Winter, 1917: In St. Petersburg snow is falling, and Russia is on the brink of revolution. Outside the Smolny Institute for Noble Young Ladies, an English governess is waiting for her young charge to be released from school. But so are the Tsar's secret police.
Beautiful and headstrong, Sashenka Zeitlin is just eighteen years old. In the evenings, when her banker father is doing deals and her mother is partying with Rasputin and her dissolute friends, Sashenka becomes Comrade Snowfox and slips into the frozen night to play her part in a game of conspiracy and seduction that will usher in a brave new Communist world.
Twenty years on, and Sashenka is married to a high-up apparatchik in Stalin's government. She seems to have everything—yet all around her, her friends are being arrested and people are disappearing. Then Stalin himself comes for dinner, and Sashenka falls passionately in love, thereby setting in motion a terrifying sequence of events that will result in her having to make the most agonizing choice of all: whether to sacrifice her own life or that of those she loves most dearly.
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"A fairly straightforward Russian saga. Mostly enjoyable although the depictions of the Terror were a bit hard to read at times. It makes you want to researh this era in Russian history more fully. The scenes sometimes didn't quite flow and seemed to jump a bit and it took me ages to finish."
— Jade (4 out of 5 stars)
A historical whodunit with the epic sweep of a Hollywood movie.
— The Washington Post" Gripping epic. The kind of book I love to read. "
— Diana, 2/17/2014" This book was a fantastic read! It is well written and exciting to read- I could not put this book down! Would definitely recommend it! "
— Diana, 2/13/2014" Despite the publisher's blurb, this is not Doctor Zhivago nor Sophie's Choice. But it is a good page turner with great historical insight. "
— Colin, 1/23/2014" Sad but worthwhile, giving insights into life during the revolution and under Stalin while uncovering a mystery. "
— Lisa, 1/20/2014" addicting! so good never a dull moment! "
— Christianne, 1/10/2014" I loved the rich historical detail in this book- though I would say a background understanding of pre-revolutionary Russia and Stalinist Russia is necessary to appreciate this attention to detail. I am fascinated by this time period- and so I really liked how he created a fictional narrative out of the momentous events of revolutionary Russia. For this I am giving this novel 3 stars. However- Montefiore is (too) obviously a non-fiction writer first- and the story suffers because of this. I found the story too long and the characters were just not compelling enough to really draw me in. "
— Miranda, 1/8/2014" Could not put this down. If you love historical fiction as I do - worth it all the way to the last page. "
— Rachael, 1/3/2014" One of the best novels I have read in a long time. It serves as a stark reminder of how precious life is and how quickly lives and fortunes can change. This novel will stay with me. "
— Jude, 12/21/2013" Interesting with a historically correct fiction, some slow parts in the end, which spoils the good beginning. "
— Christine, 12/18/2013" I started out thinking I wouldn't like this book, but by page 50 I was drawn in and couldn't stop. Good insight into Russia before and during early WWII. "
— Dianne, 11/30/2013" The beginning was good, nice but then it skipped time.. and it was just like wtf? Afterwards, I felt everything was rushed and all jumbled. Ebook pages were 1800 something, I abandoned it after 1000. "
— Sandie, 11/26/2013" A really vivid historical read fantastic view of Russia with a great story. I wish Simon would write another novel. "
— Debbie, 11/9/2013" Story of a rich, young girl that becomes a Bolshevik before the Russian Revolution. Her story and how and why she is executed in the Stalin era. Also, story of her children and what happens to them. Good read. I could feel the terror. "
— Jan, 6/6/2013" A fine story about the Russian Revolution, its players, the Terror under Stalin, and modern Russia. Interesting characters. "
— Mary, 12/24/2012" exploring an interesting time as russia transitions to communism. wish it had more historical tie ins to reality. "
— Debbilyn, 12/1/2012" Will write review later... "
— Heather, 8/27/2012" The history was interesting, since it was also written by a historian, but the quality of story-telling was a little too loosely knit for my liking. "
— Ashley, 8/27/2012" Great book, much worth the read "
— Maddy, 3/30/2012" The first section was good, and interesting, but the second section was so freaking idyllic that waiting for the other shoe to drop got super boring. "
— Rebekah, 1/31/2012" Historical novel covering the last days of the Tsars up to todays oligarchs. "
— Jean, 11/16/2011" i stopped reading this - which is unusual for me. it came highly recommended but i did not enjoy it - the writing style was almost teenage level. "
— Toni, 10/16/2011" Has a few long winded moments, but too many great sections to count. "
— Babak, 7/10/2011" Cruel, but amazing book!I can't put it down until read! "
— Nilufer, 5/9/2011" I enjoyed this, finished a while ago though. Gives a lot of info on Russia, but it was a good story and quite heartbreaking too. "
— Karyn, 5/8/2011" This book was a fantastic read! It is well written and exciting to read- I could not put this book down! Would definitely recommend it! "
— Diana, 4/27/2011" Despite the publisher's blurb, this is not Doctor Zhivago nor Sophie's Choice. But it is a good page turner with great historical insight. "
— Colin, 2/21/2011" i thought this book was amazing. it took me quite a long time to read, but it was worth it. the ending was strange. i'm not sure if i liked the ending or not, but it was a good read and there was a lot of historical background in it "
— Rachel, 10/5/2010" Definitely a 5 star read for me! This was a hard book to put down. I recommend this one highly. "
— Tasha, 9/30/2010" I enjoyed especially the third part of the book. Shivers went up and down my back when I realised that indeed everything in russian archives is written with... blood. "
— Anna, 9/22/2010" The history was interesting, since it was also written by a historian, but the quality of story-telling was a little too loosely knit for my liking. "
— Ashley, 8/10/2010" i stopped reading this - which is unusual for me. it came highly recommended but i did not enjoy it - the writing style was almost teenage level. "
— Toni, 7/19/2010" The first section was good, and interesting, but the second section was so freaking idyllic that waiting for the other shoe to drop got super boring. "
— Rebekah, 6/1/2010Simon Montefiore is an historian and the award-winning author of Jerusalem, Young Stalin, and Catherine the Great and Potemkin, among others. His books have been pyublished in forty languages, and Jerusalem was a #1 bestseller in the UK as well as President Bill Clinton’s #1 book of the year. Montefiore regularly lectures around the world on Russia, the Middle East, and other subjects such as leadership and revolution, and has written numerous articles for the New York Times. He lives in London with his wife, novelist Santa Montefiore, and their two children.
Anne Flosnik, a seasoned audiobook narrator, has over four hundred titles to her credit and several awards and distinctions, including AudioFile Earphones Awards, a USA Today Recommended Listening selection, an AudioFile “Best Narration of the Year” selection in 2009, and the American Library Association’s Special Services to Children Award. She has also been a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. She is an award-winning British actress with lead credits on stage, on television, and in commercials and voice-overs.