Rating: 
Summary: Enlightening
Review: I've read many historical novels, mainly about England, but I found Russka to be one of the best. I only knew a little about Russia's history, but was told that its history is one of backwardness, authoritarianism and mysticism. The person who told me was right. Russian history is just about on the opposite side of the spectrum from the U.S.'s. I found the characters believable but frustrating in their ignorance. Each era brought me new revelations about Russian history, especially the eras of Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great and the 1870's and 1880's with the pre-revolutionary nihilists. Mr. Rutherford is a wonderful writer and I look forward to reading his other novels. I'm recommending his books to all my friends and family.
Rating: 
Summary: Awesome, loved it.....
Review: If you like historical fiction, this is great.....History has a way of repeating itself and this book shows you why things are the way they are today.....Great book....
Rating: 
Summary: Not Rutherfurd's best...
Review: If you're like me, you've probably read some of Edward Rutherfurd's better known books, & are now thinking about reading "Russka" as well. Warning: this book will suffer in comparison! Rutherfurd's England books ("Sarum", "London" & "The Forest") all take place in locations that exist in today's world & have long established histories. Because of this, they have a solid foundation upon which the author can base his imagined characters, thus bringing history to vivid life. "Russka" does not share this strength. There are actually two towns named Russka in this novel, neither of which actually exists. No matter how carefully Rutherfurd may have observed & based his Russka on real Russian villages, the fact remains there is no actual history attached to this name or locale he can work from. Instead we get Russian History 101 highpoints interspersed with some rather unappealing characters having moral crises. The characters themselves are the other weakness in "Russka". It's hard to tell whether Rutherfurd is trying to create archetypical "Russians", "Cossacks" & "Slavs" or if he simply doesn't like his creations much. Either way, most seem self-centered, narrow-minded & anti-Semitic. This anti-Semitism is especially disturbing. Of course Russian history is full of pogroms & laws against Jews, but even when Rutherfurd is dealing with situations fully under his control he puts anti-Semitic epithets into his characters mouths. Why have an otherwise nice protagonist suddenly yell "Jewess!" as an insult to his wife? That sort of thing is entirely uncalled for & should have been edited out prior to publication. Another feature that seems to have been missed by the editor is the authors habit of attributing characterisation to inanimate objects. Every time something is described, Rutherfurd uses the phrase "...as if to say..." which becomes quite annoying after 300 or so pages! It's hard to believe the monastery walls are trying to say anything! Despite weaknesses, "Russka" has much to teach us about Russian history, both it's virtues & downfalls. It is fascinating to see that many of the things we in the West are taught to blame on Communism are actually long-established traditions of Russian government & have been part of the political system long before 1918. Now that capitilism is also failing in the Soviet Union, a bigger picture is called for & "Russka" helps provide that.
Rating:
Summary: my review
Review: In this book, the author takes us from the beginning of Russian history to present-day Russia. The author has been able to teach us, through novelized characters, the complexities of the history of this culture, of this land. The characters are interesting, confusing, and very alive. All periods have been mentioned with all their intricacies. This is a beatiful piece of literature and history and makes learning so much fun! I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning.
Rating:
Summary: History that is interesting! What a concept!
Review: Interesting story of a "fictional" Russian family (although could be very much real) covering the entire span of Russian history. Tells you the true history of Russia while keeping you interested by the "Fairy-tale" nature of the story. I highly reccomend it.
Rating:
Summary: Fine Weave of Storytelling and HIstory
Review: Like his English history novels Sarum and London, Rutherfurd puts people into history in a way that leaves you feeling as though you've lived in their time and place. These are real characters you care about and whose cultural roots and outlook you feel you understand, and that is the best beginning to education in history. Russka is only slightly diminished by a bit much overt quizzing amongst the novel's characters to explain the history. Overall I really liked how well history and storyline are woven together. Educational, engaging and, at times, riveting. Rutherfurd knows how to tell a good tale.
Rating:
Summary: Not Quite Up to Sarum Standards
Review: Like many, I picked this up because Sarum impressed me so. For me, this work did not quite live up to that standard. The history side is fine. Russia's history is pretty dramatic all by itself, and Rutherford manages to get to most of the highlights one way or another. Maybe, though, the canvas was just too big-- ultimately the work didn't quite hang together for me as whole. The technique of multiple family lines becomes stretched to the point of breaking. I felt as if I were reading several short books that had no connection other than setting, that successive generations did not build upon or add to those that preceded or followed them. The parts never quite added up to a greater whole as they did in sarum. Still glad I read it, and I would still recommend it for its historical sweep, but he did this better in sarum.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Historical Epic Ruined by Abrupt End
Review: One of the richest historical tapestries written in the 20th century bringing Russian pre-revolutionary history to life like nothing since Tolstoy.I loved every minute of it and lived with the figures in the novel-wept ,rejoiced and feared for them.Saw the barbarism of the first settlements by nomadic people,the cruelty of Ivan the Terrible,the pompous hypocricy of the court of Catherine The Great and the confusion and despair of the 19th century and the excitement and fear of the pre-revolutionary era.But I was bitterly disapointed that Rutherford did not document the horrors of the Stalin period in more detail and did not cover the years of Russian history after World II.How wonderful an acount of the stalled reforms of Kruschev,the stagnation of the later Kruschev years and of the Brezhnev years.The Cold war and the invasions of Poland,Hungary,Czechoslovakia and Afghanistan ,the indocrination by the Communist party and the valour of the persecuted dissidents,through the eys of different Russian people would have been.The collapse of the Soviet union and the heroic stand by the people of Moscow against the failed 1991 Stalinist coup would have enriched and completed the account.Because this was abruptly ommited I will give the novel four instead of five stars
Rating:
Summary: Spassiva
Review: Reading Rutherfurd brings instantly one other author to mind, the late James Michener. Like Michener (most of his books, at least), Rutherfurd chooses one specific place (London, for example) and, through a series of characters inhabiting that place, he tells the story of a nation, or of a city. In this case, the "place" is the biggest country in the world: Russia, and her neighbours. Like "Sarum", which tells the hisstory of England, "Russka" is the hisstory of Russia told from the point of view of three families, each occupying a different position in russian society. From the II century, through the tsarist empire and finally the October Revolution, Rutherfurd, in more than 900 pages, was able to provide his readers with the right blend between a well-created fiction with the most important parts of russian history. And yet, I thought this book was shorter than it could be. Rutherfurd's style sometimes leave the reader tired. Some of his sentences are a little too prosaic for the kind of fiction he's intended to write. He abuses the right to use the word "For" (as in "For Nicolai was the greatest poet in Ukraine") to begin a phrase. One other problem I found was concerning the division of the book. The part I expected the most was the Revolution. I was satisfied when I read it. It's well written, interesting and holds the attention of the reader. In fact, the Revolution is the climax of russian history (at least in my opinion, I'm not russian and I really don't know that much about russian history), and the author does a good job in building the tension and creating a very "russian" atmosphere in the previous chapters before the revolution. But the problem is that, after 1917, the book ends. Nothing about the second World War, nothing about Breschnev, the Perestroika and the fall of the Berlin wall. So, I was left with the sense that there was somethig missing. Rutherfurd could have written at least 300 more pages and I wouldn't think this would a book too big, given its subject. But I think that I was rewarded after closing the final page on "Russka". I wanted a book of fiction that would show me the history of Russia. Rutherfurd's research and his choice of characters, although conservative, were very good. "Russka" is entertaining and gripping, and I was hooked all through its 900 pages. Grade 8.3/10
Rating:
Summary: Planning a trip to Russia?---read this book first!
Review: Recently, I was able to tour Russia. A friend suggested I read Russka before I left. What a wonderful historical background it provided me! Rutherfurd writes much like Michener (except a little less verbose!) and his colorful desciptions make the characters come alive. I have read Sarum also, but found Russka much more to my liking. Can hardly wait for Rutherfurd to write more
| 
