Thoughts on Midnight in St. Petersburg


Midnight in St. Petersburg
By Vanora Bennett

★★☆☆☆
40%
384 pages


Blurb

St. Petersburg, 1911: Inna Feldman has fled the pogroms of the south to take refuge with distant relatives in Russia's capital city. Welcomed by the flamboyant Leman family, she is apprenticed into their violin-making workshop. She feels instantly at home in their bohemian circle, but revolution is in the air, and as society begins to fracture, she is forced to choose between her heart and her head. She loves her brooding cousin, Yasha, but he is wild, destructive and devoted to revolution; Horace Wallick, an Englishman who makes precious Faberge creations, is older and promises security and respectability. And, like many others, she is drawn to the mysterious, charismatic figure beginning to make a name for himself in the city: Rasputin. As the rebellion descends into anarchy and bloodshed, a commission to repair a priceless Stradivarius violin offers Inna a means of escape. But which man will she choose to take with her? And is it already too late? A magical and passionate story steeped in history and intrigue, Midnight in St. Petersburg is an extraordinary novel of music, politics, and the toll that revolution exacts on the human heart

Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book in exchange for a review. This however, does not change my thoughts and opinions of the book in any way, shape, or form.

My Thoughts

"That's the dangerous thing about fear. It silences people."
-Midnight in St. Petersburg, page 35

I honestly have no idea how to start this review. I disliked SO much about this book. While the writing was beautiful at some points, it literally put me to sleep at some points. I found the plot and story to be very dull and they were often very hard to keep up with. In the beginning, the writing had some mystery and intrigue, but this book very quickly lost it. The middle was so sagging that I skim read most of this book. Usually I don't skim read and I can't, but with this book there was no way that I could push through otherwise.

"I'm cutting myself a better lifeline."
-Midnight in St. Petersburg, page 53

I really didn't like how weak Inna could be at times, but I did like how she developed and grew a lot over time. The only other thing in this book that I liked in this book was the violin-making parts. I found the idea of MAKING an instrument to be so so cool.

In conclusion, while you may be intrigued by the blurb, I would not recommend picking this book up unless you are interested in falling asleep instead of reading. I could not for the life of me get into this book and the writing style did not work for me. The main character and violin making were kind of cool, but nothing really special.

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