A historical mystery with a lot of threads to pull. Lots of storylines that took quite a while to pull together with no clear connection points. good enough to finish but hard to find someone to recommend to.

The cover is beautiful so kudos to the designers as that alone would bring people to pick up. I found myself more interested in the fairy tales in between the chapters than the story line itself.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

When I read the description of this book I couldn’t wait to read it. Sadly, unlike most reviewers, I couldn’t get into it. I have read many books in which the story seamlessly follows interwoven stories between two time periods but the tangled threads made this one a mess. I could not relate to any of the characters and had a hard time keeping them straight. Just when the story became interesting it would jump ahead leaving that thread dangling. Perhaps it’s the fact I have not read classic Russian literature and am not familiar with that method of storytelling that caused me to pause. I did enjoy the fairytales and could see how they related to the overall story but other than that the story fell flat for me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An utterly absorbing story about a young woman facing her family’s hidden history in 20th century Russia. After her mother’s death in England, Rosie returns to her native Russia as a research assistant for a Russian writer. Worlds collide as Rosie rediscovers her heritage and uncovers information both for her employer and herself. Dark folktales play an integral and magical role in helping Rosie unravel her Russian identity and her unbreakable ties to her homeland and past.

First rate writing and storytelling that weaves together different eras in Russian history.

This story weaves family saga, mystery, and historical fiction all in one. I really wanted to love this book, but it fell flat for me. There were a few too many twists that turned convenient to the story. I enjoyed the story about Tonya, and if the whole book had just been her story I think I would have liked it better. It was Rosie's (or Raisa's) story that fell flat for me.

A dual narrative epic saga spanning 100-years of Russian history, THE LAST RUSSIAN DOLL by Kristen Loesch hooked me from the start. At first the idea of reading about Russian history wasn't my cup of tea, but the prose, the plot, story and complex characters took me into another world which was fascinating.

The first narrative starts in 1915 with the rising of the Bolsheviks and 1917 Revolution. The second begins in 1991 London and moves to present day Russia. There's a mystery that our protagonist must solve. What she uncovers is a devastating family history that spans the 1917 Revolution, the siege of Leningrad, Stalin’s purges, and beyond.

What a wonderful story! I love historical fiction, but admit that I know little about Russian history other than a cursory overview of the Russian Revolution. In this story, we meet several characters connected by the events of the Bolshevik movement, World War II, the attempt to overthrow Lenin and Stalin, and the later movement away from communism. Told through the eyes of a modern woman who is haunted by a traumatic event in the 1970s, a woman from the 1917 revolution and a woman from the WWII era Russia, there are secrets everywhere and by the end, we know the connections.

This is sometimes a confusing read since it frequently shifts time periods. Also, for reader in the US, the place and people names can be a bit confusing. There are often Russian diminutives (nicknames) and some place names change before and after the revolution. Despite this, it's a worthwhile story filled with fairy tales and an intricate story of love, betrayal, and resilience. Loesch's descriptions put the reader firmly in the time and place of the story. I really enjoyed this book.

This is historical fiction at its best. Although it was hard at first with all the Russian names, it draws the reader into a synopsis of Russian history from the revolution, and socialism to the ending days of the Communist Soviet Union. It's told through the eyes and hearts of three ordinary Russian women which is fascinating. Kudos to the author.

It is not often that you find a book that wraps so many varied personalities and motivations into a compelling mystery of discovery and self-discovery. I had a difficult time getting into this book because I felt the frustrations of the characters in a very real way - the sign of a gifted writer who can pull us into relationship with characters that do not appear to have anything likable about them. By the end of the book I understood them and I liked them for who they were. This is a beautiful and frightening, personal look into the birth of Communism and the history of a nation that is a mystery to most Americans - many of which who have fallen for the propaganda. It shows us the lives of the people and how they suffered, and how they loved, and how they triumphed.

“The Last Russian Doll” is an extraordinary work of historical fiction- a three-dimensional maze noteworthy for its intricate and captivating plot, textured structure and layered character development. Weaving the threads of multiple lives against the backdrop of twentieth century Soviet history the author slowly and deftly exposes the unity of the story and the complex relationships among the characters, rewarding the reader for the focus that the novel demands.

Among the book’s most compelling elements is its forceful narrative of the cataclysmic events that marked the Soviet Union of the last century. The Revolution, the siege of Leningrad and the rise of Stalinism are exposed not by a sterile recounting of historical detail but rather through the view and feel and response of the characters. The profound effect of these events on the characters, as so thoughtfully described by the author, will be an enduring point of reference in the perception of this historical period.

The structure of the narrative is beautifully complex, engagingly intricate and always interesting. Chapter by chapter the story unfolds in two seemingly separate threads, seventy years distant. With each passing page the relationship between the story lines becomes a more challenging puzzle. In less skillful hands this technique would produce a work that was disjointed, purposefully confusing and without direction. But Ms. Loesch só ably uses the structure to build suspense, layer the narrative and add to the story’s interest.

Finally, the artistic quality of the prose is worthy of comment. A car is described as “shrieking in protest at every turn”. A character observes a “pyramid of food jars” with contents “that appeared monstrous, white sweet onions like human eyeballs, gherkins like fetuses”. An old lady’s mouth “arranging itself into a smile “.

“The Last Russian Doll” is a tour de force. Bravo!

Written as an homage to, "Anna Karenina", and all the other 19th and 20th century, great Russian novels, " The Last Russian Doll", is the story of Tonya and Valentin and of Rosie. It begins right after WW I and tells of the transformation from Tsarist Russia to a Socialist and then a Communist State. And continues into the 1990's and the glasnost period that gave rise to Putin.
I did have a hard time getting into this book. Perhaps it was because of all the Russian names and places. But once I did, the narrative seemed to flow into a wonderfully sprawling love story. For the story of Tonya and Valentin definitely is a love story. While the story of Rosie is one of self discovery; who she is, how she fits in, and how she is connected to the other people in the novel.
"The Last Russian Doll", stands out because it is so different from the novels of recent years. It is a throwback, after all. And I highly recommend it.

Spanning three generations, “The Last Russian Doll” beautifully encapsulates the story of one family during the Soviet Era in what is perhaps the most remarkable novel ever written about the period. Utilizing dual timelines, the author masterfully weaves forward from the beginning and backwards from the ending to bring together a breath-taking story in which nothing is what it seems, and surprises lurk around each corner. Expertly crafted characters lure the reader in from the very beginning in a setting not experienced since “Doctor Zhivago”. In addition, the use of fairytales and folklore add an element to the novel few others have dared approach. One of the most intriguing novels of the year, “The Last Russian Doll” is a five-star read not to be missed.

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres so this novel, The Last Russian Doll by Kristen Loesch seemed right up my alley. Even though I do read lots of historical faction, I haven’t read much about Russia’s history. Thus, I was really looking forward to this book.

The story unfolds over two timelines and from two POVs. Tonya was a young wife in 1915 during the Russian revolution. Rosie returns to Russia, her birthplace, in 1991 to try to find answers and closure from her past.

The book was well written with well developed characters and the story lines were intriguing. I did, however, find it a bit confusing at times. The back and forth timing with in each time line and the magnitude of side characters made it hard to follow from time to time.

Overall , this part historical fiction/part love story is well worth the read. The Russian element really gave it a different flavor. I would recommend this to all fans of historical fiction.

First, The Last Russian Doll is thankfully NOT a story about Princess Anastasia. I was relieved because there is so much more to Russian history! And this book delivered. A lovely look at how ideals can shift and lives can be mended.

Great Book and Education of the 1917 Russian Revolution
This is one of those books, once you finish, you want to reread it now you know how the characters develop and change. A very interesting story interweaving 3 generations. Raisa/Rosie, follows a story written by her great-grandmother to research and react to her own genealogy through fairy tales, porcelain dolls, love, death, and war. You won't want to put it down.

I really enjoyed the mystery and history when this book is set. This is an intriguing book that includes mystery, human tragedy and intrigue. The characters are well represented people that remind us of ourselves. The setting of the early 20th century Russian revolution and how it reaches all the way into the early 21st century. This makes it a fascinating and informative story. Many people whose family migrated to American or England can identify with the lost history created by war and revolution. The context of the Russian Revolution and the chaotic world of those times is of interest today. This story shows the real life consequences and costs people paid to survive. There is nothing heavy about this really fun book, set primarily in a time of great conflict.

This a very winding, intricate tale involving multiple points of view over generations of Russian/Soviet History. It's worth the effort, but my own ignorance of dates for historic events hindered me a bit. In 1991, Raisa returns to a Russia she left 14 years before to try and understand the violent events that led to her mother's flight with her to England. Piecing together the lives of her ancestors from her mother's cryptic dying words and the random clues she finds in her mothers possessions leads her into a rabbit warren of the lives of others, many of whom are not who they appear to be. As she untangles her family history, whe comes to terms with her own fears and her own behavior which impact her life in unexpected ways.

Absolutely stunning, emotional and propulsive look at a young woman with tragedy in her past who returns to the scene of the crime and her birth searching for answers. Haunted by the grisly death of her father and sister Rosie is pulled back into revolutionary Russia for the answers -

In a faraway kingdom, in a long-ago land...this is story of generations of women interlocked in Russian history. It starts with the overthrow of the Romanov family by the Bolsheviks in 1917 and continues to 1993. Rosie who lives in London takes a position as an assistant and goes to Russia to discover her history. I throughly enjoyed this book and the Russian history interwoven with this story. I had trouble at first understanding the multiple names given to the characters at different times in their lives. I would highly recommend.

THE LAST RUSSIAN DOLL is highly recommended for fans of literary historical fiction. This is truly a sweeping saga that covers so much within its pages. But the reader does not feel overwhelmed because we're in good hands. Loesch is such a talented writer, who integrates her research seamlessly into the narrative. Each timeline is equally captivating. There are a lot of characters to keep up with, but that should not detract from readers' enjoyment. I can definitely see the comparison to great Russian literature.