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There are currently 13 member reviews
for The True Memoirs of Little K
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Portia A. (Mount Laurel, NJ)
A novel close to the truth
What a wonderful story. Little K was real, her adventures were real, including being the prima ballarina assoluta of the Imperial Russian Ballet, mistress of the last tsar of Russia and survivor at age 99 of the Russian Revolution. This is historic fiction at its best.
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Lola T. (Broken Arrow, OK)
Little K's Memoirs
This is an enjoyable historical novel, but be aware that it is not fast-paced; it takes some reading to really "get into" the book. If you love Russian names and terms, you'll not be put off by the book. (I give Russian names nicknames to help smooth the reading, but there were so many character that I lost track of the nicknames!)
Characterization of K is wonderful, but some of the other characters were flat, almost interchangeable. I disliked much of K's feelings of entitlement and self-absorption, but realize that is what the author intended. That is simply the way she was; we do not have to love the main character/protagonist/subject of a well-written novel. The plot seems to plod through most of the book, and then it gallops to a stunning/sad finale. As with most historical fiction, I love learning about history through this novel; although Russian history seems to engender novels that are dense and wordy. It would be a great read for a book discussion group not afraid of reading a lengthy novel! I'd recommend it!
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Andrienne G. (Azusa, CA)
How historical fiction should be written
I have to agree with the other reviewer who said that she didn't regret reading the book, but it wasn't a page turner. This book is heavy with information - probably too heavy -one might wonder if in real-life, an old woman would be able to remember so many details. But it served its purpose in taking the reader back in time.
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Eileen F. (Ephrata, WA)
Mathilde
Mathilde Kschesinskaia, narrated this historical fiction, at age 99. It was a tumultuous time, in history, for the Russian people and the royalty. The narrative was very informative and at times lively. I found that reading this novel took my full attention, because of the lengthy sentence structure and the multitude of Russian names and places. I am not sorry that I read this book, but for me, it wasn't a page turner.
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Donna D. (Williamsville, NY)
Historical Novel With Potential
I was delighted to have the opportunity to preview this novel, written as the memoir of a prestigious ballerina who has a life-long affair with the last czar of Russia. The novel appears to have been very well-researched. If anything, I felt that Adrienne Sharp was overly ambitious in presenting so much detail of the history of the fall of the Romanovs. I really struggled through the first half of the book, which read more like a textbook than a novel. Things picked up in the second half, but the rather lifeless characters failed to rescue the novel.
Historical fiction presents the challenge of drawing the reader in without deviating too far from the facts, and Sharp was just not daring enough in giving her characters some personality. Once Mathilde becomes a mother, her ambition and love for her son breathes some life into her, and the reader is more drawn in. Sharp's portrayal of the city of Petersburg and the inner circle of the aristocracy are sometimes captivating. This was a novel with potential that just came up a little bit short in engaging my interest.
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Judith W. (Brooklyn, NY)
True Memoirs of Little K
I enjoyed this book for the background information on the life of the upper classes and the Tsar and the world of the ballet. I had never heard of 'Little K' before and am inclined now to do some research and find out more about her. That said, it is certainly clear why there was a revolution - all that wealth concentrated on the few and supported by the misery of the many.
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