36 Yalta Boulevard

A Novel

By: Olen Steinhauer

Narrated by: Yuri Rasovsky

Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

State Security Officer Brano Sev is the secretive member of the Ministry for State Security. No one else quite trusts him, but it is part of his job to do what the authorities ask, no matter what. So when he gets an order to travel to the village of his birth in order to interrogate a potential defector, he goes. When a man turns up dead shortly after he arrives and Brano is framed for the murder, he assumes this is part of the plan and allows it to run its course.

But when the plan leads him into exile in Vienna, he finally begins to ask questions. In fact, Comrade Brano Sev learns that loyalty to the cause might be the biggest crime of all.

©2005 Olen Steinhauer (P)2005 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"This is an imaginative, brilliantly plotted espionage thriller, with finely detailed settings and a protagonist of marvelous complexity. Highly recommended." (Library Journal)
"With its shifting perceptions, pervasive paranoia, and truly unpredictable plot, this will be savored by readers of well-crafted espionage." (Booklist)

Interesting

To be honest I had low expectations for this book, I was only reading it because I told myself I was going to read the whole series. Come on, how interesting can you make a story set in the 1960's in the eastern bloc of Europe about a main character working for the state security. You think drab life. But, Steinhauer did turn it into an interesting listen that I found enjoyable. There were some nice twists and turns, east meets west, and it kept me listening. I recommend tis one.

Cold war spy story - Soviet satellite's agent

The year is 1967. Brano, an savvy and experienced agent in the state security agency of a Soviet satellite, is a pawn in a game among powers he cannot see and for purposes he does not comprehend. His perspective is much like that of a character in a Kafka novel. As he struggles to understand, to survive, and, most of all, to follow orders, the many layers of manipulation and deception unfold. But who or what is the ultimate puppetmaster and what is he or it up to? Will Brano live long enough to find out?

This is the best Yalta Sequence book so far..

This is the best Yalta Sequence book so far.. I like the way that background characters from one book are then elevated into focus in the next.
This was also the best narration in the series as well.

Talented Narrator

this is my 3rd novel by this author, very detailed however the ends seemed to leave wanting more closure on endings

Not Bad

Not the greatest spy story I have read but also not the worst. Plot was interesting as was the main character.

Excellent Book/Lousy narration

I really enjoyed this book. It was intriguing and had several twists and turns. The central character is not loveable but he is compelling. I found the narration to be very annoying after a while. It was like the narrator was trying to sound American (way too much). H also did the lead characters (who were Eastern Europeans) in very American voices but did Austrian voices with pseudo-accents. It's still a very good audio book

Ok story but the narration

Strange nasal narration. Accents more Brooklyn than Belgrade. I do not recommend. Probably better to read it.

Riveting Reader

If you could sum up 36 Yalta Boulevard in three words, what would they be?

Great story, performance

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot was a wonderfully convoluted spy story with constant twists, turns and surprises.The Eastern European ambience was interesting. There was cynicism, romance, failed idealism, danger and deception.

What does Yuri Rasovsky bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He is a fabulous reader, taking each character part uniquely and with just the right emotion. I have never heard a better performance. The reader's accents varied with the native language of each character. This recording is an instance where the oral reading is a much better experience than the visual experience of reading on the printed page.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Too long to listen to all at once, but that is the pleasure. I didn't want it to end.

Any additional comments?

I was exhilarated by the combination of a skillful reader and a great story.

Living under totalitarianism

Well written story of how life is for citizens living under a totalitarian government, from the people who do the running to those who learn to keep their opinions private and try never to draw attention to themselves. The story line at times is hard to follow, (so I just start the chapter over) due to life under an unpredictable government that is always looking for enemies. The main character has the job of killing those the state perceives to threaten them weather real or not.

I wanted to like it...

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The story was compelling and I liked it but I just didn't like the reader. I would prefer that readers didn't do voices. In this case, the voices were almost comical - like parodies - and ruined any suspense the story had. The reader read well in that he was clear and had a good cadence but the voices, especially women, were awful and distracting.

What didn’t you like about Yuri Rasovsky’s performance?

character voices

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

maybe but most adaptations aren't worth seeing.