Welcome to Shelf Control!
This wonderful book meme is hosted by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies! It features books that are sitting right on our shelves or e-readers, that we want to read, but have just not gotten to as yet.
Here's my pick for this week!
The Summer of the Barshinskeys
Hardcover, 465 pages
Crown, First Edition
August 22,1984
British Literature, HIstorical Fiction,
Romance
From the Goodreads Synopsis
"Although the story
of the Barshinskeys, which became our story, too, stretched over many
summers and winters, that golden time of 1902 was when our strange,
involved relationship began, when our youthful longing for the exotic,
for the fulfillment of dreams not even dreamed, took a solid and
restless hold upon us."
So recounts Sophie Wolloughby as she remembers that magical English summer afternoon in the season of King Edward VII's coronation and at the end of the Boer War; that dreamlike lull in time when the hedgerows were smothered in elderflowers and the meadow air was sweet with haymaking. With her brother, Edwin, her sister, Lillian, Sophie listened to the seductive strains of the wild Russian violin tune Mr. Barshinskey played and watched spellbound as the ragtag Barshinskey family-Ivan, sullen and dirty; Mrs. Barshinskey, pale and withdrawn; and Galina, sensual, wanton, beautiful-made their way across Tyler's meadow and into the Willoughby's world.
The delighted Willoughby children could not know that this day and the Barshinskeys' arrival would change their lives forever-much as a breathless Europe could not anticipate that in a few short years, winds of revolution and war would whip across continents, sweeping away the old familiar way of life.
It is at this enchanted moment that The Summer of the Barshinskeys begins. A beautifully told, compelling story that moves from the small village of Kent to teeming London, from war-torn and revolution rocked Moscow to St. Petersburg, this is the unforgettable saga of two families whose destinies are fated to entwine in endless combinations of friendship, passion, hatred and love.
So recounts Sophie Wolloughby as she remembers that magical English summer afternoon in the season of King Edward VII's coronation and at the end of the Boer War; that dreamlike lull in time when the hedgerows were smothered in elderflowers and the meadow air was sweet with haymaking. With her brother, Edwin, her sister, Lillian, Sophie listened to the seductive strains of the wild Russian violin tune Mr. Barshinskey played and watched spellbound as the ragtag Barshinskey family-Ivan, sullen and dirty; Mrs. Barshinskey, pale and withdrawn; and Galina, sensual, wanton, beautiful-made their way across Tyler's meadow and into the Willoughby's world.
The delighted Willoughby children could not know that this day and the Barshinskeys' arrival would change their lives forever-much as a breathless Europe could not anticipate that in a few short years, winds of revolution and war would whip across continents, sweeping away the old familiar way of life.
It is at this enchanted moment that The Summer of the Barshinskeys begins. A beautifully told, compelling story that moves from the small village of Kent to teeming London, from war-torn and revolution rocked Moscow to St. Petersburg, this is the unforgettable saga of two families whose destinies are fated to entwine in endless combinations of friendship, passion, hatred and love.
How I Got It
I've tried to remember, but I really can't....I've had this book sitting on my shelves for at least 15 years!! I must have gotten it at some used books bookstore.
When I Got It
I don't remember the exact date, either. All I know is that it's been sitting on my shelves much too long, waiting to be read!
Why I Want To Read It
I really need to read more historical fiction, as this is one of my favorite genres. However, I've allowed paranormal romance and urban fantasy to take control of my reading to such an extent that I haven't read historical fiction for the longest time....I HAVE read historical romance, but that's not quite the same thing. This particular novel strikes a chord with me, for some reason. Perhaps it's because there are Russian characters in it. I've been fascinated with 19th-century Russian culture for the longest time....Hopefully I'll get to this book soon!!
What do you think of this book?
Have you read it, and if so,
did you like it?
Please leave a comment and
let me know!
