Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge discussion

Here we are! The Unofficial Group Read for the "Hotel" prompt: A Gentleman in Moscow. Everyone's starting at their own pace, some of us still waiting on copies, so responses may be sporadic to begin with. :)

I've had this on hold at my library since Feb 6, but I'm still #150 waiting for 50 copies, so it will likely be about 9 more weeks before I get my hands on it! When I do, I'll be sure to check in here.

I plan to take this book on my upcoming business trip, so I'll be ready to discuss in a couple of weeks when I get back!

This book is also on my list this year but I've no idea when I'll get to it.

I just started reading today. Looking for to it!

I want to start... but I still have, like, six books to finish. >_>

I should probably do that.

I decided I didn't feel like waiting, so I used an Audible credit to get it, and started listening today. I was trying to explain to my husband how it is possible that listening to him talk about being bored was somehow interesting... hard to convey!

I just started reading it yesterday and am a quarter of the way through. Lucky for me I live in the New Orleans area, and it popped in my inbox the day I got off for Mardi Gras break! Great entertainment as I wait for the parades to start - I'm such a nerd. :)

I do have a question, do we know how old he is when the novel begins?

I live in the Baton Rouge area, and it was automatically checked out to me (finally!) in Overdrive last week. I am loving the author's style of writing. I've never read anything quite like it. The only word that comes to mind is Delicious! Will definitely be reading Rules of Civility after I finish this one.

I've got this on hold at my library - just waiting for my turn! (My library hold system is a bit unpredictable, because members of each branch get priority on that branch's copies, but you can't tell from the hold list who is in line in front of you.)

I believe he is in his 20s. You are given sufficient info to guess his approximate age.

I read this in January and it was wonderful! In fact I stayed up way too late on a work night to finish it. I put it on the list of books I highly recommend and promptly purchased the ebook for Towles' first book.

I passed the halfway point. I'm not sure I've ever read a book with so little plot that I enjoyed this much! It is a real paradox for me.

Anyone still reading? I'm getting near the end and have questions. If anyone else has gotten to the 1954 section, let me know!

I've finished the book!

It JUST came in for me on hold at my library! So ... I'll be reading it in a week or so, when I finish the book I'm reading now.

Sorry, Chrissy, I'm in 1938, reading slowly and enjoying this book to the hilt. Unfortunately, my library also automatically checked me out the digital edition of A Man Called Ove a few days later. I'm trying to read both simultaneously, as there are long wait lists for both of these books. But reading both at the same time has been a BIG mistake!

I know A Man Called Ove must also be a great book, but I'm having such a hard time getting into it because of the extreme contrasts between Count Rostov and Ove. Where Count Rostov is such a breath of fresh air with his courtesy, wit and charm, Ove is like fingernails on a chalkboard. I just can't get into him! Maybe I should just wait until later to try to read it and savor the moments in A Gentleman in Moscow.

I've got between 6 - 14 weeks to go before i get this, depending on whether digital or physical line moves faster, and whether anyone returns it early or jumps out of line.

That said, I'll probably stop checking the thread now until I get it, since people are reading it now, I'll wait until spoilers won't be a thing anymore for me, then pop back in. :D

Glad to hear people are enjoying it, I'll be back to join in when I can.

Aimee wrote: "I've finished the book!"

I listened to the audiobook and it is hard to go back to find a specific spot! So, Aimee, there's a part where two Italian characters speak in Italian... (view spoiler)[ Is the Count speaking back to them? Do they notice he is in the closet? Or is he just listening to them while hiding? It was hard to tell without punctuation and spacing to give clues in the written text. Do you know what was said?

Also, in the last sentence of the book, can you tell if the woman he meets in the tavern Sophia or Anna or..? (hide spoiler)]

stampartiste wrote: "Sorry, Chrissy, I'm in 1938, reading slowly and enjoying this book to the hilt. Unfortunately, my library also automatically checked me out the digital edition of A Man Called Ove a..."

I finished both of those recently too! I really like both, but for different reasons. I agree that Ove, especially at first, does not stack up well next to Alexander Rostov! As you might imagine, he does show some redeeming characteristics eventually.

Chrissy wrote: "I listened to the audiobook and it is hard to go back to find a specific spot! So, Aimee, there's a part where two Italian characters speak in Italian... Is..."

The way I understood it, although it was not clear, (view spoiler)[ he came out of the closet when he thought they were sleeping, and what was said was in the confusion of someone coming out of your closet at night. At least that's what I believe happened. Does that match up with the way it was read in the audio version? The interpretation of what was said was not given. As for the end, I believe it was Anna! I think that Sophia was staying with the American at the embassy. I believe he wanted her to have a real life, while he and Anna could hide away and be happy. Again, this is my perspective. It is definitely not clearly stated. What did you think? (hide spoiler)]

I just got it out of the library! He's 32 when the book begins, they give his birthdate (Oct 1889) and the date of the interview (June? 1922) in the first pages, so I did the math. That's about how far I got, I fell asleep in the first chapter. I'm a little concerned that this isn't going to be a good book for me, but I'll try again today (snow day! lots of reading time!)

Chrissy wrote: "I passed the halfway point. I'm not sure I've ever read a book with so little plot that I enjoyed this much! It is a real paradox for me."

That is so true! It'a amazing how a great setting and good character development can make up for anything! The writing is so much fun :) I loved Sasha, I was happy/sad when I finished the book.

I'm perhaps cheating a bit because I really wanted to join this discussion of A Gentleman in Moscow. Please let me??

Like Chrissy @20, I listened to the book (enjoyed it very much), but am finding it difficult (impossible?) to go back and catch details I apparently missed. I have the same question she asks: (view spoiler)[ Who is the woman with the white hair Count Rostov meets at the end of the book? Are we to assume he (they) will be able to live out a quiet end of life near his haunts as a youth (family home, now destroyed) ? Also, what happened to Sophia's mother -- was she killed or did she just disappear?

A review said the Count's sister died, but I don't remember that from the listening. So I wondered if she might be the woman with white hair at the end.

And, a final weird one, did the Count write the poem himself that got him imprisoned, or did he cover for his friend's writing to allow him (Miska?) to escape? I thought I heard a hint of that at one place in listening, but saw no clue that was accurate in any of the reviews. Oh, and one more, just exactly who went to Finland and did that person really just double back to Moscow while the Count slipped away to the countryside. Or did the Count himself do the U turn?

Oh, the shortcomings of listening to a novel before one falls asleep! Thanks to whomever responds. Or else for just reading what I've written here. (hide spoiler)]

I did read Aimee's response @22 to Chrissy's questions. (view spoiler)[I agree that the woman is not Sophia. My perception is that Count Rostov has taken care of her by enabling her to obtain political asylum in America. So she wouldn't be "white haired" or back in the tavern at the end. I hadn't thought about Anna as a possibility -- but wouldn't her travels be relatively easy to trace? That's why I went to his sister as a possibility, but I couldn't recall the details of her fate and a review indicated she had died. Oh, how much one can miss the advantages of a printed book or ebook! (hide spoiler)]

When anyone is ready for reviews, mine is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... I include links to a number of professional reviews.

Here are a number of suggestions for follow-on reads in response to a question by a reader who love AGiM: https://www.goodreads.com/questions/8...

Again, thank you for allowing me to step into the conversation here. Now, kick me out if you like!! This book and conversation about it was just too tempting for me. ;-o

Lily wrote: "I'm perhaps cheating a bit because I really wanted to join this discussion of A Gentleman in Moscow. Please let me??

Like Chrissy @20, I listened to the book (enjoyed it very much..."

I would never have thought of(view spoiler)[ his sister being the woman at the end. While I was under the impression that she died, I couldn't understand why he didn't bring her picture with him. That would make sense if he was meeting her. However, I really think that it said she died. At least it was implied. I would really love some clarification on that!!! As for Anna, I just assumed if she was an actress she would be able to disguise herself well enough to stay under the radar.
The man who went to Finland was the man who met him at the train station, I can't remember his name and no longer have a copy of the book. It seems they planned it so that by all appearances Count Rustov planned an escape to Finland. The man went, dropped the Count's disguise to be readily found, and returned to Russia without a hitch. They definitely had me fooled with the ending! I loved it!! (hide spoiler)]

Lily wrote: "I'm perhaps cheating a bit because I really wanted to join this discussion of A Gentleman in Moscow. Please let me??

Like Chrissy @20, I listened to the book (enjoyed it very much..."
I hope I got this right. It's been quite a few months since I read the book but I loved it and wanted to read the comments. In answer to Lily's questions:
(view spoiler)[
1. It never says who the woman was but I assumed it was Anna, she was described as willowy throughout the book, and they lived out their life peacefully.

2. Sophia's mother followed her father to the camps and never returned. The book never said what happened but I believe we were supposed to assume either she was also imprisoned or died there.

3 The count's sister died of a disease (smallpox, influenza - I can't remember and can't find the citation in the book) when he was in Paris and unable to return because of harming the solider.

4. Mishka wrote the poem while Russia was still ruled by the Tsar. At that time Mishka would have been imprisoned or executed for advocating overthrowing the Tsar. The Count, as aristocracy and the godson of a counselor to the Tsar, was named as the author. The poem was seen as a "youthful indiscretion" and there were no consequences for the Count. The Count passed that information along to Katrina when she told him Mishka died. Mishka's poem saved the Count's life in 1922.

5. The person who went to Finland was Viktor, Sophia's piano teacher. He didn't go all the way to Finland. It says he went to Vyborg, left the evidence and turned around and went home. (hide spoiler)]

Aimee wrote: "I would never have thought of..."

Thank you much for your perspectives, Aimee. Hopefully one of my f2f colleagues will have an actual copy for our upcoming discussion!

I'm up to 1946 and avoiding spoilers so I haven't read most of the comments. Just wondering: am I the only one who does NOT like this book?

Nadine wrote: "I'm up to 1946 and avoiding spoilers so I haven't read most of the comments. Just wondering: am I the only one who does NOT like this book?"

Nadine -- I'm among those who enjoyed it. Want to share with us why you are not liking it?

Although the book sometimes can feel a bit "snooty," I agree with this comment from Ron Charles at the Washington Post: “In our own allegedly classless society, we seem to have retained only what’s deplorable about aristocracy — the oppression, the snobbery, the racism — and thrown out those qualities that were worth retaining. Which makes ‘The Gentleman of Moscow’ an endearing reminder of the graciousness of real class. It has nothing to do with money; it’s predicated on the kind of moral discipline that never goes out of style.”

And Craig Taylor at the NYT reminds us that Count Rostov demonstrates that great discipline that is required to remain in the present, the now, under dire circumstances: “Rostov is an aesthete, an intellectual who will maintain his resolve by committing to the business of practicalities….. What happens when a novel centers on a character so capable, so witty and at ease in the world, even as that world convulses around him? “

Seeing that a table is set immaculately may not seem like practicalities, but it has something of discipline, of respect for order and for the other. And it will not be enough alone, as the story illustrates. Only a bit of the incredible discipline providing order under imprisonment. Strong contrast with the gulags, but fascinating parallels.

Anyway, that's a bit of my reflections. I did want something quite different going into the story, which was more history about Russia. I would like to understand better current conditions there. I enjoyed a recent article in National Geographic, and a friend who lived there has indicated to me, based on a cursory discussion, it seems quite accurate. I also have The Big Green Tent by Lyudmila Ulitskaya sitting on my coffee table, begging to be read. It may give the insights I seek. It was a recent selection on the 21st Century board, but I am avoiding reading the comments there until I have found some time with the book itself.

I just finished the book. I was really going slow as I didn't want it to end. I've never read a book written with Amor Towles's incredible style, and I didn't want to finish it. That being said, I loved it.

(view spoiler)[ I agree with the observations made by AnneS on certain key points in the book. I believe these are correct. Especially regarding the end, I am convinced that it was Anna that he met in the tavern. Throughout the book, she was referred to as "willow" and "willowy." However, I'm not convinced that Rostov and Anna were planning on making a life together in such a remote, primitive location (so different from the lifestyles they were accustomed to). Is it possible they wanted to visit his "home" one last time before meeting up with Sofia in Paris? I also don't think Sofia would have agreed to stay permanently in Paris unless she believed Rostov and Anna would be following her later. She loved them too much.

I was really hoping The Bishop would get his comeuppance at the end. (hide spoiler)]

stampartiste wrote: "I just finished the book. I was really going slow as I didn't want it to end. I've never read a book written with Amor Towles's incredible style, and I didn't want to finish it. Th..."

Stampartiste -- thanks for your comments -- and textual evidence. AnneS -- yours, too. I somehow missed them until just now! ;-(

Lily wrote: "Nadine wrote: "I'm up to 1946 and avoiding spoilers so I haven't read most of the comments. Just wondering: am I the only one who does NOT like this book?"

Nadine -- I'm among those who enjoyed it. . Want to share with us why you are not liking it?"

I just don't like the style. It's just twee! It's so fussy and there are so many extraneous asides, just too much. I don't particularly like the Count, which makes it difficult for me to enjoy his supposedly charming personality. All the supporting characters are interchangeable. the front desk guy (Vasily?) ... Emile ... Andrey ... etc ... change their names and occupations, and you don't change the story at all. And then there are the other side characters that just randomly appear, to add flavor I guess? And everything just seems too easy, people are starving to death in the countryside or in gulags, but the Count is worrying about some insignificant detail. I don't get it. There's really very little that I like about this, and I'm surprised I'm the only one. Maybe everyone else who would not have liked it knew well enough to stay away and did not read it or join in this discussion!

Did anyone else notice that so many of the events occurred in June? There was never any reference to the fact that he was sentenced to house arrest on June 21, 1922, not even when (view spoiler)[ Sofia defected and he fled the Metropol on June 21, 1954. (hide spoiler)] I just found this so curious. I wonder what Towles was trying to say?

Nadine wrote: "Maybe everyone else who would not have liked it knew well enough to stay away and did not read it or join in this discussion!"

I've been reading an account about Soviet Russia in 1924-26 written by a well connected foreign official/businessman who spoke Russian and who was illegally detained, imprisoned and sent to Solovki, for no reason of course, so I have been following the discussion to see if my hunches about this book and its unbelievalbe premise are correct. (I was surprised to see a mention of (view spoiler)[Vyborg (hide spoiler)], don't really understand its point in the story.)

Tytti wrote: "(I was surprised to see a mention of [spoiler], don't really understand its point in the story.)..."

Tytti -- is this the incident to which you are alluding and asking if it has a role in the story: (view spoiler)["The Vyborg massacre was the killing of approximately 360-420 Russians in the town of Vyborg during the Finnish Civil War in April–May 1918. The massacre took place after the Battle of Vyborg as the White Guards captured the town from the Red Guards. At least half of the victims were Russian soldiers and military personnel. The slain were mainly men and young boys: nine out of ten were men fit for military service.[1] The White Guards were 'cleansing' the city of Red Guards, of whom 800+ were killed. However, only a small minority of the killed Russians were afflicted with the Reds." -- Wikipedia (hide spoiler)]

Although I don't know what the author's intent was in approaching the history of Russia following the Revolution in the manner that he did, I can only reflect on the impression his book left on me.

From 1917 through the Stalin regime, life was a land mine. At any moment, someone could be denounced by anyone and wind up in Lubyanka or Siberia. It was a brutal time in Russia, full of suspicion, harshness and deprivation. Into this picture, comes Count Rostov, a man who was brought up to believe that life could be better than that, and that a man could control his own reaction to circumstances. In short, he chose to look on the bright side, if you will. Rostov was aware of what was going on in Russia (he read the papers every day, and he lost two people who were very dear to him to the gulags); but he chose to make his little patch of the world one of civility and beauty, and he surrounded himself with like-minded people. Rostov could have become bitter and allowed himself to become part of the norm, but he chose to rise above it. That took great courage and constant determination. And in doing so, he encouraged others to find joy in helping their fellow man (ex: Osip Ivanovich - the KGB official, Vikotr Stepanovich - the orchestra conductor, and Anna Urbanova - the self-involved actress).

This book made me wish there were more Rostovs left in this world.

Nadine wrote: "...I just don't like the style. It's just twee! It's so fussy and there are so many extraneous asides, just too much. I don't particularly like the Count, which makes it difficult for me to enjoy his supposedly charming personality. All the supporting characters are interchangeable. ..."

Nadine -- thank you so much for sharing your perspectives! For me, this is what makes reading and sharing with a group enjoyable, regardless of how oneself reacts to a piece of literature. I can share and appreciate several of your observations, albeit without forsaking my own enjoyment of this novel.

You send me now to look at the one and two star reviews on Goodreads and Amazon. Usually I do that BEFORE selecting a read, but this one was chosen for me by my f2f (face-to-face) book group. The issues that arise across a range of reactions oft influence my choice. Here, hopefully they may help understanding the book and its messages.

One of the Goodreads positive reviews that picks up a number of the attributes that led me to like this novel: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Will be back later with at least one negative review to which I can relate: This comes from Chrissie in Sweden:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Also, I am wondering if there is insight here in considering the life journey and style of the author himself -- both how that influences the story and the reactions to it. (Just discovered that the author page for Amor Towles has a Goodreads interview -- long, 33 min., of Towles after he finished Rules of Civility. Provides insight into how this author approached ideas, characters, plot and pulls them together for that book; it felt as if considerable parts were also applicable to AGiM.

Lily wrote: "Tytti -- is this the incident to which you are alluding and asking if it has a ro..."

Oh, that one. (view spoiler)[Actually I'm not sure if my father's cousin's father was killed in that incident, father once said something to that effect, but I can't ask him anymore. Apparently he had been a baker in town when it was controlled by the Reds, and neither Reds (or those suspected as Reds) nor Russians were very liked at the time, especially after the Red Terror, it was a bloody war. (But I still don't really see what that has to do with this story. Russians couldn't just go there after 1917 and before 1940-41 and again after 1944, it wasn't even near the border.) (hide spoiler)]

stampartiste wrote: "he chose to make his little patch of the world one of civility and beauty, and he surrounded himself with like-minded people. Rostov could have become bitter and allowed himself to become part of the norm, but he chose to rise above it. That took great courage and constant determination. And in doing so, he encouraged others to find joy in helping their fellow man"

Sorry, this sounds more like fantasy than something that is possible in an authoritarian society like Stalin's Soviet Union.

Tytti wrote: "Lily wrote: "Tytti -- is this the incident to which you are alluding and asking if it has a ro..."

Oh, that one. [spoilers removed]"

Is this accurate/relevant? (view spoiler)[Vyborg (Russian: Вы́борг; Finnish: Viipuri; Swedish: Viborg) is a city in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. Located near the Finnish border, it was in fact Finland's second-largest city until World War II, when it was handed to the Soviets as war reparations.

Seeing Vyborg is possible as a day trip from St. Petersburg, or as a stopover on the Helsinki-St. Petersburg train line.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Vyborg (hide spoiler)]

Well, yes, but depending on the time that visit happened, it would have been difficult or even impossible, or at a later time I don't really see a reason to do that. Also I am not sure, I seem to recall it would have been one of those towns one needed a special permission to go, though it might have been Murmansk, or both. At least it might have been off limits for foreigners... Even the people living there were gathered from all over the Soviet Union and they spoke different languages. (I haven't read the book, doesn't sound very interesting and probably won't be translated, either.)

The most devastating reader review I've seen to date was "By Amazon Customer on September 28, 2016," a two star review labelled "A missed opportunity to be a truly great book." I don't know how to link it. Use Google or... if you want to try to find it. It is on the Amazon site and I found it by searching for two star reviews. It questions the story on several fronts, particularly whether AGiM provides realistic history in either characters or plot.

Overall, this discussion is leading to my thoughts on what is fiction, what are stories, and what becomes the filtered role/impact we choose to let them have on our own lives and attitudes.

If someone wants to read a real account about the life in the Soviet Russia during the mid 1920's, you can find one here: https://archive.org/details/1929InThe...

(He also mentions seeing Sidney Reilly, the possible model for James Bond, in the same prison he was being held.)

Well, I persevered and finally finished this thing. Then I had to come here to understand the ending! (view spoiler)[I'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't know who the "willowy woman with gray hair" was!

It was definitely not his sister Helene (and I also wondered why he did not bring her portrait with him - why not cut the painting out of the frame and roll it up and tuck it into his sack? I mean, if he's bringing ANNA KARENINA of all things, he can find room for a rolled canvas), she died. And it was not Sofia, she stays with the Americans.

Actually, I thought it was Mishka's old girlfriend, Katerina, because she visited Rostov recently and said something about it being almost time for action, and the way that was written, it implied that it would affect some future outcome. I was wishing I had been reading an e-book so I could search for "willowy" to see who is described that way! But luckily, several of you were more observant than I was, and caught that Anna was always described as "willowy."

I found mention of Katerina, page 367, she is described as having an "almost severe beauty" and very short light brown hair, in 1953. So, okay, she's not willowy.

I guess you are right and it was Anna. Last we heard from her, she was on stage wearing "a wig tinged with grey." She would know how to disguise herself, and Rostov had told her several times about his hometown so she would know where to go.

In a book FULL of foreshadowing and sly asides and annoying footnotes and repeated stories and generally useless information, it's particularly irksome that Towles did not give us any hints of Anna and Rostov making a plan to meet. It just sort of comes out of the blue. Why?

(hide spoiler)]

I did have another question about the ending: (view spoiler)[ what's with all the mentions of Casablanca at the end? Am I supposed to read something into that? (hide spoiler)]

As for Tytti's question, (view spoiler)[ I think Vyborg is mentioned ONLY because it is a convenient place to travel from Russia to Finland. Nothing more. You're reading too much into it when you bring up the civil war - that has nothing to do with this book. Rostov merely wanted to throw the authorities off his trail, and he happened upon a Finnish passport, so he let them think he snuck off to Finland. (hide spoiler)] And as to whether any of it makes sense? well, A LOT of this book is Towle's personal fantasyland version of what Russia was like, so I gave up on it making sense.

Oh, I didn't (view spoiler)[mention the civil war (hide spoiler)], Lily did. It didn't make sense to me either. And no, that (view spoiler)[wouldn't have been any more convenient way, one didn't leave the USSR just like that, and he wouldn't have been welcome in Finland, either, and everyone would have known that. Besides, Finns who "visited" the USSR before 1956 generally didn't carry passports... There was no tourism before that (hide spoiler)]. It does seem to me that the author doesn't have any idea about the life in a totalitarian state. For example (view spoiler)[I have a reason to believe that my father had two men tailing him when we visited Vyborg in the 1980's as tourists (hide spoiler)] and former prisoners especially (including e.g. former Soviet POWs) were under surveillance.

Tytti wrote: "Oh, I didn't [spoilers removed], Lily did. It didn't make sense to me either. And no, that [spoilers removed]. It does seem to me that the author doesn't have any idea about the life in a totalitar..."

I agree - I know very little about the USSR and/or Russia, but I did think this story was unreasonably light and happy, things could not have been as easy as it makes it seem. However, (view spoiler)[the Count STOLE a Finnish passport and put together a (somewhat shoddy) disguise, then sent his friend - who was not under any suspicion whatsoever, according to the story (was it possible to be a person who was not under suspicion, or was everyone under suspicion in the USSR in the 50s?) with the passport and disguise to Vyborg, and then had his friend dispose of the disguise in the train bathroom, to make it seem as if the Count had gone across the border in disguise. But the Count didn't take the train at all, and his friend never actually crossed into Finland. (hide spoiler)] So, maybe it's possible ...

At any rate, I did NOT enjoy this book.

My f2f book club had a good discussion today, albeit a small group. One of us had been in the Metropol and another had visited Moscow on work. Some of us enjoyed the book for what we considered the cleverness of the plot, the decency of most of the characters, the writing, the allusions to other writings, but we pretty much agreed that it was fictional fantasy rather than a story based on probable reality. Which led to a bit of discussion about what is the place of stories in our lives. To some of us, fantasy or no, Count Rostov represented a way that we might aspire to be able to persevere under adversity. But we reminded ourselves of the institutions that protect human freedoms and the risks and breakdowns they can face.

Thanks again to all who have provided insights here -- or sent me searching.

Nadine wrote: "(view spoiler)[was it possible to be a person who was not under suspicion, or was everyone under suspicion in the USSR in the 50s? (hide spoiler)]"

(view spoiler)[The exact year is important, a lot changed after Stalin's death in 1953 and before Khrushchev’s secret speech 1956. Before that it often went by (ethnic) groups, the main target(s) changed. But most of the Gulag prisoners were released during those years, some managed to return home or their native countries, we got back (probably) the last of the POWs who were still alive etc., Porkkala was returned to Finland in 1956, so this was the time of Khrushchev Thaw. But anyway, before 1956 Finnish visitors would have been diplomats or politicians, maybe some journalists, so there wouldn't have been many passports to be stolen. Finns probably knew better than anyone what was happening in Stalin's USSR, people didn't want to end up in Gulag. I am not even sure was it even possible to travel there as a private citizen without any connections. Besides, in order to travel inside the USSR, Soviets citizens needed a national passport, too. I think they still have them in Russia.

This is also the second novel I know with the ludicrous idea of Russians disguising themselves as Finns and crossing the border, or making it look like it. At least this was during the peace time, in the other book it was supposed have happened during the war because of course an enemy is welcome into a country at war... I mean please, even if they somehow managed to get by Soviet border guards, they wouldn't have been allowed into Finland. There has always been a strict border control (though it sometimes allowed (ethnic) Finns to go through). (And there is a third book that seems to suggest Finns and Russians speak the same language...) (hide spoiler)]

Also, from what I have understood about the novel, it seems that the Count had a better life than at least 99.9% of the whole Soviet population, so I'm not sure how much "adversity" he faced compared to others. I remember a non-fiction book I recently read about a long-range reconnaissance mission in July 1941 to the Karelian Isthmus and close to Leningrad where the Finnish soldiers also talked to the locals living there now. They wondered how even young boys would only talk about bread and that now, when they were living on a "Finnish land" (in the home villages of those Finnish soldiers), they would get a good harvest and have bread. Previously they had lived in Leningrad. (Finnish boys that age talked about sports or cars.) And this is my review of one memoir written by an Ingrian man, covering mainly the years 1930-42, and for example he was almost alone responsible for feeding himself, his sick mother and a little sister at the age of 12, so that I would call "adversity" and it wasn't his last one, either: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Finally got my hands on a copy. I enjoyed the book, but I did go into it assuming it was going to be heavier on the fiction part of historical fiction, which may have made a difference.

Some parts of the story feel like those tales where something happens and the story of what happened gets passed on only verbally, and only secretly for a long long time, and it slowly gets dramatized as the telling gets further from the people who were there and more and more embellished to be entertaining. Several of the less plausible parts sound like they are based on what someone's uncle's third cousin said happened, and used to fill in the gaps in the story where the facts had been hidden or forgotten.

I was OK with that though, I wasn't expecting anything but an entertaining tale of what might have been (or might not have). It certainly was a very well done and interesting character study. It's just not meant to give a picture of an average person of the place and times. As (I think it's Misha?) points out mid-late in the book, the Count actually has a very fortunate situation compared to a lot of his countrymen.