Negotiating their way through Stalinist terrors, Nazi slavery, and British colonial brutality, Pasha Zayky and his wife, Tanya, tell first-hand how a loving family fought for survival during the hell of the twentieth century.

A great historical novel that kept me interested until the very end

This is a well researched book that must have taken ages to write, there is so much detail! I wasn't too keen on the style of writing though. I have no idea why the first 5 chapters jump timescales, there was no need. Also I don't understand why the grandson narrated the last part of the book as he wasn't alive for some of it!
I think this book could have been a series with first Russia, then Germany, Africa and finally England. I wanted more from the Russian and German parts, the Africa part (although i enjoyed it) went on just too long and the last 30 years in England seemed rushed after all the detail in the previous years.
I enjoyed reading about the family and all the friends they met along the way but the author, with all the knowledge that he had, could easily have made four books out of it which I would have enjoyed much more.
3.5 stars

The story of Tanya and Pasha Zayky spans from German held Russian territory in World War II through Kenya and beyond. I found the story to be truly engaging, clearly very well researched and a wonderful glimpse into lesser known events in world history. Gallop does a wonderful job bringing his characters to life, but I felt that, at times, it was a bit bogged down by such thorough explanations of what characters were doing (i.e. travel stops that broke down how much was spent, etc.). His writing was particularly engaging when describing Tanya's discovery of flight. Overall, I enjoyed this novel and look forward to future writings from Mr. Gallop.