I enjoyed this book. Well written, well developed characters and plot. Would recommend, and would definitely read more from the author

I'll post a more lengthy review on my Goodreads account some time during the upcoming months. Overall, I greatly enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to people who love Adult Literary Fiction. The story was uniqute to a great extent, the characters memorable and original and the ending quite satisfied. I'm certainly interested in reading more books by this author!

I am a little disappointed that I didn't like this book more. The blurb intrigued me since I don't know as much about Russian history as I would like to. Which is why I decided to give this a try.
Unfortunately, the writing style was not for me. For me it was boring and I had to force myself to continue reading. I was not able to form a connection with the characters and while the historical part seems like it was well researched, I just could not bring myself to care about what happened next.
For someone who prefers historical fiction to be more fact based and does not need a character driven story or a fast paced plot this would be a good book. For me not so much.
I was struggling to decide whether I should give this book 2 or 3 stars but in the end the book had a very well researched base which is why I rounded the 2,5 stars up to 3.

Right from the first sentences - "THE GIRLS FROZE. Their grain flails halted in mid-air, as their heads cocked toward the approaching jeers and raucous clanging." - I was hooked.
My only previous insight into this period was from reading the Russian 'greats' - Tolstoy is the obvious name that springs to mind. This is an infinitely more accessible take on a period of upheaval and change.
Make no mistake: it's dense and not an easy read for the beach. But it's well worth investing the time! I'm looking forward to reading it again more slowly, so I can savour it.

The historical genre is a very interesting genre to read and I was very interested in Who Is to Blame because of its premise. It is set in the 19th century rural Russia, the story spanning decades before and after Russia's Tsar Alexander The Second's 1861 reform that granted freedom to Russia's serfs.
I am a Russian myself and that is why it's always extremely interesting to read books set in Russia to kind of run my own "authenticity" test. Russia is a very difficult country to write about because some of the aspects of the "Russian soul" are so elusive for Europeans.

I have to say that this book is very well researched on the topic which really is a testament to Jane Marlow. It does a good job of highlighting both the difficulties of the gentry and the serfs in their day to day life. However, some little details have escaped the author's notice and that's extremely easy to notice for an actual Russian. For example, surnames of women in Russia end with an -a. That means that Sasha Ivanov is a guy while Sasha Ivanova is definitely a girl. Of course, for anyone who doesn't know that it wouldn't affect the story at all but it definitely took me out of the story, as well as a mare being named with a "male" version of a word which definitely wouldn't happen.
But other than that, the research was definitely very thorough and I definitely recommend this book for people who are interested in the time period and the premise.

Just so you know, this is a VERY slow burning story. Nothing happens and this is what reminded me so much of the classic russian literature of the time period. It is normal for events to go on slowly, unpertrubed by the reader's need for action. And it did not bother me but the story itself and the characters is where the book is lacking, in my opinion. The worldbuilding is done very well, but it is definitely the main strength of the book which is why I didn't feel as much emotional attachment to the book's heroes as I would have liked. We are following the story from the perspective of Elizaveta, a serf who is constantly beaten down by everything her life and is toughened up in the process. As more and more calamities befall her I also grew hardened and couldn't find it in myself to sympathize with her as much as she deserved because I somehow grew detached. The violence, the harshness of life... it should have been shown, not told. We should have seen her feel. Even her meetings with Feodor, they were more about the fact and less about the experience, the feelings, the pull.

We are also following Stepan Maximov and later, his son Anton's perspective. The transition between Stepan and Anton's narration is quite sudden and it threw me off. I think that Stepan's disappearance from the narration could have been handled in a more interesting way considering his difficulties and mental state.

The story ends very abruptly, leaving a very wide open ending. To me, it didn't make sense since none of the problems were solved. Each of the characters had an idea of how to proceed further but the resolution itself would have added so much value to the story. We NEED to see people overcome or succumb to their inner demons in a story like this. Because an "anything could happen" ending goes against the historical setting. Sure, everyone could live happily ever after. Hypothetically. BUT there would be repercussions, there would be pain. And THAT part would be the most interesting one to explore.

All in all, this book has a lot of potential, but to be excellent it just needed some further work. This definitely feels like an outsider's look on the period. Some things are just not present here. For example, the pull that Russians experience toward philosophy when in a desperate state in their life... which is a small detail but those kinds of details make the Russian background truly come alive. But for those insights, you need to visit a small Russian village and muse on the meaning of life with a bunch of old drunks ;)

I would give this book a 3.9. This book was provided free by Net Galley in return for a fair review. My starting point with most books I enjoy at 4.0 and then show the degree to which I enjoyed it by providing the decimal that best describes my feelings about the book. This book was was an enjoyable tale about serfs (and the nobles that owned them) in love and enduring hardship and misery during the time right up to and beyond the time they were given their freedom. While the story was good, I felt the style was just a bit below where I would have preferred. Balanced with the scarcity of books on this subject, many would be far more enthusiastic about this book than I was.

An interesting theme - I always enjoy exploring different periods and countries in literature and this was an original setting. However I did find this book strangely uninvolving and rather slow and I found I had to force myself to persevere.

I love books about Russia was excited to read this re-telling. However the overall impression was mediocre. I found none of the characters any too likeable and found parts to just be crude and uncouth. I am not being priggish, but there were many times when what needed to be said could have been done so in another way. All in all, I was glad when the book ended and I could move on to something else.

Who is to Blame? By Jane Marlow is an historical story about two families – one noble, one serf. Elizaveta Anatrev is a peasant girl in a village in the grain fields of Russia. As her father forbids her to marry the man she loves, Elizaveta finds herself in a situation she cannot possibly escape. On the other side, Count Maximov and his family struggle with a situation caused by deceit and corruption. Set in the 1840s-1860s as the disconnect between the classes gets wider and wider until Russian Emperor Alexander II issues the Emancipation Manifesto which frees the serfs. And social chaos erupts but who’s to blame? Who is able to live the life they deserve? Will a balance between the classes be achieved?
An in-depth story set in a country with a complication history, Who is to Blame? displays this complicated time with an intertwined story of serfs and landed gentry with no clear answer as to why events occurred. With so much going on in the story, it is hard to discuss any details without giving something away. However, the story feels so very real as serfs starve while the gentry feast. While classes have stereotypes about how the other lives, works and behaves, it becomes clear that there are no real winners in this world. I recommend Who is to Blame? to anyone who enjoys historical fiction with a very real situation.

Who is to Blame?
is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble
in paperback and ebook

Who is to Blame is and Upstairs Downstairs kind of book except the book is set in Russia. I'd recommend reading this book, if you are a fan of historical fiction.

Review written after downloading a galley from NetGalley.

I was really impressed with this one. There is no sugar coating of what life was like for the serfs in 19th century Russia, so it was fascinating and horribly sad all at the same time. I liked how the novel switched between the serfs and the nobles, and I thought the writing was very well done. I would definitely recommend this one!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This is the story of two families based over twenty five years.. It takes place in Russia starting in the 1840's and is really a social commentary on the feudal system that operated at that period in time.
The families stories are based around the nobility the Maximov family and one of their serfs Elizaveta.
It is well researched and details the hand to mouth existence of the serfs and also women's place in society.
The ending of the book is very open ended for some characters so I really hope that a sequel is planned.