Russka Audiobook By Edward Rutherfurd cover art

Russka

The Novel of Russia

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Russka

By: Edward Rutherfurd
Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
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Russka is the story of four families who are divided by ethnicity but united in shaping the destiny of Russia. From a single riverside village situated at one of the country’s geographic crossroads, Russia’s Slav peasant origins are influenced by the Greco-Iranian, Khazar, Jewish, and Mongol invasions. Unified by this one place, the many cultures blend to form a rich and varied tapestry.

Rutherfurd’s grand saga is as multifaceted as Russia itself: harsh yet exotic, proud yet fearful of enemies, steeped in ancient superstitions but always seeking to shape the emerging world. Peter the Great, Ivan the Terrible, Catherine the Great, and Lenin all play their roles in creating and destroying the land and its people.

In Russka, Edward Rutherfurd has transformed the epic history of a great civilization into a human story of flesh and blood.

©1991 Edward Rutherfurd (P)2000 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Europe Russia Imperialism Soviet Union Middle Ages

Critic reviews

“Rutherfurd literally personifies history.” ( New York Daily News)
“Impressive…Rutherfurd has indeed embraced all of Russia.” ( Washington Post Book World)
“Russka succeeds where [other books] of trendy Soviet-watching have failed…Rutherfurd can take his place among an elite cadre of chroniclers such as Harold Lamb, Maurice Hindus, and Henri Troyat.” ( San Francisco Chronicle)
Sweeping History • Interwoven Narratives • Gentle Relaxing Voice • Educational Perspective • Engaging Storytelling
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This is a wonderful listen! Russian history has been a mystery to me and this was a perfect introductory into the history of ethnicity, classes, politics, and religion. I had a list of people to research more after reading this! My only wish is that they offered a visual family tree so I could keep up with who all is related to who. Looks like I'll just have to resort to listening through it again in oder to fully grasp relationships. I plan to listen to this many more times purely for the quality of information! Well done! I highly recommend this!

Enlightening read for all sorts of perspectives!

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While I haven't finished the book, I need to write my first opinion of this book. While I understand that the book is only based on Russia it's awfully inaccurate in its geography. The author calls every piece of land that Russian boots touched as Russian. The book was written in the late 80s & maps, history books & travel was widely available.

Inaccurate geography of what constitutes Russia

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I was so very glad to discover you had added Russka to you Edward Rutherford's books. He is a truly wonderful writer, whose's books are exhaustively researched and very accurate, yet full of characters that make a wonderful novel - Wonderful!

I only wish you'd release his other works "The Forest". "London", etc in a unabridged format. Abridging these novels is almost a sin.

Wonderful book worth both the time and credit!

Wonderful Historical Novel

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If you could sum up Russka in three words, what would they be?

I waited for this book to come out on Audible for a long time. I read it back in the 90s, and this audio version does not disappoint. I love the mingling of different narratives throughout the history of Russia. It truly helps the reader understand how a Russian mentality is different from our own Western mentality.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This book is too long to listen to in one sitting. It has different narratives spanning the entire history of Russia, so it is easily broken up into smaller (but still very substantial) parts.

This book is long in coming

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I would have liked it more if it had more detail after World War II and more information about the red and white disputes. Although I'd like it more of the 90's it's pretty hard to do that when the book was written in 1991.

Very interesting I liked it.

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I am a huge fan of Rutherfurd, I love big books and history. I did listen to Russka twice back to back to firmly implant the family names in my mind, and I found I enjoyed it more the second time around. The book gave me a little different view of Russian history than I had. All I can say is, it has to be good to listen to it twice. I found the narration of Wanda McCaddon very good as well. I had enjoyed her in Sarum.

Not Rutherfurd's Best,but very good!

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Having visited Russia twice, I now feel as if I have finally BEEN there.. Truly an excellent tour de force, and very fair in all its observations.

Finally I've Been to Russia

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Despite the number of centuries covered in the history of Russka, the author skillfully balances full detailed accounts of complex family relationships with a brisk pace to keep the story fresh and intriguing. I loved how interwoven the relationships become. I'm certain that I missed a great deal of the intricate nuances but it's definitely a book worth reading again. I was skeptical as to how Rutherford could possibly craft a satisfactory ending to such an epic work, but I loved how things came together. I learned a lot, enjoyed the ride, and am now looking forward to reading another book by this impressive author.

A huge undertaking, but worth it!

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Just wish it spent more time on the soviet union. But overall a very good performance and story

Great book on the history of Russia.

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Millions of Soviet soldiers and citizens perished in The Great Patriotic War fought against Nazi Germany, 1941-45. There is literally a one-page mention of that conflict in this book. Yes there is a good story of the Mongol Empire and their influence. If Rutherfurd's other books are like this one, won't be reading any of those.

Edward Rutherfurd's historical novel of Russia

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