Jan-Maat’s Reviews > Offshore, Human Voices, The Beginning of Spring > Status Update

When he arrived at the Alexandervoksal he found at first only Dolly. Ben had gone to the engine cleaning shed, Annushka was counting the money with the attendant in the 1st class ladies lavatory. Dolly was standing alone outside the stationmaster's office. She clung to him fiercely, sniffing at his spring overcoat, just out of store, like an animal. The two of them clung together.

Tvyordov's face was not designed to show much expression, but a kind of iron or wooden disapproval could be detected now.

Tvyordov's face was not designed to show much expression, but a kind of iron or wooden disapproval could be detected now.

The Sachs was not convenient, & not in good repair. The passionate affection which Dolly & Ben felt for it suggested that, after all, children and adults were hardly of the same species.

'Oh, but you're quite wrong Frank Albertovich,' said Volodya eagerly. He was young enough to speak clearly with his mouth full. 'I did mean to kill you. That's what I hadn't explained. I meant to shoot you, but unfortunately there was something wrong with the automatic.'
'I don't know what you mean by "unfortunately" in this connection,'said Frank

'why is it better now for women than it was 10 years ago?' asked Ben.
'It is better,' said Frank. 'But perhaps Lisa would explain why.'
Lisa never changed colour, but now she put down her spoon and said, 'I haven't much practise in explaining. It's unkind to ask anyone for more than they have to give.'
'unkind!' said Frank, aghast.

'I don't have electricity here,' he said, 'or tea, I mean tea as such. I make an infusion of the nine herbs of healing - buttercup, rattray, marguerite, dead nettle, wild parsley, St. John's wort, clover, balsam and grass. I gather them in summertime, and dry them out on my return.'
'those herbs of healing are for sick cows,' said Dolly.

'What's he saying now?' Asked Charlie.
'He's saying that a man who has drink vodka is like a child: what is in his heart comes straight to his lips.'
'Is that a traditional saying?'
' it may be,' said Bernov, 'I've never lived in a village & I'm not familar with traditional sayings.'

The merchant Kuriatin is keen to show Frank's brother-in-law a good time "ordinarily he would have done this by taking a taxi to the gipsy brothels in Petrovsky park. Where there good ghost brothels in Norbury? Frank reassured him on this point"

'I haven't any secrets, ' said Frank. 'Everyone in Moscow knows everything I do'.
- this seems to be true, more interesting maybe is that there are people in the novel whose doings seen to be unknown or over looked.