Review: Russian Winter, by Daphne Kalotay

I received this book from Crazy Book Tours.  Although I signed up for it, I wasn’t expecting it.  I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to fit it in, but it actually dragged me out of a book rut! 

Summary:  Nina Revskaya an elderly Russian ballerina living in Boston, has decided to auction off her extensive jewelry collection.   As Drew Brooks works on the auction, she is contacted by Grigori Solodin He decides to donate a piece of jewelry that he claims is part of the same collection.  Drew and Grigori work together to figure out just how the jewelry pieces are connected, and what part Grigori plays in Nina’s life. 

My Thoughts:  I liked this book… a lot.  It was the perfect historical fiction with a bit of personal intrigue and romance thrown in.  It started in present time Boston with Nina donating her jewelry and flashed back to her life in post WWII Russia.  I enjoyed the present time story line just as much as the historical part, which is a rarity for me. 

I knew almost nothing about this era of Russian history, so the historical accounts were sometimes confusing and sometimes shocking.  I had to ask my husband (a huge history buff) a few questions along the way.  The political climate that Nina, her husband Viktor, and their friends lived under was a very prominent aspect of this novel.  And although I know that the details were important to developing the mindset of the characters at the time, I sometimes found it a lot to take in.  However, I loved the story of Nina’s life as a ballerina rising to the top of her career.  She was living the dream of many Russian girls of that time.    The relationships that she had with her friends and family were well-developed and I felt a connection with them.

The story line with Grigori and Drew was very interesting.  Ms. Kalotay created some great characters here as well.  These two, along with Nina, each had a piece of the puzzle that finally solved the mystery of Grigori’s past and at the same time, allowed Nina some peace.

I would recommend this for fans of historical fiction.  It took me longer to read through it than I thought it would, but then, I did find some parts a bit tedious.  All in all, it was a great story that kept me carrying the book around and reading every chance I got.

4/5 stars

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