Sashenka

He writes beautifully, vividly, and passionately about things he has known and seen.

FAY WELDON

A furiously readable novel - it's hard to put SASHENKA down. SASHENKA is a brilliantly-plotted novel which brings home with unique intimacy the joys and hopes of Russian families, the Revolution, the horror of the Thirties - and a new generation's penetration of KGB files.... Montefiore has a scholar's knowledge of Russian history but he lets his knowledge serve the tale and become part of the texture. The glory and tragedy of Sashenka's story remains long after the last page is read

Thomas Keneally, author of Schindler’s List

Intricate, fast moving...so powerfully and persuasively set out that, by the time I finally put the book down, long after midnight, I was in tears.

Vanora Bennett, THE TIMES

To write a good historical novel you have to recreate that world, both physically and intellectually - and there must be a sense that history is driving the plot forwards. Montefiore succeeds on all counts...The real achievement of this novel is that it describes the profound levels of self-deception required if you wanted to stay alive and be a loyal communist in Stalin's Russia.

EVENING STANDARD

A tale rich in conspiracy, seduction, glamour and intrigue that should satisfy all.

IMAGE magazine (Eire), June 2008

A dramatic, gripping tale of a passionate, beautiful woman living in pre-revolutionary Russia, and subsequently in Stalin's Soviet hell. Her story, set against richly textured backgrounds -- some lavish, some grim -- make this novel extraordinarily difficult to put down.

Robert Massie, author of Nicholas & Alexandria

In SASHENKA, Simon Montefiore proves himself a true storyteller. The world of the Russian Revolution and of Stalin's Terror comes vividly to life in this deeply intimate novel, full of Russian atmosphere and color. I felt as if I'd lived through an epic movie.

Edward Rutherford, author of Sarum and Russka

A compelling and affecting saga that resonates long after the reading. Montefiore's depiction of the epoch is superb. The language is precise and evocative without getting in the way of the storyline. Its evocation of 20th Century Russia is so intoxicating it made want to buy a plane ticket and find out more for myself. I can't remember being as moved by the fate of a character in a novel for some time.

Sydney Morning Herald, Australia

This epic tale spans almost 100 years of tumultuous Russian history in the mould of Dr Zhivago; its themes of love, lust, treachery, sacrifice and family values dominate the book.

The Courier-Mail, New Zealand

A must read! Montefiore polishes all the facets of a good story - secrets, lies, betrayal, love and death - and places them in Russia's grand setting.

The Sunday Telegraph, New Zealand

An absolutely rollicking tale which also manages to convey an authentic period atmosphere. Very colourful, very evocative, very readable, and very very real.

JOANNE HARRIS

Agile plotting, vivid characterisation and the exuberant spectacle of a well-informed author enjoying a flourish of serious frivolity - convoluted plot twists, astonishing coincidences, tear-jerking family separations and all - combine to make Sashenka an addictive page-turner with an elegant, steely edge of verisimilitude.

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

Gripping...moves you to tears.

DAILY EXPRESS

This completely addictive story offers an authoratative insight into Stalin's USSR and, in its huge characters and epic ambition, carries echoes of Tolstoy himself.

DAILY MAIL

A heartbreaking tale of passion, betrayal and an unthinkable decision.

IN STYLE, August 08

A compelling novel of passions and secrets, politics and lies, love and betrayal, savagery and survival.

SAGA, July 08

The perfect mixture of history and clever storytelling, with wonderful female characters and a seriousness of purpose that stands out. Gripping from start to finish.

KATE MOSSE, Author of Labyrinth and Sepulchre

Sweeping historical epic about a daring young woman forced to make a hard choice in Stalinist Russia.

TOP FIVE SUMMER READS OF 2008, THE OBSERVER

Excellent...the historical detail is strong. The characterisation is superb, with Sashenka being especially well drawn. With her unwanted beauty and charisma, her gentle nobility that transcends class or wealth and her earnest ideals which eventually cost her so much. Sashenka commands out total sympathy, and when she is forced apart from her children, the sadness is profound and hard to dispel. A powerful novel...with a heroine who lingers in the mind when the story is finished.

THE SPECTATOR

Sashenka is grand in scale, rich in historical research, and yet never loses the flow of an addictive, racy, well-wrought plot. It combines a moving, satisfyingly just-neat-enough finale with a warning - that history has an awful habit of repeating itself.

THE SCOTSMAN

Intensely moving and gripping, with an unforgettable climax that will touch the hardest heart.

Jung Chang, author of WILD SWANS and MAO

Suspenseful page-turner, painted in opulent colours on a big historical canvas.

FINANCIAL TIMES

Montefiore has immersed himself in all things Russian for so long that the background and atmosphere flow naturally, and are utterly convincing. Ten years immersed in the archives have paid off - several true stories have been woven into the narrative to produce a compelling love story.

JEWISH CHRONICLE

The acclaimed historian of Russia sweeps the brittle high society of pre-Revolutionary St Petersburg, the terror-chilled jails of Stalin's purges and the secrets of 1990s Moscow archives into a tragic panorama.'

INDEPENDENT, TEN OF THE HOTTEST BOOKS THIS SUMMER

A seamlessly written and moving portrait of the soviet Union in miniature from the Revolution to the age of Yeltsin.

MAIL ON SUNDAY

What is striking is how he has thrown himself heart and soul into the romance and emotion of his drama. The novel throbs with sex, maternal feeling, revolutionary fervour and terror ... Terrific stuff

SUNDAY TIMES