by Daphne Kalotay (Author)
When she decides to auction her remarkable jewellery collection, Nina Revskaya, once a great star of the Bolshoi Ballet, believes she has drawn a curtain on her past. Instead she finds herself over-whelmed by memories of her homeland and of the events that changed the course of her life half a century before. It was in Russia that she discovered the magic of the theatre; that she fell in love with the poet Viktor Elsin; that she and her dearest companions, Gersh, a dangerously irreverent composer, and the exquisite Vera became victims of Stalinist aggression. And it was in Russia where a terrible discovery led to a deadly act of betrayal. Now living in Boston, Nina has hidden her dark secrets for half a lifetime. But two people will not let the past rest: Drew Brooks, an in-quisitive young associate director at the Boston auction house; and Grigori Solodin, a Russian professor who believes that a unique set of amber jewels may hold the key to his own ambiguous past. Together, these unlikely partners find themselves unravelling a literary mystery whose answers will hold life-changing consequences for them all.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 480
Publisher: Arrow
Published: 03 Feb 2011
ISBN 10: 0099553244
ISBN 13: 9780099553243
Book Overview: An evocative story of passion, envy and betrayal set against the backdrop of the tumultuous and dangerous Soviet years, intertwined with the mystery and intrigue of a present day narrative driving out secrets of a tragic past.