At 18, Evie lives with her mother and stepfather, Hugh, in a
condo on the Upper East side of Manhattan and during the
summer in a large family home on Shelter Island. Surrounded
by cousins and friends, they "hang out" at the clubs
together and talk about attending college. Evie has no
thoughts about going to college as her mother believes
Evie's place in society is to remain at home with her
parents. That changed swiftly when a letter from Paris from
her estranged, bohemian grandmother, offered to send Evie to
Bryn Mahr. Her mother, who never mentions grandmother, took
to her bed as she often does when she is displeased and
refuses to discuss it. Only when Evie mentioned to Hugh
that she would love to attend Bryn Mahr, did Hugh move
swiftly to make it happen.
Now 21, college complete, Evie has no desire to return
home. She receives a large settlement from her father, and
decides she wants to travel to Paris to get acquainted with
her grandmother. Leaving a short note to her mother, Evie
boards a ship and travels to France. Arriving in Paris Evie
finds her grandmother very ill and dying, Questioning the
housekeeper, Evie is told her grandmother was fine until
that day and she must have suffered a heart attack. Evie
finds a small note with "MMM and find Zhenya to make
amends." Evie decides to stay in Paris and unravel the
mystery in the note and attend to her last wishes. She
finds a box filled with letters tied with ribbons, a diary,
some lovely jewelry, and trinkets.
Vanora Bennett tells an exciting, historical story about
the Russian emigre community in Paris in 1927, after their
escape from Russia during the last war.
It describes their politics, cultures, dreams and
difficulties they face in their new home. This book is well
researched with exciting characters, compelling twists and
turns and intrigue, complete with kidnappings and murders.
A sweet romance between Evie and taxi driver, handsome,
Russian, Jean, will touch your heart. Evie is a brave
heroine, who along with Jean, discovers the bittersweet love
affair of grandmother and his father, General Miller. THE
WHITE RUSSIAN is a story of coming of age, conflicts along
the way, finding love, lost and new, in the City of Light.
A delight of a read about a city filled with secrets along
with a sweet finale. The Cover is lovely!
An enchanting, suspenseful novel of love, art, music, and
family secrets set among the Russian émigré community of
Paris in 1937
The White Russian by Vanora Bennett begins as Evie, a
rebellious young American, leaves New York in search of art
and adventure in Jazz Age Paris, home to her long-estranged
bohemian grandmother. But just as Evie arrives, her
grandmother becomes very ill. Before she dies, she compels
Evie to carry out her final wish: find a man from her past
known only as Zhenya.
The quest leads Evie deep into the heart of the Russian
émigré community of Paris. With the world on the brink of
war, she becomes embroiled in murder plots, conspiracies,
and illicit love affairs as White Russian faces Red Russian,
and nothing is as it seems.
When Evie meets Jean, a liberal Russian refugee connected to
her grandmother’s circle, she thinks she has finally found
the passion and excitement she’s yearned for all her life.
But is she any nearer to discovering the identity of the
mysterious Zhenya or to uncovering the heartbreak of her
grandmother’s past?
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