|
Loading... The Secret History of Moscowby Ekaterina Sedia
Could have used better editing - it felt a lot like trying to read a long Mad Lib. Maybe I'll try it again sometime when I'm feeling more patient, as it's gotten a lot of good reviews. (  ) paperloverevolution | Mar 30, 2013 |  Modern fantasy, Russian folklore variety - a subgenre I have found myself reading rather a lot of lately. This is an examination of life in modern Moscow, as interpreted through the lens of Russian folkloric and historical figures (a conflation that seems rather common - maybe there's just not much of a distinction in modern Russian culture?) Pleasant prose, some interesting characters, and overall a lovely atmosphere, although it was not quite outstanding enough to make me forgive the serviceable but not dreadfully engaging plot. (  ) JeremyPreacher | Mar 30, 2013 | While I'm sure I missed a lot of nuance due to my unfamiliarity with Russian history and folk tales, enough is explained as things progress that it's just a fantastic story. I expect nothing else from Sedia and The Secret History of Moscow did not disappoint. (  ) bluesalamanders | Dec 5, 2012 | In the midst of social change in 90s Russia, a girls younger sister turns into a Jackdaw and flies away. To save her she is drawn into a world under the city where the old myths live and the lost go. Overall I found this tale curiously unengaging because whilst the main characters were interesting, the depiction of the underworld was flat and underwhelming. I guess maybe I need something to balance the ennui of characters, they didn't seem to care so why should I? The plot pacing is ok but again the only excitement is at the beginning and towards the end. I guess the good thing about this book was in spite of the slightly jarring explanations of Russian myth, I do want to explore the literature further. (  ) clfisha | Sep 18, 2012 | I wanted to enjoy this a lot, and might have enjoyed it more if I hadn't had such grand hopes. A solid book. omnia_mutantur | Dec 4, 2011 | no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0809572230, Paperback)Every city contains secret places. Moscow in the tumultuous 1990s is no different, its citizens seeking safety in a world below the streets - a dark, cavernous world of magic, weeping trees, and albino jackdaws, where exiled pagan deities and faerytale creatures whisper strange tales to those who would listen. Galina is a young woman caught, like her contemporaries, in the seeming lawlessness of the new Russia. In the midst of this chaos, her sister Maria turns into a jackdaw and flies away - prompting Galina to join Yakov, a policeman investigating a rash of recent disappearances. Their search will take them to the underground realm of hidden truths and archetypes, to find themselves caught between reality and myth, past and present, honor and betrayal . . . the secret history of Moscow.(retrieved from Amazon Thu, 03 Jan 2013 16:04:14 -0500) No library descriptions found. |
 Google Books — Loading...RatingAverage: (3.42)
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4
Wikipedia in English (1)
1