Russka: The Novel Of Russia (2005) - Plot & Excerpts
Russia is a country far too infrequently written about by Western novelists, but with Russka, Edward Rutherfurd helps remedy that lack. This book is practically a class in Russian history (and fun besides). I wasn't sure about the format, which is best described as ten novellas and three short stories, following two families (and their offshoots) through hundreds of years. But it really works. The chapters flow logically, so I didn't feel at all disoriented jumping from one to another. And I avoid short-story compilations religiously, so that's saying something. What's so excellent about these novellas, though, is the character development: in many cases we know these characters as well as if we'd read an entire novel about them. Rutherfurd doesn't fall into the trap of repeating characters over the generations; everybody's distinct, and many are quite memorable. The author is willing to take risks with the characters, featuring types who would rarely star in a full-length novel--perhaps because nobody is required to be "the hero." And the way the characters change and grow over the years is exceptional. Really, there's some outstanding stuff here; one that stands out is a character's descent into evil, possibly the best and most believable story of that type I've ever read. And the plots: maybe it's true that Rutherfurd "borrowed" ideas, because not only are the stories interesting, there's an almost mythological resonance to many of them. Some incredibly memorable scenes. And although the book is light on action despite Russia's numerous wars, at times it's still hard to put down. A word on the history: yes, Rutherfurd inserts mini-history lessons within the stories. To me this was helpful, as I wasn't familiar with much Russian history beforehand. The detail was fascinating and he never seemed to go overboard. But since others found this tedious, I'll add that the book seemed aimed toward readers who (a) have some interest in Russian history and (b) don't know a great deal about it already. If you majored in Russian studies on the one hand, or you're looking for a historical page-turner but couldn't care less about Russia on the other, this may not be the book for you. Finally, to clear up some factual matters. This book is said to "cover 1800 years of Russian history." Technically that's true, but after the first 42 pages (in paperback) set in 180, the narrative leaps on to the 11th century... and there are only 21 pages post-1920. (For the record, I think the first decision was a good call, since few authors can make prehistory compelling, but really, how can you write a 945-page book about Russian history and give the entire Soviet period only 6? Yeah, those final 15 are set in 1992.) In the first half the book, skipping hundreds of years between chapters is the norm, but in the second half, time slows down and we meet every generation of the families in question. So what keeps this from being a 5-star book? 1. I found the first chapter, and to a lesser extent the second, to be tedious, before Rutherfurd finally hit his stride in the 13th century. Then come hundreds of pages of excellence until... 2. The ending was weak; I didn't feel like I had a handle on the Revolution as on the earlier eras, and would have liked to read more about the 20th century. 3. Women are somewhat sidelined, serving as love interests, wives, and mothers to male characters--even when women take the spotlight, these roles define their lives and motivations. This seems to be due partly to historical gender roles and partly to Rutherfurd's lack of interest in other aspects of women's lives (also evident in the dearth of women: the family tree listing nearly every relevant fictional character in the book includes 55 named male characters, and only 20 females). Their personalities are diverse; I just would have liked to see someone have interests or goals in life in addition to men and marriage. (One gets close, until she gives up her love of music "for health reasons"--problems that are instantly cured upon her falling in love and having a son. Ugh.) 4. Any writer has personal tics that are bound to annoy you after awhile. Here, it's the overuse of rhetorical questions and the word "remarked" to tag lines of dialogue, plus the habit of stating things readers should be allowed to deduce on our own. For instance, we're told that one character is "shrewd," and everything he says is said "shrewdly"; also, Rutherfurd has a tendency to interpret events and make announcements like, "What happened next was her fault." This book both educated and entertained me; sadly, I've found Rutherfurd too misogynistic an author to continue reading his books, but otherwise they aren't bad.
I have been reading this one off and on for the last three months. I have been caught up in other books and so it has kept me away from reading this one. I plan to do so now. It has the same feel as Sarum, of course, but it is a little harder for me to get into. Perhaps because I don't know the history of Russia as well to be able to put myself into the book. I am 5 chapters into it and I get the feeling that I will like it soon. (my husband says I will)Now that I have finished it I can't believe I let other books get in the way. This book is so great. I feel there was more history and character development in this one than in Sarum and I liked it better. There wasn't as much description of the land and the scenery as there was in Sarum. It didn't have that dragging feeling when things were described...kind of like Tolkiens writing patterns in LOTR. There was just enough for me to not disconnect the story. I enjoyed the family stories/connections and I loved reading about the history of Russia. I really had no clue on so many things. It's fascinating. I am so glad I finished reading this book. It's great and I would read it again as I have read Sarum a few times.
What do You think about Russka: The Novel Of Russia (2005)?
Like Edward Rutherfurd's other books, Russka focuses on one place, and tells its story through the centuries. His books are series of interconnected short stories, which are set in different eras of history. Characters in each story are often decendents of characters in earlier stories, so the books follow families down through history. I've read and enjoyed all of Edward Rutherfurd's books, but I have to say that Russka isn't up to his usual standard. Russka is a fictional village in Russia, so in this book Edward Rutherfurd tells the story of Russia. I didn't know a lot about Russian history, so was keen to learn a bit more here. I guess I achieved that goal, but on the whole, I didn't enjoy the book as much as, say, "London", "Dublin" or "Sarum". It's just speculation on my part, but I wonder if that might be because Edward Rutherfurd himself didn't know as much about Russia as he did about the settings of his other books? I won't be put off by this book though, and am looking forward to reading his new one, New York.
—Andrew
Having read several other Rutherfurd historical fiction offerings it was only natural to feel the need to tackle Russka. I say tackle because it was 945 pages of sprawling history involving Russia. Although the author states in the very begining of the book that it is close to historical yet still fiction this book does give an amazingly informative assessment of the history of Russia from AD to present. I enjoyed this book and it was entertaining, however at times the characters did seem a bit repetative and there was just way too much political detail and too less character/story development. I'd rather had a bit more story vs the political views of the author or of the time period. I also would have enjoyed less time spent in the 1700's/1800's and more time on the happenings in the 1900's. There seemed to just be a little "tack on" so to speak, in regards to anything current and I felt a little let down by this. It does tend to drag on sometimes with the over detail of the political situations but all in all a good read. I am however glad to finally finish and would recommend to anyone who can #1 take a book of such thickness and #2 to a person who has the "Stick-to-it" attitude needed to press on when it gets down right tedious.
—Debbie
Well, I'm really not Russian, but Russian-German. My parents are both of German descent, but born in Russia. From what we've been told, back in the 1700s (I think) Catherine the Great of Russia invited the German people to move to Russia to work the land. My ancestors along with a lot of German people moved to Russia and mostly worked as farmers there. They did not intermarry with the Russian people.My maiden name is Reiber and my Mom's name was Klaus. My Dad was born in Kolb and my Mother in Norka, both near the Volga River. The names of those villages are different now. A friend of mine whose grandparents were also born in Norka made a trip to that area about five years ago. She told me what Norka is now, but I don't remember. Anyway, I can get the hardback (thanks for that tip) used on Amazon. I have it on hold in my cart right now. I think the book would be fascinating to me too. Right now I've just started on something light . . . The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. (First book of the series, but I only have the first one.) So far I like it. So keep me posted on Russka!
—Debbie
