Mark_S

While I have enjoyed everything I have read through BookBrowse, this was definitely my favorite. Instead of the gradual/slow beginning that can sometimes plague even a great plot, Prescott jumped right into the story. I enjoyed her style, the way she developed the principal characters, and the unique timeline. At times, it reminded me of the structure of Catch-22 (minus the dark satire). This was not a book to read chapter by chapter; I read this in huge chunks at a time. As a teacher, I found myself flagging excerpts that I could use to make connections to other texts, and I plan to share this possibility with our social studies teachers as well. I can definitely see it being a hit with any book club, and a must read for any historical fiction buff, especially those with an interest in Russian-US relations.

After a somewhat slow start, I truly enjoyed this book. The pacing picked up, and I definitely got caught up in the plot line. There were enough twists and surprises, and I definitely did not see the ending coming. The author did a fine job of developing the characters with just enough detail to make their moral imperfections intriguing. This would be a great fit for an adult book club, but I think the nuances of the marital relationships might be less interesting to a younger audience.