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HomeShop at BookSurgeHumorThe Golden Ring |
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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 3 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 The reality of Russian surreality Nov 11, 2009
By Brant Smith
The author knows her Russia. She paints a colorful and yet still deadpan picture of the upside-down malaise-infested world of post-communist Russia. Her time spent there obviously paid off, since you couldn't make half this stuff up, but that's the New Russia for you.
You feel for her two main characters, the twins. Ms. Brun-Mercer accomplishes the rare feat of getting inside their heads in way that we can completely empathize and understand their actions, even when they are doing things which, from the other twin's perspective, look nearly unfathomable if not downright heartless.
Furthermore, she wrestles with the Big Issues of contemporary western identity: self-purpose, meaning of life, and what responsibility we have for others -- even those closest to us.
It's ultimately a liberating book, full of hope and a multi-layered exploration of love, which requires only a strange trip to topsy-turvy Russia to unearth.
Highly recommended.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
a kaleidoscopic glimpse into modern Russia Sep 19, 2009
By Muriel Ruth Rathandle
Swirling through modern Russia and seeing it exquisitely depicted through the eyes of two young foreigners - this novel is not only a kaleidoscopic prism which captures a myriad of lively characters, it is also a gripping story that propels you into this heart of Russia. The world is depicted so well and the narrators are so real that it's easy to get lost in this far-off place and feel that you've been there before, that you're there right now. A definite must-read for anyone who has traveled alone to a foreign place as a young woman - the dangers, the accompanying naivete, the sense of adventure are all too familiar. A must-read for anyone who at any point in their 20s has thought about who they are apart from their family / their roots, and about where they are now headed. And finally, a must-read for anyone with a love for other cultures / other places.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 A vivid portrait of Russia and a good story too! Aug 27, 2009
By K. Mercer
I think one of the most fascinating things about this book is that it gives a very clear and honest portrait of what life in post-communist Russia is like, it looks like the author draws a lot on her personal experiences. The story about the two the two young sisters is something I think would appeal to anyone who has spent time abroad.. though the story is certainly not fast paced it is thoroughly enjoyable read, with some unpredictable twists and turns that seem to characterize modern Russia
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