I just couldn't get into this book and was not going to invest my time in reading an 800 page book I didn't enjoy. It's not often I don't finish a book, but as I get older, I find sometimes you just have to give up.

This was good but could have been much better if it had been a little shorter. The novel loses itself in detail and at some points seems to lag and drag a bit. The character description is great and so is the period detail, but it lacked some of the authentic Russian atmosphere I had expected to see in this kind of book. I enjoyed it but felt the whole time that something was not quite right. Maybe the fact that read two excellent books with a Russian theme just before this one made me feel this one was slightly lacking. It's a good story and well-written, though I advise you to only read it if you like this kind of book and have lots of reading time on your hands.

”MIDNIGHT, NEW YEAR’S EVE, three young witches gathered in the city that was once St. Petersburg. Though that silver sound, Petersburg, had been erased, and how oddly the new one struck our ears: Petrograd. A sound like bronze. Like horseshoes on stone, hammer on anvil, thunder in the name—Petrograd. No longer Petersburg of the bells and water, that city of mirrors, of transparent twilights, Tchaikovsky ballets, and Pushkin’s genius. Its name had been changed by war—Petersburg was thought too German, though the name is Duth."

"Petrograd. The sound is bronze, and this is a story of bronze."

As this story really begins, it is on the eve of the New Year, 1916, and when dawn breaks, a new year will begin. 1917, will be a year to be remembered, the beginning of great change in Petrograd. As the New Year’s Eve begins, Marina Makarova is on the verge of sixteen, with “hair the red of young foxes crossing a field of snow”her younger brother, Seryozha, a year younger, still, her older brother, Volodya, an officer in the cavalry off fighting in Bohemia. For now, Marina is surrounded by her friends, Varvara and Mina, while they wait to see their fortunes cast over a basin of water in the children’s nursery of Marina’s home.

”It seems like a scene in a glass globe to me now. I want to turn it over and set the snow to swirling. I want to shout to my young self, Stop! Don’t be in such a hurry to peel back the petals of the future. It will be here soon enough, and it won’t be quite the bloom you expect. Just stay there, in that precious moment, at the hinge of time…but I was in love with the Future, in love with the idea of Fate."

Marina Dmietrievna Makarova is a daughter of privilege, her father has done well, and her parents are well thought of among their peers. Marina’s thoughts, when she is not writing her poetry, seem to center around love, and handsome young men. Dancing. A kiss. Perhaps more. With the tide rising against those families who have more than their fair share, Marina chooses to dip her toes into the waters of the Revolution that is growing, but still in the stages of its infancy. At first it isn’t much, some poetry readings where she meets other poets, hears new ideas. Eventually she joins in the marches for workers’ rights, a move that gains her some new friends. A dangerous move.

Marina isn’t always the most likeable of characters. There are parts of her story that are beyond heartbreaking, and there are some that had me question where her part of this story was going. Marina seems easily swept away, without much thought or real commitment, and rarely with any thought of potential consequence. Then again, she is still relatively young. It is through Marina that we see much of the Revolution, from the “February Revolution” which took place from 8-16 March 1917, followed by the “October Revolution” from 7-8 November 1917, and through the Russian Civil War.

Part coming-of-age story, this is a story of relationships tested by the division of right and wrong, the division of those who have and those who never have. War. Friendship. Betrayal. Familial Love. Romantic Love.

Several years ago I read, and loved, Janet Fitch’s “White Oleander” . I have not read her novel ”Paint it Black . I wanted to read ”The Revolution of Marina M.” because I had found “White Oleander” to be incredibly beautifully written. I can’t say that I was equally as mesmerized with all of ”The Revolution of Marina M.” although the writing is still beautiful. The length of this is somewhat daunting to contemplate, but once you begin reading this, I found it to be a pleasurable read, overall – although I do think it would have benefitted from some healthy trimming on, at least, one of the side stories.


November 2017, which will also be the month of the publication, will be the 100th ‘anniversary’ of the Russian Revolution.


Pub Date: 07 Nov 2017


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Little, Brown and Company

White Oleander by Janet Fitch was an incredible book, easily one of the top books I’ve ever read. Paint it Black was excellent too. Now this ultra talented author is back with The Revolution of Marina M. Her writing is absolutely amazing and this slice of literary excellence is due out in November so mark your calendar, Goodreads list or Amazon pre-order.

Here’s what you need to know:

St. Petersburg, New Year’s Eve, 1916. Marina Makarova is a young woman of privilege who aches to break free of the constraints of her genteel life, a life about to be violently upended by the vast forces of history. Swept up on these tides, Marina will join the marches for workers’ rights, fall in love with a radical young poet, and betray everything she holds dear, before being betrayed in turn.

As her country goes through almost unimaginable upheaval, Marina’s own coming-of-age unfolds, marked by deep passion and devastating loss, and the private heroism of an ordinary woman living through extraordinary times. This is the epic, mesmerizing story of one indomitable woman’s journey through some of the most dramatic events of the last century.

I cannot fathom the amount of research that went into writing this novel!

As historical fiction, this book, sadly, falls into the trap of overexposition, explaining far too much to readers and weighing itself down with heavy-handed descriptions.

In Russia, at the dawn of 1916, Marina Makarova has never known what it’s like to be cold or hungry. She has always had the privileges awarded her class, but the coming revolution sweeps her up, and she finds herself marching for rights for workers, food and lodging for all. In the course of turning her back on all she has ever known, Marina falls in love with a poet and soon learns, firsthand, what it’s like to be betrayed herself. An incredibly rich and detailed story of a young woman becoming an adult in one of the most violent places and times in modern history

I gave up on this after reading 3%. I really, really wanted to like it, but it was dull and I couldn't imagine 800 more pages.