Russka: The Novel of Russia

by Edward Rutherfurd

Overview

"Impressive."
THE WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD
Spanning 1800 years of Russia's history, people, poltics, and culture, Edward Rurtherford, author of the phenomenally successful SARUM: THE NOVEL OF ENGLAND, tells a grand saga that is as multifaceted as Russia itself. Here is a story of a great civilization made human, played out through the lives of four families who are divided by ethnicity but united in shaping the destiny of their land.
"Rutherford's RUSSKA succeeds....[He] can take his place among an elite cadre of chroniclers such as Harold Lamb, Maurice Hindus and Henri Troyat."
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780345479358
Publisher:	Random House Publishing Group
Publication date:	03/01/2005
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	960
Sales rank:	29,495
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x 2.00(d)

About the Author

Edward Rutherfurd is the bestselling author of eight novels, including London, Sarum, The Princes of Ireland, The Rebels of Ireland, and New York.

Editorial Reviews

Impressive . . . Rutherfurd has indeed embraced all of Russia.”
–The Washington Post Book World

“RUSSKA SUCCEEDS WHERE [OTHER BOOKS] OF TRENDY SOVIET-WATCHING HAVE FAILED. . . . Rutherfurd can take his place among an elite cadre of chroniclers such as Harold Lamb, Maurice Hindus and Henri Troyat.”
–San Francisco Chronicle

“FAST-MOVING . . . Rutherfurd believes in adding color and adventure to facts that are exhaustively researched, making history palatable if not delicious.”
–Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“SPRAWLING . . . Rutherfurd’s close observation of Russia’s religious and ethnic diversity gives this epic a distinctive flavor.”
–Publishers Weekly

“RUTHERFURD LITERALLY PERSONIFIES HISTORY.”
–New York Daily News

From the Publisher

Rutherfurd weaves an expansive tapestry of Russian lore in this sprawling, occasionally soap-operatic historical novel--a seven-week PW bestseller and a Literary Guild selection in cloth--which vividly explores the historical influences on the modern Russian psyche. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In his newest novel, Rutherfurd does for Russia what his last novel, Sarum ( LJ 9/15/87), did for England. Focusing on a small farming community in the Russian heartland between the Dnieper and the Don at the edge of the steppes, he traces its growth through its inhabitants from the first Tatar raid on the Slavs through the Cossacks, aristocrats, and an emigre's recent return. These interconnected lives present a vast panoramic portrait of Russia and its history. However, abundance of historic detail, fascinating though it is, intrudes and overwhelms. Transitions from intertwined stories of succeeding generations are abrupt and the reader longs for more character and plot development. Recommended for devotees of James Michener and Sarum . Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/91.-- Cynthia Johnson Whealler, Cary Memorial Lib., Lexington, Mass.

Library Journal