A mere 144 pages, The Ladies from St. Petersburg is a collection of three short stories, the title story being the longest, almost a novella. Taken together, the three stories track the progress of the Russian Revolution from the days before it was even called that to the life of an emigre living in New York City after having fled its aftermath.
But writer Nina Berberova packs a lot into this slender volume despite the low page count. All three stories are beautiful, evocative and emotional; the first tells the sad story of young Margarita, whose mother dies while the two are on vacation at a boarding house in the country. All at once her world collapses, because her country and way of life fall apart at the same time that her family does. The second story, "Zoya," is the harrowing tale of an aristocratic woman taking shelter from the violence of the revolution in a boarding house where she faces the mocking hostility of everyone around her. "Zoya" is truly chilling and far more frightening to me than anything I've read in any so-called horror story; it's the horror of cruelty and indifference. The final story, "The Big City," is set in New York and tracks the attempts of an immigrant man to find friendship and community when it seems he's lost everything. "The Big City" brings the collection full circle when he strikes an unlikely friendship.
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| Read as part of Russo-Biblio-Extravaganza |
Rating: BUY
FTC Disclosure: I did not receive this book for review.
10 comments:
Marie....these stories sound very good. Thanks for bring this collection to our attention.
You have increased my pile by one today. I am tempted to believe that Russians make good novelists, no?
This sounds like a wonderful book. I think quite often we forget about the hardships individuals face when they're country is in turmoil.
Your comments on the story "Zoya" more than intrigue me, and it sounds like this is a collection that I would really get a lot out of. I have read a fair amount about the Russian Revolution, but it's an area of study that I would like to read more about, be it fiction, or non. Thanks for your perceptive and thoughtful review on this book. It goes on the list right now!!
Your review has me wanting to buy this.
I loved these stories too, but it was the only Berberova my old library had. Your mention of owning another two of her books prompted me to look her up in my new library, and I'm delighted to find I can now read The Tattered Cloak and Other Stories and Cape of Storms! :D
Thanks for this review.
I love how a smaller book packs so much into it just right. This one sounds fascinating!
I am not usually much of a short story reader, but I like that these are loosely related. The Ladies from St. Petersburg sounds really good!
The Russian Revolution in three short stories...that is daring.
Sounds good.
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