Midnight in St. Petersburg: A Novel - Hardcover

Bennett, Vanora

3.38

874 ratings by Goodreads

9781250079435: Midnight in St. Petersburg: A Novel

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1250079438 ISBN 13: 9781250079435

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books, 2016

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Faberge jewels, the mysterious Rasputin, and a priceless violin: Each plays a part in one young woman's fight for survival, and for love, in revolutionary Russia.

St. Petersburg, 1911. Inna Feldman has fled the pogroms of the south to take refuge with distant relatives in Russia's capital. Welcomed by the flamboyant Leman family, she is apprenticed into their violin-making workshop. She feels instantly at home in their bohemian circle, but revolution is in the air, and as society begins to fracture, she is forced to choose between her heart and her head.

She loves her brooding cousin, Yasha, but he is wild, destructive, and devoted to revolution. Horace Wallick, an Englishman who makes precious Faberge creations, is older and promises security and respectability. And, like many others, she is drawn to the mysterious, charismatic figure beginning to make a name for himself in the city: Rasputin.

As the rebellion descends into anarchy and bloodshed, a commission to repair a priceless Stadivarius violin offers Inna a means of escape. But what man will she choose to take with her? And is it already too late?

A magical and passionate story steeped in history and intrigue, Vanora Bennett's Midnight in St. Petersburg is an extraordinary novel of music, politics, and the toll that revolution exacts on the human heart.

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About the Author:

Vanora Bennett studied Russian at Oxford University and in the USSR. She began her career as a journalist at Reuters and went on to serve as the Moscow correspondent for the Los Angeles Times, winning a U.S. Overseas Press Club award for her writing on Russia. She now lives in Britain and has won the Orwell Prize for political writing for her work at The Times (UK). She is the author of four novels, including Portrait of an Unknown Woman, and two books of nonfiction.

Review:

Praise for Midnight in St. Petersburg

“A tale of thundering passions set in the Russian Revolution . . . Historical fiction at its best.”
―Kate Saunders, The Times (UK)

“A rich gorgeous broth of passion and danger . . . I was swept away by the meticulous set-dressing, epic plot, and unashamed romanticism.”
―Saga Magazine

“Bennett’s sophisticated grasp of historical realities and psychological complexity gives power and depth to what might easily have been a cliched romance.”
―The Sunday Times (UK)

“Engaging tale of life in pre-revolutionary Russia. The author’s style is easy on the eye, and the story is both fascinating and illuminating.”
―Books Monthly

"A thoughtful read for those interested in Russian history or historical dramas."
―School Library Journal

"Excitement and romance abound in Midnight in St. Petersburg, a beautifully written story of love, music and politics of the time."
―The Missourian

Praise for Vanora Bennett

“Bennett’s background detail is impeccable―part love story, part thriller, all excellently imagined and written.”
―The Times (UK) on Portrait of an Unknown Woman

“Bennett knows what drives her characters, both fictional and historical, and they seem as real and easy to relate to as your next-door neighbor.”
―The Christian Science Monitor on Figures in Silk

“A page-turning story, successfully evoking the atmosphere of intrigue and fear that beset the times.”
―The Daily Mail (UK) on The Queen’s Lover

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