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Russka
- Narrated by: Roger Davis
- Length: 47 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Action & Adventure
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What listeners say about Russka
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- martin thomas
- 28-06-21
Rambling epic
This is a good and engaging listen. Roger Davies is an accomplished narrator, bringing a light touch to the characterisation. The story itself is episodic, pinned to a historiography which is sufficient to add context but not burdensome in detail. As it rambles along through the centuries it provides enough entertainment to keep one engaged, but occasionally slips into cliche and predictability. As with other texts I have experienced by Rutherfurd, the final sections seem rushed and superficial
4 people found this helpful
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- The Curator
- 05-10-19
A curate’s egg
Inevitably, a book of this length and encompassing so many stories will vary in its ability to hold ones interest. I enjoyed some parts felt meh about others but no part really caught my attention enough to read the other books by the same author.
4 people found this helpful
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- Tina Vincent
- 01-06-21
Pretty boring actually.
Yes, I did struggle to finish this tedious tale because there was not a single moment when it gripped me or aroused an iota of interest in the vanilla characterisations of the peasants and their 'betters'. The whole was brightened occasionally by a couple of sentences containing facts about Russian history which the author might possibly have lifted from Wikipedia, but which I knew beforehand, anyway.
2 people found this helpful
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- Jgfj Butler
- 12-01-22
Catching story with historical references
Pleasantly engaging storyline not too heavy for encapsulsting almost a thousand years in an evolving Russia. Well read and kept a good tempo to the end.
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- di9girl
- 12-10-21
Brilliant!
Had previously read the book and this really brings it to life.
Well narrated by Roger Davis.
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- Simon and Jacqui
- 27-04-21
Edward Rutherfurd
Absolutely brilliant story written by a total and utter master story teller. Talk about bringing history to life, you couldn’t help but be transformed into a different time through each absorbing chapter. Roger Davis becomes your friend as you unwind and listen to his dulcet tones tell you the most magnificent story of a despotic regime that changes its name but rarely it’s character. Loved it!
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- Victoria
- 06-08-20
Educational, engaging and yet poetic
A lovely long book. Beautifully written and read. I would recommend this for those who like a long listen and who are interested in Russian history.
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- Marioncostadelsol
- 10-06-20
Epic
Not sure if I bit off more than I could comfortably chew... Better critics than I can give more worthy evaluation, I will probably play it again over the winter and see if I find more continuity of storylines and feel more relationship with characters. Undoubtedly, well presented!
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- robert hutton
- 23-05-20
Fantastic
A wide and expansive story from the dawn of Russia to the end of the Soviet Union. It portrays a nation in so much colour. it's well read and I would highly recommend it.
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- G. Kinzer
- 15-08-20
Beautifully Brings Russian History to Life
I thoroughly enjoyed the way Edward Rutherfurd wove the characters into a storyline spanning nearly 2000 years. The major historical events are iwoven through the lives of ordinary people in a way that adds color to the events and illustrates the effects on the people. I look forward to listening to other works by this author. Don't let the size (length) of this book stop you. The story is entertaining and keeps you involved in it... much like a mini series. Excellent narration too.
12 people found this helpful
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- Gary Fradin
- 17-04-22
First half better than second
I liked some of Rutherford’s books more than others. ‘London’ and ‘New York’ fit the first category; ‘Paris’ and ‘Russka’ the second.
What I liked about Russka: the broad sweep of history. I read this to get background into Russian-Ukrainian relations, to put Russia’s 2022 invasion into an historical context. The first half of Russka did this reasonably well. I learned from it.
I also liked the narrator. Good voice and reading rhythm.
What I didn’t like: the second half of Russka became a soap opera, perhaps Rutherford’s attempt to write his own version of War and Peace. I didn’t learn much about Russian history from it and got confused by the large number of characters. Sometimes I couldn’t remember who was from which family and in which generation.
I looked forward each day to listening to this book until about 1800. After that, listening and finishing it became almost a burden.
3 people found this helpful
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- K R D
- 22-05-22
An epic on every level
This is a masterpiece and a thorough explanation of the entirety of Russia’s history. Unless we examine Russia’s past, and what therefore informs the country today, we are unlikely to understand it.
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- Adam Kucirek
- 03-05-22
So so
The rolling story generally had a mildly interesting plot. I felt the book could have used a more detailed telling of major historical events. I would have preferred more depth to the events of the last 100 years. I much more enjoyed this authors book ‘New York.’
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- KrisS
- 26-04-22
Not a favorite
I struggled with this one. Russka was in my library and I thought it would be a good time to learn a bit about the history of Russia. I have read other Rutherfurd books but this one just didn't engage me. The structure of the story is that centuries go by and the time spent on each character is very little so the story just didn't evolve. Things got a little more interesting in the more modern era and I did learn many interesting facts.
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- Walt johnson
- 14-03-22
Timely and as always for Edward Rutherfurd filled with fascinating historical facts.
Although not my favorite Edward Rutherford historical fiction, this one is particularly interesting given the times we live in today.
It is as if Edward Weatherford knew about the Ukrainian Russian conflict going on in 2022 and wrote this book to give the reader in-depth knowledge and understanding of a conflict that goes back before the 1800s. Like most Americans I had very little knowledge or understanding of the history of the region, or the geography, for example I did not know that : not very long ago Alaska was once considered part of Russia.
So after 40+ hours of listening I now do feel like I can hold my own in a conversation and comment on the issues with a little more confidence.
The underling message for me was , as always, men and woman desire freedom at their very core, that extreme’s in wealth and poverty and injustice and oppresion will inevitably lead to conflict , revolt, revolution and often times war. And that this is a cause that human kind will fight and die for. And as always the men in power who make the decision to go to war are most often not the ones that ultimately die and suffer.
A must listen for any history buff as well as those interested in philosophy, sociology, human nature and also the arts.
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- Mary K.
- 11-03-22
Truly wonderful
Very Fine story telling. Covering such an expanse of time I would have been contented with multiple volumes. Timely for me with this area being a conflict zone now
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- Blaine Cooper
- 03-02-22
Narrator is stupendous! Love the accent! He makes it exciting and enjoyable to listen to and follow!
The story was amazing how it illuminated history. It was so interesting how the author connected the story from beginning to end! This is my 4th Rutherford novel.
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- Jayne
- 10-11-21
Excellent
I always enjoy this author's expertise at weaving history and fiction together to make the facts come alive. Narration was easy to understand while still giving a Russian flavor to the dialogue. I especially enjoyed seeing history from the perspective of both nobles and peasants. Highly recommend!
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- M. Cain
- 01-09-21
A good story
Russka was a very helpful and informative take on Russian history over many centuries and helped explain some of the inherent mistrust Russians developed of the west. However, the story drags at times and it was a little difficult to picture Russian scenes with such an English narrator. The narrator was excellent, but many times I felt I was hearing a history of some part of London rather than Russia.