Ruslan: A Novel of Russia
Sign in to keep track of books you’ve read and want to read.
Part Gone with the Wind, part Doctor Zhivago, and thoroughly captivating, Ruslanis the epic story of a destitute young countess in Tsarist Russia who tries every avenue to restore her fortunes.
Read more
In glittering St. Petersburg, we meet Countess Alexandra Korvin: beautiful and intelligent, but also unmarried and—thanks to her late spendthrift father—quite penniless. In her polarized society of aristocratic grandeur and crushing poverty, a woman's only option is to marry well.
Alexandra makes her way through St. Petersburg society, attending dazzling balls, lavish dinners, and operas in search of a spouse. She pursues the charming but unattainable politician Rybynsky and spurns the advances of Ulynov, a rakish army captain who falls desperately in love with her. Finally, craving freedom and rebelling against the confines of her life as a woman, she cuts off her hair and joins the army as a man—only to find the ultimate test of her feminine heart.
Rich with decadent trappings of Tsarist splendor and alive with the indomitable spirit of an unforgettable young woman, Ruslanis a novel to savor from first page to last.
From the Hardcover edition.
Liked Ruslan: A Novel of Russia? Here’s where I’d start.
These suit anyone who liked Ruslan: A Novel of Russia. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.
