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The Vanishing Futurist
Now a BBC Radio 4 Book at BedtimeThe debut novel from award-winning author of Black Earth A Year in the Heart of Russia.When twenty-two-year-old Gerty Freely travels to Russia to work as a governess in early 1914, she has no idea of the vast political upheavals ahead, nor how completely her fate will be shaped by them.In 1917, revolution sweeps away the Moscow Gerty knew. The middle classes - and their governesses - are fleeing the country, but she stays, throwing herself into an experiment in communal living led by charismatic inventor Nikita Slavkin, inspired by his belief in a future free of bourgeois clutter and alight with creativity. Yet the chaos and violence of the outside world cannot be withstood forever. Slavkin's sudden disappearance inspires the Soviet cult of the Vanishing Futurist, the scientist who sacrificed himself for the Communist ideal. Gerty, alone and vulnerable, must now discover where that ideal will ultimately lead.Strikingly vivid, this debut novel by award-winning writer Charlotte Hobson pierces the heart with a story of fleeting, but infinite possibility.
275 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2016
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July 24, 2017
I first came across Charlotte Hobson when I was a student, deeply fascinated by Eastern European history, culture and politics. She had just published Black Earth City, an account of her year spent as a student in Russia. Though it has been quite some time since I read it – and I think I see a re-read on the horizon this summer – I do remember being absolutely drawn into her writing and devouring the book in one sitting. There might have been vodka involved too ;) I love how even now, looking at a book spine can bring back such intense memories. Because of this experience, I was really excited to read Hobson’s first fiction book, The Vanishing Futurist, which was shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. It has been discussed by many of the lovely booktubers I follow and what emerged was very much a love/hate divide. I loved it.
First a warning: The Vanishing Futurist asks a lot of the reader, I think it certainly requires a passion for Russian history and politics as it is full to the brim with political comment. For me it was a perfect fit and I really enjoyed exercising my brain, remembering everything I have researched over the years. The October Revolution, and the following years, saw people actually trying to break the mould of social political thinking and I find this truly fascinating.
The story is of a young English woman, desperate to break away from the restrictions facing her in post Edwardian England, ready for freedom and an adventure of her own. She takes on a role as governess for an aristocratic family in Russia and not long after she arrives, the October Revolution happens. Gerty falls in love with a socialist revolutionary inventor named Slavkin and becomes part of a socialist commune- the Institute for Revolutionary Transformation - where its inhabitants strive to transform into true socialists. The book then tracks Gerty’s experiences, the development of communism with its many layers and Slavkin’s weird and wonderful invention of a time machine, initially constructed to bring true communism forward, combating the hardships of war as well as the often-questionable actions of the government.
I loved the portrayal of the commune in its early stages very much. The youthful, sincere passion for true social and political change, for art, for life itself, really struck a chord with my younger self. The feeling of endless possibilities and faith in the future of humanity were delicious. I also thought that the contrasting reality of the commune was excellently portrayed with selfishness, arguments, class divides, extreme poverty and sometimes hilariously absurd inclinations thrown into the mix. We see these young people as glorious yet at the same time very naïve human beings, trying to find their own sense of belonging.
The darker developments within communism are very apparent to the reader throughout the book and Hobson has an immense knowledge, which she shares in great depth with us. The sense of foreboding, of an immerging totalitarian undercurrent, is incredibly well written in my opinion. Censorship, manipulation of power and the loss of promised equality are explored intelligently; Hobson contrasts episodes of humour with devastating, stark reality for a powerful effect. Having said all this, I also believe that Hobson writes with a deep love for Russia, there is such warmth and fondness prevalent in her descriptions of the mannerisms, traditions and history of the Russian people. This book was clearly a labour of love and I know it took her years to write.
Hobson is also very keen to explore the idea of art and censorship and in the afterword, she talks about the Futurist movement at the beginning of Russia’s period of socialism. Slavkin’s creations are abstract and quite hard for a reader of today to understand. As well as the time machine, there is a propaganda machine, where a person enters and is transformed by intense images, sounds, smells and movement until they come back out a true communist. I think this makes a statement about the methods of political manipulation in itself but its farcical nature is true to the imaginings of artists at the time, wanting to break the rules and constraints previously placed upon them, opening themselves up completely to experimentation and the unknown. There is a wonderfully captured sense of freedom there, which was monumental after decades of traditionalist rule.
I also believe that Slavkin’s more and more abstract way of thinking and acting can be seen as portrayal of a man struggling with his mental health and society’s response to this. I really like how Hobson adds many layers to her writing for us to interpret and as always, I think that the intelligent exploration of mental illness is a very important thing indeed.
I admit that the plot is at times difficult to engage with, such as a rather lengthy science lecture given by Slavkin or some of the weird and wonderful methods the commune test out in order to ‘transform’ themselves into true socialists. However, for me these sections didn’t affect my overall connection with the characters or the plot, although I know for other readers this style was very dry and distant.
Aside from the politics, I loved that at this book’s heart is the very universal theme of first love with all its intense highs and lows. It also looks at unrequited love, of the power love holds and how it can be manipulated as well as how love can save you when you least expect it. I found that the final third of the book had much more of a traditional, character driven story telling element to it, it branches away from the intense political observation and social comment. It felt like Hobson was saying that in the end the art of being human prevails and is indeed the deciding factor in this crazy world.
I will leave you with Gerty’s thoughts on change when, as an old woman, she reflects on her time in Russia, followed by a memory of Slavkin talking, both of which I find poignant in our current political climate:
‘Despite or rather, because of the fact that the future is unknowable, each of us bears a responsibility towards it. If all that our imagination can summon up is some limp, apathetic, cynical vision of a world just like the one in which we now live, then frankly that is all we deserve.’
‘Inside your imagination lies the blueprint for the future.’
First a warning: The Vanishing Futurist asks a lot of the reader, I think it certainly requires a passion for Russian history and politics as it is full to the brim with political comment. For me it was a perfect fit and I really enjoyed exercising my brain, remembering everything I have researched over the years. The October Revolution, and the following years, saw people actually trying to break the mould of social political thinking and I find this truly fascinating.
The story is of a young English woman, desperate to break away from the restrictions facing her in post Edwardian England, ready for freedom and an adventure of her own. She takes on a role as governess for an aristocratic family in Russia and not long after she arrives, the October Revolution happens. Gerty falls in love with a socialist revolutionary inventor named Slavkin and becomes part of a socialist commune- the Institute for Revolutionary Transformation - where its inhabitants strive to transform into true socialists. The book then tracks Gerty’s experiences, the development of communism with its many layers and Slavkin’s weird and wonderful invention of a time machine, initially constructed to bring true communism forward, combating the hardships of war as well as the often-questionable actions of the government.
I loved the portrayal of the commune in its early stages very much. The youthful, sincere passion for true social and political change, for art, for life itself, really struck a chord with my younger self. The feeling of endless possibilities and faith in the future of humanity were delicious. I also thought that the contrasting reality of the commune was excellently portrayed with selfishness, arguments, class divides, extreme poverty and sometimes hilariously absurd inclinations thrown into the mix. We see these young people as glorious yet at the same time very naïve human beings, trying to find their own sense of belonging.
The darker developments within communism are very apparent to the reader throughout the book and Hobson has an immense knowledge, which she shares in great depth with us. The sense of foreboding, of an immerging totalitarian undercurrent, is incredibly well written in my opinion. Censorship, manipulation of power and the loss of promised equality are explored intelligently; Hobson contrasts episodes of humour with devastating, stark reality for a powerful effect. Having said all this, I also believe that Hobson writes with a deep love for Russia, there is such warmth and fondness prevalent in her descriptions of the mannerisms, traditions and history of the Russian people. This book was clearly a labour of love and I know it took her years to write.
Hobson is also very keen to explore the idea of art and censorship and in the afterword, she talks about the Futurist movement at the beginning of Russia’s period of socialism. Slavkin’s creations are abstract and quite hard for a reader of today to understand. As well as the time machine, there is a propaganda machine, where a person enters and is transformed by intense images, sounds, smells and movement until they come back out a true communist. I think this makes a statement about the methods of political manipulation in itself but its farcical nature is true to the imaginings of artists at the time, wanting to break the rules and constraints previously placed upon them, opening themselves up completely to experimentation and the unknown. There is a wonderfully captured sense of freedom there, which was monumental after decades of traditionalist rule.
I also believe that Slavkin’s more and more abstract way of thinking and acting can be seen as portrayal of a man struggling with his mental health and society’s response to this. I really like how Hobson adds many layers to her writing for us to interpret and as always, I think that the intelligent exploration of mental illness is a very important thing indeed.
I admit that the plot is at times difficult to engage with, such as a rather lengthy science lecture given by Slavkin or some of the weird and wonderful methods the commune test out in order to ‘transform’ themselves into true socialists. However, for me these sections didn’t affect my overall connection with the characters or the plot, although I know for other readers this style was very dry and distant.
Aside from the politics, I loved that at this book’s heart is the very universal theme of first love with all its intense highs and lows. It also looks at unrequited love, of the power love holds and how it can be manipulated as well as how love can save you when you least expect it. I found that the final third of the book had much more of a traditional, character driven story telling element to it, it branches away from the intense political observation and social comment. It felt like Hobson was saying that in the end the art of being human prevails and is indeed the deciding factor in this crazy world.
I will leave you with Gerty’s thoughts on change when, as an old woman, she reflects on her time in Russia, followed by a memory of Slavkin talking, both of which I find poignant in our current political climate:
‘Despite or rather, because of the fact that the future is unknowable, each of us bears a responsibility towards it. If all that our imagination can summon up is some limp, apathetic, cynical vision of a world just like the one in which we now live, then frankly that is all we deserve.’
‘Inside your imagination lies the blueprint for the future.’
May 31, 2017
2.5 stars = meh I don't see this one capturing the Walter Scott Prize later in June...it was okay, pretty dull read and nothing terribly exciting in it. It just didn't pull me in and I would look at it reluctantly before picking it up - a sign that the book isn't really working out for me.
April 8, 2017
If you can't see why the communist dream was so compelling and exciting at the start, it is perhaps because life is too easy, blinkered or comfortable. Gerty is a credible, naive go-getter desperate to escape the stultifying atmosphere of her arid Cornish backwater by becoming a governess in Moscow. Almost immediately she finds herself swept up in the passion and then miasma of a far distant revolution that was never hers in the first place.
Decades later in London, widowed and dying, she writes her memoir of those days for her daughter, long grown up but unaware of the truth of those days. But as he goes through all her old papers and memories, she discovers some things of which even she had been unaware.
This is a brilliant, affecting novel, which wears its historical detail lightly but convincingly. It is fascinating to encounter such a diverse group of individuals, all similarly magnetized by the revolution yet for very different reasons. all trying to make it work. But what this book so subtly but thoroughly explores is how that archetypal of enlightenment projects consistently failed to take into account, not to respect, the basic humanness and humanity of its comrades.
Hobson has brought to life an at once exhilarating and terrifying moment in world history and placed us right at its heart. Fantastic writing.
Decades later in London, widowed and dying, she writes her memoir of those days for her daughter, long grown up but unaware of the truth of those days. But as he goes through all her old papers and memories, she discovers some things of which even she had been unaware.
This is a brilliant, affecting novel, which wears its historical detail lightly but convincingly. It is fascinating to encounter such a diverse group of individuals, all similarly magnetized by the revolution yet for very different reasons. all trying to make it work. But what this book so subtly but thoroughly explores is how that archetypal of enlightenment projects consistently failed to take into account, not to respect, the basic humanness and humanity of its comrades.
Hobson has brought to life an at once exhilarating and terrifying moment in world history and placed us right at its heart. Fantastic writing.
January 11, 2023
There was much to enjoy in this and yet it did quite come together for me.
July 18, 2024
A revolutionary portrait of the post 1917-Russia through the life and times of Gertrude (Gerty) Freely who set off from Cornwall, England just before the revolution and stayed through the hopeful as well as terrorising time. She joined as a governess to two of the Kobelev children, Dima and Liza, going on to becoming a far more intergral member of the family at the Kobelev residence at No. 7 Gagarinsky Lane, Moscow. I loved the description of the heady days of the early revolution and all that pure striving towards a utopian hope for a new, better, equal future. Nikita Slavkin was the central metaphor of the new Soviet man who guides the story through his actions and others' reactions to him. Suave and charismatic, he was the leader of a Soviet commune whose ideas proved too radical for its time. The story is as much about Slavkin as it is about Gerty, who writes it. Hobson makes the Russian revolution seem closer home than it was. Read because no other book makes Russian history as accessible as this one.
April 26, 2019
Charlotte Hobson's The Vanishing Futurist caught my eye soon after its publication in 2016, but it has taken me quite a while to procure a copy of the novel. Russia and its history absolutely fascinates me, and I was intrigued by the twist which Hobson has added to the turmoil of the 1918 Revolutions. Anthony Beever calls this novel 'breathtakingly original, luminously intelligent and impossible to put down', and The Guardian describes it as 'a rapturous, carnival-like ride into political disorder, heady romance and absurdity.'
The Vanishing Futurist is set in Moscow in 1918 where, in the 'heady post-revolutionary atmosphere, a young English governess, Gerty Freely, and her friends throw themselves into the task of living as genuine communists.' A rather mysterious and revered inventor, Nikita Slavkin, runs their commune. He is 'determined to revolutionise daily life with his technological innovations', one of which is thought to have caused his disappearance. The novel opens with a report from the Soviet Press, which states that 'the Socialisation Capsule, Slavkin's latest invention, represented an extraordinary advance in human knowledge... [and] revolutionised our understanding of the universe.' Slavkin is thus the 'Vanishing Futurist' of the novel's title.
Gerty, a headstrong young woman, takes it upon herself to find out the truth behind his disappearance, which becomes quite notorious in Russian circles. In fact, his mysterious exit from Russia causes him to become a 'Soviet icon', with streets named after him, and films made about his life. People remain convinced that one day he will reappear; 'that if his Socialisation Capsule can distort our perception of temporal reality, then it can equally reinstate it.'
Gerty, in her late seventies, is looking back on her life, focusing upon her time in Russia when living in London. She justifies this decision by saying: 'My husband, Paul, died six months ago, and since then I have had the strange sensation that the present, my creaky old body in the little terraced house in Hackney which we bought together, is no longer my home.' She reveals that she has kept this portion of her past a secret from her only daughter, Sophy, and it seems time to make amends. Talking face to face seems difficult, so Gerty takes another route: 'I find myself writing an account for her instead, using the papers as my starting point. This way, I think, will be more truthful - more complete - than if I stammer it out incoherently.'
The novel is narrated by Gerty, who comes from Truro in Cornwall, and decides to become a governess for the Kobelev family in central Moscow. Of her reasoning to do so, she states: '... I was a bookish, scrawny girl, a spinster in the making; argumentative and contrary to my father (as he often said) and disappointingly serious to my mother, who wanted to gossip with me about clothes. Reading Tolstoy had made me long to visit this country full of peasant women in birch-bark sandals, young officers as fresh as cucumbers, forests filled with unheard-of berries.' I found Gerty's voice immediately believable, and its pace and turns of phrase were maintained with consistency throughout.
From the outset, Hobson weaves in rather sensuous descriptions to Gerty's narrative, which allow her to deftly capture her drastically different change of surroundings: '... I was shown immediately to Mrs Kobelev's room, the heart of the house, dark and hot and smelling of face powder and eau de cologne and slept-in sheets and violet lozenges.' Moscow, one of my own favourite cities, has been marvellously captured in all of its mystery: 'Moscow is a city that insinuates itself cunningly into one's affections. At first it fascinated and slightly repelled me, as some vast medieval fair might... Yet slowly I came to know its little courtyards, its secret gardens and alleys, its cool green boulevards cast in relief against the bustle and noise. It was impossible not to be charmed by the wooden houses and the bawdy streets, the little churches squeezed into every corner. There was a sort of unexpected joyfulness about it all, unlike any other city I have known.' Despite the outbreak of war, and the looming Revolutions, Gerty finds a freedom in Moscow that she has never known at home in Cornwall: '... I discovered a household where the most absurd and opposing views could be voiced, disagreed with, argued over or renounced without any tempers lost or touchy Chapel gods involved.'
Hobson successfully navigates her way through a pivotal period of Russia's history, weaving in avant-garde elements against the backdrop of mass arrests and sea-change. Moscow, and Russia on a grander scale, has been marvellously captured, and the entirety of the novel is so engaging. There is humour here - for instance, Slavkin 'ate a great deal of sandwiches, swallowing them whole, like a snake'. I could not help but feel a fondness for Gerty.
Telling such a story through the eyes of a participant and also a bystander, as Gerty is, is a clever touch, which works well. The Vanishing Futurist took a series of twists and turns which I was not expecting, and is a novel which is so clever, and so well executed. I look forward both to picking up Hobson's debut, and to seeing what she comes up with next.
The Vanishing Futurist is set in Moscow in 1918 where, in the 'heady post-revolutionary atmosphere, a young English governess, Gerty Freely, and her friends throw themselves into the task of living as genuine communists.' A rather mysterious and revered inventor, Nikita Slavkin, runs their commune. He is 'determined to revolutionise daily life with his technological innovations', one of which is thought to have caused his disappearance. The novel opens with a report from the Soviet Press, which states that 'the Socialisation Capsule, Slavkin's latest invention, represented an extraordinary advance in human knowledge... [and] revolutionised our understanding of the universe.' Slavkin is thus the 'Vanishing Futurist' of the novel's title.
Gerty, a headstrong young woman, takes it upon herself to find out the truth behind his disappearance, which becomes quite notorious in Russian circles. In fact, his mysterious exit from Russia causes him to become a 'Soviet icon', with streets named after him, and films made about his life. People remain convinced that one day he will reappear; 'that if his Socialisation Capsule can distort our perception of temporal reality, then it can equally reinstate it.'
Gerty, in her late seventies, is looking back on her life, focusing upon her time in Russia when living in London. She justifies this decision by saying: 'My husband, Paul, died six months ago, and since then I have had the strange sensation that the present, my creaky old body in the little terraced house in Hackney which we bought together, is no longer my home.' She reveals that she has kept this portion of her past a secret from her only daughter, Sophy, and it seems time to make amends. Talking face to face seems difficult, so Gerty takes another route: 'I find myself writing an account for her instead, using the papers as my starting point. This way, I think, will be more truthful - more complete - than if I stammer it out incoherently.'
The novel is narrated by Gerty, who comes from Truro in Cornwall, and decides to become a governess for the Kobelev family in central Moscow. Of her reasoning to do so, she states: '... I was a bookish, scrawny girl, a spinster in the making; argumentative and contrary to my father (as he often said) and disappointingly serious to my mother, who wanted to gossip with me about clothes. Reading Tolstoy had made me long to visit this country full of peasant women in birch-bark sandals, young officers as fresh as cucumbers, forests filled with unheard-of berries.' I found Gerty's voice immediately believable, and its pace and turns of phrase were maintained with consistency throughout.
From the outset, Hobson weaves in rather sensuous descriptions to Gerty's narrative, which allow her to deftly capture her drastically different change of surroundings: '... I was shown immediately to Mrs Kobelev's room, the heart of the house, dark and hot and smelling of face powder and eau de cologne and slept-in sheets and violet lozenges.' Moscow, one of my own favourite cities, has been marvellously captured in all of its mystery: 'Moscow is a city that insinuates itself cunningly into one's affections. At first it fascinated and slightly repelled me, as some vast medieval fair might... Yet slowly I came to know its little courtyards, its secret gardens and alleys, its cool green boulevards cast in relief against the bustle and noise. It was impossible not to be charmed by the wooden houses and the bawdy streets, the little churches squeezed into every corner. There was a sort of unexpected joyfulness about it all, unlike any other city I have known.' Despite the outbreak of war, and the looming Revolutions, Gerty finds a freedom in Moscow that she has never known at home in Cornwall: '... I discovered a household where the most absurd and opposing views could be voiced, disagreed with, argued over or renounced without any tempers lost or touchy Chapel gods involved.'
Hobson successfully navigates her way through a pivotal period of Russia's history, weaving in avant-garde elements against the backdrop of mass arrests and sea-change. Moscow, and Russia on a grander scale, has been marvellously captured, and the entirety of the novel is so engaging. There is humour here - for instance, Slavkin 'ate a great deal of sandwiches, swallowing them whole, like a snake'. I could not help but feel a fondness for Gerty.
Telling such a story through the eyes of a participant and also a bystander, as Gerty is, is a clever touch, which works well. The Vanishing Futurist took a series of twists and turns which I was not expecting, and is a novel which is so clever, and so well executed. I look forward both to picking up Hobson's debut, and to seeing what she comes up with next.
November 29, 2022
3.5*
i enjoyed the story of this one a lot, and ended up being quite attached to one of the characters, but all the others were entirely forgettable and the main character was somewhat annoying. also, the pacing was super weird and it felt like some parts were rushed over while others went on for far too long. there was also some plot twists at the end, not all of which i think were successfully pulled off.
i enjoyed the story of this one a lot, and ended up being quite attached to one of the characters, but all the others were entirely forgettable and the main character was somewhat annoying. also, the pacing was super weird and it felt like some parts were rushed over while others went on for far too long. there was also some plot twists at the end, not all of which i think were successfully pulled off.
September 21, 2016
An absorbing snapshot from the Russian revolution that I couldn't help but bracket with Red Joan, which was a marvelous read. Two female protagonists, intelligent, perhaps at first a little wet behind the ears, whose stories are told many years later in extended flashbacks interwoven with a reflective narrative.
This story is a grim account of the communist dream going tits up and the dream as a nightmare. The main character through it all is both gullible and brave and movement's great champion. She is an English governess who has left everything behind who throws in her lot with a scientific visionary/charlatan who nonetheless convinces all around him that he not only understands the communist movement better than everybody else, is able to lead his followers effortlessly while eschewing the very idea of leadership in the commune. In the ends the wheels fall off and the earnest band break up still clinging to their ideals.
I found it both endearing and frustrating that the MC was being shielded from a truth by her husband before he died, and that the story is told without judgement. In that respect it is for the reader to make up their mind and the conclusion from the evidence is well...self evident.
This story is a grim account of the communist dream going tits up and the dream as a nightmare. The main character through it all is both gullible and brave and movement's great champion. She is an English governess who has left everything behind who throws in her lot with a scientific visionary/charlatan who nonetheless convinces all around him that he not only understands the communist movement better than everybody else, is able to lead his followers effortlessly while eschewing the very idea of leadership in the commune. In the ends the wheels fall off and the earnest band break up still clinging to their ideals.
I found it both endearing and frustrating that the MC was being shielded from a truth by her husband before he died, and that the story is told without judgement. In that respect it is for the reader to make up their mind and the conclusion from the evidence is well...self evident.
March 28, 2021
this novel didn’t fully captivate me, but I did still really enjoy it. Hobson definitely captures something of the atmosphere of the revolutionary period without bogging the reader down with excessive historical references, but I think this novel would have been a lot stronger had the characters been more vibrant and fleshed out. Gerty’s outsider status in the group did add an interesting tone to the novel, but I think a lot of the Russians (except Nikita, who was perhaps slightly overblown) came across somewhat two-dimensional, and consequently I found it difficult to become too involved in the plot. Nonetheless, a really interesting account of revolutionary Russia
September 2, 2020
I picked this up as I haven't read many books set in Russia before, and the revolutionary setting was certainly interesting. However, I wasn't 100% on this book, as it revolves around a figure called Nikita Slavkin, and our main character's relationship and infatuation with both him and his ridiculous avant-garde ideas. This would be less of a problem if Slavkin weren't such a wanker.
October 20, 2020
I'm not sure whether I should write a review of this novel after experiencing it as a radio adaptation but if the book is half has good as the programme it's a belter. My enthusiasm may in part be due to the honey-toned voice of the reader Barbara Flynn but for me the evocation of place and time in this book is exemplary. So much so that it had me Googling to see whether Nikita Slavkin was a real character. As far as I can determine he, the fellow members of his cooperative and his crazy inventions are all products of Charlotte Hobson's imagination. If this is the case I can only doff my hat to her.
I have two reservations that prevent me awarding five stars: the first is that I didn't read the book, although I intend to do so to find out whether the magic is there or in the BBC treatment. The second is more fundamental – the Hollywood, everything-must-be-resolved ending. In my view it would have been better to leave something for the reader / listener to chew on after the book has finished.
I have two reservations that prevent me awarding five stars: the first is that I didn't read the book, although I intend to do so to find out whether the magic is there or in the BBC treatment. The second is more fundamental – the Hollywood, everything-must-be-resolved ending. In my view it would have been better to leave something for the reader / listener to chew on after the book has finished.
May 25, 2022
I'm so confused with myself becuase a book can be not-so-engaging for a while but if it has a good ending, it's redeemed.
'If we give up on this future, in this intricately connected world, we stand to lose everything. Yet even the most powerless and insignificant among us can trigger vast transformations.'
Historical fiction has been a favorite lately.
This book was well-planned, well written, and just very enticing honestly. Following the life of Gerty, and her staying and throwing herself into an experiment conducted by Nikita during the revolution. It takes us through the dynamics of their commune; how it evolves as they work together alongside Nikita's trials and tribulations with his capsule. Also touches on the media and how storytelling has so much power. idk I don't think I can completely explain it well tbh. All I know is that it was very insightful and even touching. Go read it.
'If we give up on this future, in this intricately connected world, we stand to lose everything. Yet even the most powerless and insignificant among us can trigger vast transformations.'
Historical fiction has been a favorite lately.
This book was well-planned, well written, and just very enticing honestly. Following the life of Gerty, and her staying and throwing herself into an experiment conducted by Nikita during the revolution. It takes us through the dynamics of their commune; how it evolves as they work together alongside Nikita's trials and tribulations with his capsule. Also touches on the media and how storytelling has so much power. idk I don't think I can completely explain it well tbh. All I know is that it was very insightful and even touching. Go read it.
December 6, 2023
This one is a difficult to rate. On the one hand, there's plenty to love. Hobson has done her research, for one, and the writing is top notch; she knows how to evoke desire and jealousy beautifully. I also loved the character of Pasha.
There is, however, one big flaw (at least, for me) with this story: in order for me to buy that Gerty would stay in this commune(/cult) for as long as she did, I need to believe she loved Nikita. That I do. However, I don't understand WHY. And that, I'm afraid, is a bit of an issue. I kept thinking "girl, he doesn't love you, just leave. It's not as if he's such a fucking prize to begin with," and that, I fear, is a bit unfortunate.
Still a well-written and interesting novel!
There is, however, one big flaw (at least, for me) with this story: in order for me to buy that Gerty would stay in this commune(/cult) for as long as she did, I need to believe she loved Nikita. That I do. However, I don't understand WHY. And that, I'm afraid, is a bit of an issue. I kept thinking "girl, he doesn't love you, just leave. It's not as if he's such a fucking prize to begin with," and that, I fear, is a bit unfortunate.
Still a well-written and interesting novel!
December 30, 2020
A book I couldn’t even complete.. had to reshelve after 190 pages! Just superficial characters that seemed to come as a wave of different names making it difficult to follow. In the pages I managed to read nothing really happened, the whole book appeared to be a buildup to an event that is spoilt in the first page.
June 12, 2017
Review to follow
May 18, 2017
I had high hopes for this book and thought I'd be taken on an exhilirating adventure but having arrived at page 85 it still feels as if I'm waiting for something to happen. I also don't like the very simplistic way it's written, in fact at times the writing feels almost amateurish and I'm unclear if the writer's intention is to convey someone who is very innocent or if their writing is just a bit poor.
The characterisation is weak, I cared about nobody, every character very thinly done and unconvincing. It didn't feel like fiction but more like the book equivalent of a drama reconstruction in the middle of a documentary about revolutionary Russia. And yet it was published.
I'm afraid I'm abandoning this one.
The characterisation is weak, I cared about nobody, every character very thinly done and unconvincing. It didn't feel like fiction but more like the book equivalent of a drama reconstruction in the middle of a documentary about revolutionary Russia. And yet it was published.
I'm afraid I'm abandoning this one.
January 1, 2019
The purported memoirs, written in the early 70s, of an old English governess who got mixed up with the Russian avant-garde in 1917-19. Although the subject matter is strong, it doesn't grasp its potential or engage with it much except to teach the bland and unconvincing moral that socialism is a bad thing because you can't change human beings too much. A decent page-turner though.
December 8, 2017
I really enjoyed this entertaining and original story. I've certainly never read anything set in Russia circa World War One before and if I'd planned to, wouldn't have known where to start and would have feared it would be very depressing. But The Vanishing Futurist isn't depressing - it's funny, lively and warm-hearted and although its storyline inevitably takes a darker turn as we progress through WW1 and into the Twenties, things never get relentlessly bleak - refreshingly unusual for anything set in Europe between the wars.
But this isn't really a wartime thriller. Like The Secret History, Great Gatsby or Brideshead Revisited, it's about young people trying to fit in with each other and suffering agonies over friendships, mistrust and unrequited love. Our heroine, Gerty, a young English girl who goes to Moscow as a governess, is intelligent, adventurous and funny - great company to go through the story with, even though she's wilfully bad at romantic decisions. (And I have to admit to being disappointed in her name - so many more interesting options, surely.)
If the book has a fault, I think it is in the Futurist himself. The central character of Nikita Slavkin, a brilliant young inventor philosopher who is part of the Communist dream that takes over Russia, never quite crystallised for me. The plot requires that all the other characters revolve around him thanks to his charisma and brilliance, and I could never quite see why they did.
That aside, the book was a delight for me. As the latest instalment in the string of Russian and Cold War Berlin-set novels I have accidentally embarked on over the last few years (Snowdrops, Midnight in Berlin, Leaving Berlin), The Vanishing Futurist has added a fascinating new piece to the jigsaw.
But this isn't really a wartime thriller. Like The Secret History, Great Gatsby or Brideshead Revisited, it's about young people trying to fit in with each other and suffering agonies over friendships, mistrust and unrequited love. Our heroine, Gerty, a young English girl who goes to Moscow as a governess, is intelligent, adventurous and funny - great company to go through the story with, even though she's wilfully bad at romantic decisions. (And I have to admit to being disappointed in her name - so many more interesting options, surely.)
If the book has a fault, I think it is in the Futurist himself. The central character of Nikita Slavkin, a brilliant young inventor philosopher who is part of the Communist dream that takes over Russia, never quite crystallised for me. The plot requires that all the other characters revolve around him thanks to his charisma and brilliance, and I could never quite see why they did.
That aside, the book was a delight for me. As the latest instalment in the string of Russian and Cold War Berlin-set novels I have accidentally embarked on over the last few years (Snowdrops, Midnight in Berlin, Leaving Berlin), The Vanishing Futurist has added a fascinating new piece to the jigsaw.
September 27, 2017
I found the The Vanishing Futurist to be a rather peculiar read.
I'm always fascinated by the Russian Revolution and this was a curious and different angle from which to view it. But it was rather weird reading a book that I wasn't completely sure if I was enjoying it or not. The cover by LaBoca, on the other hand, I adored every time I saw it!
I loved learning about Russian avant-garde art which I knew next to nothing about before. I also wasn't aware of the English governesses who travelled to Russia at the turn of the century and got caught up the revolutionary fervour of the times.
The disintegration of Russian society, the poverty, the hardships and how so many of them simply adapted to and accepted the massive changes was, as always, mind-boggling. And how quickly society, just with different faces in charge, reverted back to those who had stuff (including the power) and those who didn't. How idealism quickly turned to cynicism, hope became drudgery and freedom lost out to total control.
Less convincing was the love story between Gerty and Nikita, mostly because I wasn't sure that I liked either of them very much. It took me quite a while to work out all the people living in the IRT commune, I kept getting them mixed up - perhaps not enough character development to make them gel for me? The sudden jumps forward to modern day Gerty writing her memoirs for her daughter in England also felt a little contrived.
Full review here - http://bronasbooks.blogspot.com.au/20...
I'm always fascinated by the Russian Revolution and this was a curious and different angle from which to view it. But it was rather weird reading a book that I wasn't completely sure if I was enjoying it or not. The cover by LaBoca, on the other hand, I adored every time I saw it!
I loved learning about Russian avant-garde art which I knew next to nothing about before. I also wasn't aware of the English governesses who travelled to Russia at the turn of the century and got caught up the revolutionary fervour of the times.
The disintegration of Russian society, the poverty, the hardships and how so many of them simply adapted to and accepted the massive changes was, as always, mind-boggling. And how quickly society, just with different faces in charge, reverted back to those who had stuff (including the power) and those who didn't. How idealism quickly turned to cynicism, hope became drudgery and freedom lost out to total control.
Less convincing was the love story between Gerty and Nikita, mostly because I wasn't sure that I liked either of them very much. It took me quite a while to work out all the people living in the IRT commune, I kept getting them mixed up - perhaps not enough character development to make them gel for me? The sudden jumps forward to modern day Gerty writing her memoirs for her daughter in England also felt a little contrived.
Full review here - http://bronasbooks.blogspot.com.au/20...
September 22, 2016
Gertie is a young English governess in Moscow during the years previous to the Russian Revolution. In 1917 she becomes part of a communist commune led by the visionary inventor Nikita Slavkin and her life will change forever.
This is a fictional autobiographical account of a woman’s life in a commune during the Russian Revolution, the difficulties they endured and finding love in troubled times. The protagonist is a young and brave foreigner getting involved in the communist movement and trying to survive the atrocities committed by the Red Army.
The narrator writes the account of her life during the Revolution for her daughter in order to confess a secret and to solve the mystery of the disappearance of Nikita Slavkin, the “Vanishing Futurist”.
Although fictional this novel is fact based and it feels realistic and plausible. The story is a little slow but full of detail and engaging. The characters are well rounded and likeable. Their commitment to the cause is very convincing and the narrator explains in great details how their commune is run and what activities they take part in but I couldn’t quite believe they would stay so optimistic and upbeat in the middle of a famine, revolts and prosecution during the revolution.
This is a fictional autobiographical account of a woman’s life in a commune during the Russian Revolution, the difficulties they endured and finding love in troubled times. The protagonist is a young and brave foreigner getting involved in the communist movement and trying to survive the atrocities committed by the Red Army.
The narrator writes the account of her life during the Revolution for her daughter in order to confess a secret and to solve the mystery of the disappearance of Nikita Slavkin, the “Vanishing Futurist”.
Although fictional this novel is fact based and it feels realistic and plausible. The story is a little slow but full of detail and engaging. The characters are well rounded and likeable. Their commitment to the cause is very convincing and the narrator explains in great details how their commune is run and what activities they take part in but I couldn’t quite believe they would stay so optimistic and upbeat in the middle of a famine, revolts and prosecution during the revolution.
July 23, 2017
I found this a fascinating account of the Russian Revolution from the perspective of a hopelessly naive English governess. Fast moving and written in clear, engaging prose, this is a cleverly constructed book. The first person narration works well, and there is an engaging framing story. The writers voice almost disappears, and it is if we are in fact reading an account from the time.
The hopes and dreams of the first communists are well described, as is the shocking speed at which they are abandoned. As in Orwell's Animal Farm, we soon learn that some are more equal than others, a lesson that Gerty is stubbornly slow to grasp. Hobson is very good on the everyday depredations of the failed communist state and the awful fate of many ordinary Russians.
On the down side, I got a bit confused about the time line - it feels as though many months are passing, but in fact most of the story takes place over a period of just four months. The ending is okay - downbeat but realistic. I confess I was hoping for a bit more excitement at the end to push this up to five star territory, but it didn't happen. There are a couple of inexcusable typos, but that seems to be par for the course these days.
Overall, a very solid and original offering, well worth a look.
The hopes and dreams of the first communists are well described, as is the shocking speed at which they are abandoned. As in Orwell's Animal Farm, we soon learn that some are more equal than others, a lesson that Gerty is stubbornly slow to grasp. Hobson is very good on the everyday depredations of the failed communist state and the awful fate of many ordinary Russians.
On the down side, I got a bit confused about the time line - it feels as though many months are passing, but in fact most of the story takes place over a period of just four months. The ending is okay - downbeat but realistic. I confess I was hoping for a bit more excitement at the end to push this up to five star territory, but it didn't happen. There are a couple of inexcusable typos, but that seems to be par for the course these days.
Overall, a very solid and original offering, well worth a look.
November 4, 2016
I took the this book on holiday and it gave me a huge amount of pleasure. I read it fast and straight and found so much to enjoy -- as well as the ticklish similes, the tone is beautifully judged, the narrative fair whisked me along, and then suddenly it becomes exciting, too! I really inhabited Gerty's world as her blank page was so violently scribbled on. Slavkin is magnificently enigmatic, and the contrast between his otherworldly serenity and the chaotic backdrop to his endeavours is very powerful. Highly recommended.
May 9, 2020
This is a weird kind of read, Gerty comes across as quite cold, the story is her looking back at the past but there’s little introspection. Why doesn’t she think about whether it was a cult or whether Nikita was in fact mad ? There’s not really any surprises apart from the odd drug use that just made no sense really. It was hard to keep some of the characters straight as there’s so little development of them, they are just names that come and go.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 15, 2016
A fictional memoir of the Russian revolution from an English governess narrator who gets caught up in the events and lives to tell the tale. A fine novel with intriguing insights, which gathers pace as it edges closer to the resolution of the mystery of the 'Vanishing Futurist' of the title. A requiem for an impossible dream (life itself) which engages as well as it entertains. Recommended!
June 28, 2016
Interesting fictional but fact based depiction of the first heady months of the Russian Revolution - but somehow I couldn't quite relate to the characters.
October 7, 2025
The book was okay, but page one should have been at the end. Skip page one until the end.
April 22, 2025
“We all became more punctual, particularly when poor Vera’s ration was reduced after she took too long scouring the pots. It did seem harsh to leave her bowl empty while we munched away at our bean porridge on either side of her. Her eyes filled with water and she bit her lips. A little colour rose in Fyodor’s cheeks and he chewed slowly and deliberately, looking everywhere but at her face.”
1914. Gertrude leaves Devon to work as a governess for a wealthy family in Moscow. War breaks out and in 1917 the Revolution changes everything. She lives in a commune called the Institute of Revolutionary Transformation. She falls in love with Nikita Slavkin, the Disappearing Futurist of the title, who inspires them. They work hard to change themselves, selflessly renouncing all comforts and disciplining themselves to become true communards. Everyone is poor and starving. The Cheka, the Bolshevik security force, intrudes, with arrests, imprisonments and executions.
The story is told by an aging Gertrude, back in England.
It was challenging to read of the hardships—some self-inflicted—they endured. But interesting in the end.
1914. Gertrude leaves Devon to work as a governess for a wealthy family in Moscow. War breaks out and in 1917 the Revolution changes everything. She lives in a commune called the Institute of Revolutionary Transformation. She falls in love with Nikita Slavkin, the Disappearing Futurist of the title, who inspires them. They work hard to change themselves, selflessly renouncing all comforts and disciplining themselves to become true communards. Everyone is poor and starving. The Cheka, the Bolshevik security force, intrudes, with arrests, imprisonments and executions.
The story is told by an aging Gertrude, back in England.
It was challenging to read of the hardships—some self-inflicted—they endured. But interesting in the end.
November 1, 2020
This was done in 10, 13-minute segments. I nearly didn't finish because it really was somewhat tedious, particularly the early middle part, when the revolution was just starting. As one commenter put it, the book "asks a lot of the reader, I think it certainly requires a passion for Russian history and politics...." That's exactly what I had determined about half way through. I felt it wasn't fair of me to mark it down just because I found the subject matter uninteresting... I really hate hearing about the cruelty and hardship of the revolution, the cold, the starvation... It's on my life list to someday learn more about the Russian revolution, because I really do want to know more about it, but I'm so sick of hearing/reading/seeing the drama of it. Fortunately, this abridged version left out all the dry politics and absurd "science" that apparently the novel contains. For those who know something about the history and/or are interested in the subject (and are okay with women's drama), this would probably be an enjoyable read.
November 1, 2017
Charlotte Hobson has written a book that touches on two subjects that interest me enormously: the Russian Revolution and time travel. Without giving away too much of the plot -- and there is a central mystery which is explained on the very first page -- suffice it to say that the real time travellers here are the author and reader. Hobson has managed to get into the mind of a young English woman who finds herself in the Moscow of 1918. That woman founds an urban commune with her friends, and the stories of their struggles to create a new life together remind me of some stories of the early kibbutzim -- such as the sharing of clothing. Hobson doesn't flinch from describing the reality of Bolshevik Russia -- the cold, the hunger, the stifling bureaucracy, the lawlessness of the secret police (the Cheka), all of this happening not in the 1930s under Stalin, but in the first year of Lenin and Trotsky's rule. She understands all that, but she also gets the excitement and the hope, and the possibilities that the overthrow of the tsarist regime opened up. An excellent first novel.
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