Russka

The Novel of Russia

By: Edward Rutherfurd

Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon

Russka is the story of four families who are divided by ethnicity but united in shaping the destiny of Russia. From a single riverside village situated at one of the country’s geographic crossroads, Russia’s Slav peasant origins are influenced by the Greco-Iranian, Khazar, Jewish, and Mongol invasions. Unified by this one place, the many cultures blend to form a rich and varied tapestry.

Rutherfurd’s grand saga is as multifaceted as Russia itself: harsh yet exotic, proud yet fearful of enemies, steeped in ancient superstitions but always seeking to shape the emerging world. Peter the Great, Ivan the Terrible, Catherine the Great, and Lenin all play their roles in creating and destroying the land and its people.

In Russka, Edward Rutherfurd has transformed the epic history of a great civilization into a human story of flesh and blood.

©1991 Edward Rutherfurd (P)2000 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Rutherfurd literally personifies history.” ( New York Daily News)

“Impressive…Rutherfurd has indeed embraced all of Russia.” ( 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)

Inaccurate geography of what constitutes Russia

While I haven't finished the book, I need to write my first opinion of this book. While I understand that the book is only based on Russia it's awfully inaccurate in its geography. The author calls every piece of land that Russian boots touched as Russian. The book was written in the late 80s & maps, history books & travel was widely available.

Enlightening read for all sorts of perspectives!

Any additional comments?

This is a wonderful listen! Russian history has been a mystery to me and this was a perfect introductory into the history of ethnicity, classes, politics, and religion. I had a list of people to research more after reading this! My only wish is that they offered a visual family tree so I could keep up with who all is related to who. Looks like I'll just have to resort to listening through it again in oder to fully grasp relationships. I plan to listen to this many more times purely for the quality of information! Well done! I highly recommend this!

Not Rutherfurd's Best,but very good!

I am a huge fan of Rutherfurd, I love big books and history. I did listen to Russka twice back to back to firmly implant the family names in my mind, and I found I enjoyed it more the second time around. The book gave me a little different view of Russian history than I had. All I can say is, it has to be good to listen to it twice. I found the narration of Wanda McCaddon very good as well. I had enjoyed her in Sarum.

Finally I've Been to Russia

Having visited Russia twice, I now feel as if I have finally BEEN there.. Truly an excellent tour de force, and very fair in all its observations.

A huge undertaking, but worth it!

Despite the number of centuries covered in the history of Russka, the author skillfully balances full detailed accounts of complex family relationships with a brisk pace to keep the story fresh and intriguing. I loved how interwoven the relationships become. I'm certain that I missed a great deal of the intricate nuances but it's definitely a book worth reading again. I was skeptical as to how Rutherford could possibly craft a satisfactory ending to such an epic work, but I loved how things came together. I learned a lot, enjoyed the ride, and am now looking forward to reading another book by this impressive author.