The Girl from the Hermitage
A Historical Novel of War, Secrets and the Fall of the Soviet Union
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Eye Books
Published:1st Sep '20
Should be back in stock very soon
'A beautifully written book that takes you right into the characters' world. Highly recommended' - Lucinda Hawksley, 'The best historical fiction helps us walk through history alongside ordinary people and that's what The Girl from the Hermitage achieves with deceptive ease. Molly Garland's evocation of Russian life in all its contrasting stages is always utterly convincing and frequently affecting. It's a terrific debut' - Liz Trenow, 'A captivating and richly imagined portrait of love, life and survival' - Caroline Ambrose, founder, Bath Novel Award
Galina survived the Siege of Leningrad. Now, in post-Soviet St Petersburg, she must confront the beliefs that shaped her life.
Galina survived the Siege of Leningrad. Now, in post-Soviet St Petersburg, she must confront the beliefs that shaped her life.
In December 1941, in the darkest days of World War II, eight-year-old Galina lives on soup made from wallpaper paste and dreams of bread. As the city starves, her father Mikhail is spared the front line – tasked instead with protecting the priceless treasures of the Hermitage. Its frozen cellars offer shelter from the bombs – but safety comes at a price. When Mikhail is commissioned to paint the portrait of a powerful colonel, one wrong brushstroke could cost far more than his reputation.
Thirty years later, Galina is an art teacher in Leningrad. In the aftermath of a family friend’s death, she uncovers a long-buried secret from her past – one that forces her to question the loyalties and silences that shaped her Soviet childhood.
As the Soviet Union collapses and a glittering new Russia rises in its place, Galina must decide what she is willing to carry forward – and what she must finally leave behind.
SHORTLISTED: Impress Prize
LONGLISTED: Bath Novel Award
LONGLISTED: Grindstone Novel Award
'A beautifully written book that takes you right into the characters’ world' Lucinda Hawksley
‘A beautifully written book that takes you right into the characters’ world. Highly recommended’
‘Compelling and enthralling...a convincingly authentic story, as well as a moving and thought-provoking one’ -- NB Magazine *****
‘Gartland has marshalled details of [wartime] life into vibrant and moving scenes. She is as comfortable with her post-war social history as she is with the siege. An author who has a clear talent for parlaying careful research into a credible sense of time and place, she has provided a fine addition to the rich genre of historical fiction set in St Petersburg’ -- Moscow Times
‘Sweeps its heroine from surviving on soup made from wallpaper in 40s Leningrad to the bling of 21st-century St Peterburg. Recommended’ -- Waitrose Weekend
‘A beautifully written book that takes you right into the characters’ world. Highly recommended’ || ‘Compelling and enthralling...a convincingly authentic story, as well as a moving and thought-provoking one’ - NB Magazine ***** || ‘Gartland has marshalled details of [wartime] life into vibrant and moving scenes. She is as comfortable with her post-war social history as she is with the siege. An author who has a clear talent for parlaying careful research into a credible sense of time and place, she has provided a fine addition to the rich genre of historical fiction set in St Petersburg’ - Moscow Times || ‘Sweeps its heroine from surviving on soup made from wallpaper in 40s Leningrad to the bling of 21st-century St Peterburg. Recommended’ - Waitrose Weekend
‘A beautifully written book that takes you right into the characters’ world. Highly recommended’ || ‘Compelling and enthralling...a convincingly authentic story, as well as a moving and thought-provoking one’ - NB Magazine ***** || ‘Gartland has marshalled details of [wartime] life into vibrant and moving scenes. She is as comfortable with her post-war social history as she is with the siege. An author who has a clear talent for parlaying careful research into a credible sense of time and place, she has provided a fine addition to the rich genre of historical fiction set in St Petersburg’ - Moscow Times || ‘Sweeps its heroine from surviving on soup made from wallpaper in 40s Leningrad to the bling of 21st-century St Peterburg. Recommended’ - Waitrose Weekend
- Commended for Mslexia Novel Competition 2017
- Commended for Bath Novel Award 2018
- Commended for Grindstone Novel Award 2018
- Short-listed for Impress [Prize 2017
ISBN: 9781785631887
Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 18mm
Weight: 311g
288 pages