tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post8879127358400024579..comments2024-03-27T22:25:42.129-05:00Comments on Reading the Past: The Russian Revolution, as seen through 12 historical novelsSarah Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-49443850286007631302022-03-08T08:22:34.213-06:002022-03-08T08:22:34.213-06:00Let me do some searching around and see if I can f...Let me do some searching around and see if I can find anything that fits! Thanks for your question.Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-70771391502836138542022-03-08T08:11:41.345-06:002022-03-08T08:11:41.345-06:00Several years ago, I read a novel by an English au...Several years ago, I read a novel by an English author, set in Russia at the time of the Russian Revolution. Unfortunately, I have forgotten both the author's name and the novel's title. It’s about a family fleeing eastwards with a few hangers-on, aiming to reach Vladivostok, and hoping that the Bolsheviks will return their mines. I know I'm being sketchy, but would anyone have an idea who that novelist might have been?Alexandre Burmesterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13272478941674381576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-79182551105640584582018-08-02T19:51:25.441-05:002018-08-02T19:51:25.441-05:00Family sagas are my favorite. I just ordered a co...Family sagas are my favorite. I just ordered a copy of Journey Into Fire on Paperbackswap - thanks for the heads up. It's been a long time since I've read any of Constance Heaven's novels. I grew up reading them, but The Raging Fire is new to me.Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-31148709195503915012018-08-02T19:29:11.699-05:002018-08-02T19:29:11.699-05:00Yes, same author (though I haven’t read I am Engla...Yes, same author (though I haven’t read I am England). Scratch Heart of the Storm from the list, though. I was confusing my books. Heart of the Storm is WW2 in England. The other two I mentioned are the Russian books, Journey into Fire being the one that begins shorty before WW1 and ends in 1960s. The earlier book is set during the 1850s and is interesting as background. Another book I thought was a good page turner was Constance Heaven’s The Raging Fire. It’s another family saga that spans 1904-1918.RNDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05564882872274678037noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-3835476983546873302018-08-02T18:40:23.541-05:002018-08-02T18:40:23.541-05:00Thanks - is she the same Patricia Wright who wrote...Thanks - is she the same Patricia Wright who wrote I Am England? I'll have to check - I hadn't come across her Russia-set novels before.Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-15822808891295752752018-08-02T14:04:17.086-05:002018-08-02T14:04:17.086-05:00Great suggestions. I'll have to look for some...Great suggestions. I'll have to look for some of these. <br /><br />Last year, I enjoyed three books (still out of print, I believe) by an older author -- Patricia Wright -- who wrote a family saga set in Russia that spans mid-1800s through post-WW2. The three linked books are: A Space of the Heart, Journey into Fire, and Heart of the Storm. I found them very much worth tracking down. RNDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05564882872274678037noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-65453952347086936342018-07-23T17:47:02.912-05:002018-07-23T17:47:02.912-05:00A thoughtful comment - I think novels by necessity...A thoughtful comment - I think novels by necessity have to simplify the period to some degree, since their focus is narrow, and novelists always have to choose what to leave in versus take out. I'd be curious if you had any specific novel in mind.<br /><br />The Lawhon novel has an interesting structure that takes some getting used to.<br /><br />Thanks for commenting!Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-1350583884500364182018-07-23T13:15:54.019-05:002018-07-23T13:15:54.019-05:00I read broadly on the early 20th century, particul...I read broadly on the early 20th century, particularly focusing on the Russian Revolution. But I wonder if novels confuse a tricky period of history, rather than clarifying it. I read all the reference books on the Anastasia pretenders, and found them confusing enough.<br /><br />Thanks for the link to the Lawhon novel in particular<br />Hels<br />Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov, in<br />Art and Architecture, mainly Helshttp://melbourneblogger.blogspot.com.aunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-80313160250986318172018-07-20T18:12:14.614-05:002018-07-20T18:12:14.614-05:00I haven't heard of that one by Antonia Ridge, ...I haven't heard of that one by Antonia Ridge, though I have a copy of her novel about Katherine de Valois. Thanks!Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-13022845136660246092018-07-20T12:34:49.796-05:002018-07-20T12:34:49.796-05:00In the past I read most of Catherine Gavin books. ...In the past I read most of Catherine Gavin books. Another author I enjoyed reading was Antonia Ridge and I especially loved "Grandma Went to Russia". An interesting and informative blog, SarahSylvia Broadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02794260037206867380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-42763782328500321722018-07-18T21:46:17.950-05:002018-07-18T21:46:17.950-05:00I wonder if Robert Alexander will be writing any o...I wonder if Robert Alexander will be writing any other historical novels. I think The Romanov Bride was my favorite of his three -- almost nobody else has written about Grand Duchess Elisabeth.Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-70333090573108357292018-07-18T18:20:59.133-05:002018-07-18T18:20:59.133-05:00Two by Robert Alexander - THE KITCHEN BOY and RASP...Two by Robert Alexander - THE KITCHEN BOY and RASPUTIN'S DAUGHTER. Vanora Bennett's MIDNIGHT IN ST. PETERSBURG. THE JEWEL OF ST. PETERSBURG by Kate Furnivall. And, if you can find it, FROSSIA by E. M. Almedingen, who wrote many biographies of Russians and whose memoir TOMORROW WILL COME gives an intimate, harrowing portrait of St. Petersburg 1900-1922.<br /><br />Sarah OLAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-46122131646602627212018-07-18T15:21:18.738-05:002018-07-18T15:21:18.738-05:00Thanks! Coincidentally, Kate Quinn also mentioned...Thanks! Coincidentally, Kate Quinn also mentioned the Kirov Saga on the HNS group today - I'd read other books by Harrod-Eagles, but not that series. The Teresa Crane book is new to me (off to check it out)...Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-17269729959008418432018-07-18T14:55:11.074-05:002018-07-18T14:55:11.074-05:00Two older titles - STRANGE ARE THE WAYS by Teresa ...Two older titles - STRANGE ARE THE WAYS by Teresa Crane, and EMILY, PT. 3 of the "Kirov Saga", by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles.<br /><br />Sarah OLAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-54621164812274712222018-07-18T12:47:41.733-05:002018-07-18T12:47:41.733-05:00Thanks for all of the recommendations, Tamar! You...Thanks for all of the recommendations, Tamar! Your novel has a compelling premise, too.Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-6338488983749836852018-07-18T07:51:22.770-05:002018-07-18T07:51:22.770-05:00Thanks for this list! I love Romanov history! I...Thanks for this list! I love Romanov history! I'll have to check out The Snow Mountain in particular, as I've been enjoying novels that focus on Nicholas and Alexandra's children and show what their personalities were like. I really enjoyed "The Passion of Marie Romanov" for that reason. Also, "The Tsar's Masquerade" shows Olga acting on her on pretty strongly (and this novel's premise was fascinating- Nicholas gets his daughters out of Russia before the Revolution). Of course, I had a really good time writing my own Romanov novel, Triumph of a Tsar, which was published earlier this year. It's alternate history: the Russian Revolution is averted and Alexei becomes Tsar. It was really satisfying to write a novel where the Imperial family lives, and Lenin and Stalin are killed off instead!Tamar Anolicnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-34206534164446308242018-07-17T18:30:44.427-05:002018-07-17T18:30:44.427-05:00I'm going to have to read that book, preferabl...I'm going to have to read that book, preferably before the movie comes out!Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-34807936530093764062018-07-17T14:54:28.333-05:002018-07-17T14:54:28.333-05:00This is a great list! How useful to have them all ...This is a great list! How useful to have them all in one place. And yes, A Gentleman in Moscow would be a great addition.Jodi Lew-Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07916768083420256998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-91325771799176568282018-07-17T14:17:32.545-05:002018-07-17T14:17:32.545-05:00That's one I've been meaning to read. It&#...That's one I've been meaning to read. It's set a bit after the period I was looking at but is definitely related. Thanks!Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-37272774854441950072018-07-17T10:45:45.511-05:002018-07-17T10:45:45.511-05:00Perhaps outside your timeframe, but I would add A ...Perhaps outside your timeframe, but I would add A Gentleman in Moscow.Liz V.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-89982559385103176532018-07-16T19:50:52.727-05:002018-07-16T19:50:52.727-05:00Thanks, Jordan, and glad to see you're interes...Thanks, Jordan, and glad to see you're interested in the period also! I've always been fascinated by the Romanovs in particular.Sarah Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13340312953393474963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19307003.post-53578319278893119302018-07-16T15:07:41.286-05:002018-07-16T15:07:41.286-05:00What a wonderful list! I will definitely be lookin...What a wonderful list! I will definitely be looking up a lot of these, as the Russian Revolution is something I've been interesting in learning more about, so what better way than starting with some great books? I really enjoyed The Romanov Empress and I Was Anastasia!Jordan @ForeverLostinLiteraturehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15231807884697678173noreply@blogger.com