Bought at a petrol station to stem my despair of being at home in the holidays and having to watch only fools and horses about fifty thousand times!!
Set in Russia which means I find it hard to pronounce the names in my head – I think due to this I have my own version in my head. I think I am learning a few words in Russian though – most notably Spasibo – thank you
The guilt carried by the main character for the act of terrorism carried out by unknowns when she was a child lays heavy on her shoulders.
As a nurse the fact that this character fights to be part of the profession is intriguing particularly in the era when it was seen as truly a glorified cleaner for whores and spinsters. I think its changed a bit nowadays….
A story of love split between not just two men, but a sister, a family, a class and the dashed hopes and beliefs we all hold in our youth when we look through innocent eyes. A strong woman emerges from the upper class debutante who is intended to flower into the jewel of Petersburg.
The quite character of Live Popkav, the Cossack, portrays so much in his small episodic appearances in the story line. In my mind stick the three dead children, left at the bottom of the bed not even blessed by a father to carry them to heaven, just stone cold dead, consequences of where they were born in time. The fear of estimating in your head if the value of a wheelchair your beloved sits in is worth more to your watchers than the life that sits inside it. It is these moments where innocents are slayed and true characters shown that stick in my mind about this book. Apprentices slaughtered when their innocence was meant to lead to the uprising of social justice. Like lambs being culled.
A beautiful ending to a story – don’t read the last two pages otherwise you’ll destroy the book for yourself. I will seek out her other books to read.
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