Plus, receive recommendations and exclusive offers on all of your favorite books and authors from Simon & Schuster.
LIST PRICE $9.99
Digital products purchased on SimonandSchuster.com must be read on the Simon & Schuster Books app. Learn more.
Get 30% off hardcovers with code MOM30, plus free shipping on orders of $40 or more. Terms apply.
Buy from Other Retailers
Table of Contents
About The Book
Winter 1916: St. Petersburg, Russia, is on the brink of revolution. Outside the Smolny Institute for Noble Girls, an English governess is waiting for her young charge to be released from school. But so are the Tsar's secret police...
Beautiful and headstrong, Sashenka Zeitlin is just sixteen. As her mother parties with Rasputin and their dissolute friends, Sashenka slips into the frozen night to play her part in a dangerous game of conspiracy and seduction.
Twenty years on, Sashenka is married to a powerful, rising Red leader with whom she has two children. Around her people are disappearing, while in the secret world of the elite her own family is safe. But she's about to embark on a forbidden love affair that will have devastating consequences.
Sashenka's story lies hidden for half a century, until a young historian goes deep into Stalin's private archives and uncovers a heartbreaking tale of betrayal and redemption, savage cruelty and unexpected heroism -- and one woman forced to make an unbearable choice.
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster (November 11, 2008)
- Length: 544 pages
- ISBN13: 9781439109847
Browse Related Books
Raves and Reviews
"Furiously readable. A brilliantly plotted novel that brings home with unique intimacy the joys and hopes of Russian families, the Revolution, the horror of the thirties." -- Thomas Keneally, author of Schindler's List
"A dramatic, gripping tale. Sashenka's story, set against richly textured backgrounds -- some lavish, some grim -- makes this novel extraordinarily difficult to put down." -- Robert K. Massie, author of Nicholas and Alexandra
"The world of the Russian Revolution and of Stalin's Terror comes vividly to life in this deeply intimate novel, full of Russian atmosphere and color. I felt as if I'd lived through an epic movie." -- Edward Rutherfurd, author of Sarum
"Intensely moving, with an unforgettable climax that will touch the hardest heart." -- Jung Chang, author of Wild Swans and Mao
"The perfect mixture of history and clever storytelling, with wonderful female characters and a seriousness of purpose that stands out. Gripping from start to finish." -- Kate Mosse, author of Labyrinth
"He writes beautifully, vividly, and passionately." -- Fay Weldon, author of The Life and Loves of a She-Devil
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): Sashenka eBook 9781439109847
- Author Photo (jpg): Simon Sebag Montefiore Photo Credit: Ian Jones(0.1 MB)
Any use of an author photo must include its respective photo credit