It wasn’t long ago that someone from Russian would have had a difficult time leaving the country let alone dealing with the bureaucracy to marry a foreigner.

The fascinating story of Parallel Lives takes us inside the coming together of Larissa Salmina, a curator from the Hermitage and Francis Haskell, an art historian from England where he was established on the Cambridge faculty. The two meet while Larissa is in Venice as a representative of the Russian Government at the Biennale in 1962. Their shared enthusiasm for art, and their desire to discover more, bonded them together.

Larissa was married, but that was a minor detail, and it did not stop Francis from arranging other get togethers, even though her movement was supposed to be restricted. Larissa does push the relationship forward as Francis is a bit unsure of himself as a man and therefore only too happy when Larissa creates the bond.

They eventually live together in England, happily. Amazing to read about people from such different worlds finding love together.