Sometimes you read a book that just captures your interest completely, and is so well written that you just weep with desire over the author's skill. This is one of those.It is the story of the Russian Revolution told in three parts by the famous children's writer of Swallows and Amazons, Arthur Ransome, who was stationed in Russia as a journalist, and fell in love with Russia, and with the beautiful secretary of Trotsky.
The first part of this novel is told as a Russian Fairytale, the second part tells of the intrigue that covers the two revolutions of 1917, and the third part covers the personal life of Arthur Ransome as he struggles with his home life, his love life with Evgenia, and with his professional life as a journalist and eventual spy for both British and Bolshevick camps.
Told in lyrical writing that will melt your heart with its passion and it's simplicity. One of the best books I have read this year and aimed at Secondary and Senior Secondary levels. Adults will love it too.
Reviewed by Bob
Published by Orion Children’s Books
1 comments:
I read this book a month ago after having read "The Book of Dead Days" and "The Dark Flight Down", and I recently decided to write...shame I don't knoe the English word...it's something I write in order to prepare for a very important exam...about Marcus Sedgwick and the books by him which I enjoyed reading. Whatever, I particularly liked the poetic style of writing in "blood red snow white", indeed the book was able to raise my interest in the Bolshevik era up to a point of searching my old history school book to inform myself properly about the topic. It takes a lot to get me to think about a school's topic I thought I was finished with ;-) Since English is not my mother tongue, I probably still understood only half of the book, which certainly is a pity, but when I try and tell somebody about it's content, they don't understand anything...makes me proud. Although it probably depends on my explaining qualities :) To sum up, a really great book I loved to read, inspite of dealing with a topic I'm not likely to be attracted to.
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