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Tea in Crimea
February 2014: Russian troops have seized Crimea without firing a shot, but the scent of budding violence permeates the air. Sergeant Viktor Belov and the members of Squad B guard a lonely checkpoint. Euromaidan activists and young lovers Danilo and Angelina run from a tightening police dragnet. An aging Tatar farmer faces increasing hostility from a bigoted militia leader. Two Western journalists hunt for the reason why 30,000 Russian soldiers suddenly annexed the Black Sea Peninsula. Their paths collide in an explosive showdown that forever changes their lives. Russia’s regional power-play might take place on a massive scale, but it is the small, individual stories of Tea in Crimea that illustrate the true impact of modern, international politics.
307 pages, Paperback
Published July 26, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 18, 2020
Kopf can write. The storytelling is competent. The characters are compelling. The topic is relevant to an understanding of globally tangled life in 2020. You'll see all of that when you read the book.
What most surprised me was that this is a debut novel. The narrative voice is distinct, controlled, and effective. I caught a scent of something familiar: Louis L'Amour, Frank Herbert, Tom Clancy without the American exceptionalism, and some of Hunter Thompson. Two of those being journalists might have something to do with it. Kopf has the eye. Sees what other people pick up on but can't articulate.
With luck, Tea in Crimea will be remembered as that great book preceding the near-miss of WWIII. While we still have time, this interstitial day of January 18th, 2020, Schrödinger's cats all of us, I highly recommend picking it up.
What most surprised me was that this is a debut novel. The narrative voice is distinct, controlled, and effective. I caught a scent of something familiar: Louis L'Amour, Frank Herbert, Tom Clancy without the American exceptionalism, and some of Hunter Thompson. Two of those being journalists might have something to do with it. Kopf has the eye. Sees what other people pick up on but can't articulate.
With luck, Tea in Crimea will be remembered as that great book preceding the near-miss of WWIII. While we still have time, this interstitial day of January 18th, 2020, Schrödinger's cats all of us, I highly recommend picking it up.
August 27, 2019
The religious and political philosophies engulfing the Crimean peninsula can be easy to understand ... if you’re lazy. What’s much harder is to put in the work—to keep reading after the headline—and to understand ideological brews and why they can, and often do, boil over.
Thankfully, Mr. Kopf isn’t a lazy dope like myself. He knows his stuff. He’s done the research and has gotten it down onto paper in a way that doesn’t make it feel like you’ve been time-warped back to history class. It’s an expertly crafted and complex story; one that is immediately accessible and told in a manner that welcomes you to reach out for more.
Tea in Crimea builds layers of tension as the story progresses and the characters develop (some might say it steeps; but, I’ll refrain from making a cheap tea analogy). Mr. Kopf’s prowess as an author stands out in this regard. It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel.
Some may characterize Tea in Crimea as a history lesson wrapped in a thriller, but I wouldn’t. I’d say it’s a realistic drama for those who know the importance of paying attention to real world events—which should be all of us, when you think about it. I highly recommend this book.
Thankfully, Mr. Kopf isn’t a lazy dope like myself. He knows his stuff. He’s done the research and has gotten it down onto paper in a way that doesn’t make it feel like you’ve been time-warped back to history class. It’s an expertly crafted and complex story; one that is immediately accessible and told in a manner that welcomes you to reach out for more.
Tea in Crimea builds layers of tension as the story progresses and the characters develop (some might say it steeps; but, I’ll refrain from making a cheap tea analogy). Mr. Kopf’s prowess as an author stands out in this regard. It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel.
Some may characterize Tea in Crimea as a history lesson wrapped in a thriller, but I wouldn’t. I’d say it’s a realistic drama for those who know the importance of paying attention to real world events—which should be all of us, when you think about it. I highly recommend this book.
September 24, 2018
Enter Crimea and ping the depths of a novelist. I was drawn in right away by the descriptions of Danilo and the other characters. This region had been in the news a lot but I knew little about it. This book made me feel as if I was on location learning first hand, experiencing the far off place.
Each day when I read this book it held new treasures for me. The love story was unexpected and very enjoyable. This is the debut novel of David Kopf and he has shown himself knowledgeable, edgy yet humanistic, and worthy of readers’ attention. I highly recommend this book.
Each day when I read this book it held new treasures for me. The love story was unexpected and very enjoyable. This is the debut novel of David Kopf and he has shown himself knowledgeable, edgy yet humanistic, and worthy of readers’ attention. I highly recommend this book.
April 11, 2019
Tea in Crimea is a work of political fiction, but if politics isn't your bag, there's a healthy mix of action, history, and even a love story (and not the treacly kind). David Kopf's story is a slow boil, with much of the backstory based on real events that took place just a few short years ago when Russia bum-rushed into the Black Sea peninsula, and he uses those events as props for the eventual clash of opposing political and religious groups and viewpoints that starts roiling to a nicely wrapped conclusion, and yes, it can probably be enjoyed with a nice pot of tea. It was hard to imagine this as a debut novel, as the author draws characters as both spot-on portraiture and well-crafted caricatures who seem oddly familiar -- I felt as though he plucked these people from my own life, because I could guess each of their natural propensities.
A quick summary: Several Russian army regulars are sent to a drab, unexciting Crimean outpost as a vote for annexation is to take place. Meanwhile, a Tatar farmer is at odds with his drunken, Russian-loving Crimean neighbor who leads a clown-car militia he's managed to cobble together. In that mix is a brother and his lover, who are Ukrainian idealists who get the notion that they want to find a way to help stop the coming Crimean kleptocracy, as well as Western journalists whose jobs are to willingly throw themselves amid the dangerous events surrounding the impending annexation referendum just to get a good story. So, what's not to like? Exactly, there's lots NOT to like just on the face of it, but I gave the story a chance and was rewarded immensely, and it's Kopf's straightforward writing style that pulls no punches nor relies on twists to grab this reader's attention to want to read this book to the end.
I own the paperback version but I read the Amazon Kindle version and that's what is being reviewed here. I love books like a librarian loves quiet, but the Kindle version allows me the opportunity to be able to link over to background information for terminology and geographic locations that were ... ahem ... foreign to me in so many ways. I must admit to knowing nothing about the region or the conflict, so I went back and forth between the book and Internet references -- yes, it's nice to have a new book's smell in hand, but it's also nice not to have to lug and rifle through several reference books to figure out what's what in Crimea. (I've also notated some typographical errors, so if the author wants them, I can send them to him.)
I couldn't help but think how much of the political theatrics and shenanigans -- the propaganda, portrayals of political enemies as devious or hating freedom, methods of voter intimidation...sound familiar, right? -- that Kopf depicts in his book mirrors what we've experienced in America in the last few decades. It's as if they're just an import of Putin's political science lab that helped to alchemize his staying power there, and America is the next experiment in iron to be turned to gold.
As I looked up each location mentioned in the book, I was left wondering if Kopf visited all these places. It seemed as though his location depictions were first-person, that he'd been there. I smelled the dirt on Iskander's farm, diesel fumes from engines stopping at Checkpoint Anna, and saltpeter smoke swirling among the protesters on Independence Square. But the author also provides apt descriptions of light, color, time and temperature of day, as well as directional information as the events unfolded at each location without forcing it.
Kopf's transitions between events and history are smooth ones, naturally going from the story to small mentions of historical facts. It's what the Kindle version affords, though, that I'm able to look up more information on events like the Holomodor, or more explanation of the development of the Euromaidan, even what a Kawasaki Versys looks like. Speaking of Kawasakis, Kopf sneaks in a bit of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" moment in there, giving a good description of the process of bike tuning that helps to fill out character development for Danilo, a protagonist in the love story.
All in all, it's a solid debut novel that reads like a novel from a seasoned writer. And it was a great education in regional politics that gave me great insight into how I might have formed my own political leanings.
A quick summary: Several Russian army regulars are sent to a drab, unexciting Crimean outpost as a vote for annexation is to take place. Meanwhile, a Tatar farmer is at odds with his drunken, Russian-loving Crimean neighbor who leads a clown-car militia he's managed to cobble together. In that mix is a brother and his lover, who are Ukrainian idealists who get the notion that they want to find a way to help stop the coming Crimean kleptocracy, as well as Western journalists whose jobs are to willingly throw themselves amid the dangerous events surrounding the impending annexation referendum just to get a good story. So, what's not to like? Exactly, there's lots NOT to like just on the face of it, but I gave the story a chance and was rewarded immensely, and it's Kopf's straightforward writing style that pulls no punches nor relies on twists to grab this reader's attention to want to read this book to the end.
I own the paperback version but I read the Amazon Kindle version and that's what is being reviewed here. I love books like a librarian loves quiet, but the Kindle version allows me the opportunity to be able to link over to background information for terminology and geographic locations that were ... ahem ... foreign to me in so many ways. I must admit to knowing nothing about the region or the conflict, so I went back and forth between the book and Internet references -- yes, it's nice to have a new book's smell in hand, but it's also nice not to have to lug and rifle through several reference books to figure out what's what in Crimea. (I've also notated some typographical errors, so if the author wants them, I can send them to him.)
I couldn't help but think how much of the political theatrics and shenanigans -- the propaganda, portrayals of political enemies as devious or hating freedom, methods of voter intimidation...sound familiar, right? -- that Kopf depicts in his book mirrors what we've experienced in America in the last few decades. It's as if they're just an import of Putin's political science lab that helped to alchemize his staying power there, and America is the next experiment in iron to be turned to gold.
As I looked up each location mentioned in the book, I was left wondering if Kopf visited all these places. It seemed as though his location depictions were first-person, that he'd been there. I smelled the dirt on Iskander's farm, diesel fumes from engines stopping at Checkpoint Anna, and saltpeter smoke swirling among the protesters on Independence Square. But the author also provides apt descriptions of light, color, time and temperature of day, as well as directional information as the events unfolded at each location without forcing it.
Kopf's transitions between events and history are smooth ones, naturally going from the story to small mentions of historical facts. It's what the Kindle version affords, though, that I'm able to look up more information on events like the Holomodor, or more explanation of the development of the Euromaidan, even what a Kawasaki Versys looks like. Speaking of Kawasakis, Kopf sneaks in a bit of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" moment in there, giving a good description of the process of bike tuning that helps to fill out character development for Danilo, a protagonist in the love story.
All in all, it's a solid debut novel that reads like a novel from a seasoned writer. And it was a great education in regional politics that gave me great insight into how I might have formed my own political leanings.
September 11, 2018
I haven't read a book like this in years. It reminded me of a book like Leon Uris' Exodus, with a broad well-researched background of a foreign location and a love story with an unlikely hero. The author's breadth of knowledge on Crimea is extraordinary and I would have read his thoughts on just that.
I'm knocking a star off because it could have used some editing. David is a good, engaging writer and is well-versed on the history of Crimea and Ukraine, but some passages went on too long - the protagonist adjusting the chain on his motorcycle was an unfortunate sidetrack. Some motorcycle minutiae was a bit off - the description of turning off the fuel tap and starving the engine of gas in the motorcycle is impossible, as the Kawasaki Versys has a fuel pump and manual fuel taps are nonexistent on most modern motorcycles. This was a very minor nit but it threw me off the story for a while.
I was hoping to read more about the character's inner lives and motivations (perhaps the chain adjusting procedure was doing just that), so I would care about them more. Danilo seemed very meticulous - I mean, he's an electrician, where being sloppy can really ruin your day - and some impetuous decisions he made during the course of the novel didn't really fit his character. Perhaps reusing the same cotter pin during the chain adjustment could have showed the devil-may-care part of his personality.
The paramilitary Russian defense force leader was pretty one-dimensional, but then again, so are some people.
Reading this book makes me realize how hard it is to write a book, especially a historical novel such as this. I admire David's effort and enjoyed reading this, and I hope to read more of his stuff in the future.
I'm knocking a star off because it could have used some editing. David is a good, engaging writer and is well-versed on the history of Crimea and Ukraine, but some passages went on too long - the protagonist adjusting the chain on his motorcycle was an unfortunate sidetrack. Some motorcycle minutiae was a bit off - the description of turning off the fuel tap and starving the engine of gas in the motorcycle is impossible, as the Kawasaki Versys has a fuel pump and manual fuel taps are nonexistent on most modern motorcycles. This was a very minor nit but it threw me off the story for a while.
I was hoping to read more about the character's inner lives and motivations (perhaps the chain adjusting procedure was doing just that), so I would care about them more. Danilo seemed very meticulous - I mean, he's an electrician, where being sloppy can really ruin your day - and some impetuous decisions he made during the course of the novel didn't really fit his character. Perhaps reusing the same cotter pin during the chain adjustment could have showed the devil-may-care part of his personality.
The paramilitary Russian defense force leader was pretty one-dimensional, but then again, so are some people.
Reading this book makes me realize how hard it is to write a book, especially a historical novel such as this. I admire David's effort and enjoyed reading this, and I hope to read more of his stuff in the future.
July 1, 2025
David Kopf’s Tea in Crimea delivers straightforward fiction writing steeped in historically accurate information while drama and thriller co-exist in his latest offering. Although it was in my TBR pile far too long, I am thrilled to have added it to my recent reads.
Kopf’s ability to weave political and historical information and expertly detailed information specific to the region and time his work takes place is masterful, especially when blending a slowly converging plot from several different viewpoints into a cohesive tension-filled thrill ride.
At face value, readers may assume Tea in Crimea to be more military wartime experience but after a few pages it’s obvious it is merely one layer of a multi-leveled journey. Guided by Kopf’s in-depth research and commitment to facts embellishing the fiction, readers will find engaging and relatable characters that pull us in before placing us right at the heart of his creation, that being, the human experience. Told from several different viewpoints, Kopf displays his craft splendidly as we get to bear witness to those on the front lines, the sidelines, and those struggling to survive amid chaos, confusion, boredom, and shifting political and military landscapes.
Humanizing and relevant for the time period and for future considerations, Kopf’s Tea in Crimea is a realistic drama with added thrills that offers a wider lens of all involved when it comes to war, terrorism, duty, and life. Never preachy, never overly scholarly, Kopf showcases his knowledge of the subject matter with character-driven fiction that delivers ground-level entertainment for those dipping their toes into this genre while giving those accustomed to this level of writing a very enjoyable and well-paced and thought-out book reading trip.
Kopf’s ability to weave political and historical information and expertly detailed information specific to the region and time his work takes place is masterful, especially when blending a slowly converging plot from several different viewpoints into a cohesive tension-filled thrill ride.
At face value, readers may assume Tea in Crimea to be more military wartime experience but after a few pages it’s obvious it is merely one layer of a multi-leveled journey. Guided by Kopf’s in-depth research and commitment to facts embellishing the fiction, readers will find engaging and relatable characters that pull us in before placing us right at the heart of his creation, that being, the human experience. Told from several different viewpoints, Kopf displays his craft splendidly as we get to bear witness to those on the front lines, the sidelines, and those struggling to survive amid chaos, confusion, boredom, and shifting political and military landscapes.
Humanizing and relevant for the time period and for future considerations, Kopf’s Tea in Crimea is a realistic drama with added thrills that offers a wider lens of all involved when it comes to war, terrorism, duty, and life. Never preachy, never overly scholarly, Kopf showcases his knowledge of the subject matter with character-driven fiction that delivers ground-level entertainment for those dipping their toes into this genre while giving those accustomed to this level of writing a very enjoyable and well-paced and thought-out book reading trip.
October 6, 2019
This is a very timely tale given the politics of the moment.
David Kopf takes the Russian annexation of Crimea and turns it into a fictionalised account - giving us a view of the events as it might have been seen from those who lived it.
Impeccably researched, Kopf shows us the chaos at the ground level from those reacting to the sudden appearance of Russian troops, and the machinations of those troops to appear to be unofficial militia.
It reminds me somewhat of Year of the Gun, the 1991 John Frankenheimer movie depicting a journalist observing the events leading up to the death of Aldo Moro in Italy.
Here, that culminates in unexpected alliances as people try to stay alive in an uncertain time, facing new borders in a country they thought was their own.
There are no easy conclusions, no simple answers - but as the consequences of this real-world event are still playing out, that's of little surprise.
For those trying to understand what happened in the Ukraine in 2014, this really humanises the story and gives a sense of why it still so very much matters today.
David Kopf takes the Russian annexation of Crimea and turns it into a fictionalised account - giving us a view of the events as it might have been seen from those who lived it.
Impeccably researched, Kopf shows us the chaos at the ground level from those reacting to the sudden appearance of Russian troops, and the machinations of those troops to appear to be unofficial militia.
It reminds me somewhat of Year of the Gun, the 1991 John Frankenheimer movie depicting a journalist observing the events leading up to the death of Aldo Moro in Italy.
Here, that culminates in unexpected alliances as people try to stay alive in an uncertain time, facing new borders in a country they thought was their own.
There are no easy conclusions, no simple answers - but as the consequences of this real-world event are still playing out, that's of little surprise.
For those trying to understand what happened in the Ukraine in 2014, this really humanises the story and gives a sense of why it still so very much matters today.
October 15, 2019
Ukraine is in the news. Tea in Crimea will help you understand why.
Based on true events surrounding the 2014 Crimean status referendum, Tea in Crimea chillingly details how Vladimir Putin used power and intimidation to encroach on Ukrainian freedom and sovereignty. Smartly written and thoroughly researched, the book delves into the impact the event had on a fictional group of divergently different people--from a group of Russian soldiers, Euromaidan activists, and an elderly Tatar farmer to a bigoted militia leader and Western journalists.
Considering that Russia successfully interfered in the 2016 US election and is openly threatening to do it again in 2020, Tea in Crimea serves as an uncomfortably timely parable.
Based on true events surrounding the 2014 Crimean status referendum, Tea in Crimea chillingly details how Vladimir Putin used power and intimidation to encroach on Ukrainian freedom and sovereignty. Smartly written and thoroughly researched, the book delves into the impact the event had on a fictional group of divergently different people--from a group of Russian soldiers, Euromaidan activists, and an elderly Tatar farmer to a bigoted militia leader and Western journalists.
Considering that Russia successfully interfered in the 2016 US election and is openly threatening to do it again in 2020, Tea in Crimea serves as an uncomfortably timely parable.
August 31, 2018
Well-paced and accessible, Tea in Crimea tells the familiar story of how unheralded abuse of power challenges and compromises everyday people, even transforms them into unlikely heroes. Happily, the oft-covered theme is given new life thanks to the story's unique setting and meticulously researched subject matter. David Kopf slyly offers us a lesson is socio-politics, told through relatable characters who just happen to live on the other side of the world. I enjoyed it thoroughly!
August 22, 2018
Loved this book. The characters were well thought and fleshed out, plot was well thought out and had a few unexpected twists, and the setting had current implications. No spoilers, but you have to read this book.
September 21, 2021
Interesting thriller
There are some drawbacks in the writing style but overall it was a pleasant read by someone who knows his stuff. I liked the humanity of the characters. Please write more!
There are some drawbacks in the writing style but overall it was a pleasant read by someone who knows his stuff. I liked the humanity of the characters. Please write more!
January 6, 2020
An excellent read. The merging of real-life events into a fictional narrative was really well done, leaving the reader immersed in the Russian invasion of Crimea, while focused and invested in the fates of Danilo, Angelina, and Iskander. The story builds through multiple viewpoints to an exciting conclusion. A must-read.
April 6, 2022
Tightly presented story that presents Crimea before and after the Russian invasion of Crimea.
January 21, 2019
I found the book to be very engaging and well written. I enjoyed the characters as well as the build up in suspense/tension. It was a geographical area that I was not familiar with. The author wrote the book in a way that this area came to life, and I discovered its’ people and customs to be very interesting and engaging. Overall a very good book, and I would recommend it.
January 17, 2020
An informative, enjoyable read. I appreciated how easy it was to read, considering the subject matter. I expected something heavier, but in Kopf's capable hands, it never got bogged down with the politics and instead aimed its lens at the human elements. A commendable debut.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews