Status
Missing
Call number
Collection
Publication
Canongate Books (2005), 391 pages
Description
In a remote Siberian town torn apart by civil war and inhabited by a small Christian sect, Anna Petrovna, a beautiful photographer, becomes involved in the fate of Samarin, an escapee from Russia's northernmost prison camp.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Emrayfo
The People's Act of Love is a curious yet interesting, well-written story that explores its human themes of belief, loyalty, betrayal, longing-ness, sacrifice, mission and love through the obscure prisms of bizarre Christian sects, revolutionary civil war, mad charismatic would-be despots, shamans
Courageous in the sense that Meek delves into the motivations and consciousnesses of at least two characters whose manner of being is not something accessible to average human experience. Despite this Meek successfully rents the veils occluding such oddities. The result is persuasive and forceful, and the essence of these two characters – a religious mystic and a driven political fugitive – ring true within the confines of this novel. Courageous too in the sense that Meek willingly dives headfirst into a novelistic genre whose native canon is rich and deep – the Great Russian Novel. This is a risk, for while his novel's setting is in some ways unique and Meek brings an impressive amount of research to bear, he does not have the usual necessary qualification: that is, to actually be a Russian, and, given his story's setting, a Russian who has either lived through revolution, war or political incarceration. But the risk pays off because Meek succeeds in delivering a tale with a psychological and intellectual resonance that lasts beyond the closing of its pages, and he does so without heavy riffing on the well-thumbed material of the Russian masters. Meek brings his own voice and his own approach. This is not to imply the novel says what it says in an entirely new way, without recourse to any recognisable motifs whatsoever. It is a war story, and it is set in a recognisable Russian milieu. Within its pages sit many of the familiar themes found in the best novels about people persisting through times of war and occupation, and the book could not do its job if they weren't – this is what we have come to read! – but they are applied to startling effect.
That said, the story is not without its weaknesses. Particularly, there is an element to its denouement which disappointed me: One of the central characters was to make an important decision; it was tragically though not life-threateningly obvious what it would be, yet for this character to do so would have been understandable and not inconsistent with her personality. Instead, Meek inexplicably introduces an external element to account for the change of mind. This insertion is a glaringly gratuitous flourish which damages the momentum of the story at this point and debases the character in question. It may be that Meek wants readers to lower our estimation of and reduce our sympathy for this character, but it is difficult to see to what end. To me it is sabotage, when instead the character could have exited with her integrity and honour somewhat intact. But while that intervention was clumsy and amateurish, it is also thankfully exclusive.
However, none of the story's flaws are glaring or sufficient enough to reduce Meek's achievement, including the anomaly discussed above. How did he manage this? Well, because The People's Act of Love is not a Great Russian Novel and Meek didn't set out to write one. The book he created is something related to that venerable genus, but perverted and strange, and beautiful because of this. It is not a story about Russia or Russian history nor Russian peoples. It is a story about people, and the things we do for or in spite of others, and for or in spite of ourselves. Under Meek's expert hand the convolutions of his plot are a kind of laboratory within which ideas and relationships are arranged, then plucked and strummed, and stretched.
Meek does not give us a fictionalised history of the Russian civil war. Instead, the civil war remains mostly in the background as a felt, pervasive, smothering force. Chiefly, The People's Act of Love is about relationships: relationships between individuals; between people and states; between soldiers and commanders; between men and women; between men and women and God; between existential individuality and the impersonal inexorable weight of history; and between conscience and ideology, be it religious or political.
Not only is Meek's prose easy to read, but it is also capable of displaying a remarkable clarity – moments of pure insight – without burdening the text or appearing portentous. At numerous times while reading I had to stop and marvel at ideas, feelings or images that were so exquisitely captured that I needed to dwell on the words or turn the idea over in my mind a few times. The People's Act of Love is not a difficult read but it is a rewarding one, if you want it to be. Nothing is forced upon the reader and the level of immersion is purely voluntary.
As for the evocative title, the linchpin character who is the catalyst of the events that unfold in the town of Yazyk at one point discusses a theoretical man he terms ‘destruction’: "He is the will of the people. He's the hundred thousand curses they utter every day against their enslavement. To hold such a man to the same standards as ordinary men would be strange, like putting wolves on trial for killing elk, or trying to shoot the wind... What looks like an act of evil to a single person is the people's act of love to its future itself. He's the storm the people summoned, against which not all good people find shelter in time.” When history is a force and not an accumulation of individual actions, or at least people willingly accept it as such, there is no limit to the number of individuals who can be treated this way.
Indeed, it is the key question of 20th century history – can an act of evil to a single person ever legitimately be the people's act of love to its future itself? This is the ultimate utilitarian argument because it goes beyond traditional humanistic utilitarianism by abandoning humanism altogether – it is utilitarianism of the starkest sort, wedded to the triumph of an idea over humanity. It is the ultimate expression of the power of belief, whether it be self-belief or belief in a dogma or political ideology. In this kind of mental space there is no room for doubt or opposition.
The experience of reading The People's Act of Love will be further enhanced for those familiar with the dissolution of the multi-ethnic empires which accompanied the First World War and the political struggles surrounding the civil war which accompanied the Russian Revolution. And unless you are particularly well-versed, you will probably learn something about the obscure episodes and groups that contextualise this story – drawn from fact, though not necessarily as portrayed here – that barely usually even rate as footnotes in the conventional histories. For those without this background the story no doubt will seem steeped at times in remarkable mysteries, but this will in no way detract from its enjoyment, and may even enhance it.
The People's Act of Love is a challenging and original exposition of humanity under duress. This novel does what all good novels does – it explores the human condition in such a way that once finished, you feel you have gained a sliver more insight into what it is to be a moral being, and may even have enriched your inner life through the consideration of complex, unnameable things.
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and war widows and criminals and displaced Czech soldiers – and plays it all out amid the desolation of wintry Siberia in 1919 and an encroaching Bolshevik victory over the Whites. James Meek has written a compelling novel, and a courageous one. Courageous in the sense that Meek delves into the motivations and consciousnesses of at least two characters whose manner of being is not something accessible to average human experience. Despite this Meek successfully rents the veils occluding such oddities. The result is persuasive and forceful, and the essence of these two characters – a religious mystic and a driven political fugitive – ring true within the confines of this novel. Courageous too in the sense that Meek willingly dives headfirst into a novelistic genre whose native canon is rich and deep – the Great Russian Novel. This is a risk, for while his novel's setting is in some ways unique and Meek brings an impressive amount of research to bear, he does not have the usual necessary qualification: that is, to actually be a Russian, and, given his story's setting, a Russian who has either lived through revolution, war or political incarceration. But the risk pays off because Meek succeeds in delivering a tale with a psychological and intellectual resonance that lasts beyond the closing of its pages, and he does so without heavy riffing on the well-thumbed material of the Russian masters. Meek brings his own voice and his own approach. This is not to imply the novel says what it says in an entirely new way, without recourse to any recognisable motifs whatsoever. It is a war story, and it is set in a recognisable Russian milieu. Within its pages sit many of the familiar themes found in the best novels about people persisting through times of war and occupation, and the book could not do its job if they weren't – this is what we have come to read! – but they are applied to startling effect.
That said, the story is not without its weaknesses. Particularly, there is an element to its denouement which disappointed me: One of the central characters was to make an important decision; it was tragically though not life-threateningly obvious what it would be, yet for this character to do so would have been understandable and not inconsistent with her personality. Instead, Meek inexplicably introduces an external element to account for the change of mind. This insertion is a glaringly gratuitous flourish which damages the momentum of the story at this point and debases the character in question. It may be that Meek wants readers to lower our estimation of and reduce our sympathy for this character, but it is difficult to see to what end. To me it is sabotage, when instead the character could have exited with her integrity and honour somewhat intact. But while that intervention was clumsy and amateurish, it is also thankfully exclusive.
However, none of the story's flaws are glaring or sufficient enough to reduce Meek's achievement, including the anomaly discussed above. How did he manage this? Well, because The People's Act of Love is not a Great Russian Novel and Meek didn't set out to write one. The book he created is something related to that venerable genus, but perverted and strange, and beautiful because of this. It is not a story about Russia or Russian history nor Russian peoples. It is a story about people, and the things we do for or in spite of others, and for or in spite of ourselves. Under Meek's expert hand the convolutions of his plot are a kind of laboratory within which ideas and relationships are arranged, then plucked and strummed, and stretched.
Meek does not give us a fictionalised history of the Russian civil war. Instead, the civil war remains mostly in the background as a felt, pervasive, smothering force. Chiefly, The People's Act of Love is about relationships: relationships between individuals; between people and states; between soldiers and commanders; between men and women; between men and women and God; between existential individuality and the impersonal inexorable weight of history; and between conscience and ideology, be it religious or political.
Not only is Meek's prose easy to read, but it is also capable of displaying a remarkable clarity – moments of pure insight – without burdening the text or appearing portentous. At numerous times while reading I had to stop and marvel at ideas, feelings or images that were so exquisitely captured that I needed to dwell on the words or turn the idea over in my mind a few times. The People's Act of Love is not a difficult read but it is a rewarding one, if you want it to be. Nothing is forced upon the reader and the level of immersion is purely voluntary.
As for the evocative title, the linchpin character who is the catalyst of the events that unfold in the town of Yazyk at one point discusses a theoretical man he terms ‘destruction’: "He is the will of the people. He's the hundred thousand curses they utter every day against their enslavement. To hold such a man to the same standards as ordinary men would be strange, like putting wolves on trial for killing elk, or trying to shoot the wind... What looks like an act of evil to a single person is the people's act of love to its future itself. He's the storm the people summoned, against which not all good people find shelter in time.” When history is a force and not an accumulation of individual actions, or at least people willingly accept it as such, there is no limit to the number of individuals who can be treated this way.
Indeed, it is the key question of 20th century history – can an act of evil to a single person ever legitimately be the people's act of love to its future itself? This is the ultimate utilitarian argument because it goes beyond traditional humanistic utilitarianism by abandoning humanism altogether – it is utilitarianism of the starkest sort, wedded to the triumph of an idea over humanity. It is the ultimate expression of the power of belief, whether it be self-belief or belief in a dogma or political ideology. In this kind of mental space there is no room for doubt or opposition.
The experience of reading The People's Act of Love will be further enhanced for those familiar with the dissolution of the multi-ethnic empires which accompanied the First World War and the political struggles surrounding the civil war which accompanied the Russian Revolution. And unless you are particularly well-versed, you will probably learn something about the obscure episodes and groups that contextualise this story – drawn from fact, though not necessarily as portrayed here – that barely usually even rate as footnotes in the conventional histories. For those without this background the story no doubt will seem steeped at times in remarkable mysteries, but this will in no way detract from its enjoyment, and may even enhance it.
The People's Act of Love is a challenging and original exposition of humanity under duress. This novel does what all good novels does – it explores the human condition in such a way that once finished, you feel you have gained a sliver more insight into what it is to be a moral being, and may even have enriched your inner life through the consideration of complex, unnameable things.
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LibraryThing member mattcompton
I picked three books from this year's nominees for the Booker Prize to include on my Best of 2005 list. I should have picked at least one more. Actually, probably more than that. Two more books from that list, which I've already mentioned, come out in the US tomorrow. One of which (The Accidental
The People's Act of Love by James Meeker is ambitious and elegant. And it's a novel that isn't afraid to take on the heaviest of themes and unfold in a way that echoes Dostoyevsky or Joseph Conrad. Surely, many of these characters would be recognizable to the Brothers K, but The People's Act of Love is all about finding a heart of darkness in Siberia.
The story is set in the little town of Yazyk, inside Siberia, in 1919, smack in the middle of the Russian Civil War, and it revolves around four moral compass points:
The first is Samarin -- a dissident who wanders in from the cold claiming to have escaped from both a prison camp and the killer who led him out. The second is Balashov, the spiritual leader of his community, whose piety is balanced by the secrets he harbors. The third is Murtz, an officer in the Czech Legion which holds the territory for the White Army, who desperately wants to return home after five years of conflict. And finally, there is Anna Petrovna, left widowed by the fighting, who by novel's end will have a relationship with each man, and the sum of those relationships will form the level that propels the story forward.
With as much as this novel has going on, you might be tempted to ignore the dialogue and get back to the plot, but that would be a mistake. Seemingly every conversation in this story, no matter who's doing the talking, searches for the truth--about man, about revolution, about the existence of God. And you get used to it. So much so, that you think about other novels, and you find yourself asking, "Why can't they all do this?"
-1/9/06
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by Ali Smith) just won the Whitbread. The other (Arthur & George by Julian Barnes) of which made tons of waves in the UK. Incidentally, I'm going to buy them both on the way to work, tomorrow. (Though I guess they wouldn't qualify for Best of 2005). The People's Act of Love by James Meeker is ambitious and elegant. And it's a novel that isn't afraid to take on the heaviest of themes and unfold in a way that echoes Dostoyevsky or Joseph Conrad. Surely, many of these characters would be recognizable to the Brothers K, but The People's Act of Love is all about finding a heart of darkness in Siberia.
The story is set in the little town of Yazyk, inside Siberia, in 1919, smack in the middle of the Russian Civil War, and it revolves around four moral compass points:
The first is Samarin -- a dissident who wanders in from the cold claiming to have escaped from both a prison camp and the killer who led him out. The second is Balashov, the spiritual leader of his community, whose piety is balanced by the secrets he harbors. The third is Murtz, an officer in the Czech Legion which holds the territory for the White Army, who desperately wants to return home after five years of conflict. And finally, there is Anna Petrovna, left widowed by the fighting, who by novel's end will have a relationship with each man, and the sum of those relationships will form the level that propels the story forward.
With as much as this novel has going on, you might be tempted to ignore the dialogue and get back to the plot, but that would be a mistake. Seemingly every conversation in this story, no matter who's doing the talking, searches for the truth--about man, about revolution, about the existence of God. And you get used to it. So much so, that you think about other novels, and you find yourself asking, "Why can't they all do this?"
-1/9/06
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LibraryThing member satanburger
mmmmmmm yum. theres nothing better than a love story that involves castration cults. recommended. i've already hacked through half of my sack.
LibraryThing member McCaine
"The People's Act of Love" by James Meek is a thrilling and surprising page-turner, situated in Siberia in 1919. Since the plot of the story is compact and full of surprises, I will not spoil the story by describing it, but instead I will give an impression of the book's atmosphere.
Through the eyes
The storyline is generally violent and cynical, as fits those times, and the brutal backdrop of Siberia in winter during times of shortage only serves to heighten the tension. After the various characters find themselves in Siberia, the Czechslovak Legion's presence in the area, an interesting yet historically real adventure tale, becomes the pivot around which all the events unfold. The bitterness of the cold as well as the people and their ideals portrays this crossing in Russia's history very well, and Meek has done a good job keeping the storyline actually exciting with constant surprises and plot twists. Although some of the praise on the cover must surely be taken as hyperbole, this is certainly an intriguing and riveting book, and well worth picking up to read on a lonely winter night.
NB: My review applies to the Dutch translation of this book only, as I have not read the English original. I see no reason to assume there are material differences between the two though.
Through the eyes
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of several people present in a small town in the wilderness of Siberia, we see all the chaos and cynicism as well as dreams and aspirations of the time reflected. The characters, among which we find a mysterious cannibal, a Cavalry officer who becomes a member of a bizarre sect, a Jewish officer in the Czechoslovak Legion, and a woman with a gift for photography, may not be immediately likable, but they are certain to make a strong impression on the reader. Meek weaves the story of the meeting and eventual clash of all these characters together very well, making excellent use of evocative flashbacks, letters and monologues to create narrative tension, while maintaining at the same time a high pace of action.The storyline is generally violent and cynical, as fits those times, and the brutal backdrop of Siberia in winter during times of shortage only serves to heighten the tension. After the various characters find themselves in Siberia, the Czechslovak Legion's presence in the area, an interesting yet historically real adventure tale, becomes the pivot around which all the events unfold. The bitterness of the cold as well as the people and their ideals portrays this crossing in Russia's history very well, and Meek has done a good job keeping the storyline actually exciting with constant surprises and plot twists. Although some of the praise on the cover must surely be taken as hyperbole, this is certainly an intriguing and riveting book, and well worth picking up to read on a lonely winter night.
NB: My review applies to the Dutch translation of this book only, as I have not read the English original. I see no reason to assume there are material differences between the two though.
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LibraryThing member Eliz12
I simply could not get through this. I love Russian history and complex characters, but this did not work for me.
LibraryThing member hazelk
I felt totally involved with this narrative which certainly held some surprises.
The strangeness of the locale added to the mysteriousness.
The strangeness of the locale added to the mysteriousness.
LibraryThing member freelancer_frank
This is a book about idealism. The characters tend to suffer from either a surfeit or a lack of the stuff. The prose style is somewhat over-wrought. It is a style that lends itself more to South America than Siberia. Meeks has a habit of keeping some scenes surreal by holding back a piece of
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information until a later moment. I found the device somewhat tiring after a while. But once things coalesce the story becomes powerful and moving. Show Less
LibraryThing member john257hopper
An unusual though slightly unsatisfying novel set during the Russian Civil War among the soldiers of the Czech Legion fighting the Bolsheviks. This isn't really a political/historical novel in the usual sense , though. It's more about the relationship between a number of complex and rather
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difficult to define characters, the enigmatic nihilist Samarin, the unusual religious zealot Balashov, the tough and cynical Anna and the somewhat more sympathetic Czech Jew Mutz. I found parts of it rather opaque and horrible, and in some ways it could have taken place against the background of any 20th century war. The author's writing style is quite spare and evokes an authentic Russian writing style, a considerable achievement for a non-Russian author. 4/5 Show Less
LibraryThing member jayne_charles
This was a tough read, but worth it. It deals with subject matter rarely encountered in fiction, and there is definitely more going on than is suggested by the blurb on the back cover.
LibraryThing member bonniegr
An intriguing book, full of turns. I read this as if each chapter was a book or short story in itself so as to not become confused or overwhelmed by the complexity of the characters. It comes together very nicely.
LibraryThing member daizylee
Like War and Peace. Which is a big compliment. This novel of political, social, and religious extremism is sweeping and lovely and chilling all together. It's very fun to read and has plenty of twists and turns to make it more than just boring old literature.
LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
no spoilers; just a synopsis
I can't believe this didn't make the Booker Shortlist! One of the finest novels I've read in a very long time!
I will say that if topics like cannibalism and self-mutilation put you off enough to eschew reading about them, don't pick up this book.
To describe the very
Launching from that quotation, the book is about idealism and ideologies which become somewhat distorted or perverted because of the changing realities of human nature, especially during wartime or during times of great change, as was the case during the Russian Revolution and the few years following, as people started to wonder what all of this change was going to mean in their daily lives. It is also a look at how in the end, trying to change human nature often leads to its resurgence in the face of extremes.
The basic plot is this:
The time is 1919, two years after the Bolshevik Revolution, and a year after the death of the Czar Nicholas II and his family at Ekaterinburg. There is a civil war going on in Russia, the two forces are the "Whites," supporters of the old Czarist regime, and the "Reds," supporter of the new Bolshevik regime. Among those fighting for the Whites are Czech soldiers. The book opens in a small village in Siberia, where a legion of about 100 Czech soldiers have occupied the town, sharing it with a religious sect called "skotpsy," or castrates. The members of this sect refer to themselves as angels, believing that they lived in Paradise located on Earth. To enter Paradise, "without dying," one had to "burn the Keys of Hell," (122) meaning, to remove the genitals then throwing them into the fire. The Czech legion is led by Matula, who has decided that this little area of Siberia will be his new country and will not allow anyone to leave. Most of the rest of the group, led by a Jewish lieutenant named Mutz, just want to go home. Another inhabitant of the village is Anna Petrovna, who lives there with her young son Alyosha. Anna has withdrawn from life, content to look at through the eyes of her camera, living on the fringes and hiding a secret. Into this mix one day arrives a stranger, who is promptly arrested after his arrival which happens to coincide with the death of a Tungus shaman, also being held by Matula. This new person, Samarin, is held and Matula says he can go if he tells a story interesting enough to capture Matula's attention, so they give him his day in court. Samarin tells how he was held in the White Garden prison camp in the Siberian tundra, and how he made his escape along with a fellow prisoner, Mohican, who was carrying Samarin along for food when the food supplies ran out. But who is this person, Samarin?
The title comes from a quotation on page 260:
" What looks like an act of evil to a single person is the people's act of love to its future self." Once you read the book, you will have a better idea of the meaning of this central statement.
I must say, this novel is one of the best books I've read in a long time, one I will probably reread and think about for some time to come.
I can't believe this didn't make the Booker Shortlist! One of the finest novels I've read in a very long time!
I will say that if topics like cannibalism and self-mutilation put you off enough to eschew reading about them, don't pick up this book.
To describe the very
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heart of this novel, I will quote the author here (from an interview at online here "If there is one thing which the four central characters in the book – Anna, Samarin, Balashov and Mutz - agree on, it is that love exists and matters. What they disagree on is what love may be. Samarin and Balashov believe that it may go beyond the love of man for woman, or mother for son, or friend for friend, beyond individual love; that there is a real love which is greater than individuals. This is God’s love; this is the People’s love; this is your country’s love. Anna and Mutz are more skeptical of this kind of idealism."Launching from that quotation, the book is about idealism and ideologies which become somewhat distorted or perverted because of the changing realities of human nature, especially during wartime or during times of great change, as was the case during the Russian Revolution and the few years following, as people started to wonder what all of this change was going to mean in their daily lives. It is also a look at how in the end, trying to change human nature often leads to its resurgence in the face of extremes.
The basic plot is this:
The time is 1919, two years after the Bolshevik Revolution, and a year after the death of the Czar Nicholas II and his family at Ekaterinburg. There is a civil war going on in Russia, the two forces are the "Whites," supporters of the old Czarist regime, and the "Reds," supporter of the new Bolshevik regime. Among those fighting for the Whites are Czech soldiers. The book opens in a small village in Siberia, where a legion of about 100 Czech soldiers have occupied the town, sharing it with a religious sect called "skotpsy," or castrates. The members of this sect refer to themselves as angels, believing that they lived in Paradise located on Earth. To enter Paradise, "without dying," one had to "burn the Keys of Hell," (122) meaning, to remove the genitals then throwing them into the fire. The Czech legion is led by Matula, who has decided that this little area of Siberia will be his new country and will not allow anyone to leave. Most of the rest of the group, led by a Jewish lieutenant named Mutz, just want to go home. Another inhabitant of the village is Anna Petrovna, who lives there with her young son Alyosha. Anna has withdrawn from life, content to look at through the eyes of her camera, living on the fringes and hiding a secret. Into this mix one day arrives a stranger, who is promptly arrested after his arrival which happens to coincide with the death of a Tungus shaman, also being held by Matula. This new person, Samarin, is held and Matula says he can go if he tells a story interesting enough to capture Matula's attention, so they give him his day in court. Samarin tells how he was held in the White Garden prison camp in the Siberian tundra, and how he made his escape along with a fellow prisoner, Mohican, who was carrying Samarin along for food when the food supplies ran out. But who is this person, Samarin?
The title comes from a quotation on page 260:
" What looks like an act of evil to a single person is the people's act of love to its future self." Once you read the book, you will have a better idea of the meaning of this central statement.
I must say, this novel is one of the best books I've read in a long time, one I will probably reread and think about for some time to come.
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LibraryThing member TurboBookSnob
The People's Act of Love is a breathtaking literary achievement, and was the TurboBookSnob's pick for the winner of the Booker Prize in 2005. Set in Siberia in 1919, it can best be described with 4 “c's” – Communism, castration, Czech soldiers, and cannibalism.
The small town of Yazyk is
Samarin, a young former student who has escaped from a Russian prison, wanders into Yazyk, weak and broken, and on the run from a mysterious man called the Mohican, who Samarin insists is tracking him with murderous intentions. Soon after Samarin's arrival in town, the local shaman is murdered, and Samarin becomes the likely suspect. The beautiful Anna Petrovna falls in love with the enigmatic Samarin, and, believing him to be innocent, offers herself as bail in exchange for his freedom.
To reveal any more of this exquisitely plotted story would be a disservice to the novel's potential readers. This is a grand novel, worthy of the best in Russian literature. The characters are expertly developed, the plot is daring and horrifying. Meek's descriptions of Siberia are coldly gorgeous, and the originality of his story beckons the reader deeper and deeper into the frozen tundra of the tale.
The small town of Yazyk is
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populated by two diverse groups – a strange Christian sect led by a man named Balashov, and a group of Czech soldiers who have been marooned there and are struggling to hold onto their control of the small Siberian village. Samarin, a young former student who has escaped from a Russian prison, wanders into Yazyk, weak and broken, and on the run from a mysterious man called the Mohican, who Samarin insists is tracking him with murderous intentions. Soon after Samarin's arrival in town, the local shaman is murdered, and Samarin becomes the likely suspect. The beautiful Anna Petrovna falls in love with the enigmatic Samarin, and, believing him to be innocent, offers herself as bail in exchange for his freedom.
To reveal any more of this exquisitely plotted story would be a disservice to the novel's potential readers. This is a grand novel, worthy of the best in Russian literature. The characters are expertly developed, the plot is daring and horrifying. Meek's descriptions of Siberia are coldly gorgeous, and the originality of his story beckons the reader deeper and deeper into the frozen tundra of the tale.
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LibraryThing member smerus
Utterly brilliant, completely assured, powerful and haunting
LibraryThing member Jodape
Interesting setting in Siberia during the Russian reovolution but I was not able to identify with the characters and found the plot rather contrived and unconvincing.
LibraryThing member neilchristie
A strange and fascinating story about love in many different forms - religious fanaticism, romantic love, sexual love, parental love. It grips like a thriller and builds to a nail-biting climax. Involves a bunch of strange stuff (cannibalism, castration cults) that actually happened during this
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period in Russian history. Unusual, compelling, thought-provoking - one of my favourite books of recent years. Show Less
LibraryThing member mbergman
A promising-sounding story set during the Russian Revolution, but the prose is obscure, and I decided to abandon it.
LibraryThing member posthumose
A powerful account of outcasts in Siberia just trying to survive through Russia's passionate and conflicting early 20th century political changes. If Mother Russia's history does not grab you, her characters certainly will. An original by a journalist who lived there for ten years.
warning:
warning:
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cannibalism is present Show Less
LibraryThing member PruGillard
A brilliant tale with a twist or two to keep one guessing. Very informative on certain sects I had never come across before and found them a bit bizarre but interesting.
LibraryThing member ladybug74
I really disliked this book. I tried several times to read it, but it literally made me sleepy. It was almost as bad as reading a dry textbook. I would read a little, then realize that I didn't even remember what I had just read. I would re-read it, then find myself yawning and getting sleepy.
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After a couple of chapters of this, I finally gave up. Show Less
LibraryThing member freetrader
Very good read, strange people. I like an historical novel which brings to life the perception of bolsjevik revolution by people in Siberia, life in the work camp, repression under the Tsarist regime. With a message that leaves nothing to guess: to become a man of steel, it is not enough to cut off
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your balls. Show Less
LibraryThing member sarradee
The People's Act of Love is set in an isolated religious commune in 1919 Siberia, that is also occupied by a regiment of Czech Legion soldiers who were on the wrong side of the recent revolutionary conflict. The Legion has lost a third of its number to battle, hunger and cold and is desperate to go
Anna Petrovna is a woman who moves to this isolated community to discover what really happened to the husband she thought had died in battle. Lonely and estranged from the villagers as a non-practitioner, Anna Petrovna stakes her life as bond in order to host Samarin in her home. Has she made a bad choice? Balashov is the enigmatic leader of the religious community, who first meets Samarin on the mountain and through his actions brings Samarin to Anna. His followers seek Utopia through personal sacrifice to God, this sacrifice bringing them closer to being angels on earth. It is Balashov's fate that gives title to the book.
This book gets off to a slow start. At first glance, the opening chapters appear to be individual parables instead of a cohesive narrative. The author created a complex web of interconnecting stories, for which a scorecard would be helpful to keep all the characters straight. Once everything falls into place, a reader who truly enjoys historical fiction will be transported. The attention to detail is extraordinary. Another reviewer commented that this book is reminiscent of classic Russian literature translated into English, rather than contemporary fiction. This isnâÂÂt an easy read, nor one that is easily forgettable.
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home. Into this uneasy community trudges Samarin, an escapee from an Arctic gulag. Before his arrest Samarin claims to have been a university student, who was at the wrong place during an activist action. His trial sent him to the White Garden, from which he escaped with the assistance of another convict, the Mohican. During the long walk, he discovers that the Mohican brought him along as a “cow�Â?, a lesser prisoner that is fattened for the slaughter, and is butchered and eaten so that the Mohican may survive the hazardous trek to freedom. Samarin eludes the Mohican but fears he is still being chased by a hungry cannibal bent on revenge.Anna Petrovna is a woman who moves to this isolated community to discover what really happened to the husband she thought had died in battle. Lonely and estranged from the villagers as a non-practitioner, Anna Petrovna stakes her life as bond in order to host Samarin in her home. Has she made a bad choice? Balashov is the enigmatic leader of the religious community, who first meets Samarin on the mountain and through his actions brings Samarin to Anna. His followers seek Utopia through personal sacrifice to God, this sacrifice bringing them closer to being angels on earth. It is Balashov's fate that gives title to the book.
This book gets off to a slow start. At first glance, the opening chapters appear to be individual parables instead of a cohesive narrative. The author created a complex web of interconnecting stories, for which a scorecard would be helpful to keep all the characters straight. Once everything falls into place, a reader who truly enjoys historical fiction will be transported. The attention to detail is extraordinary. Another reviewer commented that this book is reminiscent of classic Russian literature translated into English, rather than contemporary fiction. This isnâÂÂt an easy read, nor one that is easily forgettable.
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LibraryThing member technodiabla
It was interesting reading a "Russian" novel not written by a Russian. It was so much easier. Meek does a great job of letting each of the many characters have their story told in turn before he really starts to weave all the stories together. I was not expecting some of the more gruesome and
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troubling scenes. That didn't bother me, but some people would probably stop reading. I wish I had a better grounding in the geo-political details of the era prior to starting this book but it wasn't totally necessary-- just would've been nice. A good read, interesting period and setting. Great character development. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Booker Prize (Longlist — 2005)
Scotland's National Book Awards (Shortlist — 2005)
Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Book Awards (Winner — 2006)
Ondaatje Prize (Winner — 2006)
San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year (Fiction — 2006)
Notable Books List (Fiction — 2007)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2005
Physical description
391 p.; 5.12 inches
ISBN
1841957062 / 9781841957067
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DDC/MDS
| 813 |