The author compared her writing style to Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, and I agree. This made it a challenge to keep track of the characters, whose names sometimes changed, their locale varied, and even the time periods jumped around. I may reread it, and keep a cheat sheet (which I remember doing when I read War and Peace!), for I think I would appreciate the novel so much more. The story has all the right elements, but I couldn’t follow the presentation. A good choice for a patient and discerning reader.

The Last Russian Doll is one of the most compelling books of historical fiction that I’ve read in years. The themes feel nearly as sweeping as the best of Russian literature encompassing forbidden love, romance, world war, civil war, treachery, mystery, political upheaval, hope, despair, beauty, bleakness, loss, miscommunication, custom created porcelain dolls, Gulags, torture, redemption, fairy tales, survival, and the search for meaning in life. Mix War & Peace with Crime & Punishment and toss in a bit of Anna Karenina with a dash of Pushkin, Stalin, Chekhov and a pinch of Solzhenitsyn. I could not stop reading. It is one of those stories I did not want to end.
The story alternates among perspectives/ voices as well as three different time periods: 1917/1918; 1945/1946; 1991. Completely loved this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC to read in exchange for an honest review. An absolutely stunning debut.

“It will be all or nothing. This life, or him. This palace, or that cellar. Royalty, or revolution.”

Rosie is currently residing in England with her fiancé. She goes to see a famous man named Alexey Ivanov speak in London. She already knows he is looking for an assistant and she wants him to choose her. This would mean leaving England and returning to Russia to hopefully face the demons she has been fighting with all along since she left fourteen years ago.

I love, love, love reading books with dual timelines, so this was right up my alley being told from the POV of Raisa aka Rosie in 1991, and Antonina aka Tonya starting in 1915 continuing over decades. Each timeline was equally engaging and entertaining as the other, which was a bonus. This is a one of those books you pick up and you do not want to put down because you cannot wait to find out what is going to happen next. The author did such a fantastic job of keeping me captivated. You get the mystery of how these two timelines are going to be tied together which keeps you engaged along with a ton of rich, Russian history intertwined.

At first, I was confused by the inclusion of the fairy tales at the beginning of some of the chapters (what do they mean?). But as you continue through the book, you come to learn that they were written by one of the characters and describe actual moments in their life. I thought this was such a lovely touch. The author notes that all of them were written by her and not based on preexisting stories. She did such an excellent job on them (so much so that I personally think she should look into writing a book of them).

This historical fiction gem gives you a little bit of everything; Russian history, hardships, romance, political strife, heartache, commitment, determination, true love and new love. It does not disappoint!

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

“Love should not be a frenzy, Mama used to say. You will know it by how quiet it is. How it grows over time, every day a little bit more, a little bit stronger, without anyone noticing, until it’s all you can see, like the White Nights of St. Petersburg. Until it is just a fact of life.”

This story reminded me of 'The Revolution of Marina M' by Janet Finch, same time frame, same aristocrat x revolutionary love story, same tragedies of missed connections and miscommunication. Regardless of feeling like I've read this story before I enjoyed it. Books with past/present timelines and overlapping storylines seem to be popular with historical fiction. I think the story would have been stronger without Rosie's involvement.

Wow! This one is destined to be a classic. Exquisite writing and a captivating story that will transport the reader. Fans of historical fiction and book clubs will love this. This is a book to own and treasure. Thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for this ARC.

A compelling. multi-layered story that read, for me, like a page turner. It's a mystery and a modern folktale with interesting relationships in both settings. I loved this!

This Historical book was so good. The characters were amazing! Rosie was the perfect main character. It is set in Moscow and Rosie has to deal with a lot of family issues that involve the 1917 Revolution.

This was a great read! I loved all of the different points of view and the historical aspects. While it was a heart wrenching story, I did think that everything was resolved nicely, which I appreciated.

I grew up during the Cold War, when nuclear war seemed imminent at any time. After the fall of communism, I began to see Russia differently, but as the last few years have shown, we are closer to possible war more now than we ever were during the 70’s and 80’s. Once again, it’s easy to demonize the Russian people because of the actions of a brutal and aggressive leader. Studies have proven that people who read fiction are more empathetic, they are able to relate to and understand the actions of characters who live very different lives. Loesch imagines the lives of three generations of Russian women, from the 1917 Russian Revolution to the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union. This book is a reminder that we are not as different as we may believe.