Thistlefoot

Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott, 435 pages

So I first read this book in 2022, and loved it and blogged about it then, particulary noting that I could see using this Baba Yaga story of generational trauma and magical powers for Orcs & Aliens. And whaddaya know, that's just what we did this month! It was a great book discussion, and one of the more even-keeled Baba Yaga tales around.

(Also, I would LOVE to see this author live, as she apparently brings puppets, which is a vital part of the story, to all of her author visits.)

Enchantments

Enchantments by Kathryn Harrison  314 pp.

The Russian Revolution is approached from the point of view of Rasputin's older daughter Marila, called Masha, in this fictional account of the last days of the Romanov rule. After Rasputin's murder, Tsarina Alexandra brings his daughters to live with the royal family and gives Masha the task of being a companion to the young, hemophilia stricken Tsarevitch Alexsei who is called Alyosha in the story. The Tsarina hopes that Masha will have some of the mystical healing powers of her father but the best she can do is keep him amused with fanciful stories. Masha remains with the family during their house arrest during which the young Tsarevitch seems to be the only one who understands that they will all be murdered one day. When the Tsar and his family are removed to Siberia, Masha is freed and goes on to the marriage her father had arranged before his death. Eventually they leave Russia and, after her husband's death, Masha comes to the United States as a circus performer. The story plays fast and loose with the facts and jumps back and forth in time which can be confusing. It's an interesting mix of magical realism and historical fiction.

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, 1293 pages.
Well worth reading. There was certainly enough going on in this book to justify three book discussions. The relationships between Pierre and Helene, Natasha and Andrei, Marya and her father, Marya and Nikolai, Anatole and anyone he could convince to run off with him. They were all great.
I enjoyed wide swaths of the war part too, though say the Battle of Borodino, when I mean Austerlitz, and talk about Bagration when I mean Barclay de Tolly. I feel like a smarter person for having read this book, even if I was the last of the participating staff to finish.
Kudos to Kathleen, Annie, and Christa for all of their hard work on a successful series of programs.

Check our catalog (look for the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation).

Downloadable Audio (different translation).

War and Peace

War and Peace/Leo Tolstoy 1291 pages

Part history, part political study, part semi-autobiography, part psychology manual, part romance novel...I guess a book this big can be all things to all people. And really, the page count does not take into account the sheer denseness of the words on the page. This took me longer to read than any other 1291 pages in the last many years of keeping track of reading. It certainly *is* a great book. I did not tire of reading it, just of holding it up. Tolstoy seems like a sentimental guy who likes most of his characters...not that there aren't any evil people in this book but most of the main characters are good people doing the best that they can and it shows through in the narrative how much Tolstoy likes the characters he has created. There are many historical figures sprinkled throughout as well who seem to get pretty fair treatment. In the end, what can I say about this experience? Tolstoy is obviously no fan of war as I am not either. The look into Russia history and the day-to-day lives of the rich aristocratic class was interesting and informative and something new to me. I am glad to have read this with so many others who are participating in Our Summer of War and Peace at UCPL and look forward to our final discussion on Wed.

Trotsky: A Graphic Biography by Rick Geary

Trotsky: A Graphic Biography by Rick Geary, 112 pgs., Russian History, Biography.
A well-illustrated biography of the Russian Revolutionary.
I knew a little about Trotsky before I read this, that he and Lenin had a rocky relationship, with Trotsky being sometimes Lenin's favorite, and sometimes way down on Lenin's list. I knew that he had been one of the intellectuals, the writers, of the Russian revolution. And that Stalin had had him killed in Mexico. I did not know that he had been such an important military leader, or that he seemed to be the basis for the Strelikov character in Dr. Zhivago, with the cool armored train (though without a Lara, since Trotsky's wife went into exile with him).
An informative introduction to Trotsky's life.