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Product details
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 1375 KB
Print Length: 523 pages
Publisher: Sergey and Marina Dyachenko; 1 edition (13 Nov. 2012)
Oh, this was a wonderful read—slow and meticulous, with a tendency to make my brain quiver, but wonderful all the same. There is just so much atmosphere to it. It's easy to follow why Sasha does what she does, even though it should defy all logic. She's also a really relatable character, even in such an alien environment. There were some interesting side characters, who all played important roles and the story kept me on the edge of my seat.
I would have liked to know a bit more about the other students' experiences, to see how they differed from Sasha's. But I understand that it would have been difficult to do, since the POV was fairly consistently focused on Sasha and it would have felt awkward to suddenly shift.
Now, this isn't a book where the answers are easily given to you. You have to do a little mental work to figure things out. As an example, after finishing the book I went straight to bed. (I'd stayed up to read it.) I crawled under the blankets thinking, 'but I don't really know exactly what happened. I understand the broad strokes of it, but was it a happy ending?' I was a little distressed by this. But as I put it out of my conscious mind and attempted sleep, the subtler details rose to the surface and I realised, yes, I do know exactly what happened. But it took the mental sifting for me to grasp it. I love books that do that!
At times the narrative got a little clunky or staccato, but I think this was the result of the translation. (Not to suggest the narrator did anything but a great job. I think sometimes there just might not be a concise way to express in English the original Russian thought.) For the most part however, it read smoothly and was surprisingly well edited.
I strongly suggest picking this one up. It's a great read.Read more ›
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![Vita Nostra by [Dyachenko, Sergey, Dyachenko, Marina]](https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51sz6-oUIEL._SY346_.jpg)
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