Sashenka

A Novel

By: Simon Montefiore

Narrated by: Anne Flosnik

Length: 19 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

In the best-selling tradition of Dr. Zhivago, Sophie's Choice, and The Island, this is an epic story of revolution, passion, and betrayal - and one woman whose extraordinary secret lies hidden for half a century.

©2008 Simon Montefiore (P)2008 Tantor

Great story; bad reader

I love good historical fiction, and despite some implausible plot twists, this was a really good novel about the Russian Revolution, Stalinism and the aftermath. Particularly illuminating was the whole thread about how obsessive the true believer Bolsheviks were.

But, and it's a big "but", the narrator's fake Russian accents were so bad and such a major distraction that I almost quit, several times. When just narrating, she was fine, but the accents were appallingly bad. Since we know they weren't speaking Russian-accented English, why not simply continue with her normal accent? It was particularly troublesome because it made the characters, when speaking, much less credible.

I would recommend this book, with that caveat.

Vague and too real all at once.

It was a unique narrative about the fate of a fervently committed Bolshevik woman, Sashenka, and her tragic rise and fall in the Communist Party. Her journey started in high minded idealism and ended because of paranoid barbarism. The revolution eats its own.

Amazing

It was great. Amazing. Incredible. I want to come back to this book in a few months and revisit the magnificent writing that enthralled me. This story evoked all kinds of emotions from me: sadness, joy, anxiety, fear. I can't wait to share this book with others.

Great historical fiction.

Both author and narrator are becoming favorites of mine. A novel that shows the true Soviet Union under Stalin, and some of the millions of lives his reign impacted.

Fascinating Historical Thriller About A Dark Time

I was pleasantly surprised by the suspense in this historical novel. Despite its relatively slow start, the story held my interest and filled in a missing chunk of what life must have been like for those enthralled by the Bolshevik philosophy that drove the Russian revolution and steered a nation through the dark waters of Stalin's macabre reign. The characterizations are strong, and Sashenka lingers as a haunting figure long after the author's last sentences fade to silence. The reader of this audiobook version is truly excellent--a true artist who brings the novel to full and vibrant life. I hope you enjoy this novel as much as I did.

Intriguing

This was an interesting book, but not until the 3rd section. I found it a little confusing as far as listening to a book goes because of all of the similar names. Maybe it would have been better to read the hard copy and would probably be better the 2nd time. Unfortunately, this story was very slow starting and I found myself bored at the beginning. I am very glad that I forced myself to finish it because the end is redeeming.

Mangled robotic narration undermines this book

The narrator's jarring, hopeless effort at a Russian accent, and mispronunciation of every Russian term, was irritating. It would have been better to avoid all attempts at an accent, and better still to do just a little research on pronunciation. So the narrator killed the story. Someone like Rupert Degas might have made this sing.
The story was pretty good, and well researched but not so good that I would buy another fiction title by the same author.

Sashenka

I have never written a review before but this book required it. It is a fascinating historical novel about Russia from the revolution to the 1970's. I have "read" a lot of books about Russia and this book fills a gap in Russian historical novels. The story line was a page turner (if you can do that on an IPod.) The narrator was fantastic and made me feel that the real people were there talking to me.

Excellent book.

Thoroughly enjoyed the book. This is the third book by this author that I have completed. I can easily say that he has become one of my favorites. The book I will admit was something I thought would not be an interest to me in the first hour or so of listening. But was extremely hard to stop afterwards.

I strongly recommend the authors works and look forward to reading and listening to more of his works.

Haves and Have-nots

Haves and Have-nots

An excellent examination of the life of a privileged ingenue who dabbles in dangerous political activities which catch the attention of the Czar's authorities.

Anne Flosnik's narration is perfect.

I recommend this novel, which is the first book of a trilogy.