A Discovering
Diamonds Review of: A Painted Samovar by Sarah Roux
Amazon UK £1.99 £7.99
Amazon US $2.58 $10.00
Amazon CA $12.47
Military / Family
Drama / Jewish history
WW1 / Russian
Revolution
London/Russia /
Japan
This is the
moving and epic saga of one man’s involvement in the Manchurian conflict
between Russia and Japan and then in WW1 / the Russian Revolution. It is a
story of multiple challenges and the will to persevere.
The main story is nicely surrounded by scenes in London, 1967, when a former friend arrives at the family home to visit the now deceased Isaac.
The story then jumps back to 1905 as Isaac fights against the Japanese. The portrayal of the war scenes and Isaac’s perspective of it is very well done; the situation of Jews in Tsarist Russia and their culture seems well-researched and authentic and is very fascinating.
The narrative jumps to the East End of London in 1912, where - now a cabinetmaker - Isaac founds his family. Again, I enjoyed the detailed scene setting and the well-chosen characters. Isaac faces deportation back to Russia which separates him from his family. The rest of the novel is his struggle to return to them.
This is a
compelling and inspiring read, sometimes harrowing, and historically rich,
bringing to my attention yet another lesser-known fate, shared by some 4,000
people. Knowing that this is inspired by the author’s own family makes the
story all the more powerful and captivating.
Well done.
© Christoph
Fischer
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