Irena Odoevtseva (1895–1990)

Those who think today's youth is messed up should read this 1929 novel for comparison. It is the story of a group of disaffected (young! 14-18 yr old) teens in the south of France and Paris. I wanted to like this book because of fond memories of the epic classic tale of Tristan and Iseult, but this is not that. Liza and Nikolai are brother and sister who escape the Russian Revolution with their mother Natasha by moving to France. However, their father was executed and they now have no money, though Natasha does her best to exploit her beauty and exploit those who are enticed by it to get some. She refuses to be a mother to her children, fearing that reveals her true age, so she calls them her cousins and leaves them very much unsupervised. Natasha's love triangle consists of Bunny who sells his soul and his wife's jewelry to get Natasha cash, and Boris whom she loves, but is a brute and wants money from her. Messy stuff. Meanwhile her "cousins" are in their own scheme to get money: Cromwell, a romantic English boy vacationing in France sees Liza on the beach and having just read Tristan and Isolde falls in love with her and her lovely golden hair. The siblings exploit him for cash and dinners out and good times until Cromwell is in trouble with his mother and true cousin for his spendthrift ways. The siblings return to Paris where they re-connect with Andrei, Kolya's friend and Liza's boyfriend. This nefarious trio plots to get Cromwell to visit and to get more of his money. Caught up in their own 'fairy tale' they want to return to Russia and be heroes. Or at least have a good time on the way. Because he is so enamored of Liza Cromwell falls for it, much to his own detriment. At some point, Liza takes up with his cousin too after Andrei and Kolya sell her out. Depravity all around. The story is told with the detachment of translation, and also the Gatsby-esque view that rules don't apply to the rich. (or those trying to become so) A lot of emotion (gushing about food, wine, good times, dancing) is expressed, but none is felt, especially remorse or empathy or anything that would improve human relationships. The ending rings true to the inspiration - what else can one do? There is definitely some writerly craft here, but nothing I could invest in emotionally with the characters or the plot.… (meer)

''So what? What do we care about the future?''

Liza, a girl of fourteen, the ''Isolde'' of the title, lives the ''good life'' in Biarritz, in the shadow of her mother who cares for nothing and no one except her good-for-nothing lover. But they live on borrowed time and borrowed money. Lisa believes that life is sunshine, car rides, and handsome boys. When she meets an English teenager, she is caught in her brother's web while Andrei, her Russian boyfriend, is watching and waiting...

''It was nothing to do with him. It was someone else's grief.''

Written in the 1920s, this is the story of a generation wasted, a generation lost, forced to abandon Russia for a sunny place somewhere in Western Europe. A temporary sunshine that hides the decadence, hypocrisy and ephemeral entertainment that swallows the youth's soul and mind. And even if the dream of returning to Moscow and St. Petersburg is always alive, it requires money. Money is nowhere to be found. Unless you steal. Unless you turn into a whore.

''But somewhere in the background she can hear the bitterness and the sadness.''

Liza smiles and dances and falls in love too easily. She is fourteen, practically motherless, fascinating and enticing. She is ''a nun and a witch in one''. She captivates and lures but never loses her innocence or her kindness. For some strange, it is exactly her contradictory nature that puts her in danger. This is an example of the battle of the sexes that starts at an early age, the willingness of a man to utilize the woman's potential fragility once he understands that she has fallen in love.

The spirit of the era, the antithesis between Paris and Moscow, the frenetic time that dictates a wild, carefree attitude, the sensuality, seductiveness and the underlying sorrow and desperation are masterfully depicted. But I have to say that one needs to understand the female soul to fully appreciate Odoevtseva's pen. To the superficial reader- and God knows they are many- the writing may seem melodramatic and meaningless. No. Despite the ''light'' atmosphere and the lack of ground-breaking events, Isolde is an excellent study of an era full of uncertainty and contradictions and characters that knew no family, no present and future was just a remote possibility.

If you take the time to fully engage and search beyond the glamour and teenage love troubles, you will understand why Irina Odoevtseva is now considered one of the ''lost'' great female authors in Russian Literature. Thank God for Pushkin Press.

''And over by Kuznetsky Bridge, down on the ice, lives a white polar bear, and the sky sparkles pink all night long with dancing Northern Lights.''

Many thanks to Pushkin Press, NetGalley and Edelweiss for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/… (meer)