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Edward Rutherfurd
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Russka: The Novel of Russia Paperback – October 24, 1992

by Edward Rutherfurd (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 3,473 ratings
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"Impressive."
THE WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD
Spanning 1800 years of Russia's history, people, poltics, and culture, Edward Rurtherford, author of the phenomenally successful SARUM: THE NOVEL OF ENGLAND, tells a grand saga that is as multifaceted as Russia itself. Here is a story of a great civilization made human, played out through the lives of four families who are divided by ethnicity but united in shaping the destiny of their land.
"Rutherford's RUSSKA succeeds....[He] can take his place among an elite cadre of chroniclers such as Harold Lamb, Maurice Hindus and Henri Troyat."
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
Previous page
  1. Print length
    960 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Ivy Books
  4. Publication date
    October 24, 1992
  5. Dimensions
    4.25 x 1.5 x 7 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0804109729
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0804109727
  8. See all details
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Popular Highlights in this book
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  1. It is generally agreed that the root of the endemic anti-Semitism in South Russia lay in this cynical and unfortunate Polish system.
    Highlighted by 212 Kindle readers
  2. Procopy had assumed that, just as the villagers in Russia can build a house in a day, so, with a strong leader and a titanic effort, a new order can be imposed from above. This belief is the perennial tragedy of Russia.
    Highlighted by 171 Kindle readers
  3. The role of the Cossacks in history would always be the same: they could make or break another state; but there were never enough of them to form a viable state of their own.
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Rutherfurd weaves an expansive tapestry of Russian lore in this sprawling, occasionally soap-operatic historical novel--a seven-week PW bestseller and a Literary Guild selection in cloth--which vividly explores the historical influences on the modern Russian psyche.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“Impressive . . . Rutherfurd has indeed embraced all of Russia.”
–The 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

“FAST-MOVING . . . Rutherfurd believes in adding color and adventure to facts that are exhaustively researched, making history palatable if not delicious.”
–Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“SPRAWLING . . . Rutherfurd’s close observation of Russia’s religious and ethnic diversity gives this epic a distinctive flavor.”
–Publishers Weekly

“RUTHERFURD LITERALLY PERSONIFIES HISTORY.”
–New York Daily News


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ivy Books; Reprint edition (October 24, 1992)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 960 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0804109729
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0804109727
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.25 x 1.5 x 7 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 3,473 ratings

About the author

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Edward Rutherfurd

Edward Rutherfurd

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Edward Rutherfurd was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, and educated at Cambridge University and Stanford University in California. His first book, Sarum was based on the history of Salisbury. London, Russka,The Forest, Dublin and Ireland Awakening all draw on finely researched details of social history. Edward Rutherford has spent much of the last 30 years living in New York and Conneticut. He has an American wife and two American educated children and has served on a New York co-op board.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
3,473 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars I can't recommend this book highly enough!
Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2024
Verified Purchase
I do not have the words to give this book the praise it deserves. Covering Russian history from approximately 180 AD to 1991, it seamlessly blends fact with fiction making it very personal. Like many people my age who grew up in post WWII America, I was taught that the Soviet Union was "the evil empire" and that it was to be feared and despised. All I really knew about it was that they'd had a revolution during WWI, killed their tsar and became Communist which was a bad thing to be. As I grew older I read more books on pre-revolution Russia, but they were mostly about the Romonovs. And I followed the break up of the Soviet Union avidly, remembering the "duck & cover" drills of my school days. But the rest of Russian history was a mystery. The author takes great pains to emphasize that this is a work of fiction, but there is enough actual history skillfully woven into the narrative to give us a very good idea of what was going on in the world and how these real events were affecting the fictional characters.

I can't recommend this book highly enough!
4 people found this helpful
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T. Davis
4.0 out of 5 stars Engaging overview of Russia history
Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2015
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An ambitious novel that covers 1800 years or so of Russian history it follows two families over the centuries. It is shocking to say, but for a 900 page novel it actually seems like it is unfinished as the story more or less ends with the Revolution in 1917/18. The chapters read like a series of short stories except toward the end where the time frame is compressed and characters persist from one chapter to the next. Some of the chapters are outstanding, in particular the one about Ivan where I really felt a foreboding atmosphere building and we see one of our characters mirror the transformation of Ivan from idealist to (maybe) madness. I also really enjoyed the chapter of Catherine and the one that follows because we get the best story of the Bobrov family and really get into their characters over the course of two chapters.

Unfortunately it does not seem that Rutherfurd either likes to write about conflict or doesn't have a talent for it because virtually all military events in the history of Russia are avoided or mentioned only in passing. The entire Napoleonic Wars are barely touched upon. Eylau, and Austerlitz are never mentioned and Borodino gets one or two sentences. The outdated Russia army is referred to in the Crimean War but we see nothing of the war other than 8 pages or so of garrison duty. Nothing is said about the Russo-Japanese War and of course since the book ends in 1918 we get nothing about the Russians heroic stand against the Nazis. This left Russka feeling incomplete for me but it may not bother others who don't need battles in their historical fiction.

I give the novel four stars because I enjoyed Rutherfurd's writing and he clearly did a lot of research on Russia. Some chapters are better than others and some characters are reoccurring stereotypes but overall the book tells engaging stories. By the end of the story I really cared what happened to the Bobrov family. This book probably should have been a trilogy, but it will interest anyone who is curious about Russian history.
11 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Russka
Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2024
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Beautiful book. Quick delivery. Can't wait to read it!
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M. Lutton
3.0 out of 5 stars Good not (Peter the) Great
Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2008
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It is a long, encompassing attempt at Russian history. Each chapter is set in different time period with different characters, so the 900 or so pages are broken up nicely. Some chapters were very captivating, Ivan the Terrible being my favorite. Rutherford brings out the cruelty and violence of Russian history. Along the way he interestly describes how life may have been for people living in each time period. He accurately shows the affects of the Mongols, and the vast geography of the land, in forging a modern, quassi-western nation. If you have an understanding of Russian history, you will probably appreciate this book more than others. If you are not interested in Russian history, I can see it being a difficult book to get through. I picked this book up in winter, so all of the melting snow descriptions, and the cold harsh realities of the Russian saga, came to life for me.
2 people found this helpful
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Siobhan W.
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Rutherfurd Epic
Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2023
Verified Purchase
A long read, but a good one. Historically, culturally, and politically eye-opening. Makes you want to root for the people of Russia—to see them as vibrant, creative, soulful, hopeful people, not just the governments and systems they have been subjected to.
3 people found this helpful
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GS
4.0 out of 5 stars Historical fiction that provides a nice overview of Russian history
Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2022
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Ultimately I enjoyed this book. This was the second novel I've read by Edward Rutherford, the first being New York. Russka was not written quite as well as New York. There were times when it was hard to discern which character was speaking and the novel dragged a little bit midway through. I also found it confusing that so many of the names repeated across the generations, and this novel does span many generations. It did pick up though in the last third and I was glad to have finished it as opposed to putting it down.

Russka is a timely book to read given what is occurring between Ukraine and Russia in 2022. I wanted to understand the history of both nations a little more and this novel certainly helped me achieve that goal.
17 people found this helpful
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Patsy/John
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read
Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2024
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If you like history in a story form, this should do it. Easier to read than straight history. Follows a family and a village through several eras.
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Mrs.Brown
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!
Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2024
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I love this book. Great buy.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Noreen Vanderput
5.0 out of 5 stars Ótimo encontrar livros em inglês na Amazon Brasil e não ter q encomendar no exterior
Reviewed in Brazil on April 15, 2022
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Ótimo autor
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david canford
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 17, 2023
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Another 800 odd pager from the author spanning the centuries. An entertaining way to learn about Russian history with intriguing stories about various families through the generations. It starts in the Ukraine and moves to the Moscow area. It stops around the time of the Russian Revolution and I would have enjoyed the novel continuing to the collapse of the Soviet Union, if not beyond. A great read.
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M MacDonald
5.0 out of 5 stars It's long and intense at times but worth the read.
Reviewed in Canada on January 22, 2021
Verified Purchase
A wonderful way to read the summary history of Russia and get a feel for the ordinary life in the villages. Following the stories of three families through the reigns of the Tsars as well as various government changes made it much easier to understand the various historical eras Russia and its people have endured and it gave me an insight into the character of the Russian people themselves. I highly recommend it.
2 people found this helpful
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Norman Clark
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book - top value purchase!
Reviewed in France on November 13, 2022
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Everyone one should read Rutherford's History books hidden in full sight by fictional plot lines. I bought this as the replacement to my well-worn paperback. I also bought his book on China and another on Paris (the latter with an interesting period break structure!)
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David Brearey
4.0 out of 5 stars A land I thought I knew
Reviewed in Spain on October 13, 2022
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This is a very detailed history of Russia. We all think we know what they are up to but this book puts you straight.
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