Russian Winter
"A soaring debut novel. An elegant, compelling puzzle of family, memory and solitude that brings to life modern-day Boston and postwar Russia through a profound love story. Graceful, moving, and unexpected." --Matthew Pearl, New York Times bestselling author of The Dante Club
In Russian Winter, a famed ballerina's jewelry auction in Boston reveals long-held secrets of love and family, friendship and rivalry, harkening back to Stalinist Russia. Called "tender, passionate, and moving" by Jenna Blum, the New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Save Us, Russian Winter is a perfect choice for fans of the novels of Ann Patchett (Bel Canto), and Ian McEwan (Atonement).
When Nina Revskaya puts her remarkable jewelry collection up for auction, the former Bolshoi Ballet star finds herself overwhelmed by memories of her homeland, and of the events, both glorious and heartbreaking, that changed her life half a century earlier. It was in Russia that she discovered the magic of dance and fell in love, and where, faced with Stalinist aggression, a terrible discovery incited a deadly act of betrayal--and an ingenious escape to the West.
Nina has kept her secrets for half a lifetime. But now Drew Brooks, an inquisitive associate at a Boston auction house, and Grigori Solodin, a professor who believes Nina's jewels hold the key to unlocking his past, begin to unravel her story--setting in motion a series of revelations that will have life-altering consequences for them all.
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Daphne Kalotay is the author of the award-winning novel Russian Winter, which has been published in twenty languages, and the fiction collection Calamity and Other Stories. She has received fellowships from the Christopher Isherwood Foundation, the MacDowell Colony, and Yaddo, and has taught at Boston University, Skidmore College, Grub Street, and Middlebury College. She lives in Somerville, Massachusetts.
"This tale of a Russian ballerina who defected to Boston is a history lesson inside an evocative novel about art and betrayal."--O magazine
"With sure and suspenseful artistry, Daphne Kalotay intersperses the unfortunate and tortuous histories of Nina, Elsin, and their artist friends with new discoveries and disclosures. The several stories draw together in a conclusion that is surprising, fitting, and satisfying."--Boston Globe
"RUSSIAN WINTER. . . is engaging and affecting. It could well be the debut novel of the year."--Philadelphia Inquirer
"Part romance, part mystery, this elegant debut captures the danger--and refuge--of love in Stalin's era."--Good Housekeeping
"[A] magnificent tale of love, loss, betrayal and redemption. . . . The emotional center of the book holds everything together. . . . [A] final riptide of revelations leaves the reader profoundly moved."--Washington Post Book World
"Daphne Kalotay captivates in a soaring debut novel. An elegant, compelling puzzle of family, memory and solitude that brings to life modern-day Boston and postwar Russia through a profound love story. Graceful, moving and unexpected."--Matthew Pearl, New York Times bestselling author of The Dante Club
"An exceptional debut novel. . . . Delving into Nina's life with the Bolshoi Ballet, her life among the Soviet Union's artist community and her escape from the Stalinist regime add glamour and historical flavor to this novel of secrets, intrigue and wonderfully described priceless gems."--USA Today
"A complex story that, in the end, boils down to the simplest of elements: love, fear, disappointment and loss. An auspicious first novel, elegantly written and without a false note."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Tender, passionate, and moving, Daphne Kalotay's debut novel about ballet, jewels, love and betrayal is also a delicious form of time travel. I loved it."--Jenna Blum, New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Save Us
"Kalotay has brought to life hidden worlds with the verve of an expertly executed tour jeté."--Maclean's
