The Revolution of Marina M.: A Novel
The Revolution of Marina M.: A Novel book cover

The Revolution of Marina M.: A Novel

Kindle Edition

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Price
$12.99
Publisher
Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date

Description

"Marina's unlikely bildungsroman proves so gripping that it's hard to put down...Fitch depicts [the Revolution] with devastating accuracy and imaginative power...sprawling, majestic."― Ani Kokobobo , LA Review of Books "Sprawling, immersive, and heavily researched."― Steph Cha , USA Today "Marina is by turns adventurous, foolish, romantic, self-destructive and courageous in this extraordinary coming-of-age tale."― Jane Ciabbatari , BBC Culture "This epic tale from the bestselling author of White Oleander follows Marina Makarova, a young woman living in St. Petersburg at the start of the Russian Revolution in 1916. Looking to escape from her privileged life, she joins the marches for worker's rights-and finds herself falling in love with the movement and a young radical. In this relatable coming-of-age novel, Marina grapples with a changing world and struggles to find her place in it."― Nora Horvath , Real Simple "A captivating novel starring an unforgettable heroine, The Revolution of Marina M. shows you a side to the Russian Revolution you've never seen before."― Sadie Trombetta , Bustle "It's a portrait of a moment in time -- of a woman in time, in fact -- that we don't often see, and you'll find yourself savoring each and every word of this breathtaking novel."― Chelsea Hassler , PopSugar "Janet Fitch's novel shimmers with vital energy...[she] clearly did an astounding amount of research for the novel, which luxuriates in exotic period details... The Revolution of Marina M. is hard to put down...it is charming and lively and ultimately worth the time."― Trine Tsouderos , Chicago Tribune "This is Janet Fitch at her finest."― Elizabeth Entenman , HelloGiggles "Janet Fitch's The Revolution of Marina M ., an epic tale of one young woman's story amid the drama and tragedy of the Russian Revolution, is just the thing to keep you both personally inspired and seasonally appropriate."― Mary Sollosi , Entertainment Weekly "This new novel from the author of White Oleander is going to swallow you up entirely."― Melissa Ragsdale , Bustle "This is an epic page-turner of a novel."― Mackenzie Dawson , NY Post "A beautiful, cinematic novel...Hollywood, take note."― Alison K. Hill , Daily Bulletin "Fitch narrows the Russian Revolution to one woman's perspective, crafting a gorgeous epic that's a must-read for historical fiction fans."― Frannie Jackson , Paste Magazine "Fitch catches and holds our interest through 800 pages, rewarding us with rich and provocative stories, compelling characters and literary prose of the very highest order."― Jonathan Kirsch , Jewish Journal "Incandescent. Fitch has expertly drawn the world of Russia in 1916 in flurries of white, like an exquisite snow globe, and then nudged it to the edge of a precipice, until in one jarring push, it falls. It crashes and each brilliant shard lifts and swirls. Poets, artists, profiteers, soldiers, cult leaders, sadists, idealists, blood, sex, hope all piecing together in a new life, a new country. The brilliant Janet Fitch has written yet another powerful, kaleidoscopic novel."― Cynthia Bond, author of Ruby " The Revolution of Marina M. takes us deep inside the Russian Revolution and lets us witness it through a pair of remarkable eyes. Marina is a female Zhivago - a poet who uses her intelligence, her passion, and her love of language to interpret and survive the political turmoil around her. Janet Fitch is a wonderful writer and this might be her best book."― David Ebershoff,author of The Danish Girl and The 19th Wife "There's brilliance in this book: concept, structure, style. If the horrors associated with the Russian revolution freeze your blood, remember the fire and brimstone of our own Civil War. Read this novel for the passion of the main character, a girl becoming woman and poet with ten times the vitality and intellect of Scarlett O'Hara."― Sena Jeter Naslund, author of Ahab's Wife and Abundance,a Novel of Marie-Antoinette "Ambitious, vivid, engrossing. Fitch puts flesh and bones on one of the most tumultuous times in human history, a vast canvas filled with the rising up the oppressed, naïve hope, abrupt reversals and crushing betrayals. The novel is a virtuoso rendition of the time, buoyed by Fitch's impeccable research and her bold, unforgettable prose."― Susan Sherman, author of If You Are There and TheLittle Russian "In this lusty and intelligent novel, Fitch brilliantly entwines the blooming of a teenage girl with the bursting of a country, and tells their story with such intensity and urgency you can nearly hear the thundering hoofbeats of time and feel the shaking through the pages. This is an epic deserving comparison to the Russian masterworks -- not for its size, but for its scope, not for its subject, but for the sweep with which it meets it. Rarely have I ever known history to come so fully, fiercely alive."― Josh Weil, author of The Great Glass Sea "An achingly lyric chronicle of the Russian Revolution seen through the eyes of one of its daughters of privilege as she skirts the peripheries of her own adulthood. Fundamentally though, it is a story of the insurgent politics of a woman's heart -- whom and how she loves, what governs, betrays, or becomes her. The beauty of this book broke me open. Janet Fitch is stunningly, startlingly talented."― Jill Alexander Essbaum, author of Hausfrau "The resilient Marina has much in common with the modern heroines of the author's previous books and is a protagonist worth following."― Publishers Weekly "Fitch captures the epic grandeur of Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy, situating her characters in the pages of authentic history. Yet she also infuses her protagonists with transgressive sexual energy...vividly portraying Marina's sexual awakenings as she falls in and out of love.... Readers of Tolstoy, Boris Pasternak, and Margaret Mitchell will thrill to this narrative of women in love during the cataclysm of war."― Barbara Conaty , Library Journal "Fitch's novel presents a richly described, on-the-street view of the revolution's transformative, often violent throes.... she provides an excellent sense of history's unpredictability and shows how the desperate pursuit of survival leads to morally compromising decisions...Fitch's cinematic storytelling and Marina's vibrant personality are standout elements in this dramatic novel."― Sarah Johnson , Booklist --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Janet Fitch is an author whose first novel, White Oleander , was a New York Times bestseller, an Oprah's Book Club selection, and the basis for a feature film. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. The resilient Marina has much in common with the modern heroines of the author's previous books and is a protagonist worth following. -- "Publishers Weekly" [Fitch's] resplendant third novel. -- "O, The Oprah Magazine" A captivating novel starring an unforgettable heroine, The Revolution of Marina M. shows you a side to the Russian Revolution you've never seen before. -- "Bustle" A vast, ambitious historical tale in which the coming-of-age of a quintessential revolutionary heroine dovetails with the events of October 1917. -- "New York Times Book Review" Fitch steps back to St. Petersburg, New Year's Eve, 1916, as young Marina Makarova prepares to betray her upper-class origins and join the revolution. -- "Library Journal" It's a portrait of a moment in time-of a woman in time, in fact-that we don't often see, and you'll find yourself savoring each and every word of this breathtaking novel. -- "PopSugar" Shmulenson's portrayal of Marina M. embodies all the confidence of a youth who is struggling with questions, fear, and doubts that assail her as she tries to find her place in a brutal, rapidly changing world. Shmulenson gives distinctive voices to all the speakers, helping the attentive listener keep the large cast of characters straight. She handles the many Russian names with the aplomb of a native speaker. Overall, Fitch immerses Marina's story in accurate historical detail, and Shmulenson breathes life into it. -- "AudioFile" --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • From the mega-bestselling author of
  • White Oleander
  • and
  • Paint It Black
  • , a sweeping historical saga of the Russian Revolution, as seen through the eyes of one young woman.
  • St. Petersburg, New Year's Eve, 1916. Marina Makarova is a young woman of privilege who aches to break free of the constraints of her genteel life, a life about to be violently upended by the vast forces of history. Swept up on these tides, Marina will join the marches for workers' rights, fall in love with a radical young poet, and betray everything she holds dear, before being betrayed in turn. As her country goes through almost unimaginable upheaval, Marina's own coming-of-age unfolds, marked by deep passion and devastating loss, and the private heroism of an ordinary woman living through extraordinary times. This is the epic, mesmerizing story of one indomitable woman's journey through some of the most dramatic events of the last century.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(125)
★★★★
25%
(104)
★★★
15%
(62)
★★
7%
(29)
★
23%
(96)

Most Helpful Reviews

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For the lover of historical fiction, this is a treasure

I just finished this beauty of a book after 48 hour holiday reading bender. I have been with Marina through her father, Genya, the archangel, Varvara, Volya and Ukashin. These are all people who want to tell this young, independent, smart, free spirit of a girl what or who she should be. I just got to the last page of this sweeping story set in during the Russian Revolution and I want resolution to the revolution of Marina M. Yet, I get to the end to find "end of book 1." The author is working on Book 2. What frustration! This is how I know I am reading a fantastic historical fiction. I want to know. I need to know now. I want Marina to succeed. Historical fiction, when it is done right, feels like this. It is sweeping and grand. It is personal and emotional. I love this book and I hope many of make the leap and read this 1100 page treasure.
18 people found this helpful
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The Russian Revolution as seen through the eyes of a ninny.

Yes, I'm slogging through the Kindle version right now, but there's a good chance that I won't finish it. Marina is not a likable heroine, and the characters are two-dimensional. The Varvara character is really the hardest to take, bursting on the scene at odd times and places.
The text is crawling with similes and metaphors, many of them quite strained. lots of "bodice-ripping". The plot is not hard to follow but difficult to believe.
I did read "White Oleander" by this author, which I enjoyed.
I had read "A Gentleman in Moscow" recently, which also dealt with the Russian revolution or at least its aftermath so maybe the wit and charm of that novel spoiled me for this one.
12 people found this helpful
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Disappointing

I read "White Oleander" and "Paint it Black" and enjoyed them. I am a fan of historical fiction. I expected a book based in the Russian Revolution to be dark, but this was absolutely depressing. Marina goes from one unbelievable, desperate situation to the next, and there was very little about her character I found engaging. The sexual situations became more and more ridiculous as the book progressed. The violence of one sexual episode was entirely too much. Fitch's description of a character's penis as being the same size as a baby's arm was weird. Where was the editor on this? I managed to plod on through to the end of what is book, where I learned this overly long work has a second volume. I'm passing on it. This was enough.
11 people found this helpful
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A Gut Wrenching Look at the Russian Revolution

This is the fascinating fictional story of Marina Makarova as told in her own narrative, starting when she was a young girl of almost 16 in Petrograd. It starts around the time of the birth of the Workers Revolution and World War I in 1916 until 1919. She is a member of the hated bourgeois class and is torn by her loyalty to her family and her compassion for the working class. Her life takes many twists and turns. She is obsessed with her boyhood boyfriend whom she cannot stay away from even at the threat of danger. This passion leads her into life threatening situations. She finally realizes that truth and takes command of her life as she realizes that the people in her family are not what she grew up believing.

I love the author’s descriptions of events and people. They are vivid and captivating. You feel the panic and excitement at the labor rallies and can see in your mind’s eye, what Marina’s lover looks like. There is a myriad of subordinate characters that give the story depth. Each has their own story to tell and all are well defined. My only complaint is that the ending was anticlimactic.

This is the first novel that I have read by Janet Fitch and I will definitely read another. The story is fast moving and keeps you turning pages. I would recommend this book for young adult to adult readers for the mature subject matter.
10 people found this helpful
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Long but Engrossing -- Flawed but Interesting Protagonist -- Excellent Experience of History

(See comments for Trigger Warnings) Consider this review to be 3.5 stars -- there was a great deal I liked, despite the aspects I did not. Among the things I enjoyed were the length, because it gave the reader a chance to submerge themselves in Revolutionary Russia in a way a shorter book would not. The research and details were marvelous. I feel I understand the situation somewhat better than I did before reading MARINA M. Marina herself is a challenge, as a narrator. If you're looking for a straight-out "good guy," you may be out of luck; she's more complex than that. In many ways she reminded me of Emma Bovary, wanting more out of people than they could give, and making rash decisions that rarely improved her already razor-edge life. Very few characters in this book were especially loyal to each other, Marina included. Her story works best when the conflict she faces comes from should-be friends and the situation itself, including more than one heartbreaking family moment. It struggles more when the author introduces particular evil bad guys (most of whom become obsessed with her, natch). Marina rarely handles those characters with much wisdom or maturity. The last movement of the story, which takes place outside of Petrograd with mostly new characters, feels tacked on and unnecessary, as if it belongs in a different book. And because this is only Book 1 of Marina's story, we haven't returned to the time and place of the opening scenes. One of the best arguments for this book is that it is well written, and takes you into Marina's world, and I found it gripping most of the time (again, until the last movement). I hope the 2nd book comes out while the 1st is fresh enough in my mind to pick M's story back up!
8 people found this helpful
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There must be a second book coming!

Is there a Part Two? I was devastated losing her on a cart headed back to Petrograd. The names, the family, the history, the places come alive for me, and if you don't like the confusion of names, then you must never have read Dostoesvsky or any Russian literature. What else comes alive is the history of a country in grave turmoil, and it echoes out to remind us how fragile institutions, courts, and just getting food to people can be when these break down. Good intentions, hope and philosophy get lost. The excruciating fights among factions and the slow decline into terror and madness and cruelty are depicted through Marina's eyes so that I understood more than I ever have about period in history. An ambivalent girl, who drives on trying to make the right choices while feeling ambivalent, seeing life as a poet, attempting to understand what being human is, what life is, always feeling an outsider in her family's society and when she falls under the spell of group-think or the hideous Baron or the mystic holding her captive and what it is just to need to survive, and then to get out before you are destroyed. It's a mother daughter story you will never forget. The effects of Romance of the time, of poetry, of sex and discovery and yes adventuring...told by a woman adventurer was thrilling. Not since the Goldfinch have I turned pages with such desire to know what happened next.
8 people found this helpful
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Don’t bother

This book seemed like a series of long winded flash cards. I slogged my way through it, only to find out that this was only Book One. A disappointment, from start to ( non)finish.
6 people found this helpful
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Not The Story I Was Looking For

I can appreciate the author's research in to this book but this story was not for me. I barely made page 200. So many names, so many poets, dancers, political people. I constantly had to use the look up on the kindle to see who they were or if they were even real. It really slows down the flow of the book. The main character ( maybe she got better later in the book) was flat and not likable. I wanted to get excited about how she viewed the way the world was changing but I just couldn't see it . Too many people with long names not sure if that even was their whole name . There should have been a listing in the front of the book with who was who in this book. I thought that the telling of the beginning of the revolution was choppy. I had to do a search to better understand it. When I browsed some of the other reviews of people who have finished the book, I saw that there may be another book like this to follow. Sorry not for me.
5 people found this helpful
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Most disappointing!

I loved White Oleander & was excited to read Janet Fitch's new book. It was so disappointing that I may never read another of her books. I certainly won't read the sequel to this one. Save your money!
5 people found this helpful
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The Gone With The Wind of the Russian Revolution!

It took me quite awhile to start this review. It’s not that I’m unsure of whether or not I liked The Revolution of Marina M., but I think I’m just still in awe of how wonderful and inspiring Marina’s story was for me. Honestly, I think this is a top contender for best book of the year for me! There was so much that I loved about Marina and her story that I want everyone to read it and understand how amazing this book is. I’m not kidding. Janet Fitch has managed to create the Gone with the Wind of the Russian Revolution, giving the sweeping role of Scarlett O’Hara to Marina Makarova. She is a daughter of the bourgeoisie during a time of rebellion against anyone who has more and won’t give to those who have less.

I have an obsession with Russia. I love to learn all I can about Russian culture, especially when it comes to the Russian Revolution. There is a wealth of information in The Revolution of Marina M. in regards to the ways of life of a regular Russian citizen. From Marina’s pampered lifestyle as the daughter of a political leader to the lives of her lower-class friends and acquaintances, Fitch’s attention to detail knows no bounds. I visualized Marina as she walked to school everyday during the early days of the Revolution. I got to see her experience the streets of Petrograd, both good neighborhoods and bad ones. She visits bath houses and theaters and even palaces. I can tell by my visualizations of the setting that Fitch didn’t waste any time during the years she spent researching for this novel. It shows on every page.

The Revolution of Marina M. begins with a short prologue, set in 1932. Without going into detail, we catch a small glimpse at the end of Marina’s story, which is extremely helpful since this novel is only the first of two parts. We then cut to January 1916, during the early days when revolution was a mere whisper on the streets of Petrograd. Marina is young, privileged, and a poet. She’s eager to study at the university and write her poetry and enjoys the finer things that her lifestyle offers. But as the months wear on, she experiences what the proletariat of Petrograd suffers at the hands of the Tsar and his bourgeois regime. Despite being born with a silver spoon in her mouth, she chooses to fight for the revolution because she believes it’s what is right. But her decision has some serious consequences that completely alter her life.

Marina is a difficult character. She is experiencing the Russian Revolution as a 17-year-old girl, which is already a tumultuous time in every young woman’s life. She’s very likable, but she’s too eager to jump in and do what she thinks is right. This doesn’t give her much time to think about her actions and, therefore, she often regrets her choices. Sometimes these choices lead to life-altering, horrifying experiences. But, in the end, she manages to learn something from them and hopefully she can use this knowledge in the future.

Janet Fitch was the perfect writer to bring Marina and her story to life. Her research must have been overwhelming and meticulous; I was transported to Russia in 1917 and felt what it must have been like to be a part of that revolution. She develops Marina over and over again, sometimes even starting at the beginning. So many of Marina’s experiences change who she is and what she is fighting for. I cannot WAIT for the second installment of The Revolution of Marina M. I want to see if she takes everything she’s experienced and learns and grows from it. This was a fascinating story of a woman coming of age all while surrounded by social change and the transformation of Russia. Then again, I expected nothing less from Janet Fitch.
5 people found this helpful

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