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Red Year
Can A Red-Haired Woman FromChicago Single-HandedlyForce Joseph Stalin To Back Down?
China, 1927. Thirty-three-year-old Rayna Prohme, accompanying her left-wing journalist husband, becomes the political confidant and lover of Mikhail Borodin, the Russian commander sent to prop up a failing Chinese revolution. In a bid to continue their love affair, Rayna hatches a plan to accompany Mme. Sun, the widow of the Chinese revolution’s founder, to Moscow.
But Moscow doesn’t welcome the women. Borodin shuns them. Rayna’s stipend and her housing arrangements are
cancelled. “Go home,” she is told. But Rayna does not want to go home to an ordinary life, to her husband and Chicago.
Instead she applies to Soviet Espionage School that soon demands she spy on Mme. Sun. The Chinese widow is, by now, in grave danger as her exit visa is blocked. Rayna must now make a choice—Borodin and Russia or Mme. Sun and China.
China, 1927. Thirty-three-year-old Rayna Prohme, accompanying her left-wing journalist husband, becomes the political confidant and lover of Mikhail Borodin, the Russian commander sent to prop up a failing Chinese revolution. In a bid to continue their love affair, Rayna hatches a plan to accompany Mme. Sun, the widow of the Chinese revolution’s founder, to Moscow.
But Moscow doesn’t welcome the women. Borodin shuns them. Rayna’s stipend and her housing arrangements are
cancelled. “Go home,” she is told. But Rayna does not want to go home to an ordinary life, to her husband and Chicago.
Instead she applies to Soviet Espionage School that soon demands she spy on Mme. Sun. The Chinese widow is, by now, in grave danger as her exit visa is blocked. Rayna must now make a choice—Borodin and Russia or Mme. Sun and China.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 4, 2017
813 people want to read
About the author
Jan Shapin
3 books45 followersJan Shapin is the author of three novels as well as several plays and screenplays. She has attended Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, Sewanee Writers' Conference, The Film and Television Workshop as well as various other writing programs. She lives in Rhode Island with her photographer husband. You can reach her at www.janshapin.com, through her publisher, Write Words. Inc., or email her at jshapin.writer@gmail,.com
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 1, 2017
Rayna Prohme is a woman with a mission. Together with her husband Bill, a journalist, the couple travels to China, which is in the throes of a great, internal struggle between the Kuomintang (led by General Chiang Kai-shek) and a group of regional warlords. The nascent Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is allied with the Kuomintang - and together, their goal is to crush the warlords and unify China under one government.
The time is 1927. Both Rayna and Bill are committed leftists. Rayna sees the revolution in China as a struggle for freedom that can both unify and strengthen it, much in the same way that the 1917 October Revolution (and the subsequent Russian Civil War) culminated in the creation of the Soviet Union. Rayna is in her early 30s, a redhead from Chicago, and at times rather headstrong. But that is only because she believes in the freedom struggle and in Russia's role in China. That is how she manages to make the acquaintance of Mikhail Borodin, the head of the Soviet mission. Rayna ingratiates herself with Borodin and develops a deep attachment to him. Their relationship is a rather understated one - at least that is the impression I formed about it. Rayna also strikes up a friendship and working relationship with Madame Sun, the widow of the great Chinese democrat and revolutionary Sun Yat-Sen.
All the while, Chiang gathers up his forces and brutally breaks the power of the warlords. In the process, the Kuomintang and Communist alliance shatters. Stalin orders the Soviet mission out of China. Rayna at this point is set on going to the Soviet Union to learn to be a fully pledged Bolshevik, which she feels will make her more useful to Borodin and to China. What next ensues in the novel makes for an interesting set of events that are both bewildering and momentous. For that reason, I would strongly urge any reader of this review to take up "RED YEAR" to get the full story, elements of which reminded me of André Malraux's novel, "Man's Fate", which was also set in China during the 1920s and has the same philosophical, revolutionary themes.
The time is 1927. Both Rayna and Bill are committed leftists. Rayna sees the revolution in China as a struggle for freedom that can both unify and strengthen it, much in the same way that the 1917 October Revolution (and the subsequent Russian Civil War) culminated in the creation of the Soviet Union. Rayna is in her early 30s, a redhead from Chicago, and at times rather headstrong. But that is only because she believes in the freedom struggle and in Russia's role in China. That is how she manages to make the acquaintance of Mikhail Borodin, the head of the Soviet mission. Rayna ingratiates herself with Borodin and develops a deep attachment to him. Their relationship is a rather understated one - at least that is the impression I formed about it. Rayna also strikes up a friendship and working relationship with Madame Sun, the widow of the great Chinese democrat and revolutionary Sun Yat-Sen.
All the while, Chiang gathers up his forces and brutally breaks the power of the warlords. In the process, the Kuomintang and Communist alliance shatters. Stalin orders the Soviet mission out of China. Rayna at this point is set on going to the Soviet Union to learn to be a fully pledged Bolshevik, which she feels will make her more useful to Borodin and to China. What next ensues in the novel makes for an interesting set of events that are both bewildering and momentous. For that reason, I would strongly urge any reader of this review to take up "RED YEAR" to get the full story, elements of which reminded me of André Malraux's novel, "Man's Fate", which was also set in China during the 1920s and has the same philosophical, revolutionary themes.
August 3, 2017
Can a red-haired woman from Chicago single-handedly force Joseph Stalin to back down?
Jan Shapin's novel, RED YEAR (CambridgeBooks) tells the little known story of Rayna Prohme, a significant figure in the American Socialist/Communist movement.
Rayna Prohme was born Rayna Simons in Chicago in 1894 and grew up in a wealthy, loving Jewish family. At the University of Illinois, she met and became good friends with Dorothy Day, the Catholic activist for workers rights. Both became interested in Socialism, reading numerous socialist novels by Upton Sinclair and Jack London. They eventually joined the American Socialist Party. Inspired by the Russian Revolution, Rayna joined the American Communist Party.
Shortly after marrying her left-wing husband, William Prohme, they moved to China. They became supporters of the Kuomintang (National People's Party) and edited the Kuomintang's English language paper in Wuhan. They were there between 1926-1927 during the Wuhan Interlude. In 1927, Rayna becomes the political confidant and lover of Mikhail Borodin, the Russian commander sent by Lenin to prop up a failing Chinese revolution. In a bid to continue their love affair, Rayna hatches a plan to accompany Mme. Sun, the widow of the Chinese revolution’s founder, to Moscow.
But Moscow doesn't roll out the welcome mat for the women. Borodin shuns them. Rayna’s stipend and housing arrangements are cancelled. She is told to, “Go home.” But Rayna does not want to go back to her husband or an ordinary life in Chicago. Instead, she applies to a Soviet espionage school that soon demands she spy on Mme. Sun. The Chinese widow is, by now, in grave danger as her exit visa is blocked. Rayna must make a choice — Borodin and Russia or Mme. Sun and China.
Soon she begins suffering from headache and lapses of memory. She starts to withdraw, fearful she's going mad or getting dementia. On November 21st, 1927 Rayna dies of encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain.
RED YEAR is deep in historical facts and Jan Shapin presents Rayna Prohme as an exciting, interesting three-dimensional character, you can't help but get caught up with and want to learn more. I indeed did learned a great deal about the American Socialist and Communists parties. RED YEAR isn't a quick read. I believe it's important to single out how the actual book is produced. For me, reading the book was somewhat difficult due to the tight print. The sentences seemed to run into the other. I'd suggest a more reader-friendly type for the next printing. Knowing the novel was based on actual history, I did some research on my own. Rayna Prohme is an interesting woman more people should know about, and Jan Shapin was clever to write a novel about her.
Jan Shapin's novel, RED YEAR (CambridgeBooks) tells the little known story of Rayna Prohme, a significant figure in the American Socialist/Communist movement.
Rayna Prohme was born Rayna Simons in Chicago in 1894 and grew up in a wealthy, loving Jewish family. At the University of Illinois, she met and became good friends with Dorothy Day, the Catholic activist for workers rights. Both became interested in Socialism, reading numerous socialist novels by Upton Sinclair and Jack London. They eventually joined the American Socialist Party. Inspired by the Russian Revolution, Rayna joined the American Communist Party.
Shortly after marrying her left-wing husband, William Prohme, they moved to China. They became supporters of the Kuomintang (National People's Party) and edited the Kuomintang's English language paper in Wuhan. They were there between 1926-1927 during the Wuhan Interlude. In 1927, Rayna becomes the political confidant and lover of Mikhail Borodin, the Russian commander sent by Lenin to prop up a failing Chinese revolution. In a bid to continue their love affair, Rayna hatches a plan to accompany Mme. Sun, the widow of the Chinese revolution’s founder, to Moscow.
But Moscow doesn't roll out the welcome mat for the women. Borodin shuns them. Rayna’s stipend and housing arrangements are cancelled. She is told to, “Go home.” But Rayna does not want to go back to her husband or an ordinary life in Chicago. Instead, she applies to a Soviet espionage school that soon demands she spy on Mme. Sun. The Chinese widow is, by now, in grave danger as her exit visa is blocked. Rayna must make a choice — Borodin and Russia or Mme. Sun and China.
Soon she begins suffering from headache and lapses of memory. She starts to withdraw, fearful she's going mad or getting dementia. On November 21st, 1927 Rayna dies of encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain.
RED YEAR is deep in historical facts and Jan Shapin presents Rayna Prohme as an exciting, interesting three-dimensional character, you can't help but get caught up with and want to learn more. I indeed did learned a great deal about the American Socialist and Communists parties. RED YEAR isn't a quick read. I believe it's important to single out how the actual book is produced. For me, reading the book was somewhat difficult due to the tight print. The sentences seemed to run into the other. I'd suggest a more reader-friendly type for the next printing. Knowing the novel was based on actual history, I did some research on my own. Rayna Prohme is an interesting woman more people should know about, and Jan Shapin was clever to write a novel about her.
August 29, 2017
This is a very well researched novel about a little known character who was a significant person in the Communist party in the 1920s despite her growing up in American. It's very enjoyable and well-written and a chance to learn about a little known person in history.
August 2, 2017
Probably 3.5 stars total for me as I liked the book but wanted to connect with Rayna Prohme more, but rounded up to 4 because of the research detail and interesting subject matter.
Red Year is an interesting look at what is probably lessor known history for most Americans--Communism, politics and revolution in China and the Soviet Union in the 1920s. It's a fictionalized account of a real person, Rayna Prohme, an American journalist who with her de facto husband, Bill Prohme, traveled to China, supporting the Kuomintang (National People's Party of China) and writing for their newspaper. While there, she became acquainted with and fell for Mikhail Borodin, a Russian agent for the Comintern, an international Communist organization and became friends with Madame Sun Yat-sen, widow of a revolutionary leader of the People's Republic of China. Needing a job and wanting to be close to Borodin (she calls him "Mr. Bee") Prohme travels to Moscow as part of the entourage and tries to get into The Lenin Academy--a Soviet espionage school and finds herself torn between China and Russia.
I enjoyed much of the book, I love learning more about history and real people that are not normally in my radar. Red Year seems well researched and although liberties are taken to fictionalize history, the author did base the book's details on true accounts of the time and people involved. My one dislike was that I had a hard time connecting with Rayna and I like to connect with the characters I read about. Author Jan Shapin is a playwright and screenwriter and it comes across in this novel--it reads a bit like a play or a movie and that's not a bad thing, I just wanted more set up versus feeling like I was dropped into the story trying to guess what led up to the scene I was in. I do admire Rayna's bravery, spirit, and tenaciousness, but I was challenged by understanding her motivations beyond getting and staying close to Borodin (who seemed to mostly regard her as a fascinating inconvenience). How much of her motivation was to fight for a cause versus a strong attraction that she felt was love and/or as she thinks at one point in the story, "...a way to dispel her morbid fear of an ordinary life." Is she a heroine, or a woman wanting an adventure who got caught up in the turmoil of history--or maybe a bit of both? At the end of the day, I'm not sure I know the answer--and maybe I'm not supposed to know. If you enjoy historical fiction and find world history and politics in the 1920s interesting--especially in Russia and China, Shapin does an excellent job in portraying them and making them vivid and full of life. She has two previous novels--also historical fiction but set in different periods and places that I will definitely be checking out.
You can see my review of the book, along with a recipe inspired by my reading on my blog post here; https://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/2...
Note: A review copy of "Red Year" was provided to me by the author and publisher via TLC Book Tours. I was not compensated for this review and as always, my thoughts and opinions are my own.
Red Year is an interesting look at what is probably lessor known history for most Americans--Communism, politics and revolution in China and the Soviet Union in the 1920s. It's a fictionalized account of a real person, Rayna Prohme, an American journalist who with her de facto husband, Bill Prohme, traveled to China, supporting the Kuomintang (National People's Party of China) and writing for their newspaper. While there, she became acquainted with and fell for Mikhail Borodin, a Russian agent for the Comintern, an international Communist organization and became friends with Madame Sun Yat-sen, widow of a revolutionary leader of the People's Republic of China. Needing a job and wanting to be close to Borodin (she calls him "Mr. Bee") Prohme travels to Moscow as part of the entourage and tries to get into The Lenin Academy--a Soviet espionage school and finds herself torn between China and Russia.
I enjoyed much of the book, I love learning more about history and real people that are not normally in my radar. Red Year seems well researched and although liberties are taken to fictionalize history, the author did base the book's details on true accounts of the time and people involved. My one dislike was that I had a hard time connecting with Rayna and I like to connect with the characters I read about. Author Jan Shapin is a playwright and screenwriter and it comes across in this novel--it reads a bit like a play or a movie and that's not a bad thing, I just wanted more set up versus feeling like I was dropped into the story trying to guess what led up to the scene I was in. I do admire Rayna's bravery, spirit, and tenaciousness, but I was challenged by understanding her motivations beyond getting and staying close to Borodin (who seemed to mostly regard her as a fascinating inconvenience). How much of her motivation was to fight for a cause versus a strong attraction that she felt was love and/or as she thinks at one point in the story, "...a way to dispel her morbid fear of an ordinary life." Is she a heroine, or a woman wanting an adventure who got caught up in the turmoil of history--or maybe a bit of both? At the end of the day, I'm not sure I know the answer--and maybe I'm not supposed to know. If you enjoy historical fiction and find world history and politics in the 1920s interesting--especially in Russia and China, Shapin does an excellent job in portraying them and making them vivid and full of life. She has two previous novels--also historical fiction but set in different periods and places that I will definitely be checking out.
You can see my review of the book, along with a recipe inspired by my reading on my blog post here; https://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/2...
Note: A review copy of "Red Year" was provided to me by the author and publisher via TLC Book Tours. I was not compensated for this review and as always, my thoughts and opinions are my own.
August 22, 2017
Several years ago, I came across a recording of the Interwar Duets, a series of compositions for violin and cello (my instrument) composed by a quartet of musicians including the man known best for his Bolero, Maurice Ravel. Ever since then I’ve been fascinated with the period between World War I and World War II, which is the same period when this novel, Red Year, takes place.
So lyrical is Jan Shapin’s writing, that the Duets have become my soundtrack for this book.
Shapin opens her novel at a sporting event – one that is ‘like polo’ but not, and immediately our eye, and the eye of protagonist Rayna Prohme are fixed on one Mikhail Borodin, the Russian officer sent to take charge of China’s revolution. Even though she’s in China with her second husband, an ailing journalist with the rather forgettable (I suspect this was intended) name of Bill, Rayna is intrigued and attracted by Borodin, and the affair that follows, while predictable in fact, is a fascinating look at power and politics and the line where a relationship ends and a professional arrangement begins.
Always a fan of spy novels, I felt that Red Year really balanced the tension and fear of being discovered, and of having to choose one’s loyalties, exceptionally well. I also appreciated the obvious research that went into this story. The language never felt stilted as some period novels can, but neither did it sound too contemporary – it retained the flavor of the 20s, and the Chinese and Russian characters’ ‘voices’ felt true to their natures and countries of origin.
This is a thoughtful novel. It’s sexy, yes, and there’s no small amount of intrigue and jeopardy, but it’s also thoughtful. A quick read is possible, but I would encourage a slower, more measured experience to really appreciate all the nuance with which Shapin has infused her story.
So lyrical is Jan Shapin’s writing, that the Duets have become my soundtrack for this book.
Shapin opens her novel at a sporting event – one that is ‘like polo’ but not, and immediately our eye, and the eye of protagonist Rayna Prohme are fixed on one Mikhail Borodin, the Russian officer sent to take charge of China’s revolution. Even though she’s in China with her second husband, an ailing journalist with the rather forgettable (I suspect this was intended) name of Bill, Rayna is intrigued and attracted by Borodin, and the affair that follows, while predictable in fact, is a fascinating look at power and politics and the line where a relationship ends and a professional arrangement begins.
Always a fan of spy novels, I felt that Red Year really balanced the tension and fear of being discovered, and of having to choose one’s loyalties, exceptionally well. I also appreciated the obvious research that went into this story. The language never felt stilted as some period novels can, but neither did it sound too contemporary – it retained the flavor of the 20s, and the Chinese and Russian characters’ ‘voices’ felt true to their natures and countries of origin.
This is a thoughtful novel. It’s sexy, yes, and there’s no small amount of intrigue and jeopardy, but it’s also thoughtful. A quick read is possible, but I would encourage a slower, more measured experience to really appreciate all the nuance with which Shapin has infused her story.
September 9, 2017
If you like historical fiction as a backdrop to a compelling human story, you should read this book. I knew very little about the Chinese Revolution and even less about how it intersected with the Russian Revolution, and the author did a great job of depicting the nebulous political situation and swirling factions without overwhelming a reader who isn't already well-versed in the period. Almost as soon as I started reading I was looking up information on Madame Sun and Mikhail Borodin to learn more about them and their roles in history. The main character Rayna is an American woman who goes to China and Russia to try to help the cause, and the author creates a complex and interesting story out of what little is known of the real Rayna. Rayna is not always likeable but she is always compelling and I prefer characters who have depth. Shapin's writing is lyrical and well-crafted. This is ultimately a character-driven book, although there is plenty of action and romance to move the story forward. I think anyone who likes more literary fiction would enjoy this book.
July 14, 2018
This book was overall pretty decent. To me, the length was good, the characters were good, and the notes at the end helped to understand the time period better. I think this book is good for anyone who likes fictionalized versions of real-life historical adventures.
*won as a GoodReads Giveaway*
*won as a GoodReads Giveaway*
August 8, 2017
Enjoyed this book as I did her last two. Jan writing is beautiful and her research is excellent. She has a passion for her characters that comes through in the story. Well done
April 26, 2018
I loved this story of one of the most engaging and infuriating and remarkable women of the 20th century. A true behind the scenes look at an epic moment in Russian and Chinese history.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews