Book Review: Fall of Giants by Ken Follett

Historical Fiction.  I honestly cannot remember why I hunted this one down, I think as part of my quest to read more about WWI, and in a way that was not just a dry list of facts.  I thought it was an excellent read, but it is rather large compared to the regular popular fiction book, so unless you are in it for a 700+ page read then you might want to move on.  I also did not buy into the several promiscuous moments stolen in libraries and such, it just did not fit the mores of the time, maybe the sneaking off with the maid, but not the women of title.

I think the book definitely helps put the time around WWI in perspective for readers, even though it is fiction, perhaps because it is fiction.  You do not have to obsess about timelines so much as focus on how those from the top of society down to the bottom were involved, and how it changed them and life in the modern world forever.  You get perspectives from people in England, Russia, and the U.S., and that helped clarify for me why the U.S. did not want to be involved, afraid that they would become the policemen of the world for every future conflict.

I would recommend this if you are interested in historical fiction, WWI, or are looking for a longer and more involved read.  This is the first of a trilogy of books with these people and their families.  I have not moved on to the other two yet, I have to find the big chunks of time to do so, and there are other books I want to read for a while first.  It is hard to invest so much time all at once in war stories, it drains you, so I am going to dole them out slowly.

And so it goes...

Book Review: The Black Russian by Vladimir Alexandrov

Narrative non-fiction. Interesting story about an African American man who was born in the south, moved north to several places in the U.S., and eventually ends up overseas. He settles in Russia, and has an interesting life and career there in the restaurant and club scene, around the time of WWI and its aftermath. I do not want to say too much and ruin it for others because it is most definitely worth a read. I highly recommend this one, fascinating stuff.

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Book Review: The Kitchen Boy by Robert Alexander

Read for book club (11/2011). It was a good historical fiction read! Based on the last weeks of the last royal Russian Tsar and his family, the Romanovs, from the point of view of their loyal kitchen boy, Leonka.

It was interesting to hear about how they hid their jewels, passed secret notes to plan an escape/rescue, and to think about how they spent their last days. Some things stuck with me about people in general from the culture/period such as the guards who couldn't read, how much the Romanovs loved to take pictures (new and expensive hobby), how the royal family tried to lead something resembling their normal life, and how Leonka kept saying over and over again that they did it with such grace, yet even in exile they were much more well off than most of the country that they used to rule. The twists at the end felt rushed and hurried. They were fun little bits to add but I think it would have been better had the author spent more time with these portions rather than just throwing them about in a very short epilogue. I would recommend it for those who enjoy historical fiction or want a relatively light/easy but interesting read!

And so it goes...