Mother Russia by Bernice Rubens: book review

Mother Russia (1992) is a fictional historical love story set in Russia during the time of the Tsarist regime and revolution, finishing with the Gorbachev government. Anna Larionova is the daughter of a Count and Sasha Volynin is the son of a peasant.

The novel starts with Count Fyodor Larionov, a land owner, about to commit suicide due to the rumours of dissent and revolution by the workers on his estate. He had had enough.

The novel explores the life of Fyodor’s daughter and who supports or doesn’t support her love of a peasant boy from the neighbour’s farm. Sasha becomes a poet and novelist, while his brother Ivan becomes a ruthless Soviet commisar who believes that ‘the Cause is greater than the people.’ Anna and Sasha’s love is challenged by personal tragedies, political events, and violent family rejections.

The novel is about the human capacity to love through adversity and resentment. But there are intriguing moral dilemmas and ambiguities which reveal the actions of optimistic lovers and pessimistic doubters.

The novel is fraught with tension, which is depicted through conversation and also through non-communication – those in the family who do not speak to each other. There are historical themes, such as Jewish history, Russian culture, aristocracy and communism, religion and marriage, and ongoing political changes.

The Booker Prize winning author Bernice Rubens (1928-2004) presents a factual account of Russian history throughout the novel. Although born in Cardiff, Wales, her father was a Russian Jew. She worked at the University of Wales and as a freelance film director and script writer. Her best-known book is probably Madame Sousatzka (1962), made into a film by John Schlesinger, starring Shirley Maclaine.

As dense as War and Peace, with an exceptionally small font, this novel takes awhile to get into, but once in, there’s no turning back. This novel is a terrific epic read.

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

Comments

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...

Shindi: the Georgian Cornelian cherry

The Cornelian cherry – shindi in Georgian – is a fruit with medicinal and decorative properties. It was grown from ancient times, according to the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS). It is also commonly called the European cornel. It is native to southern Europe from France to Ukraine as well as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, and Syria. The Cornelian cherry tree ( Cornus mas ) can be grown in orchards, but it is often seen in the forests of Georgia where it grows up to 1,350 metres above sea level. It is a medium to large deciduous tree, growing from 5-12 metres tall. The flowers are small with four yellow petals in clusters, which flower in February and March. The Cornus mas has three botanical varieties: (1) var. typica Sanadze with cylindrical red fruits, (2) var. pyriformis Sanadze with pear-shaped red fruits, and (3) var. flava vest with yellow fruits. The fruits are oblong red drupes about 2 centimetres ...

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog