Write your own review!
Kimberly H. (Stamford, CT)
Snowdrops- Underground in Moscow
Highly recommended - a quick interesting read by a first time author (who writes for the Economist). I felt the author must have experienced something close to this - a very real and fascinating portrait of underground doings in Moscow.
Bonnie B. (Port St. Lucie, FL)
Moscow - "that city of neon lust and frenetic sin"
' "Snowdrop" said Steve. "Your friend is a snowdrop".
That's what they call them, he told me - that's what they call the bodies that come to light with the thaw. Drunks mostly, and homeless people who give up and lie down in the snow, and the odd vanished murder victim. Snowdrops.'
A. D. Miller has written a compelling noir novel of love, lust, and betrayal in Moscow, where nothing is as it seems. Nick is an attorney currently working in London and this book takes the form of his remembrances of his time in Moscow as he tells them to his English fiancee. It is about how he meets Masha and Katya on the metro and
…more how their lives become intertwined. It is about deals involving oil rigs and selling apartments. The novel is about many things but, ultimately, it is about how far will a man go in deceiving himself that he is doing good when he knows that he is taking part in deceptive and harmful acts.
I could not put the book down. It is a literary page-turner that grabbed me from the get-go. It would be a shame if this does not have a wide readership. It is THAT good. (less)A.D. Miller's Snowdrops is a refreshing book full of intrigue. Set in modern-day Moscow, the story concerns a British lawyer who becomes involved with two enticing young women.
The reader smoothly enters another world: feels the gripping cold, gapes at the horror of certain scenes, and becomes emotionally involved with an older woman's plight.
Occasionally, the narrator makes remarks to a listener (presumably, a lover). I found these comments to be very endearing. I only wish the author had done this a bit more frequently.
The writing in this debut novels flows so well; it was such a pleasure to experience. I
…more eagerly await A.D. Miller's next effort! (less)Moscow at the time capitalism begins to take hold is a intoxicating mixture of corruption and celebration. Ultimately, everything is on a downward slide, where greed and sin rule, and no one escapes the temptation. An engrossing read, thought of Gorky Park , the bleakness and the constant snow.
Eileen F. (Ephrata, WA)
Snowdrops
Miller shines in this psychological drama. His debut novel gave me a view clear picture of Moscow. I was able to visualize the city, climate, politics, and characters. Thankfully, he limited his characters in number, so that I wasn't confused attaching the long Russian names to the characters.
Nick, the main character and an attorney, seemed very gullible. I found myself telling him to wake up. This novel would make a good airplane trip read.
Susan F. (Rabun Gap, GA)
Wildly Interesting, Riveting Read
"Snowdrops" is a wildly interesting, riveting read. I highly recommend it to all. Written as an explanation and, I believe, a possible apology to his present day fiancee, Nick Platt, an English attorney, sets forth his old life in Moscow, his "old life without a seat belt".
If you have been to Moscow, you may remember it as an impression of kaleidoscopes of color, spiraling, exotic architecture, and fast moving people. Such is Nick Platt's narrative as he took me on a wild ride through those heady times in the early 2000's as Moscow and Russia plunge head long into capitalism. I was swept up in the portrays of
…more amoral behavior, decadence, and lust. A place where much that appeared true, usually was not.
After he has meet the charms of Masha and Katya and soon after their aunt, Tatiana, I saw Nick Platt become a victim of that culture, willing to ignore much that was obvious and deceptive in trade for the comfortable pleasures of the "here and now". He does, however, finally begin to realize his complicity in some very dark deeds. But alas, as the book spirals to an end, it was all to evident to me that the cultural seduction of Nick Platt was complete. (less)A. D. Miller has created an atmospheric read which fully immerses the reader in post-soviet Russian society. The characters real, the settings are easy to picture in your head, and the story is plausible. The fact that the author was able to create a constant sense of underlying paranoia though was his best accomplishment. This is truly an immersing tale.
Eileen B. (East Moriches, NY)
A GREAT DEBUT
As I was reading,I got a feel of how business deals are conducted in Russia and how corrupt it can be. This was a great debut novel that included evil, corruption, romance and deceit. In the beginning, I was trying to figure out what the title had to do with the story and as I read on, it all fell into place. There are some books that I can predict the ending and this was not one of those. The book was well written and the characters were very interesting as well as complicated. A must read.
