Russka

The Novel of Russia

By: Edward Rutherfurd

Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon

Length: 39 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

Russka is the story of four families who are divided by ethnicity but united in shaping the destiny of Russia. From a single riverside village situated at one of the country’s geographic crossroads, Russia’s Slav peasant origins are influenced by the Greco-Iranian, Khazar, Jewish, and Mongol invasions. Unified by this one place, the many cultures blend to form a rich and varied tapestry.

Rutherfurd’s grand saga is as multifaceted as Russia itself: harsh yet exotic, proud yet fearful of enemies, steeped in ancient superstitions but always seeking to shape the emerging world. Peter the Great, Ivan the Terrible, Catherine the Great, and Lenin all play their roles in creating and destroying the land and its people.

In Russka, Edward Rutherfurd has transformed the epic history of a great civilization into a human story of flesh and blood.

©1991 Edward Rutherfurd (P)2000 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Rutherfurd literally personifies history.” ( New York Daily News)

“Impressive…Rutherfurd has indeed embraced all of Russia.” ( Washington Post Book World)

“Russka succeeds where [other books] of trendy Soviet-watching have failed…Rutherfurd can take his place among an elite cadre of chroniclers such as Harold Lamb, Maurice Hindus, and Henri Troyat.” ( San Francisco Chronicle)

Enlightening read for all sorts of perspectives!

Any additional comments?

This is a wonderful listen! Russian history has been a mystery to me and this was a perfect introductory into the history of ethnicity, classes, politics, and religion. I had a list of people to research more after reading this! My only wish is that they offered a visual family tree so I could keep up with who all is related to who. Looks like I'll just have to resort to listening through it again in oder to fully grasp relationships. I plan to listen to this many more times purely for the quality of information! Well done! I highly recommend this!

Inaccurate geography of what constitutes Russia

While I haven't finished the book, I need to write my first opinion of this book. While I understand that the book is only based on Russia it's awfully inaccurate in its geography. The author calls every piece of land that Russian boots touched as Russian. The book was written in the late 80s & maps, history books & travel was widely available.

A story that breathes history as easily as air

What made the experience of listening to Russka the most enjoyable?

The novel is sufficiently detailed that, despite the subject matter's alien nature to most readers, it is easy to follow and enjoy. Rutherford's writing style is a joy to experience, and flows smoothly through eons without skipping a beat or weakening in the least. Additionally, Ms. McCaddon is a superb narrator, whose talent with voices and inflection --- as well as her gentle and very relaxing voice --- helps paint a vivid picture with the source she's been given.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the believability and the (mostly) period-accurate attitudes and experiences of the characters. All too often a historical novel will veer off into platitudes designed to make more comfortable the less-than-palatable portions of the time period. This severely detracts from the quality of the work, as the characters are not allowed to live within their time but, rather, must pay lip service to the views of an author who lives decades, centuries, or even millenia beyond the characters. The characters in Russka act like first-, tenth-, and seventeenth-century Russians: they own serfs, they are devoted to the Tsar and not to democracy, they are religiously narrow; they beat their wives in the fashion of the time; they enjoy bloodsport; and they suffer continual and serious setbacks which are, while not minimized, often placed into cold comparison with the sufferings of their own serfs, to which they do not even consider paying mind. For why would any Russian nobleman pay mind to his serfs; his property? And yet they are characters who live, who experience love and confusion and happiness and joy. What better shows the talent and devotion of an author than his or her ability to write living believable characters, rather than flat, unbelievable propaganda pieces?

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book did something for me which few books manage to do: it made me experience genuine emotion. Turmoil, lack of surety, sadness, and even dread. I was invested in the characters and their lives. I wanted things to work out for them. I shook my head and gawked at their bad, disgusting, even evil actions. Yet I understood why they did what they did. At times I felt intense sorrow when bad things happened to the people whose lives I was allowed to look down upon from above, and was permitted in my limited wisdom to judge. I wanted them safe, happy, and successful. And yet, where then would be the story? An age-old conundrum I dare say.

Any additional comments?

I highly recommend this book. It may be a tad long for some, at more than 900 pages, and its complexity might not be attractice to many. It does require a good deal of consideration of past events, and thinking through familial connections. It is easy to get characters confused with other characters, and even (at some points) to wonder why we haven't heard from a specific person in a while, only to realize that we have gone three-hundred years beyond that person's death. This can be quite a shock, if one does not pay attention. Nevertheless, it is an excellent novel, well-written and lacking in little. Believable characters, realistic depicitons of Russian history, and a respect for the intelligence of the reader make this one of my favorite novels.

History

I grew up in Western Europe with the reality of the Iron Curtain. For me, child of a family with an intense grudge against the Soviet Union, Russia was bathed in mystery, as if on another planet. I remember the day the Iron Curtain fell. I was making pumpkin soup and did not know what to think about these events that could have been foreseen for a while. Slowly Russian culture became less mysterious throughout the years, beyond Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Gogol etc.... Russka is a welcome reminder of a rich part of our history and a very important culture. I loved it !

Not as good as Ruthfurd's England books

I'm a big fan of Rutherfurd's books about England, so was looking forward to this. I DID learn some things about Russian history, and it was overall ok. Not amazing. The read's performance of the audiobook I listened to is pretty good... but there's something wonky in the sound track. Occasionally it skips and makes odd noises. At first I thought there was something wrong with my speakers, but no it's the sound track of the recording. This is an OLD from the 1990's audiobook apparently that got transferred to digital and something odd happened along the way. That said, it's the ONLY digital version of this book.

I found a deeper understanding of a culture entrenched with mystery

I appreciate the way Rutherford characterizes the culture and personalizes the People of this misunderstood part of our world.

Not Rutherfurd's Best,but very good!

I am a huge fan of Rutherfurd, I love big books and history. I did listen to Russka twice back to back to firmly implant the family names in my mind, and I found I enjoyed it more the second time around. The book gave me a little different view of Russian history than I had. All I can say is, it has to be good to listen to it twice. I found the narration of Wanda McCaddon very good as well. I had enjoyed her in Sarum.

Finally I've Been to Russia

Having visited Russia twice, I now feel as if I have finally BEEN there.. Truly an excellent tour de force, and very fair in all its observations.

A huge undertaking, but worth it!

Despite the number of centuries covered in the history of Russka, the author skillfully balances full detailed accounts of complex family relationships with a brisk pace to keep the story fresh and intriguing. I loved how interwoven the relationships become. I'm certain that I missed a great deal of the intricate nuances but it's definitely a book worth reading again. I was skeptical as to how Rutherford could possibly craft a satisfactory ending to such an epic work, but I loved how things came together. I learned a lot, enjoyed the ride, and am now looking forward to reading another book by this impressive author.

Wonderful Historical Novel

I was so very glad to discover you had added Russka to you Edward Rutherford's books. He is a truly wonderful writer, whose's books are exhaustively researched and very accurate, yet full of characters that make a wonderful novel - Wonderful!

I only wish you'd release his other works "The Forest". "London", etc in a unabridged format. Abridging these novels is almost a sin.

Wonderful book worth both the time and credit!