Due to a couple of lengthy plane rides (prop plane to Rotorua and back) this week and a stint or two in bed with a total 'man cold' I was able to read this book in double quick time. I would have to say that if I were reading it at normal speed I might not have made it to the end. Having read 'The Boy in Stripped Pyjamas' I had very high expectations of this one but it fell a bit short for me.
It was easy to read and engage with the characters but I found it a little slow and not compelling. However, one day I re-read the blurb and spotted the word 'saga' and had an aha moment. So, it was supposed to be long and detailed and with some superfluous passages of blah blah. What I did get out of it was a yearning to get out the history books and learn about the Romanovs and the last hoorah of the Russian Royal family. By the end of the book I was totally enveloped in the story and did end up having a long and involved discussion with Jonty about recent Russian history which I guess is what reading really should be about. I enjoyed the main character and the fact that he spent years working in the British library in the olden days was interesting. I also warmed to the other characters and really want to get to grips with that bastard Rasputin. So, I wouldn't say you MUST read this book but I wouldn't walk past in on the library shelf and not take it home for a ride.
Oh yes, I love being introduced to historical events through fiction, and I do believe there have been many other books written about the house of special purpose so one day soon I might get them out of the library and see what others have to say about it all.
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