Monday, August 26, 2013

Review: For You, Madam Lenin by Kat Meads

Title: For You, Madam Lenin
Author: Kat Meads
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Livingston Press
Publish Date: October 10, 2012
Source: I received a copy from the author; however, this didn't affect my review.


Why You're Reading This Book:
  • You're a historical-fiction fan.
What's the Story?: 

Synopsis: "When Vladimir Lenin married Nadezhda Krupskaya, he gained more than a comrade/wife. He gained a mother-in-law less than impressed with the “unemployed” revolutionary. In Siberian exile, in European exile, in Russia, this quarreling threesome shared close—sometimes too close—quarters.

For You, Madam incorporates humor (as well hardship). It conspires with the females (rather than the males). In this fiction, the Lenin-Trotsky-Stalin triumvirate doesn’t outshine Russia's long line of radical female luminaries, interrogated by History, a character."

My Two Cents:

"For You, Madam Lenin" is the story of the infamous Vladimir Lenin's wife, Nadya, told mostly from the perspective of Nadya's mother. Before this book, I knew very, very little of Lenin's wife so it was fascinating to me to get to learn a little bit more about her through this historical-fiction book.

The Russian Revolution is absolutely fascinating to me. It's such a watershed moment in history and it truly changed the course of history. This time period in history is filled with big personalities. I really like how this book brought some of those personalities to life. This book gives a good overview of some of the events surrounding the revolution. There are a lot of interesting people that make an appearance in this book such as Trotsky and Karl Marx's daughter.

The chapters are told from various points of view, not just Nadya's mother's point of view. Some of the chapters are very interesting such as the ones entitled "Interview with History," which features some of the historical figures in the book talking to an unknown entity. While it did take you out of the book a little bit, they were very interesting and added an almost dream-like feel to the book! I found myself wishing that there would have been a little bit more of a focus on the story itself.

Overall, this was an interesting story and whetted my appetite to learn more about so many different historical figures!


 

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