Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Square Fish (Roaring Brook Press)
Pages
296
Description
"A novel based on the life of children's book author Arthur Ransome, who left his home, his wife, and daughter and fell in love with Russia and a Russian woman and was suspected, by both sides, of being a spy"--
Description
When writer Arthur Ransome leaves his unhappy marriage in England and moves to Russia to work as a journalist, he has little idea of the violent revolution about to erupt. Unwittingly, he finds himself at its center, tapped by the British to report back on the Bolsheviks even as he becomes dangerously, romantically entangled with Trotsky's personal secretary.
Both sides seek to use Arthur to gather and relay information for their own purposes . . . and both grow to suspect him of being a double agent. Arthur wants only to elope far from conflict with his beloved, but her Russian ties make leaving the country nearly impossible. And the more Arthur resists becoming a pawn, the more entrenched in the game he seems to become.
Blood Red Snow White, a Soviet-era thriller from renowned author Marcus Sedgwick, is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats.
A historical novel based on the life of British author and journalist Arthur Ransome that is told in three distinct styles, each of which reflects an aspect of Ransome's career. It opens in the style of a fairy tale, brilliantly setting the scene in Saint Petersburg in 1913, when the bright, impetuous young writer leaves his wife and daughter in England, teaches himself Russian, and sets about collecting the stories that appear in his first book, Old Peter's Russian Tales, published in 1916. But by then, everything had changed. "The time for princes and tsars and grand duchesses and especially holy madmen was gone. In its place came a world of war and revolution, of tanks and telephones, of murder and assassination." Here the narrative shifts and uses flashbacks and the third person to report the events of the Russian Revolution and the civil war that followed back to the British press. Ransome becomes romantically involved with Evgenia, Trotsky's personal secretary, and is caught up in the dangerous game of political intrigue and information exchange. He becomes a pawn in the ongoing power struggle, and his every move is suspect, but he wants only to get himself and Evgenia safely out of the country. The narrative shifts to Arthur's first-person account of getting out and back into Russia and escaping with his beloved. An author's note, a time line, and Secret Service files are appended to inform readers about facts behind the spy thriller elements. VERDICT This well-written tale might be a hard sell to a lot of teens, but those who are fans of Sedgwick's earlier titles, history buffs, and readers of Ransome's classic "Swallows and Amazons" adventures will be intrigued by this colorful and multilayered work.
Both sides seek to use Arthur to gather and relay information for their own purposes . . . and both grow to suspect him of being a double agent. Arthur wants only to elope far from conflict with his beloved, but her Russian ties make leaving the country nearly impossible. And the more Arthur resists becoming a pawn, the more entrenched in the game he seems to become.
Blood Red Snow White, a Soviet-era thriller from renowned author Marcus Sedgwick, is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats.
A historical novel based on the life of British author and journalist Arthur Ransome that is told in three distinct styles, each of which reflects an aspect of Ransome's career. It opens in the style of a fairy tale, brilliantly setting the scene in Saint Petersburg in 1913, when the bright, impetuous young writer leaves his wife and daughter in England, teaches himself Russian, and sets about collecting the stories that appear in his first book, Old Peter's Russian Tales, published in 1916. But by then, everything had changed. "The time for princes and tsars and grand duchesses and especially holy madmen was gone. In its place came a world of war and revolution, of tanks and telephones, of murder and assassination." Here the narrative shifts and uses flashbacks and the third person to report the events of the Russian Revolution and the civil war that followed back to the British press. Ransome becomes romantically involved with Evgenia, Trotsky's personal secretary, and is caught up in the dangerous game of political intrigue and information exchange. He becomes a pawn in the ongoing power struggle, and his every move is suspect, but he wants only to get himself and Evgenia safely out of the country. The narrative shifts to Arthur's first-person account of getting out and back into Russia and escaping with his beloved. An author's note, a time line, and Secret Service files are appended to inform readers about facts behind the spy thriller elements. VERDICT This well-written tale might be a hard sell to a lot of teens, but those who are fans of Sedgwick's earlier titles, history buffs, and readers of Ransome's classic "Swallows and Amazons" adventures will be intrigued by this colorful and multilayered work.
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2007
Physical description
296 p.; 8.25 inches
ISBN
9781250129635
Similar in this library
Lexile
840L
User reviews
LibraryThing member gaskella
There has been renewed interest in the beloved children's author Arthur Ransome lately due to the publication of a new biography: The Last Englishman: The Double Life of Arthur Ransome by Roland Chambers. What many people don't know is that years before he wrote the children's classics, including
Published in 2007, Marcus Sedgwick's wonderful novel also tackles Ransome's time in Russia. Sedgwick is one of those teen authors whose books are crossover adult reads too, and I can't recommend this one highly enough - it has revolution and politics, spies and intrigue, romance and family drama, all steeped in Russian fairy tales.
Stuck in a marriage where he didn't love his wife, Ransome ran away to Russia in 1913, although he regretted having to leave his daughter behind. There he taught himself the language and became a journalist on the Daily News at the start of the Great War. He also covered the 1917 revolutions, and was close to Lenin and Trotsky. There he met the real love of his life, Evgenia, who was Trotsky's personal secretary; they married eventually. He was somewhat sympathetic to the Bolshelvik cause, although remained loyal to his homeland, and this led to MI6 using him through their agent Bruce Lockhart (whose Memoirs of a British Agent - Being an account of the author's early life in many lands and of his official mission to Moscow in 1918 was a bestseller in the 1930s); MI5 also kept tabs on him for years. Ransome's occasional journeys to and from the UK were full of adventure and peril, especially the time the Estonians used him to deliver a secret armistice proposal to Litvinov in Moscow in 1919, where his good reputation with both sides was his life-saver.
It was at the start of his self-imposed exile that he wrote his book Old Peter's Russian Tales: these are full of magical talismans, poor peasant folk on quests, cunning animals, greedy men and wicked stepmothers, and Baba Yaga of course. These moral tales are often dark and many don't have happy endings, but really get into the Russian psyche.
Sedgwick's novelisation is no dry biography. He starts by using the fairy tales to tell the problems of the people, embodied by a great Russian bear spurred into action against the Tsar by two friends arguing in the forest - they are Lenin and Trotsky. This is superb scene-setting, and Ransome wanders into it and instantly falls in love with a woman stirring a pot on a stove in an office ...
'This is what you want,' she said, almost in a whisper.
She nodded at the pot, and Arthur found himself drawn towards her. He looked inside.
'Potatoes,' she murmured, as if it were the most beautiful word in the world. Her eyes lit up and Arthur realised how very hungry he was. He stood no more than a weak moment's decision away from her, and looked into her eyes.
This is what you want.
And that was how the young writer found love, just when he had stopped looking for it.
How can you not be reeled in by the utter romance in those words. Combined with all the derring do of the amateur spy, the author delivers a totally fabulous novel. Swallows and Amazons was his favourite childhood book, and when the National Archives released the files on Ransome, it was a story demanding to be told. Some of the fascinating telegrams from the archives are reproduced in the Appendix. Highly recommended indeed.
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Swallows and Amazons, for which he is so fondly remembered, he lived and worked in Russia at the time of the revolution. Published in 2007, Marcus Sedgwick's wonderful novel also tackles Ransome's time in Russia. Sedgwick is one of those teen authors whose books are crossover adult reads too, and I can't recommend this one highly enough - it has revolution and politics, spies and intrigue, romance and family drama, all steeped in Russian fairy tales.
Stuck in a marriage where he didn't love his wife, Ransome ran away to Russia in 1913, although he regretted having to leave his daughter behind. There he taught himself the language and became a journalist on the Daily News at the start of the Great War. He also covered the 1917 revolutions, and was close to Lenin and Trotsky. There he met the real love of his life, Evgenia, who was Trotsky's personal secretary; they married eventually. He was somewhat sympathetic to the Bolshelvik cause, although remained loyal to his homeland, and this led to MI6 using him through their agent Bruce Lockhart (whose Memoirs of a British Agent - Being an account of the author's early life in many lands and of his official mission to Moscow in 1918 was a bestseller in the 1930s); MI5 also kept tabs on him for years. Ransome's occasional journeys to and from the UK were full of adventure and peril, especially the time the Estonians used him to deliver a secret armistice proposal to Litvinov in Moscow in 1919, where his good reputation with both sides was his life-saver.
It was at the start of his self-imposed exile that he wrote his book Old Peter's Russian Tales: these are full of magical talismans, poor peasant folk on quests, cunning animals, greedy men and wicked stepmothers, and Baba Yaga of course. These moral tales are often dark and many don't have happy endings, but really get into the Russian psyche.
Sedgwick's novelisation is no dry biography. He starts by using the fairy tales to tell the problems of the people, embodied by a great Russian bear spurred into action against the Tsar by two friends arguing in the forest - they are Lenin and Trotsky. This is superb scene-setting, and Ransome wanders into it and instantly falls in love with a woman stirring a pot on a stove in an office ...
'This is what you want,' she said, almost in a whisper.
She nodded at the pot, and Arthur found himself drawn towards her. He looked inside.
'Potatoes,' she murmured, as if it were the most beautiful word in the world. Her eyes lit up and Arthur realised how very hungry he was. He stood no more than a weak moment's decision away from her, and looked into her eyes.
This is what you want.
And that was how the young writer found love, just when he had stopped looking for it.
How can you not be reeled in by the utter romance in those words. Combined with all the derring do of the amateur spy, the author delivers a totally fabulous novel. Swallows and Amazons was his favourite childhood book, and when the National Archives released the files on Ransome, it was a story demanding to be told. Some of the fascinating telegrams from the archives are reproduced in the Appendix. Highly recommended indeed.
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LibraryThing member LibrarianAbi
This was an interesting mix of fairytale and spy story with a side order of romance. A fictional interpretation of the time Arthur Ransome (author of Swallows and Amazons etc)spent as a spy for seemingly both the Bolsheviks and the British at the time of the Russian Revolution. He was certainly a
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brave chap in a very British, slightly cackhanded man abroad kinda way. The spy story bit is bookended by fairytale type sequences, the contrast of which doesn't work terribly well, but as Ransome himself started be writing fairytales about Russia, is at least apt. An interesting premise, made more so by the reality behind the fiction, and the British Secret Services reports on Ransome are reproduced at the end of the book. Show Less
LibraryThing member LibraryLou
This book is fantastic. The way the story develops, and the fairy tale style adds another dimension to it. I was hooked from the start.
It tells the story of Arthur Ransome (of Swallows and Amazons fame) and his time in Russia during the revolution. He led such an interesting life that I never knew
The events of the war are told in such a way that I really understood what was happening, and I learnt more about the subject than when I studied it for A Level.
The chapter titles were very clever too, particularly towards the end.
Very well put together, and enjoyable to read.
It tells the story of Arthur Ransome (of Swallows and Amazons fame) and his time in Russia during the revolution. He led such an interesting life that I never knew
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about. Based on fact, but with a lot of fiction thrown in, the story is seamless.The events of the war are told in such a way that I really understood what was happening, and I learnt more about the subject than when I studied it for A Level.
The chapter titles were very clever too, particularly towards the end.
Very well put together, and enjoyable to read.
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LibraryThing member E.R.G.
Well writen and a good story as well as lots of stuff about the first world war. It was a bit confusing though and I never totally understood all of what was going on.
LibraryThing member generalkala
This is not a book about the Russian Revolution. This is a book about Arthur Ransome.
Ransome was the author of Swallows and Amazons (amongst other adventure stories) and a journalist during the Russian Revolution. The novel revolves around his life, his aquaintances and his problems, few of which
Although his moral dilemmas over whether to become a spy form a large part, there is little else regarding the Revolution. The execution of the Tsar and his family form a mere three lines, while the difficulties in travelling back and forth between England and Russia drag on forever.
It is also clearly a children's book. The language is very, very simple and the few factual parts are toned down for easier understanding.
There are no likeable characters.
All in all, the novel provides a very basic understanding of the Russian Revolution, if you're prepared to slog through the meanderings of Arthur Ransome's troubles with his wife.
Ransome was the author of Swallows and Amazons (amongst other adventure stories) and a journalist during the Russian Revolution. The novel revolves around his life, his aquaintances and his problems, few of which
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relate to the Revolution. This fascinating historical event happens almost in the background, an afterthought. Although his moral dilemmas over whether to become a spy form a large part, there is little else regarding the Revolution. The execution of the Tsar and his family form a mere three lines, while the difficulties in travelling back and forth between England and Russia drag on forever.
It is also clearly a children's book. The language is very, very simple and the few factual parts are toned down for easier understanding.
There are no likeable characters.
All in all, the novel provides a very basic understanding of the Russian Revolution, if you're prepared to slog through the meanderings of Arthur Ransome's troubles with his wife.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jmchshannon
Marcus Sedgwick can draft one hell of a sentence. His gorgeous prose is the kind that makes you want to pause after each sentence just to savor his words, and this is something I do not normally find myself wanting to do. He can make even the most brutal of situations sound almost beautiful. Case
After his fairy tale, Mr. Sedgwick gets to the heart of the story, following the young author Arthur Ransome as he tries to perform his job and eke out some semblance of happiness in the violent and chaotic world that is revolutionary Russia. His job as a member of the British press affords him unique access to the leaders of the Revolution and is how he meets his romantic interest. As a young writer, Ransome does not necessarily get to write from the heart for his job but rather report what he thinks his writers want to hear. Given this, it is easy to see how both sides end up thinking that he is on their side. Therein lies the crux of the conflict as he fights to prove himself a loyal British citizen without endangering his life or the life of his Russian girlfriend.
The truly fascinating part of all of this is that Arthur Ransome was a very real historical figure who did all of these things. There is an afterword in the novel that spells out how Mr. Sedgwick became interested in writing about him after learning that his file was recently declassified by the British. Upon learning this information, what once seemed like an entertaining and educational glimpse into the early spy games of what would eventually become the Cold War now seems like a fascinating story of a man who’s life was truly stranger than fiction.
This is the second novel of Mr. Sedgwick’s that I have read, and I remain thoroughly impressed by his writing style and skill. His stories are deceptively simple but underneath are a wealth of complex layers and relationships that brings heightened tension and greater depth to his story and his characters. The historical elements of Blood Red Snow White are chilling in their matter-of-factness while never losing some of that fairy tale whimsy established in the first section of the novel. Overall, it is a highly engaging, entertaining, and beautiful story of one man entangled in a web set in the midst of chaos and his efforts to free himself.
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in point, the first section of Blood Red Snow White is the story of the Russian Revolution told as a fairy tale – all the way up to the Peoples’ uprising and the imprisonment of Czar Nicholas and his family. His use of allegory lessens the impact of the brutal, cold-blooded shootings done on both sides while ensuring readers understand the two sides and the political machinations flowing around them.After his fairy tale, Mr. Sedgwick gets to the heart of the story, following the young author Arthur Ransome as he tries to perform his job and eke out some semblance of happiness in the violent and chaotic world that is revolutionary Russia. His job as a member of the British press affords him unique access to the leaders of the Revolution and is how he meets his romantic interest. As a young writer, Ransome does not necessarily get to write from the heart for his job but rather report what he thinks his writers want to hear. Given this, it is easy to see how both sides end up thinking that he is on their side. Therein lies the crux of the conflict as he fights to prove himself a loyal British citizen without endangering his life or the life of his Russian girlfriend.
The truly fascinating part of all of this is that Arthur Ransome was a very real historical figure who did all of these things. There is an afterword in the novel that spells out how Mr. Sedgwick became interested in writing about him after learning that his file was recently declassified by the British. Upon learning this information, what once seemed like an entertaining and educational glimpse into the early spy games of what would eventually become the Cold War now seems like a fascinating story of a man who’s life was truly stranger than fiction.
This is the second novel of Mr. Sedgwick’s that I have read, and I remain thoroughly impressed by his writing style and skill. His stories are deceptively simple but underneath are a wealth of complex layers and relationships that brings heightened tension and greater depth to his story and his characters. The historical elements of Blood Red Snow White are chilling in their matter-of-factness while never losing some of that fairy tale whimsy established in the first section of the novel. Overall, it is a highly engaging, entertaining, and beautiful story of one man entangled in a web set in the midst of chaos and his efforts to free himself.
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LibraryThing member ShellyPYA
When writer Arthur Ransome leaves his unhappy marriage in England and moves to Russia to work as a journalist, he has little idea of the violent revolution about to erupt. Unwittingly, he finds himself at its center, tapped by the British to report back on the Bolsheviks even as he becomes
Show More
dangerously, romantically entangled with Trotsky's personal secretary. Both sides seek to use Arthur to gather and relay information for their own purposes . . . and both grow to suspect him of being a double agent. Arthur wants only to elope far from conflict with his beloved, but her Russian ties make leaving the country nearly impossible. And the more Arthur resists becoming a pawn, the more entrenched in the game he seems to become. Show Less
LibraryThing member lilibrarian
The story of British children's author Arthur Ransome, and his involvement in the Bolshevik revolution in russia while working as a reporter during WWI.
LibraryThing member scatlett
Absolutely riveting quasi nonfictional account of journalist Arthur Ransome's experiences during the Russian Revolution. Sedgwick is a truly exceptional author and in his author's note he describes Blood Red, Snow White as "a work of fiction, but it is as closely based on the real events
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surrounding Ransome's time in revolutionary Russia as I could make it." The real and the fictional blend seamlessly and the story is effortless and captivating. Show Less
LibraryThing member tronella
disappointing - I'd skip this and read the non-fiction biography of Ransome "The Last Englishman" instead. The fairytale-style writing style in the first section was irritating and fictionalising the events didn't add much to them, in my opinion.
Awards
Costa Book Awards (Shortlist — Children's Book — 2007)
Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing (Nominee — 2008)
The White Ravens (2008)
Call number
YA A Sed