Holly H.

Suspend your disbelief of the premises of the book, this is not a Russian novel nor a serious examination of Soviet Russia. As is said explicitly at one point in the book, the Count is the luckiest man in Russia. Anyways I don't believe art should be required to make up for gaps in people's historical knowledge or depict all the suffering of mankind. Now that we've got that out of the way, simply enjoy. This book is charming and heartwarming with lovely characters and relationships, all kinds of interesting references and descriptions. A good "before bedtime" read as it is engaging but it won't keep you up all night. A story of living and loving, humanity and friendship in trying times.