should have been a crackling good read from start to finish fell flat to this reader -- I felt like I was always on the outside looking in -- and that's not where I want to be in a historical novel. The main characters were not well developed and I would have appreciated a closer look into the mindset of Nicholas and Alexandra to better understand their motives and the choices they eventually made that so greatly affected world history. Even Rasputin came off kind of dull and certainly not the delightfully evil villain I was expecting.

Worse yet, I found very little chemistry between Olga and Simon and found it to be a bit of a stretch how they were able to be alone together as much as they were in the first half of the novel. I'm giving this one four stars for the historical research and two for the slow moving story line and calling it at three stars. Recommended only for die-hard fans of reading anything and everything Romanov.

[Cara Best · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best novels about the Romanovs that I ever read.

[Sarah W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A excellent historical novel chronicling Russia during the First World War and the Russian Revolution. Catherine Gavin mixes the story of the Russian Imperial family with the stories of a soldier, a American vice-consul, and a female revolutionary. This offers a diverse portrait of Russia as it experienced the tumult of war and revolution. The author vividly creates these characters and makes their differing actions understandable. One of the better novels to portray the Romanov family and a good read for those interested in this era.

[Catslib · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay I suppose. However, if you want a really thorough description of the Russian grand duchesses, I highly recommend “The Romanov Sisters” by Helen Rappaport. A nonfiction book.

[Grada (BoekenTrol) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brought to the BC-meeting in Castricum for me :-)

When I got this book, I recognized it immediately: another copy of it has been sitting on a shelf at my parents' house for ages. Many, many years ago I read it, but do not remember much of that now.

This is of course a romanticized representation of the events surrounding the start of WW I and the Russian revolution, but the story is told in such a way, that it doesn't bother me.
It is certainly not a romantic book, but a combination of novel, war story, historical novel, which is a pleasure to read.

[Tanzanite · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this account of the Russian Revolution, Tsar Nicholas, his wife Alexandra and Rasputin are pushed to the background in favor of the viewpoint of the couple's oldest daughter, Olga. Utilizing a couple of foreign diplomats and their circle of family/friends, Gavin is able to explore the world outside the palace. For more, see http://shelfandstuff.blogspot.com/200...

[Mimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was beginning to think that I'd never finish this book, it is rare it takes me this long to read something I'm enjoying (or even something I'm not enjoying) - I have tried to analyze what made it a slow read and really can't come up with anything. It's an interesting read about the oldest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, Olga and how her life intersects with an American Diplomat during the first World War.