Russka
The Novel of Russia
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $27.26
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Wanda McCaddon
About this listen
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.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
China
- The Novel
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Daniel York Loh, Zheng Xi Yong, Andrew Wincott
- Length: 34 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Edward Rutherfurd has enthralled millions of people with his grand, sweeping historical sagas that tell the history of a famous place over multiple generations. Now, in China: The Novel, Rutherfurd takes listeners into the rich and fascinating milieu of the Middle Kingdom. The story begins in 1839, at the dawn of the First Opium War, and follows Chinese history through Mao's Cultural Revolution and up to the present day. Rutherfurd chronicles the rising and falling fortunes of members of Chinese, British, and American families, as they negotiate the tides of history.
-
-
Simply outstanding
- By Serenissima on 06-20-21
-
Paris
- The Novel
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Jean Gilpin
- Length: 38 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Internationally best-selling author Edward Rutherfurd has enchanted millions of readers with his sweeping, multigenerational dramas that illuminate the great achievements and travails throughout history. In this breathtaking saga of love, war, art, and intrigue, Rutherfurd has set his sights on the most magnificent city in the world: Paris. Moving back and forth in time across centuries, the story unfolds through intimate and vivid tales of self-discovery, divided loyalties, passion, and long-kept secrets of characters both fictional and real, all set against the backdrop of the glorious city.
-
-
Paris: The Novel (is that helpful?)
- By Mel on 05-07-13
-
Princes of Ireland
- The Dublin Saga
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Richard Matthews
- Length: 26 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The saga begins in tribal, pre-Christian Ireland during the reign of the fierce and mighty High Kings at Tara, with the tale of two lovers whose travails cleverly echo the ancient Celtic legend of Cuchulainn. From that stirring beginning, Rutherfurd takes the listener on a powerfully imagined journey through the centuries. Through the interlocking stories of a memorable cast of characters we see Ireland through the lens of its greatest city.
-
-
FANTASTIC!
- By DECLO 68 on 05-02-04
-
New York
- The Novel
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 37 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York is the book that millions of Rutherfurd's American fans have been waiting for. A brilliant mix of romance, war, family drama, and personal triumphs, it gloriously captures the search for freedom and prosperity at the heart of our nation's history.
-
-
INCREDIBLE!
- By The Louligan on 11-18-09
-
London
- The Novel
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Andrew Wincott
- Length: 49 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here is Edward Rutherfurd's classic novel of London, a glorious pageant spanning 2,000 years. He brings this vibrant city's long and noble history alive through the ever-shifting fortunes, fates, and intrigues of half-a-dozen families, from the age of Julius Caesar to the 20th century. Generation after generation, these families embody the passion, struggle, wealth, and verve of the greatest city in the world.
-
-
Do NOT buy on Audible
- By Diane Vanek on 06-19-18
-
Sarum
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Roger Davis
- Length: 53 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a novel of extraordinary richness the whole sweep of British civilisation unfolds through the story of one place, Salisbury, from beyond recorded time to the present day. The landscape - as old as time itself - shapes the destinies of the five families....
-
-
Epic story but hard to follow - need reference mat
- By mntsmtl on 11-22-19
-
China
- The Novel
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Daniel York Loh, Zheng Xi Yong, Andrew Wincott
- Length: 34 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Edward Rutherfurd has enthralled millions of people with his grand, sweeping historical sagas that tell the history of a famous place over multiple generations. Now, in China: The Novel, Rutherfurd takes listeners into the rich and fascinating milieu of the Middle Kingdom. The story begins in 1839, at the dawn of the First Opium War, and follows Chinese history through Mao's Cultural Revolution and up to the present day. Rutherfurd chronicles the rising and falling fortunes of members of Chinese, British, and American families, as they negotiate the tides of history.
-
-
Simply outstanding
- By Serenissima on 06-20-21
-
Paris
- The Novel
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Jean Gilpin
- Length: 38 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Internationally best-selling author Edward Rutherfurd has enchanted millions of readers with his sweeping, multigenerational dramas that illuminate the great achievements and travails throughout history. In this breathtaking saga of love, war, art, and intrigue, Rutherfurd has set his sights on the most magnificent city in the world: Paris. Moving back and forth in time across centuries, the story unfolds through intimate and vivid tales of self-discovery, divided loyalties, passion, and long-kept secrets of characters both fictional and real, all set against the backdrop of the glorious city.
-
-
Paris: The Novel (is that helpful?)
- By Mel on 05-07-13
-
Princes of Ireland
- The Dublin Saga
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Richard Matthews
- Length: 26 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The saga begins in tribal, pre-Christian Ireland during the reign of the fierce and mighty High Kings at Tara, with the tale of two lovers whose travails cleverly echo the ancient Celtic legend of Cuchulainn. From that stirring beginning, Rutherfurd takes the listener on a powerfully imagined journey through the centuries. Through the interlocking stories of a memorable cast of characters we see Ireland through the lens of its greatest city.
-
-
FANTASTIC!
- By DECLO 68 on 05-02-04
-
New York
- The Novel
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 37 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York is the book that millions of Rutherfurd's American fans have been waiting for. A brilliant mix of romance, war, family drama, and personal triumphs, it gloriously captures the search for freedom and prosperity at the heart of our nation's history.
-
-
INCREDIBLE!
- By The Louligan on 11-18-09
-
London
- The Novel
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Andrew Wincott
- Length: 49 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here is Edward Rutherfurd's classic novel of London, a glorious pageant spanning 2,000 years. He brings this vibrant city's long and noble history alive through the ever-shifting fortunes, fates, and intrigues of half-a-dozen families, from the age of Julius Caesar to the 20th century. Generation after generation, these families embody the passion, struggle, wealth, and verve of the greatest city in the world.
-
-
Do NOT buy on Audible
- By Diane Vanek on 06-19-18
-
Sarum
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Roger Davis
- Length: 53 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a novel of extraordinary richness the whole sweep of British civilisation unfolds through the story of one place, Salisbury, from beyond recorded time to the present day. The landscape - as old as time itself - shapes the destinies of the five families....
-
-
Epic story but hard to follow - need reference mat
- By mntsmtl on 11-22-19
-
The Forest
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Lynn Redgrave
- Length: 5 hrs and 15 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the time of the Norman Conquest to the present day, the New Forest, along England’s southern coast, has remained an almost mythical place. It is here that Saxon and Norman kings rode forth with their hunting parties, and where William the Conqueror’s son Rufus was mysteriously killed. The mighty oaks of the forest were used to build the ships for Admiral Nelson’s navy, and the fishermen who lived in Christchurch and Lymington helped Sir Francis Drake fight off the Spanish Armada.
-
-
Beware, Abridged. Just a "Readers Digest" version.
- By Bob on 07-18-14
-
The Source
- A Novel
- By: James A. Michener
- Narrated by: Larry McKeever
- Length: 54 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the grand storytelling style that is his signature, James Michener sweeps us back through time to the very beginnings of the Jewish faith, thousands of years ago. Through the predecessors of four modern men and women, we experience the entire colorful history of the Jews, including the life of the early Hebrews and their persecutions, the impact of Christianity, the Crusades, and the Spanish Inquisition, all the way to the founding of present-day Israel and the Middle East conflict.
-
-
Unlistenable
- By GGS Engineering on 09-11-15
-
The Covenant of Water
- By: Abraham Verghese
- Narrated by: Abraham Verghese
- Length: 31 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water is set in Kerala, on South India’s Malabar Coast, and follows three generations of a family that suffers a peculiar affliction: in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning—and in Kerala, water is everywhere. At the turn of the century, a twelve-year-old girl from Kerala’s long-existing Christian community, grieving the death of her father, is sent by boat to her wedding, where she will meet her forty-year-old husband for the first time.
-
-
Story Telling At Its Best
- By Regina on 05-06-23
By: Abraham Verghese
-
Poland
- A Novel
- By: James A. Michener
- Narrated by: Larry McKeever
- Length: 30 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this sweeping novel, James A. Michener chronicles eight tumultuous centuries as three Polish families live out their destinies. With an inspiring tradition of resistance to brutal invaders, from the barbarians to the Nazis, and a heritage of pride that burns through eras of romantic passion and courageous solidarity, their common story reaches a breathtaking culmination in the historic showdown between the ruthless Communists and rebellious farmers of the modern age.
-
-
Horrible narration
- By Hack on 01-27-17
-
Fall of Giants
- Book One of the Century Trilogy
- By: Ken Follett
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 30 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ken Follett's World Without End was a global phenomenon, a work of grand historical sweep beloved by millions of readers and acclaimed by critics. Fall of Giants is his magnificent new historical epic. The first novel in The Century Trilogy, it follows the fates of five interrelated families - American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh - as they move through the world-shaking dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women's suffrage.
-
-
Loved it and learned alot.
- By Louis on 10-19-10
By: Ken Follett
-
Ireland
- By: Frank Delaney
- Narrated by: Frank Delaney
- Length: 19 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One evening in 1951, an itinerant storyteller arrives unannounced at a house in the Irish countryside. In exchange for a bed and a warm meal, he invites his hosts and their neighbors to join him by the wintry fireside and begins to tell formative stories of Ireland's history. Ronan, a nine-year-old boy, grows so entranced by the storytelling that, when the old man leaves abruptly under mysterious circumstances, the boy devotes himself to finding him again.
-
-
Best Listen In A Quite While
- By John on 03-17-05
By: Frank Delaney
-
Shōgun, Part One
- The Asian Saga, Book 1.1
- By: James Clavell
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 24 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After Englishman John Blackthorne is lost at sea, he awakens in a place few Europeans know of and even fewer have seen—Nippon. Thrust into the closed society that is seventeenth-century Japan, a land where the line between life and death is razor-thin, Blackthorne must negotiate not only a foreign people, with unknown customs and language, but also his own definitions of morality, truth, and freedom. As internal political strife and a clash of cultures lead to seemingly inevitable conflict, Blackthorne’s loyalty and strength of character are tested by both passion and loss.
-
-
Great book poor marketing
- By Ryan on 01-20-24
By: James Clavell
-
The Winds of War
- By: Herman Wouk
- Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
- Length: 45 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Herman Wouk's sweeping epic of World War II stands as the crowning achievement of one of America's most celebrated storytellers. Like no other books about the war, Wouk's spellbinding narrative captures the tide of global events - and all the drama, romance, heroism, and tragedy of World War II - as it immerses us in the lives of a single American family drawn into the very center of the war's maelstrom.
-
-
A Masterpiece
- By Robert on 05-24-13
By: Herman Wouk
-
The Man from St. Petersburg
- By: Ken Follett
- Narrated by: Richard Armitage
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
His name was Feliks. He came to London to commit a murder that would change history. A master manipulator, he had many weapons at his command, but against him were ranged the whole of the English police, a brilliant and powerful lord, and the young Winston Churchill himself. These odds would have stopped any man in the world - except the man from St. Petersburg.
-
-
Riveting historical fiction
- By Thomas P. O'Connor on 04-14-21
By: Ken Follett
-
Tipperary
- A Novel of Ireland
- By: Frank Delaney
- Narrated by: Frank Delaney
- Length: 16 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born into a respected Irish-Anglo family in 1860, Charles loves his native land and its long-suffering but irrepressible people. As a healer, he travels the countryside dispensing traditional cures while soaking up stories and legends of bygone times - and witnessing the painful, often violent birth of land-reform measures destined to lead to Irish independence. At the age of 40, summoned to Paris to treat his dying countryman - the infamous Oscar Wilde - Charles experiences the fateful moment of his life.
-
-
Delightful
- By Kathy on 12-08-07
By: Frank Delaney
-
Texas
- A Novel
- By: James A. Michener
- Narrated by: Larry McKeever
- Length: 64 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Texas: a land of sprawling diversity and unparalleled richness; a dazzling chapter in the history of our nation; a place like no other on Earth. Through the remarkable lives of four families, this epic saga spans four centuries and two continents and charts the dramatic formation of several great dynasties from the age of the conquistadors to the present day. A richly compelling novel of a proud people eager to meet the challenge of the land, Texas is James Michener's most magnificent achievement.
-
-
Great Story...but then there was the narration
- By Jim on 03-03-16
-
The Covenant
- A Novel
- By: James A. Michener
- Narrated by: Larry McKeever
- Length: 58 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
James A. Michener's masterly chronicle of South Africa is an epic tale of adventurers, scoundrels, and ministers, the best and worst of two continents, who carve an empire out of a vast wilderness. From the Java-born Van Doorn family tree springs two great branches: one nurtures lush vineyards, the other settles the interior to become the first Trekboers and Afrikaners.
-
-
Defense of the narrator
- By william smith on 06-07-17
Critic reviews
Related to this topic
-
Children of Earth and Sky
- By: Guy Gavriel Kay
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 19 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the small coastal town of Senjan, notorious for its pirates, a young woman sets out to find vengeance for her lost family. That same spring, from the wealthy city-state of Seressa, famous for its canals and lagoon, come two very different people: a young artist traveling to the dangerous east to paint the grand khalif at his request - and possibly to do more - and a fiercely intelligent, angry woman posing as a doctor's wife but sent by Seressa as a spy.
-
-
Deep Echoes of the Sarantine Mosaic
- By Sarah on 05-13-16
By: Guy Gavriel Kay
-
Push Not the River
- By: James Conroyd Martin
- Narrated by: Dawn Harvey
- Length: 19 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Push Not the River is the rich story of Poland in the late 1700's - a time of heartache and turmoil as the country's once peaceful people are torn apart by neighboring countries and divided loyalties. It is then, at the young and vulnerable age of seventeen, that Lady Anna Maria Berezowska loses both of her parents and must leave the only home she has ever known.
-
-
Save your time; buy something else.
- By AMS on 10-22-15
-
The Lions of Al-Rassan
- By: Guy Gavriel Kay
- Narrated by: Euan Morton
- Length: 19 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The ruling Asharites of Al-Rassan have come from the desert sands, but over centuries, seduced by the sensuous pleasures of their new land, their stern piety has eroded. The Asharite empire has splintered into decadent city-states led by warring petty kings. King Almalik of Cartada is on the ascendancy, aided always by his friend and advisor, the notorious Ammar ibn Khairan - poet, diplomat, soldier - until a summer afternoon of savage brutality changes their relationship forever.
-
-
Lots of drama
- By KH on 10-12-12
By: Guy Gavriel Kay
-
The Iron King
- The Accursed Kings, Book 1
- By: Maurice Druon
- Narrated by: Peter Joyce
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the publishers that brought you A Game of Thrones comes the series that inspired George R.R. Martin’s epic work. France became a great nation under Philip the Fair - but it was a greatness achieved at the expense of her people, for his was a reign characterised by violence, the scandalous adulteries of his daughters-in-law, and the triumph of royal authority.
-
-
Historical Goodie
- By Syd Young on 08-03-13
By: Maurice Druon
-
Helena
- By: Evelyn Waugh
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Helena is the intelligent, horse-mad daughter of a British chieftan who is suddenly betrothed to the warrior who becomes the Roman emperor Constantius. She spends her life seeking truth in the religions, mythologies, and philosophies of the declining ancient world. This she eventually finds in Christianity-and literally in the Cross of Christ.The Empress Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, made the historic pilgrimage to Palestine and built churches at Bethlehem and Olivet.
-
-
And There Alone is Hope
- By John on 04-19-19
By: Evelyn Waugh
-
Fishers of Men
- Kingdom and the Crown, Vol. 1
- By: Gerald N. Lund
- Narrated by: Larry A. McKeever
- Length: 22 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In an ancient land in a time foretold by prophets, a babe was born beneath a shining star. Thirty years later, Jesus of Nazareth began teaching a message of hope, peace, and love. He claimed to be the Son of God, and his words - and his life - would change the world. Though David ben Joseph is quick to accept Jesus as the Messiah, the rest of his family is more cautious.
-
-
Please more books like these.
- By Elizabeth on 07-06-16
By: Gerald N. Lund
-
Children of Earth and Sky
- By: Guy Gavriel Kay
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 19 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the small coastal town of Senjan, notorious for its pirates, a young woman sets out to find vengeance for her lost family. That same spring, from the wealthy city-state of Seressa, famous for its canals and lagoon, come two very different people: a young artist traveling to the dangerous east to paint the grand khalif at his request - and possibly to do more - and a fiercely intelligent, angry woman posing as a doctor's wife but sent by Seressa as a spy.
-
-
Deep Echoes of the Sarantine Mosaic
- By Sarah on 05-13-16
By: Guy Gavriel Kay
-
Push Not the River
- By: James Conroyd Martin
- Narrated by: Dawn Harvey
- Length: 19 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Push Not the River is the rich story of Poland in the late 1700's - a time of heartache and turmoil as the country's once peaceful people are torn apart by neighboring countries and divided loyalties. It is then, at the young and vulnerable age of seventeen, that Lady Anna Maria Berezowska loses both of her parents and must leave the only home she has ever known.
-
-
Save your time; buy something else.
- By AMS on 10-22-15
-
The Lions of Al-Rassan
- By: Guy Gavriel Kay
- Narrated by: Euan Morton
- Length: 19 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The ruling Asharites of Al-Rassan have come from the desert sands, but over centuries, seduced by the sensuous pleasures of their new land, their stern piety has eroded. The Asharite empire has splintered into decadent city-states led by warring petty kings. King Almalik of Cartada is on the ascendancy, aided always by his friend and advisor, the notorious Ammar ibn Khairan - poet, diplomat, soldier - until a summer afternoon of savage brutality changes their relationship forever.
-
-
Lots of drama
- By KH on 10-12-12
By: Guy Gavriel Kay
-
The Iron King
- The Accursed Kings, Book 1
- By: Maurice Druon
- Narrated by: Peter Joyce
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the publishers that brought you A Game of Thrones comes the series that inspired George R.R. Martin’s epic work. France became a great nation under Philip the Fair - but it was a greatness achieved at the expense of her people, for his was a reign characterised by violence, the scandalous adulteries of his daughters-in-law, and the triumph of royal authority.
-
-
Historical Goodie
- By Syd Young on 08-03-13
By: Maurice Druon
-
Helena
- By: Evelyn Waugh
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Helena is the intelligent, horse-mad daughter of a British chieftan who is suddenly betrothed to the warrior who becomes the Roman emperor Constantius. She spends her life seeking truth in the religions, mythologies, and philosophies of the declining ancient world. This she eventually finds in Christianity-and literally in the Cross of Christ.The Empress Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, made the historic pilgrimage to Palestine and built churches at Bethlehem and Olivet.
-
-
And There Alone is Hope
- By John on 04-19-19
By: Evelyn Waugh
-
Fishers of Men
- Kingdom and the Crown, Vol. 1
- By: Gerald N. Lund
- Narrated by: Larry A. McKeever
- Length: 22 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In an ancient land in a time foretold by prophets, a babe was born beneath a shining star. Thirty years later, Jesus of Nazareth began teaching a message of hope, peace, and love. He claimed to be the Son of God, and his words - and his life - would change the world. Though David ben Joseph is quick to accept Jesus as the Messiah, the rest of his family is more cautious.
-
-
Please more books like these.
- By Elizabeth on 07-06-16
By: Gerald N. Lund
-
47 Ronin
- By: John Allyn, Stephen Turnbull - foreword
- Narrated by: David Shih
- Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For those looking for the real story behind the fictionalized movie account of the 47 Ronin story, this is the definitive, fascinating account of this unforgettable tale of a band of samurai who defied the Emperor to avenge the disgrace and death of their master, and faced certain death as a result. It led to one of the bloodiest episodes in Japanese history, and in the process, created a new set of heroes in Japan.
-
-
Neither fish nor....
- By David on 11-05-14
By: John Allyn, and others
-
How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas
- By: Jeff Guinn
- Narrated by: Susan Denaker
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Using as its springboard the actual events of a day in 1647 when 10,000 peasants marched through the streets of Canterbury demanding their right to celebrate a beloved holiday, How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas is rich in historical detail, adventure, and plain ol' Christmas fun. Children, parents, and entire families will enjoy this holiday classic!
-
-
Not quite what I wanted
- By A. Sentoni on 12-18-10
By: Jeff Guinn
-
War and Peace (AmazonClassics Edition)
- By: Leo Tolstoy, Louise Maude - translator, Aylmer Maude - translator
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 55 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In early nineteenth-century Russia, the threat of Napoleon’s invasion looms, and the lives of millions are about to be changed forever. This includes Pierre Bezúkhov, illegitimate son of an aristocrat; Andrew Bolkónski, ambitious military scion; and Natásha Rostóva, compassionate daughter of a nobleman. All of them are unprepared for what lies ahead. Alongside their fellow compatriots - a catalog of enduring literary characters - Pierre, Andrew, and Natásha will be irrevocably torn between fate and free will.
-
-
Tremendous narration
- By steve thomas on 08-14-20
By: Leo Tolstoy, and others
-
Wolfblade
- Hythryn Chronicles, Book 1
- By: Jennifer Fallon
- Narrated by: Maggie Mash
- Length: 25 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Marla Wolfblade of Hythria is determined to restore her family's great name, but conspirators surround her: The Sorcerers' Collective, the Patriots - even members of her own family. She must make sure her son Damin lives to be old enough to restore the Wolfblade name to its former glory. Elezaar the Dwarf is a small man with big secrets - but that doesn't matter to Marla Wolfblade. Her brother is the High Prince of Hythria, and, in this fiercely patriarchal society, her fate will be decided on his whim.
-
-
An epic political drama
- By Katherine on 07-19-14
By: Jennifer Fallon
-
The Memory of Earth
- Homecoming, Volume 1
- By: Orson Scott Card
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
High above the planet Harmony, the Oversoul watches. Its task, programmed so many millennia ago, is to guard the human settlement on this planet, to protect this fragile remnant of Earth from all threats...to protect them, most of all, from themselves.
-
-
I keep hoping, but, alas, ...
- By Ole Hippie on 02-22-10
By: Orson Scott Card
-
The Autobiography of Henry VIII
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: David Case
- Length: 41 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Margaret George's novel brings into focus the larger-than-life King Henry VIII, monarch of prodigious appetites for wine, women, and song.
-
-
Perfection!
- By Amy M. Walts on 10-20-07
By: Margaret George
-
The Midwife's Tale
- A Mystery
- By: Sam Thomas
- Narrated by: Leila Birch
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is 1644, and Parliament’s armies have risen against the King and laid siege to the city of York. Even as the city suffers at the rebels’ hands, midwife Bridget Hodgson becomes embroiled in a different sort of rebellion. One of Bridget’s friends, Esther Cooper, has been convicted of murdering her husband and sentenced to be burnt alive. Convinced that her friend is innocent, Bridget sets out to find the real killer.
-
-
Only so so
- By Marie on 11-13-13
By: Sam Thomas
-
World’s End
- The Lanny Budd Novels, Book 1
- By: Upton Sinclair
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 26 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lanning “Lanny” Budd spends his first 13 years in Europe, living at the center of his mother’s glamourous circle of friends on the French Riviera. In 1913, he enters a prestigious Swiss boarding school and befriends Rick, an English boy, and Kurt, a German. The three schoolmates are privileged, happy, and precocious - but their world is about to come to an abrupt and violent end. When the gathering storm clouds of war finally burst, raining chaos and death over the continent, Lanny must put the innocence of youth behind him.
-
-
didn't finish
- By Bird Miller on 05-08-22
By: Upton Sinclair
-
The Seven Wonders
- A Novel of the Ancient World
- By: Steven Saylor
- Narrated by: Stephen Plunkett
- Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
USA Today hails Steven Saylor as a “modern master of historical fiction.” Rich in intrigue and period detail, his novels set in ancient Rome have garnered acclaim the world over. A prequel to his epic Roma Sub Rosa series, The Seven Wonders follows series star Gordianus the Finder as an 18-year-old traveling the Mediterranean to witness the wonders of that fabled age. At each stop, the young investigator finds a beguiling mystery that pushes his powers of deduction to the limit.
-
-
Interesting History, Not much of a story
- By Mark on 08-10-12
By: Steven Saylor
-
Archangel
- Samaria, Book 1
- By: Sharon Shinn
- Narrated by: Tamara Marston
- Length: 17 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A tale of the distant future by the author of The Shape-Changer's Wife brings listeners to a world in which the fate of all life rests on the voice of an angel.
-
-
An All-TIme Favorite
- By Carol on 02-27-11
By: Sharon Shinn
-
A Place of Greater Safety
- By: Hilary Mantel
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 33 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is 1789, and three young provincials have come to Paris to make their way. Georges-Jacques Danton, an ambitious young lawyer, is energetic, pragmatic, debt-ridden - and hugely but erotically ugly. Maximilien Robespierre, also a lawyer, is slight, diligent, and terrified of violence. His dearest friend, Camille Desmoulins, is a conspirator and pamphleteer of genius. A charming gadfly, erratic and untrustworthy, bisexual and beautiful, Camille is obsessed by one woman and engaged to marry another, her daughter.
-
-
Disaster
- By Frank Dudley Berry Jr. on 08-01-13
By: Hilary Mantel
-
The Memoirs of Mary, Queen of Scots
- By: Carolly Erickson
- Narrated by: Rebekah Germain
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born Queen of Scotland, married as a young girl to the invalid young King of France, Mary took the reins of the unruly kingdom of Scotland as a young widow and fought to keep her throne. A second marriage to her handsome but dissolute cousin Lord Darnley ended in murder and scandal, while a third marriage to the dashing, commanding Lord Bothwell, the love of her life, gave her joy but widened the scandal and surrounded her with enduring ill repute.
-
-
Fiction being the key word
- By Bonnie-Ann B on 09-25-09
By: Carolly Erickson
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Russka
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Roger Davis
- Length: 47 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this vast and gorgeous tapestry of a novel, serf and master, Cossack and tsar, priest and Jew are brought together in a family saga which unrolls through centuries of history to reveal that most impenetrable and mysterious of lands - Russia. Through the life of a little town east of Moscow in the Russian heartland, Edward Rutherfurd creates a sweeping family saga from the baffling contradictions of Russia's culture and her peoples - bleak yet exotic, brutal but romantic, land of ritual yet riddled with superstitious fears.
-
-
Beautifully Brings Russian History to Life
- By G. Kinzer on 08-15-20
-
The Forest
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Lynn Redgrave
- Length: 5 hrs and 15 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the time of the Norman Conquest to the present day, the New Forest, along England’s southern coast, has remained an almost mythical place. It is here that Saxon and Norman kings rode forth with their hunting parties, and where William the Conqueror’s son Rufus was mysteriously killed. The mighty oaks of the forest were used to build the ships for Admiral Nelson’s navy, and the fishermen who lived in Christchurch and Lymington helped Sir Francis Drake fight off the Spanish Armada.
-
-
Beware, Abridged. Just a "Readers Digest" version.
- By Bob on 07-18-14
-
Sarum
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Roger Davis
- Length: 53 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a novel of extraordinary richness the whole sweep of British civilisation unfolds through the story of one place, Salisbury, from beyond recorded time to the present day. The landscape - as old as time itself - shapes the destinies of the five families....
-
-
Epic story but hard to follow - need reference mat
- By mntsmtl on 11-22-19
-
Sarum
- The Novel of England
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 45 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Sarum, Edward Rutherfurd weaves a compelling saga of five English families whose fates become intertwined over the course of centuries. While each family has its own distinct characteristics, the successive generations reflect the changing character of Britain. We become drawn not only into the fortunes of the individual family members, but also the larger destinies of each family line.
-
-
One big fat sweet historical epic
- By David on 11-28-13
-
China
- The Novel
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Daniel York Loh, Zheng Xi Yong, Andrew Wincott
- Length: 34 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Edward Rutherfurd has enthralled millions of people with his grand, sweeping historical sagas that tell the history of a famous place over multiple generations. Now, in China: The Novel, Rutherfurd takes listeners into the rich and fascinating milieu of the Middle Kingdom. The story begins in 1839, at the dawn of the First Opium War, and follows Chinese history through Mao's Cultural Revolution and up to the present day. Rutherfurd chronicles the rising and falling fortunes of members of Chinese, British, and American families, as they negotiate the tides of history.
-
-
Simply outstanding
- By Serenissima on 06-20-21
-
London
- The Novel
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Andrew Wincott
- Length: 49 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here is Edward Rutherfurd's classic novel of London, a glorious pageant spanning 2,000 years. He brings this vibrant city's long and noble history alive through the ever-shifting fortunes, fates, and intrigues of half-a-dozen families, from the age of Julius Caesar to the 20th century. Generation after generation, these families embody the passion, struggle, wealth, and verve of the greatest city in the world.
-
-
Do NOT buy on Audible
- By Diane Vanek on 06-19-18
-
Russka
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Roger Davis
- Length: 47 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this vast and gorgeous tapestry of a novel, serf and master, Cossack and tsar, priest and Jew are brought together in a family saga which unrolls through centuries of history to reveal that most impenetrable and mysterious of lands - Russia. Through the life of a little town east of Moscow in the Russian heartland, Edward Rutherfurd creates a sweeping family saga from the baffling contradictions of Russia's culture and her peoples - bleak yet exotic, brutal but romantic, land of ritual yet riddled with superstitious fears.
-
-
Beautifully Brings Russian History to Life
- By G. Kinzer on 08-15-20
-
The Forest
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Lynn Redgrave
- Length: 5 hrs and 15 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the time of the Norman Conquest to the present day, the New Forest, along England’s southern coast, has remained an almost mythical place. It is here that Saxon and Norman kings rode forth with their hunting parties, and where William the Conqueror’s son Rufus was mysteriously killed. The mighty oaks of the forest were used to build the ships for Admiral Nelson’s navy, and the fishermen who lived in Christchurch and Lymington helped Sir Francis Drake fight off the Spanish Armada.
-
-
Beware, Abridged. Just a "Readers Digest" version.
- By Bob on 07-18-14
-
Sarum
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Roger Davis
- Length: 53 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a novel of extraordinary richness the whole sweep of British civilisation unfolds through the story of one place, Salisbury, from beyond recorded time to the present day. The landscape - as old as time itself - shapes the destinies of the five families....
-
-
Epic story but hard to follow - need reference mat
- By mntsmtl on 11-22-19
-
Sarum
- The Novel of England
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 45 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Sarum, Edward Rutherfurd weaves a compelling saga of five English families whose fates become intertwined over the course of centuries. While each family has its own distinct characteristics, the successive generations reflect the changing character of Britain. We become drawn not only into the fortunes of the individual family members, but also the larger destinies of each family line.
-
-
One big fat sweet historical epic
- By David on 11-28-13
-
China
- The Novel
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Daniel York Loh, Zheng Xi Yong, Andrew Wincott
- Length: 34 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Edward Rutherfurd has enthralled millions of people with his grand, sweeping historical sagas that tell the history of a famous place over multiple generations. Now, in China: The Novel, Rutherfurd takes listeners into the rich and fascinating milieu of the Middle Kingdom. The story begins in 1839, at the dawn of the First Opium War, and follows Chinese history through Mao's Cultural Revolution and up to the present day. Rutherfurd chronicles the rising and falling fortunes of members of Chinese, British, and American families, as they negotiate the tides of history.
-
-
Simply outstanding
- By Serenissima on 06-20-21
-
London
- The Novel
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Andrew Wincott
- Length: 49 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here is Edward Rutherfurd's classic novel of London, a glorious pageant spanning 2,000 years. He brings this vibrant city's long and noble history alive through the ever-shifting fortunes, fates, and intrigues of half-a-dozen families, from the age of Julius Caesar to the 20th century. Generation after generation, these families embody the passion, struggle, wealth, and verve of the greatest city in the world.
-
-
Do NOT buy on Audible
- By Diane Vanek on 06-19-18
-
Princes of Ireland
- The Dublin Saga
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Richard Matthews
- Length: 26 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The saga begins in tribal, pre-Christian Ireland during the reign of the fierce and mighty High Kings at Tara, with the tale of two lovers whose travails cleverly echo the ancient Celtic legend of Cuchulainn. From that stirring beginning, Rutherfurd takes the listener on a powerfully imagined journey through the centuries. Through the interlocking stories of a memorable cast of characters we see Ireland through the lens of its greatest city.
-
-
FANTASTIC!
- By DECLO 68 on 05-02-04
-
New York
- The Novel
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 37 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York is the book that millions of Rutherfurd's American fans have been waiting for. A brilliant mix of romance, war, family drama, and personal triumphs, it gloriously captures the search for freedom and prosperity at the heart of our nation's history.
-
-
INCREDIBLE!
- By The Louligan on 11-18-09
-
Paris
- The Novel
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Jean Gilpin
- Length: 38 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Internationally best-selling author Edward Rutherfurd has enchanted millions of readers with his sweeping, multigenerational dramas that illuminate the great achievements and travails throughout history. In this breathtaking saga of love, war, art, and intrigue, Rutherfurd has set his sights on the most magnificent city in the world: Paris. Moving back and forth in time across centuries, the story unfolds through intimate and vivid tales of self-discovery, divided loyalties, passion, and long-kept secrets of characters both fictional and real, all set against the backdrop of the glorious city.
-
-
Paris: The Novel (is that helpful?)
- By Mel on 05-07-13
-
París
- By: Edward Rutherfurd, Camila Batlles - traductor
- Narrated by: Inaki Crespo
- Length: 36 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
París, ciudad del amor, de la elegancia, de los sueños. Ciudad de la revolución. Rutherfurd novela la historia de París desde su fundación hasta los días de la revuelta estudiantil de 1968. "París" se desarrolla a través de las historias de pasiones, lealtades divididas y secretos guardados durante años de personajes tanto ficticios como reales, con el escenario de esta gloriosa ciudad como fondo.
-
-
Muy recomendable
- By Cliente de Amazon on 12-22-22
By: Edward Rutherfurd, and others
-
Mistress Anne
- The Exceptional Life of Anne Boleyn
- By: Carolly Erickson
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A powerful ruler, an alluring young woman, a scandal that would rock the nation: Anne Boleyn’s life story sounds more like a juicy TV docu-drama than a chapter of English history. Although she is not of noble birth or even especially beautiful, Anne Boleyn manages to rise to the very pinnacle of the English aristocracy. Renowned for her extraordinarily vivid recreations of historical events, Carolly Erickson brings out the full fascinating story of the enigmatic Anne Boleyn.
-
-
Just OK for me.
- By Amazon Customer on 01-11-12
By: Carolly Erickson
-
Rusia
- By: Edward Rutherfurd, Camila Batlles - traductor
- Narrated by: Frank Capdet
- Length: 48 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Guerreros y eremitas, boyardos y siervos, héroes y heroínas románticos, ancianas damas ricas, buscadores de fortuna y exiliados... Los personajes de Rusia habitan en un mundo contradictorio de bosques, estepas, iconos y hachas, fe ortodoxa y persecución a los judíos, hermosas iglesias, palacios magníficos y pueblos miserables; de arte popular ruso y operas suntuosas, de Tolstói y Lenin, Chaikovsky y Rasputín.
By: Edward Rutherfurd, and others
-
Make Russia Great Again
- A Novel
- By: Christopher Buckley
- Narrated by: Gibson Frazier
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In “the Trump satire we’ve been waiting for” (The Washington Post), award-winning and best-selling author of Thank You for Smoking delivers a hilarious and whipsmart fake memoir by Herb Nutterman - Donald Trump’s seventh chief of staff - who has written the ultimate tell-all about Trump and Russia.
-
-
It feels like any other white house memoir
- By Debra Gore on 07-15-20
-
The Haj
- By: Leon Uris
- Narrated by: Neil Shah
- Length: 21 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Leon Uris retums to the land of his acclaimed best-seller Exodus for an epic story of hate and love, vengeance and forgiveness. The Middle East is the powerful setting for this sweeping tale of a land where revenge is sacred and hatred noble. Where an Arab ruler tries to save his people from destruction but cannot save them from themselves. When violence spreads like a plague across the lands of Palestine - this is the time of The Haj.
-
-
Oversimplification of Middle East problems
- By Jean on 10-01-14
By: Leon Uris
-
Poland
- A Novel
- By: James A. Michener
- Narrated by: Larry McKeever
- Length: 30 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this sweeping novel, James A. Michener chronicles eight tumultuous centuries as three Polish families live out their destinies. With an inspiring tradition of resistance to brutal invaders, from the barbarians to the Nazis, and a heritage of pride that burns through eras of romantic passion and courageous solidarity, their common story reaches a breathtaking culmination in the historic showdown between the ruthless Communists and rebellious farmers of the modern age.
-
-
Horrible narration
- By Hack on 01-27-17
-
Tudor
- Passion. Manipulation. Murder. The Story of England's Most Notorious Royal Family
- By: Leanda de Lisle
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 16 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Tudors are England's most notorious royal family. But, as Leanda de Lisle's gripping new history reveals, they are a family still more extraordinary than the one we thought we knew. The Tudor canon typically starts with the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 before speeding on to Henry VIII and the Reformation. But this leaves out the family's obscure Welsh origins and the ordinary man known as Owen Tudor who would fall (literally) into a queen's lap - and later her bed.
-
-
Clear and detailed
- By Tad Davis on 04-13-16
By: Leanda de Lisle
-
Under Heaven
- By: Guy Gavriel Kay
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 19 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Under Heaven takes listeners to Tang dynasty China, where the son of an honored general has received an unheard of gift: 250 Sardian horses. But this is a prize men would, and will, kill for.
-
-
One of my favorite by my favorite historical fantasy author
- By KBergin on 10-03-20
By: Guy Gavriel Kay
-
A Place Called Freedom
- By: Ken Follett
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 14 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This lush novel, set in 1766 England and America, evokes an era ripe with riot and revolution, from the teeming streets of London to the sprawling grounds of a Virginia plantation. Mack McAsh burns with the desire to escape his life of slavery in Scottish coal mines while Lizzie Hallim is desperate to shed a life of sheltered subjugation to her spineless husband. United in America, their only chance for freedom lies beyond the Western frontier - if they're brave enough to take it.
-
-
Expected better than a historical romance
- By Lynette Garet on 01-09-17
By: Ken Follett
What listeners say about Russka
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Grace
- 04-28-14
Enlightening read for all sorts of perspectives!
Any additional comments?
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!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- yulia
- 03-24-16
Inaccurate geography of what constitutes Russia
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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Angelyn S. Furst
- 10-22-12
Wonderful Historical Novel
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!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
21 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Christy
- 11-29-12
This book is long in coming
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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jolene
- 08-11-16
Very interesting I liked it.
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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Dustin Jackson
- 03-15-18
A story that breathes history as easily as air
What made the experience of listening to Russka the most enjoyable?
The novel is sufficiently detailed that, despite the subject matter's alien nature to most readers, it is easy to follow and enjoy. Rutherford's writing style is a joy to experience, and flows smoothly through eons without skipping a beat or weakening in the least. Additionally, Ms. McCaddon is a superb narrator, whose talent with voices and inflection --- as well as her gentle and very relaxing voice --- helps paint a vivid picture with the source she's been given.
What did you like best about this story?
I liked the believability and the (mostly) period-accurate attitudes and experiences of the characters. All too often a historical novel will veer off into platitudes designed to make more comfortable the less-than-palatable portions of the time period. This severely detracts from the quality of the work, as the characters are not allowed to live within their time but, rather, must pay lip service to the views of an author who lives decades, centuries, or even millenia beyond the characters. The characters in Russka act like first-, tenth-, and seventeenth-century Russians: they own serfs, they are devoted to the Tsar and not to democracy, they are religiously narrow; they beat their wives in the fashion of the time; they enjoy bloodsport; and they suffer continual and serious setbacks which are, while not minimized, often placed into cold comparison with the sufferings of their own serfs, to which they do not even consider paying mind. For why would any Russian nobleman pay mind to his serfs; his property? And yet they are characters who live, who experience love and confusion and happiness and joy. What better shows the talent and devotion of an author than his or her ability to write living believable characters, rather than flat, unbelievable propaganda pieces?
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
This book did something for me which few books manage to do: it made me experience genuine emotion. Turmoil, lack of surety, sadness, and even dread. I was invested in the characters and their lives. I wanted things to work out for them. I shook my head and gawked at their bad, disgusting, even evil actions. Yet I understood why they did what they did. At times I felt intense sorrow when bad things happened to the people whose lives I was allowed to look down upon from above, and was permitted in my limited wisdom to judge. I wanted them safe, happy, and successful. And yet, where then would be the story? An age-old conundrum I dare say.
Any additional comments?
I highly recommend this book. It may be a tad long for some, at more than 900 pages, and its complexity might not be attractice to many. It does require a good deal of consideration of past events, and thinking through familial connections. It is easy to get characters confused with other characters, and even (at some points) to wonder why we haven't heard from a specific person in a while, only to realize that we have gone three-hundred years beyond that person's death. This can be quite a shock, if one does not pay attention. Nevertheless, it is an excellent novel, well-written and lacking in little. Believable characters, realistic depicitons of Russian history, and a respect for the intelligence of the reader make this one of my favorite novels.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Babs
- 02-27-18
History
I grew up in Western Europe with the reality of the Iron Curtain. For me, child of a family with an intense grudge against the Soviet Union, Russia was bathed in mystery, as if on another planet. I remember the day the Iron Curtain fell. I was making pumpkin soup and did not know what to think about these events that could have been foreseen for a while. Slowly Russian culture became less mysterious throughout the years, beyond Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Gogol etc.... Russka is a welcome reminder of a rich part of our history and a very important culture. I loved it !
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Dr.J.A.P.
- 01-27-20
Not as good as Ruthfurd's England books
I'm a big fan of Rutherfurd's books about England, so was looking forward to this. I DID learn some things about Russian history, and it was overall ok. Not amazing. The read's performance of the audiobook I listened to is pretty good... but there's something wonky in the sound track. Occasionally it skips and makes odd noises. At first I thought there was something wrong with my speakers, but no it's the sound track of the recording. This is an OLD from the 1990's audiobook apparently that got transferred to digital and something odd happened along the way. That said, it's the ONLY digital version of this book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Milena Pritel
- 09-30-21
I found a deeper understanding of a culture entrenched with mystery
I appreciate the way Rutherford characterizes the culture and personalizes the People of this misunderstood part of our world.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Marie L Walker
- 02-21-13
Not Rutherfurd's Best,but very good!
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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
14 people found this helpful