Identify About Books The Russländer
| Title | : | The Russländer |
| Author | : | Sandra Birdsell |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 360 pages |
| Published | : | September 18th 2001 by McClelland & Stewart (first published 2001) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Historical. Historical Fiction. Cultural. Canada. Russia. Literature. Canadian Literature |
Sandra Birdsell
Hardcover | Pages: 360 pages Rating: 3.66 | 721 Users | 57 Reviews
Description Conducive To Books The Russländer
Katherine (Katya) Vogt is now an old woman living in Winnipeg, but the story of how she and her family came to Canada begins in Russia in 1910, on a wealthy Mennonite estate. Here they lived in a world bounded by the prosperity of their landlords and by the poverty and disgruntlement of the Russian workers who toil on the estate. But in the wake of the First World War, the tensions engulfing the country begin to intrude on the community, leading to an unspeakable act of violence. In the aftermath of that violence, and in the difficult years that follow, Katya tries to come to terms with the terrible events that befell her and her family. In lucid, spellbinding prose, Birdsell vividly evokes time and place, and the unease that existed in a county on the brink of revolutionary change. The Russländer is a powerful and moving story of ordinary people who lived through extraordinary times.
Define Books In Pursuance Of The Russländer
| Original Title: | The Russländer |
| ISBN: | 0771014503 (ISBN13: 9780771014505) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Rating About Books The Russländer
Ratings: 3.66 From 721 Users | 57 ReviewsPiece About Books The Russländer
I very much enjoyed this novel. I am not a huge reader of historical fiction, but found the characters and plot compelling, and the historical aspects of the novel rang true to my limited knowledge. I have great admiration for Sandra Birdsell's ability to craft both setting and plot to create a wonderful novel that I would highly recommend. There is an aspect of mystery that keeps the story moving along even for other readers, like me, who do not normally choose this particular genre as theirI absolutely loved this story of a Russian Mennonite family and the events that precipitated their migration to Canada, but perhaps that is largely because it could very well have been the story of my own grandparents. Katya Vogt is an old woman in Winnipeg when she is asked to tell the story of her immigration to Canada to a young man who is recording the oral histories of elderly Mennonites. The tale she tells is one of violence and terror, as the quiet estate farm she grew up on is destroyed
I've been wanting to read this novel for a long time. It deals with the daily lives of a Mennonite family in Russia just before the revolution after which their whole world changes and they must now deal with much suffering and ultimately severe brutality at the hands of anarchists & Bolsheviks. My grandparents were Mennonites who emigrated from Russia during the early 1920's and I wanted to get a better sense of how they lived, what they had to deal with and why they eventually decided to
I thought this was a haunting book that has stayed with me for years. It taught me so much I could not imagine beforehand about "stuff in Russia" ... Evocative, spellbinding work: fiction that goes 'beyond'.
I read this book just after The Road. I was on holiday, and my husband was pleading with me to get ready, everyone was waiting for us in the lobby, but I just couldn't put the book down and had to finish it before supper! It starts off with meandering memories of a girl and her Mennonite family in Russia, and the community there. There are tensions between her father and the rich Mennonite family that owns the land. But when the Russian revolution starts, life becomes incredibly frightening. It
Im sure there is a fine story here, hidden within the folds of Mennonite minutiae but I was not engaged on any level. (Read: I was bored senseless.) I fidgeteted, squirmed and sighed my way through 79 pages. I then skimmed through a hundred more. Still nothing. I leave it to others to find their reading nirvana in these pages. Running for the exit.
How can you not like a book where everyone gets slaughtered?! Actually this was not as painful to read as I anticipated - the story was gripping and the historical and cultural aspects were fascinating. It will be really interesting to contrast the Mennonites of this book with those in the next book I'm reading - A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews.
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