The Porcelain Doll reads like a 19th-century Russian classic. I loved the stories, the way they wove together and the stunning prose. This author knows her stuff and her passion for all things Russian infuses into you by the end of the novel. Well worth a read!!

A most interesting story delving into recent Russian history and including a love story, a family saga and the relationship between parents and their children. I found this a difficult read as it moved between timelines and points of view. I found the story of the dolls hard to follow. Some of the difficulties I had are perhaps due to reading on a Kindle and not in book format.

The Porcelain Doll reads like a 19th-century Russian saga and is worth a second read to see if I can follow it better next time around. Many thanks to NetGalley and Allison & Busby for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Beautiful.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Author and the Publisher with providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was an excellent piece of fiction about Russia that spans across the ages and truly explores Russian modern history through the lens of a family trying to learn more about their past. The story read like a classic Russian epic, which I loved! I enjoy learning about modern Russian history anyway, but I really loved how the story unfolded in this novel.

Some of the plot was a little difficult to follow, given split timelines etc, but the work as beautifully written with excellent character development.

I love reading about Russian history, so enjoyed this book. Back and forth in time, a family saga with a few twists and turns.

This is an amazing book - family saga, mystery, historical fiction and even philosophy. There are many complex characters and relationships to keep track of but all is resolved neatly in the end. The author has a wonderful turn of phrase, breathing life into the characters without sentiment and taking the reader into the heart of the times in which each section is set.

The Porcelain Doll by Kristen Loesch is a stunning historical fiction that weaves a tale between two time periods in Russian history during the 20th century giving the reader an amazing look at a multi-generation story for the ages. Beyond amazing!

This will end up being in my top 5 favorite novels for this year. I have to admit, I am a bit biased as Russian History is truly my passion and a guilty pleasure for me. Knowing quite a bit of the history of Russia (mainly over the last 400 years), I had the knowledge, context, and foundation to really delve into this gem.

The author is able to weave a tapestry of two timelines including multiple generations within a family, reality, fairy tales, suspense, mystery, passion, love, loss, political unrest, societal changes, intrigue, and so much more into truly a work of art.

The scope and breadth of all that she was able to beautifully incorporate into this novel is so vast that any summary I could possibly give cannot do it justice.

I was mesmerized from page one. I loved reading the stories of Tonya and Rosie specifically. How they were incorporated and how despite the time differences, both women within this family experienced so much…the political landscape and societal upheavals alone are enough to overwhelm, but the losses, loves, discoveries…they are both fighters and triumph in their own ways. The way the story unfolds to give us the ending that we receive is just perfect.

I cannot recommend this book enough!!!!!

5/5 stars enthusiastically!

Thank you NG and Allison & Busby for this awesome arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately (as of 11/25/21 no BB listing has been created and link will be updated when it is available) and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 2/17/22.

A good read that was unpredictable and kept twisting and turning and gave you a small amount of information at times so you knew half of the story but not particularly why it was happening. I really enjoyed it

3.5 stars


The stories and characters seem to weave in and out of each other over time in this book,bringing up connections you weren't expecting,and ones you were.
It jumps back and forth it time,keeping you on your toes with the who and the where,but not always the why.

It's a great way to spend some time.