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There never was a story that was happy through and through. When writer Arthur Ransome leaves his home in England and moves to Russia to work as a journalist, it is with little idea of the violent revolution about to erupt. Unwittingly, he finds himself at its center, tapped by the British to report back on the Bolsheviks even as he becomes dangerously romantically entangled with revolutionary leader Trotsky’s personal secretary. Both sides seek to use Arthur for their own purposes…and, as he struggles to find autonomy, both sides grow to suspect him of being a double agent. Arthur wants only to elope far from the conflict with his beloved. But when he attempts to extract himself and Evgenia from the complicated politics and politicians that he fears will lead them both to their deaths, the decisions he faces are the most dangerous and difficult of his life.
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I was given a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Author and journalist Arthur Ransome finds himself right in the middle of a war in 1918. When he left his home in England, he never realized how entrenched his life would become with Russia. Part spy, part journalist, Arthur must navigate very treacherous waters. Along the way, he never expected to find love, but after meeting Bolshevik secretary Evengia he sees clearly what his path should be.
Part fairy tale, mostly historical fiction, Sedgwick has created a very elegant and mature novel. I am not really sure if this fits in with most "Young Adult" fiction areas. I think that they story might be above the heads of many teens, and without a teen character to relate to I'm not sure if it will have lasting power in a collection. However, this novel is an interesting and adventurous read. When I read the description I thought it was going to follow more of the Tsar and Tsarina's life stories, but even despite that not being the case I enjoyed the story.
This will do well with readers that enjoy historical fiction.