Elena Gorokhova

Set in post-World War II Soviet Union, this historical fiction is told through the eyes of Sasha, at first a precocious young girl, a teen, and later when she leaves her provincial town for Moscow to pursue her acting dreams. Ms. Gorokhova is a gifted writer, breathing life into the bleak world of deprivation and famine in which Sasha, her family, and her friends, Marik and Andrei, survive. It is a story about lies and secrets, about the brutality of the NVKD, and about breaking free of other's expectations. Woven into the story are the entries in her MIA Uncle Kolya's journal, which he kept during WWII at the front and which Sasha finds hidden in a storage space in her family home, poignant observations about war and death and destruction, but also disillusionment with his country. I will keep these characters and this story with me for some time. The prose was beautiful; the story was compelling, although it bogged down in the middle a bit.… (meer)

Was absolutely blown away by this book. I’m not normally a reader of historical fiction, but I picked this from February’s FirstReads offerings - something about Sasha and her story really stuck out to me and made me want to pick it up.

Let me start by saying that I don’t know much about Russian history, but this story gave a great look into it, and what life was like back then. Sasha’s character immediately drew me in and I was rooting for her and her happiness and success. We follow her from 6 years old to mid/late 20s. From her sheltered life in Ivanovo, to Moscow to pursue acting, and without revealing spoilers, to her final destination at the end of the book. From the beginning she has always wanted more and I cheered her on for chasing her dreams, even at such a young age and not letting her family hold her back. There is much tragedy, loss and happiness along the way, and she learns of deep buried family secrets.

The writing style took a bit to get used to because I’m used to reading close first and third person viewpoints. This was told in more of an omniscient, narrative style but it didn’t draw me out of the story once I got into it.

There is hope for a happy ending, though I wish that there was also a happier ending for Andrei. He had quite the tragic life, though I understood why he did the things he did. I also wished that he and Sasha could have found a way to be together.

Very well done. Quite a moving story and it kept me turning the pages.… (meer)

Was absolutely blown away by this book. I’m not normally a reader of historical fiction, but I picked this from February’s FirstReads offerings - something about Sasha and her story really stuck out to me and made me want to pick it up.

Let me start by saying that I don’t know much about Russian history, but this story gave a great look into it, and what life was like back then. Sasha’s character immediately drew me in and I was rooting for her and her happiness and success. We follow her from 6 years old to mid/late 20s. From her sheltered life in Ivanovo, to Moscow to pursue acting, and without revealing spoilers, to her final destination at the end of the book. From the beginning she has always wanted more and I cheered her on for chasing her dreams, even at such a young age and not letting her family hold her back. There is much tragedy, loss and happiness along the way, and she learns of deep buried family secrets.

The writing style took a bit to get used to because I’m used to reading close first and third person viewpoints. This was told in more of an omniscient, narrative style but it didn’t draw me out of the story once I got into it.

There is hope for a happy ending, though I wish that there was also a happier ending for Andrei. He had quite the tragic life, though I understood why he did the things he did. I also wished that he and Sasha could have found a way to be together.

Very well done. Quite a moving story and it kept me turning the pages.… (meer)