A House Divided

The first book in this series was slow moving and had enough description of history in it that I wondered if I would want to read the rest of the series. I chose to read A House Divided, though, because it worked for a reading challenge that I was struggling to find a book for. I quickly found myself engrossed in it and didn’t want to quit. There were several plot lines that kept coming together and parting again, and each of the main characters had important decisions to make. By the time I had finished this book, I knew I wanted to read the entire series!

Prince Sergei returns from war in the Balkans to St. Petersburg, jaded, restless, and perplexed about life and his place in it. He can make no immediate plans about a possible future with Anna, the peasant woman he loves. And Anna's disillusioned and grieved brother, Paul, is heading down the precarious path of an angry revolutionary in A House Divided by authors Michael Phillips and Judith Pella.

In my review of the first book in this series, I mentioned that the landscape is ripe for revolution. This second book agrees with me.

It wasn't long before I became thoroughly absorbed in the novel. The politics, the intrigue, the corruption, the forging of relationships and alliances, the heightening rumble of unrest and the blasts of show more violence—so much happening for this longtime lover of historical fiction to take in.

Yet, as with the previous book, there were many places where this novel's style got to me. The narrator sometimes spells out too much, leaving no room for nuance or trust in the reader's perception. The overabundance of italics and exclamation points makes for narration that seems to be shouting when there's no need, and it gives the dialogue an overdramatic feel, making the characters harder to take seriously.

Katrina and Anna (among other characters, though not all of them) usually feel more like stereotypical caricatures than real people. On account of the awkward and sometimes rushed romantic development, I couldn't find any of the romance satisfying. At this point in the series, I'm more interested in the events than I'm really into most of the characters those events involve.

Maybe someone present or yet to appear in the series will eventually grow on me though, as I do plan to read at least one more of these novels. The up-close unfolding of the historical side of it all has me hooked. show less

This is book two in "The Russians" series and as the back of the book says, it is "a powerful novel about love, intrigue, war and faith". "Michael Phillips and Judith Pella have undertaken this very difficult but rewarding task of presenting a slice of Russian history through fictional characters and details with historic settings and events." ". . . an authentic Russian novel, representing the complexities of this multi-layered society at the time of the tsars." This story takes place from 1878-1880 and continues with the story of Prince Sergei and his family and the much loved servant girl Anna Burenin who you will come to know and love from book one. Prince Sergei has just fought in the Balkan war and is a little disillusioned by show more what he has seen. Anna's brother, Paul, is struggling with his place in the world and finds himself joining the revolutionary group that wants to overthrow the tsar's control over the empire. It is a difficult time in Russia and especially for a a prince who has fallen in love with a lowly peasant girl named Anna.

This is not my usual style of reading, but I must say the author does a good job of pulling you in and keeping you interested in what will happen next all the way through these stories. I feel I am also learning about the Russian culture at this time in history. It is a series I highly recommend you read in order because one book picks up where the previous one leaves off and the first two books flow together very well. I think these books would make a great mini-series! This is not a quick read, but it is well worth the time spent reading about the people of Russia. show less

Anna is torn between love for her family and devoltion to the Russian royal family.