The Princess of Siberia : The Story of Maria Volkonsky and the Decembrist Exiles

by Christine Sutherland

Beautiful, cultivated, the daughter of a hero of the Napoleonic wars, Maria Volkonsky had been married only one year when in 1825 the tsar sentenced her husband to life imprisonment in Siberia. Despite her family's and the tsar's opposition, Maria was determined to join her husband in exile. She was more than halfway there when the tsar decreed that she could never return from Siberia.

Genres: Biography, History, Russia, Nonfiction, Russian History, Russian Literature, Biography Memoir

Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[Catherine Weir · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this book when it was originally published. Re-reading it some years later, I was struck by her description of one of the Decembrist wives - a Frenchwoman Paulina Gueble. It piqued my curiosity to find out more about her. Once I got researching, I decided I wanted to write a book about her! This was the start point for my novel, Paulina Annenkova Paulina Annenkova, which has just been published as an ebook.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating story, well researched, and excellently presented by the author. I've been to the Volkonsky house, now a museum dedicated to the Decembrists and Maria, in Irkutsk--it was wonderful. I spent a week in Irkutsk and Listvyanka on Lake Baikal in 2018. The area is beautiful and interesting and I would recommend it as a travel destination.

[Devon Thurston · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who didn’t know any Russian history before reading I thought this was a great and interesting introduction. This was an easy yet intriguing read and Maria Volkonsky should be a more well known name in history.

[Ann Wingerstrand · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting and easy-to-read description of an important historic event which could have changed the course of history: if the Decembrists had succeeded with their 1825 revolt, the Russian Revolution may never have happened (this is my view, not one aired by the author). I read this as I was going to visit beautiful Irkutsk. The two museums in Irkutsk (the houses where two of the Decembrists lived with their wives in towards the end of their exile in Siberia) are fascinating and having read the book gave me some good background information. I really enjoyed the book. As always with these kind of books you cannot assume all is fact, but I think Sutherland has researched this very well and a bit of potential “padding” makes it a more interesting, less dry, read! Recommended.

[Eva Thieme · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this on recommendation from a friend or I might not have discovered it. What a pleasant surprise! I have never had a huge interest in Russian history and hadn’t heard of the Decembrist Rising. It was like opening a window into a new world. There is much more to Russia’s history than I was aware of, and the characters of these lesser-known (at least to me) plotlines are fascinating.

In some ways “The Princess of Siberia” reminded me of “A Gentleman in Moscow,” even though the latter is fiction while this book is a true story. Both depict characters who are dealt hard blows by fate and could easily have been defeated by it. Instead, not only do they survive and even thrive, they also become a source of inspiration and support to those around them. Maria Volkonsky was a remarkable woman who was able to adapt to the circumstances around her with grace, courage, and great practicality. Even though a life in Siberian exile much reduced her station in society and curtailed her financial resources, she never ceased to help others in need, never gave up the idea that her privileged birth gave her an obligation to serve. As so often in history, it wasn’t she who was responsible for the course her life took, and yet she accepted her fate without resentment and became an inspiration to others.

Her story in this excellent biography reads more like a novel than an historical account – I highly recommend it!

[Orion · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a biography of Maria Volkonskaya, a Russian aristocrat who left a life of status and luxury to follow her husband, who was involved in the 1825 Decembrist Revolt, into Siberia. For his part in the revolt, her husband was condemned to work in the mines; for following him, she was condemned to remain in Siberia. While he was eventually freed from hard labor, the couple's exile lasted for 30 years until they were eventually allowed to return to Russia.

The book is easy to read and generally fast-paced, with interesting descriptions about the physical surroundings encountered by the adventurous subject. But it is more akin to a novel than to an history book. The author expresses unsubstantiated, sometimes gossipy opinions about Maria and her husband in particular, but also about many of the other people they encountered, which distract from the main narrative.

[Margaret Gregg · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was chosen by a member of our Book Club. Fascinating version of the life of such a strong woman. Amazing to see how their lives became so different from what it would have been if they had stayed in their pampered existence.
It must have taken the author many years to research this book. It is very well-written. When you get past the initial shock of so many names and you realise that you don't need to remember them all it's ok! I enjoyed the whole book but found the second half was so much easier to read - fewer names.
A number of people from my Book Club read them while following a map of the journey - when I read it again I will use a map to follow the journey and Google images of the characters and buildings.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story itself is riveting -- I would happily read a novel or watch a movie about Maria Volkonskaya (or read another biography!) The writing in this book leaned towards the kinda sexist and racist occasionally. So. Amazing woman with a super interesting life that makes for a really compelling narrative -- not super great writing from Christine Sutherland at times.

[Wunschpunsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

In diesem Buch wurde das beeindruckende, wenn auch harte Leben von Maria Wolkonskaja geschildert. Dabei hat sich die Autorin nicht nur auf die Memoiren Marias sondern auch auf viele andere Quellen bezogen und diese sehr spannend zusammengefasst. Ein gut lesbares Buch, bei dem man einiges über das Leben in Verbannung in Sibirien erfährt.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book could have benefited from some maps and family trees. I think it would have added another dimension to appreciate and as a western reader I'm unfamiliar with the region's geography and nomenclature.
However after a difficult start, I thoroughly enjoyed this great book about an interesting historical figure I previously knew nothing about.

[Laura Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book. Christine Sutherland does a good job of organizing facts and writing an interesting narrative. Too many history books can be a simple litany of dry, boring facts. "The Princess of Siberia" is not of them.

[Ainsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well written account of the story of the life of Maria Volkonsky, wife of one of the leaders of the Decembrist Rising and her immediate circle. The description following their lives as exiles in Siberia was particularly fascinating. Enlightening.

[tom cunningham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brought the Decembrists to life for me.

[Alenka of Bohemia · Rating 4 out of 5]

If ever I have read a non-fiction book that felt like fiction, this was it. Fascinating story of Maria Volkonsky truly plays out like something a novelist would bring to life in their imagination.

[Czarny Pies · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Princess of Siberia tells the story of Maria Volkonsky who chose to follow her husband to Siberia when he was banished for having participated in the 1825 Decembrist Revolt. As such it is an excellent case study of the exile experience in Siberia in Tsarist Russia and thus it will please any reader with a high degree of interest in the history of nineteenth century imperial Russia.

I enjoyed Ms. Sutherland's novel for somewhat idiosyncratic reasons. My interest in the book came from my great fascination with Tolstoy's War and Peace. I had heard that Tolstoy had contemplated a continuation of his great masterpiece in which his hero Pierre Bezukhov would be implicated in the Decembrist revolt. Thus I read Ms. Sutherland's book hoping to learn more about the Decembrists and was greatly pleased by what I discovered. Indeed Maria Volkonsky, her husbands and her numerous friends in exile come across as decent, intelligent and sincere people motivated by the desire to modernize their country. Tolstoy's Pierre Bezukhov of course had all the same qualities. If you have read War and Peace, Christine Sutherland's Princess of Siberia should be a great delight.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Princess of Siberia is about Maria Volkonsky. As a twenty-one-year-old bride, she followed her husband to Siberia where he was exiled for his involvement in the Decembrist uprising of 1825. They spent 28 years there. Her determination in caring for her husband and others improved conditions for them. She asserted herself on their behalf and made things happen. It also carried over to the area they were living as her benevolence involved the building of a foundling hospital, a theater and a children’s choir. Her community loved her very much. I don’t think Prince Volkonsky, her husband would have survived without her companionship and watchfulness. They were finally granted amnesty after the death of Nicholas I by his son Alexander II.
I can’t imagine traveling to Siberia and living in the conditions they lived in. However, I still read about the servants they managed to have even there. My ancestors in America didn’t have servants and they left for an unknown land with nothing, that’s kind of what America is all about.

[Eleanor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before you jump on the Rossiya or the sumptuous Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express, there’s a biography you should read: The Princess of Siberia by Christine Sutherland. Lonely Planet (in Trans-Siberian Railway) describes the book as “unputdownable” so I got it through an inter-library loan.

Beautiful and romantic Princess Maria Volkonsky (only 21) travels thousands of frozen miles to be with her exiled husband, Prince Sergei, in Siberia. Forbidden to have servants, she learns to clean and cook, as well as cheerfully support the “emaciated human wreck” she finds “covered with verminous rags, dragging his chains” in a mine.

Conditions did improve, but, after eleven years, Sergei’s health was seriously impaired, and, due to Maria’s efforts, permission was granted for them to settle near a doctor in Irkutsk.

The Volkonsky House-Museum now is one of the sights in Irkutsk – “a small mansion set in a scruffy courtyard”.

Bucket list????

[Rebecca eley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book as last year I was searching out biographies in particular of significant historic women. This has, along with a couple of other biographies sparked a bit of an interest in Russian history. I found the book to be a really enjoyable read. It didn’t become bogged down with facts and for me I could have carried on reading.

Princes Maria Volkonsky married one of the leaders of the 1825 December rising during the time of Tsar Nicholas. Maria decided to follow her husband into exile in Siberia leaving behind her family and young son. Coming from a prominent aristocratic Russian family Maria left behind her privileged life to carve out a new existence in the harsh Siberian landscape. Maria became a prominent figure in each community that she lived in striving to improve the lives of the exiles and the community.

Worth a read if you like a good biography or are interest in Russian history.

[Savanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd never heard of Maria Volkonsky, and only knew a little about the Decembrists, but a family friend recommended & lent this book to me and I loved it (yes, even though it took me a long time to read). I like reading history, and most especially women's roles in it. I really admired Maria's strength in such a difficult situation. I have long wanted to visit Russia and now I think I must add Irkutsk to my list of sights to see if I ever get there!
It was also interesting to to have read this book after just recently reading After Anatevka, which is also about a woman following her husband into exile. Those characters are not aristocrats, and they have a really different & sadder experience of Siberia...

[Yibbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interestingly written and well researched for most of it. Deals with the Decembrist Revolution in Czarist Russia. Mostly the aftermath from the wife's point of view. She does rely on gossip of some of her points. I think those parts should have been left out.