Book Review: Russka by Edward Rutherfurd

Russka by Edward Rutherfurd
Unabridged, 39 hr. 57 min.
Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Wanda McCaddon (Narrator)
September 13, 2012
★★★★☆

Genre: Family Saga, Historical Fiction

Source: Downloaded from Audible for Personal Collection

“Russka is the story of four families who are divided by ethnicity but united in shaping the destiny of Russia. From a single riverside village situated at one of the country's geographic crossroads, Russia's Slav peasant origins are influenced by the Greco-Iranian, Khazar, Jewish, and Mongol invasions. Unified by this one place, the many cultures blend to form a rich and varied tapestry.

Rutherfurd's grand saga is as multifaceted as Russia itself: harsh yet exotic, proud yet fearful of enemies, steeped in ancient superstitions but always seeking to shape the emerging world. Peter the Great, Ivan the Terrible, Catherine the Great, and Lenin all play their roles in creating and destroying the land and its people.

In Russka, Edward Rutherfurd has transformed the epic history of a great civilization into a human story of flesh and blood.”

Russia is a land with a history that is vast, varied, and lengthy – and Rutherfurd admirably conquers that history in his 960 page, (almost) 40 hour long book. As is the style of Rutherfurd novels, the reader is taken on a historical tour that follows the lives of a few choice families from a cross-section of society. From the early days traveling across Russia’s plains to the post WWII era, the country comes to vivid life. Russia has been a country that has been closed off from much of the world for much of its history – through actions of its own and those of others – making it a land that is rather mysterious to many. Rutherfurd’s writing style makes this region accessible to readers and evokes a feeling of the times.

1,800 years is a lot to cover in a novel, but Rutherfurd hits what appear to be all of the biggest events. There were events that I knew (from history class) as well as those that I did not. Somehow in my listening I seem to have missed the entire section on Catherine the Great, which is a period I am particularly interested in, but rest assured, it is covered!

This novel was everything that I was hoping it would be – making the vague history of Russia accessible and interesting.

★★★☆☆

When you are spending just shy of 40 hours listening to a novel – the narration becomes excessively important. A 12 hour novel I can deal with a so-so narrator, 40 hours, it’s A LOT harder. The narration wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t compelling. The narrator’s voice had a jarring accent that frequently pulled me out of the flow of the story. It also wasn’t the type of accent that fit with the context of the story – which would have made a little easier to accept, even if it wasn’t pleasing to the ear.

I can’t help but compare the experience of listening to Russka to the experience listening to the other Rutherfurd book I have read, New York. In that case, the narrator was marvelous and I even experienced tears and goosebumps from the combination of great narrative and amazing narration. I was hoping for that experience here and that didn’t quite happen.

Edward Rutherfurd has also written several other historical fiction books: The Princes of Ireland, Rebels of Ireland, The Forest, London, New York, Paris, and Sarum. You can visit Rutherfurd’s website for additional information about these books.

My reviews of other books by this author:

• New York

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• Sweat, Tears, and Digital Ink

Here are some choices for purchasing the book: Amazon, B&N, RJ Julia (my fav indie bookstore).

 

Copyright © 2014 by The Maiden’s Court

Audiobook Review: New York by Edward Rutherfurd

New York by Edward Rutherfurd

Unabridged, 36 hr. 5 min.

Random House Audio

Mark Bramhall (Narrator)

November 10, 2009

★★★★★

Genre: Historical fiction

Source: Downloaded audio from my library

“The bestselling master of historical fiction weaves a grand, sweeping drama of New York from the city's founding to the present day. 

Rutherfurd celebrates America's greatest city in a rich, engrossing saga that showcases his extraordinary ability to combine impeccable historical research and storytelling flair. As in his earlier, bestselling novels, he illuminates cultural, social, and political upheavals through the lives of a remarkably diverse set of families.

As he recounts the intertwining fates of characters rich and poor, black and white, native born and immigrant, Rutherfurd brings to life the momentous events that shaped New York and America: the Revolutionary War, the emergence of the city as a great trading and financial center, the excesses of the Gilded Age, the explosion of immigration in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the trials of World War II, the near-demise of New York in the 1970s and its roaring rebirth in the '90s, and the attacks on the World Trade Center. Sprinkled throughout are captivating cameo appearances by historical figures ranging from George Washington to Abraham Lincoln to Babe Ruth. 

New York is the book that millions of Rutherfurd's American fans have been waiting for. A brilliant mix of romance, war, family drama, and personal triumphs, it gloriously captures the search for freedom and prosperity at the heart of our nation's history.”

From the outset of reading this book I wasn’t sure how the author was going to be able to tell 400+ years of history within the confines of about 800 pages – but somehow he did the job and did so beautifully. Edward Rutherfurd makes New York into a character all its own that has highs and lows, good days and bad days, and grows and evolves over time. He integrates the story of New York so well with the lives of his characters that you don’t even notice that you are getting a very thorough history lesson at the same time.

As the author has said in interviews, this story is about the roots and family of his characters as well as the evolution of the city itself. Even though the story covers over 400 years you don’t lose connection with the characters because you are following a family and with each new decade or event you still usually have at least one character you already knew. The main family that is followed is the Masters – they have their roots in the founding of the city – from the settlement by the Dutch right up until the present day. At different times we also follow a slave family, a group of Native Americans, Irish and Italian immigrant families and a couple others as well. I really liked how people from these core families would re-encounter and interact with each other as time went on.

To give you a taste of just a few of the topics covered in this book: Dutch settlement, Revolutionary War, Slavery, Civil War, Blizzard, Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, Women’s Suffrage Movement, Draft Riots of the Civil War, Depression, 9/11, and many more.

I haven’t encountered any novels prior to this one that included 9/11. This event was handled so well – it wasn’t dramatized, it was more about how it affected the characters who represented different experiences had during that fateful day. I was very impressed with the handling and sensitivity given to this topic.  The combination of the way it was written and the way it was narrated absolutely made me cry.

There was only one event in this book where I could tell where the author himself had his roots, and that was during the Revolutionary War. Even though he spent equal time with the Loyalists and Patriots, you could tell there was a Loyalist/British leaning. I actually would catch myself from time to time rooting for the British – that was quite a shock for me!

I highly recommend this read and can’t wait to get my hands on some of his other books.

★★★★★

The narrator for this book was AMAZING! He made each character truly unique – he had great and somewhat convincing accents for all. I think some of the events were made more poignant because I was listening to this book rather than reading the words off of the page. As I was listening to the section on 9/11 I had goosebumps on my arms and tears in my eyes – that is how much feeling the narrator can evoke.

If you would like to preview the story before reading it, check out this excerpt or an audio clip below (links to Audible)

You can also watch the book trailer below – which looks pretty awesome!


or watch this interview with the author about this book:

Reviews of this book by other bloggers:

• She Reads Novels
• Books and Other Stuff

Buy the Book: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | RJ Julia

Also by Edward Rutherfurd

Russka
[My Review]

The Forest

The Princes of Ireland (The Dublin Saga #1)

The Rebels of Ireland (The Dublin Saga #2)

Paris

London

Sarum

Find Edward Rutherfurd: Website | Facebook | Twitter

Copyright © 2011 by The Maiden’s Court