book review: Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay

Russian Winter: A Novel (P.S.)
The basics: Nina, A retired ballerina originally from Russia who now lives in Boston is selling her jewels to benefit the Boston Ballet. Soon an anonymous donor comes forward with a piece that appears to be from the same collection. Soon more questions arise and a historical mystery arises.

My thoughts: This novel started off quite slowly for me; it took me about fifty pages to get into the storyline and characters. Once I did, I was somewhat entranced with the different characters and storylines. Nina's story is told in two different times: the past and present. She's certainly the focus of the story, but she was my least favorite character. I was most drawn to Drew, the library-loving young woman who is researching and running the auction. I quickly found myself enjoying her scenes most and looking forward to them. As Drew researched and probed for answers to the book's mysteries, she acts as a stand-in for the reader.

Part of my trouble with modern Nina was her secretiveness. She held so much back from the reader and the other characters. While I enjoyed her historical story a bit more, I found it slow to develop. The narrative was revealed slowly, and ultimately it was too slow for me. I wanted Kalotay to tell me more. As a reader, I like to be in the know. If the characters hold the answers, it's not as compelling unless the writing is superb. I would stop short of calling Kalotay literary. I was never wowed by her writing. I didn't find myself writing down passages to marvel at later. Perhaps I've been spoiled by some excellent reads lately, but I longed for truths of humanity to be sprinkled in with the story.

The verdict: Despite an intriguing story and strong characters, the pace of the plot hindered my enjoyment, and the writing wasn't enough to compensate for a slow plot. There's the idea of a great novel, but I would have preferred it be shorter and paced differently. I think it would make an excellent film, as Kalotay's writing was rich with imagery.

Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
Length: 463 pages
Publication date: September 7, 2010 (it's in paperback now and also available on the Kindle)
Source: publisher via TLC Book Tours

Want more opinions? See the entire tour schedule here.

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Comments

  1. I am glad that you were honest about the first 50 pages of this book because I won this one earlier in the year, and had I not known that, I may have given up early on. And usually when a book has more than one storyline going on, I always find myself more attracted to one than the other, so you are not alone. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this book with me. It was greatly appreciated.

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  2. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy this one more! I liked it a lot, but I understand what you mean about Nina being too secretive.

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  3. I, and I'm not sure how, won two copies of this novel last year. I started it, and like you, found it so slow. I actually gave up at that time so I could get into some other reading. I intend on picking it back up, so I'm glad to see a honest review before starting it again.

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  4. Enjoyed your honest review. Haven't read this one, but I've had an eye on it. I think it's interesting that you think it would make a good film. Would you say that a novel with less literary writing translates better to screen? Seems like what makes literary novels so great is usually lost in translation by movie studios.

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  5. @Zibilee
    I'm still glad I read it, but I think my expectations were too high. I've read so much great writing lately, it was hard to match up.

    @Swapna - I'm not sure why her secretiveness bugged be so much. I had such high hopes, which perhaps wasn't quite fair to the work.

    @Beth - It's worth reading, I think, but I wish I had more measured expectations

    @Jenna
    That's a great point you make about less literary writing translating better to film as a personal preference. In film I enjoy strong characters still, so I think literary character-driven fiction would work better for me, but story matters more.

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  6. I can definitely see this one as a movie, now that you mention it.

    I'm sorry it wasn't quite your cup of tea, but thanks for being on the tour!

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  7. Thanks for the honest, thoughtful review. I've been so curious about this one (love the cover!). I so appreciated your comment "As a reader, I like to be in the know," as I think that articulates how I feel about many novels with 'private' main characters. I don't mind an unreliable narrator but I also don't like to work a book like I do an awkward date.

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  8. I was dying for this book, but now I can see that I might not mind waiting for it.

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  9. I've been digging historical fiction set in Russia lately so I am still intrigued by this one although now I am a little cautious based on your review.

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  10. This one received alot of buzz before it came out and I thought I might be interested, but when I picked it up and found that it didn't pull me in. Maybe I should have persisted, but there are just so many great books out there :)

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  11. Another blogger gave it a lukewarm review as well, after reading your thoughts, I think I'll give it a miss.

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