Reviews for St. Petersburg

The average rating for St. Petersburg based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2017-11-26 00:00:00 Nicolle Duran A journey that is harrowing, funny, sinister, exasperating and revealing, all at once. The poverty-stricken, muddy and alcohol soaked villages along the Lena were depressing to both the author and this reader, but there were also some remarkable characters - some for their delusionals about Russia's history, some for their very dated magical thinking. The atmosphere in the villages is of nearly complete isolation from modern life in the outside world and a profound lack of dreams. It's as if we're plunked down in the 17th Century, but with a lack of Russian cultural richness and sense of adventure. The descriptions of the landscape are wonderful. It's trip into a Russia we in the West don't hear much about.

Review # 2 was written on 2008-05-08 00:00:00 George Kimberly This was a very good first person adventure about travel in a motorized inflatable raft up the Lena river in Siberia. What made this book so interesting is Tayler's multilingualism and his interest in history and Russian politics. He visits many small dying towns along the river and speaks with members of minority cultures and people that the new Soviet system have left behind. The boating was interesting but, until he enters the Arctic Circle, it was not particularly adventurous so he rightly focuses on the views of his guide and the heart wrenching stories of those he meets. His writing could benefit from a little less reliance on a thesaurus or, if his vocabulary is truly that amazing, he would benefit his readers by not going so overboard.