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As the year 1905 draws to an end, great changes sweep through Russia. The tragic events of ""Bloody Sunday"" usher in a sequence of massive and paralyzing national strikes that eventually force the tsar to turn his government into a constitutional monarchy, and it appears that the radical element has finally won. But for Anna Fedorcenko, the overwhelming tragedy of that fateful day was the slaying of her beloved husband, Sergei. While her loss is a painful struggle, it is Sergei's sons who are most dramatically affected by their father's untimely death. Andrei, the youngest, becomes driven to see his father's death avenged, and thus his boundless energies are aimed toward the downfall of the monarchy. Yuri, the oldest, is also grief-stricken, but he approaches it with characteristic confusion and uncertainty and finds he cannot support his brother's revolutionary fervor. As Russia plunges from World War I into the ensuing civil war between the Bolsheviks and an army of White Russians comprised of nobility and others opposed to Lenin, the family of Anna Fedorcenko is caught in the middle of conflicting national interests. Will their faith and love be strong enough to help them survive?… (more)
User reviews
This series continues to amaze me as I thought I would eventually lose interest in the story line. But Judith Pella has done an excellent job of weaving a story that compels you to keep reading and see what happens next. It is like reading the history of Russian in the early 1900's, but by putting people in the story that you have come to know and care about, you have a strong desire to keep reading and learning. I will suggest that you read "A Word from the Author" at the beginning of this book, as she does deal with a very wicked man named Rasputin in this story and she explains her reasons for doing so. I am now off to finish the series with the last book, "Passage Into Light". (I sneaked a peek at the first chapter and it picks up immediately where book 6 left off!)
I'm nearly finished with this historical ChristFic series after reading this sixth novel, and I'm kind of on pins and needles as I imagine how the saga might wrap up.
As I've mentioned before, it's the plot that's hooked me to this series more so than the characters. Many of the people in these stories still have a fairly caricatural, sometimes melodramatic feel, and as for drama on the whole, I think it's overdone when the narrator exclaims (!) the story at the reader. Also, I still haven't been able to find any of the romance convincing, mostly because I'd need the characters to feel more real and natural.
Even so, the wealth of history here—the parts I already knew and those I'm reading about for the first time—is fascinating. And the reminders of humanity's vices and hazardous tendencies are disturbing, including people's susceptibility to brainwashing when they give too much trust and devotion to prominent, bigheaded, self-serving figures who manipulate people (even many people) through their fears.
Yes, that kind of stuff really happens, and those who cannot remember the past are condemned to...
Well.
As with the preceding novel, the climax in this one is gripping, and the short conclusion teeters on uncertainty. I'm quite curious to see how World War I, revolution, and civil war in Russia will play into the end of this series. On to Book Seven.