I would have never thought you could tell a fairy tale about one of the darkest points in Russian history, but this novel does so superbly. The imagery is breathtaking, the style the very best and most elegant fairy tales have to offer. For as dark as this book is (and it does get DARK, make no mistake), it never stops being hypnotic, never stops sucking you in. If you have any grounding in Russian history, there is so much going on here... but even without that, this book is a searing look at how war changes everything. I'm not sure I enjoyed it so much as I was consumed by it.
Literature Beautiful, Vivid, Painful, Enthralling
I would have never thought you could tell a fairy tale about one of the darkest points in Russian history, but this novel does so superbly. The imagery is breathtaking, the style the very best and most elegant fairy tales have to offer. For as dark as this book is (and it does get DARK, make no mistake), it never stops being hypnotic, never stops sucking you in. If you have any grounding in Russian history, there is so much going on here... but even without that, this book is a searing look at how war changes everything. I'm not sure I enjoyed it so much as I was consumed by it.
So, yeah, not bad.