Fifty Russian Winters: An American Woman's Life in the Soviet Union Book

I really went back and forth about giving this 3 or 4 stars. Basing it on other books with similar themes, I rounded down. But it is interesting and well written. That said, the author and her husband rubbed me the wrong way, for whatever reason. In one breath she's saying everyone should be treated equally, but then when evacuating Nalchik they take more than the allotted baggage and evade railroad officials, as if the rules don't apply to them.

I also disagree with her statement that the people of Leningrad during the siege were not heroes, merely survivors. To each his own opinion, I guess. But later on she remarks on the old people of Leningrad giving up their bread rations to grandchildren. If this isn't heroic love, I don't know what is. All this as she hangs on to the coattails of Leningrad refugees and is evacuated east more quickly (which may have saved her own children).

She also displayed a naïvete regarding the government for far too long. Even if you truly believe all these folks being arrested are "enemies of the people", how can you condone the mistreatment of family members who are innocent? Stop making excuses and admit you were, at least, partially misled.

The good. She was so in love and devoted to her husband. Their relationship was a rare and beautiful thing. I absolutely love the picture of Peg and her two children. They are adorable and you can easily detect her love for them in her face. I wish there had been a little more detail about their lives in America at the end. I also thought the last paragraph in the book was wonderful. A nice way to end.

Two other books written in a similar vein which I found more enjoyable are "Olga's Story" by Stephanie Williams and "The Reindeer People" by Piers Vitebsky.