All Rosie wanted was answers to why she and her mother fled Russia ten years ago after a family tragedy. Her mother died leaving behind her fairy tale stories and a collection of porcelain dolls, but no obvious explanations. When an opportunity presents itself, Rosie returns to Russia determined to uncover the truth. There was nothing that could have prepared her for what she learns.
THE LAST RUSSIAN DOLL by Kristen Loesch tells the stories of three generations of Russian women from about 1917 to the 1990s. Masterfully presented is the tumultuous, violent, and shocking history of Russia and how it impacted one particular family just trying to survive. Vividly depicted are the horrors and difficulties inflicted on the victims and the survivors. Central to the narrative is an enduring love story that spans decades. Shocking secrets are revealed and relationships are tested in this story of deception, betrayal, and ultimately, survival and family.
Immersive and engrossing from start to finish, this skillfully crafted work of historical fiction is well worth reading. Highly recommended.
A haunting, epic novel about betrayal, revenge, and
redemption that follows three generations of Russian women,
from the 1917 revolution to the last days of the Soviet
Union, and the enduring love story at the center.
In a faraway kingdom, in a long-ago land...
...a young girl lived happily in Moscow with her family: a
sister, a father, and an eccentric mother who liked to tell
fairy tales and collect porcelain dolls.
One summer night, everything changed, and all that
remained of that family were the girl and her mother.
Now, a decade later and studying at Oxford
University, Rosie has an English name, a loving
fiancé, and a promising future, but all she
wants is to understand--and bury--the past. After her mother
dies, Rosie returns to Russia, armed with little more than
her mother’s strange folklore--and a single key.
What she uncovers is a devastating family
history that spans the 1917 Revolution, the siege of
Leningrad, Stalin’s purges, and beyond.
At the heart of this saga stands a young noblewoman,
Tonya, as pretty as a porcelain doll, whose
actions—and love for an idealistic man—will set
off a sweeping story that reverberates across the
century....
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