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toniclark's review against another edition
3.0
What a harrowing tale. I liked it. Would like to read some of her fiction.
greenmachine31's review against another edition
3.0
I did not connect with the character like I would have liked to connect. It was very matter of fact.
debbieurbanski's review against another edition
4.0
The political events of Russia in the 1930's and 1940's hover mostly in the background of this memoir (the siege of Leningrad, for instance, is mentioned in passing in a single sentence: "Our teachers were all Leningrad residents who were evacuated along with the children during the blockade."). The Girl from the Metropol Hotel deals more with the personal consequences of those political events, as experienced by a young girl. Petrushevskaya very much captures the narrow and imaginative point of view of a child growing up in difficult (understatement) circumstances; the result is beautiful and heartbreaking.
There are many stunning moments which made the book a worthwhile and memorable read for me. One of my favorites - Petrushevskaya is recounting a book of her grandmother's, one of the only books they had around, a biography of Cervantes:
"In that book, there was a description of a crystal decanter with red wine standing on a table in what I remember was a prison cell. Red shadows fell on the white cloth. Nothing like that existed in my world. There was no red and no white. But still it was present in my childhood life—that’s what matters. I remember those shadows! And that tablecloth, white and thick like old snow, with heavy folds along the corners. I could see that scene as though I lived in it. The room with thick wooden beams. Small, low windows aglow from the setting sun. Green fields."
Such a unique and vivid outlook on a difficult childhood...
I did feel like there was a shift about 80% of the way through -- where suddenly Petrushevskaya is in her final year of school before college. The tone became lighter here and more jokey. That incredible rich tension of her inner mind versus her actual situation falls away as she ends up attending a university and finding a job as a journalist. Perhaps ending earlier, when she was still a child, would have been more to my taste as a reader, but that also would have been a bleaker and different book.
I listened to the audiobook, which worked well -- though I had no idea about the wonderfully evocative photographs scattered throughout the pages until I glanced at the Kindle version.
There are many stunning moments which made the book a worthwhile and memorable read for me. One of my favorites - Petrushevskaya is recounting a book of her grandmother's, one of the only books they had around, a biography of Cervantes:
"In that book, there was a description of a crystal decanter with red wine standing on a table in what I remember was a prison cell. Red shadows fell on the white cloth. Nothing like that existed in my world. There was no red and no white. But still it was present in my childhood life—that’s what matters. I remember those shadows! And that tablecloth, white and thick like old snow, with heavy folds along the corners. I could see that scene as though I lived in it. The room with thick wooden beams. Small, low windows aglow from the setting sun. Green fields."
Such a unique and vivid outlook on a difficult childhood...
I did feel like there was a shift about 80% of the way through -- where suddenly Petrushevskaya is in her final year of school before college. The tone became lighter here and more jokey. That incredible rich tension of her inner mind versus her actual situation falls away as she ends up attending a university and finding a job as a journalist. Perhaps ending earlier, when she was still a child, would have been more to my taste as a reader, but that also would have been a bleaker and different book.
I listened to the audiobook, which worked well -- though I had no idea about the wonderfully evocative photographs scattered throughout the pages until I glanced at the Kindle version.
momreaderh's review against another edition
3.0
I only give this three stars because it was too short, and a little because I found the style of writing a little jarring or abrasive. However, it's definitely worth reading if you are interested in history, communism, the Soviet Union, or the cold war. Or runaways or kids abandoned by their parents.
matritense's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
2.0
Seems it was written for young teens or older children.
lola425's review against another edition
4.0
I read this shortly after Masha Gessen's The Future is History and it was an interesting companion read. The best thing that I got from this book was being introduced to Petrushevskaya, both as a writer and as a person. Recommended for book groups who want a short read with plenty to talk about.