Snowdrops

By: A. D. Miller

Narrated by: Kevin Howarth

Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

A riveting psychological drama that unfolds over the course of one Moscow winter, as a thirty-something Englishman’s moral compass is spun by the seductive opportunities revealed to him by a new Russia: a land of hedonism and desperation, corruption and kindness, magical dachas and debauched nightclubs: a place where secrets - and corpses - come to light only when the deep snows start to thaw...

©2011 A.D Miller (P)2011 WF Howes Ltd

The wonderful descriptions are superb and much appreciated

I fully enjoyed the narrators rendition. And the story gave us a minute slice of Soviet life and emotions. Loved it and highly suggest it to anyone studying Russian.

Humanity found and lost in modern Russia

If you could sum up Snowdrops in three words, what would they be?

Snowmelt reveals Russia

Who was your favorite character and why?

the narrator because he is the one who is experiencing the truth of modern Russia and its moral degradation while at the same time retaining glimpses of its former glory. He also identifies the human experience of loss of something treasured despite its degeneracy.

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

His amazing variation of voice brings alive the experience of Russia in a way that simply reading it cannot.

If you could take any character from Snowdrops out to dinner, who would it be and why?

The narrator, the lawyer, because he has been caught up in the moral degeneracy of modern Russia and in the end is able to see it and understand it without discarding it. That's the way it is in Russia and those who have felt it feel a sense of loss on leaving it.

Any additional comments?

AD Miller is well qualified to write about Russia. He is a British journalist trained at Cambridge and Princeton who was for 4 years a correspondent for

Lovely book

The book, of excellent quality, is a book I return to several times per year. It never loses its fascination.

Not interested in the characters

The Man Booker Prize is an eminent guide to what is regarded is amongst the best contemporary writing. As a result I listened to Snowdrops, which was on the 2012 short list.

I will be interested to know what other audible reviewers think of this acclaimed book. Try as I might, I could not become interested in the dreariness of Russia and the characters. The writing was succinct -- very skilful -- and enriched with the details of place. The author captured the sense of an outsider trying to understand where he fits into his old and the new society. The story-line demonstrates how inaccessible a new society can be, however well meaning and sincere the motives of the outsider can be.
The modulations of reader's gentle tone -- he addresses the listener directly -- cleverly reflected the content.

I would not be surprised if other reviewers give 5 stars to all aspects of Snowdrop. My ratings reflect the fact that ultimately I simply was not drawn to any of these people and their lives.