Release: January 1st 2021
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Lightning Books
Source: Rachel’s Random Resources
Find it at: Eyebooks , Amazon UK , Amazon
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Galina’s birth took place into a world of horrors. So why does she mourn its passing?
It is December 1941, and eight-year-old Galina and her friend Vera are victims in the siege of Leningrad. They are eating wallpaper soup and dead rats. Galina’s artist father Mikhail remains secluded from the front to help save the treasures of the Hermitage. Its cellars could provide a safe haven, as long as Mikhail can survive the perils of a commission from one of Stalin’s colonels.
Three decades on, Galina is a teacher at the Leningrad Art Institute. An anticipated celebratory weekend at her forest dacha turns sour when she makes an unwelcome discovery. The painting she starts that day will hold a grim significance for the rest of her life. The old Soviet Union makes way for the new Russia and her world changes out of all recognition.
The novel is Warm, wise and utterly enthralling . Molly Gartland’s debut novel guides us from the old communist era of its terrors and its more surprising comforts, into the bling of 21st-century St Petersburg. Galina’s story is an insightful meditation on ageing and nostalgia as well as a compelling page-turner.
About the Author:
Originally from Michigan, Molly Gartland worked in Moscow from 1994 to 2000 and has a fascination for Russian culture ever since.
She has an MA in Creative Writing from St Mary’s University, Twickenham and lives in London.
The manuscript for her debut novel The Girl from the Hermitage was on the shortlist for the Impress Prize and on longlist for the Mslexia Novel Competition, the Bath Novel Award and Grindstone Novel Award.
The Girl from the Hermitage Review:
I love reading a good family saga spanning across generations, and this book executes it beautifully!
The author sets the tale very nicely where you see four generations of a family survive, from WWII till the present day. The characters are the highlight of the story, and I loved following Mikhail, Galya, Elena, Yuri, and Dasha in their journey. Masha is self centered and annoying, and the only character who I really disliked in the story. Personally, I loved Mikhail and Galina as the strong, mature leads who try to do the best under the circumstances.
The story was never null, as the characters always found themselves in interesting predicaments. Few scenes that made this book memorable was when Galina catches Dima in the act, and when Vera and Galina learn the history of Boris. However, there are some parts that made me very squeamish, like when they cut a rat to eat as food. On a side note, I also appreciate the author for providing a glossary of all the Russian words at the end. I also loved how art and paintings are a major theme in the story, and made the book very classy.
There were only few minor aspects which I felt could have been better. While I loved the story, I felt some of the chapters were too lengthy for my taste. Also, the author mentions some characters, but there is no resolution to them. For instances, I liked the flashbacks between Mikhail and Andrei, but we don’t really know what happened to Andrei.
Overall, the author did a wonderful job in writing this debut novel, and I look forward to reading her future works.
Book Tour Schedule
I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the The Girl from the Hermitage by Molly Gartland Blog Tour hosted by Rachel’s Random Resources. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
