Well, it's been a long time between books believe me, but this one was certainly worth the wait.
I discovered this book while reading the November edition of Good Reading magazine and, being one of those people who does judge a book by it's cover, thought it looked interesting. (BTW the cover is just gorgeous and the book is beautifully printed, for those of us who notice and appreciate such things!)
Blood Red Snow White tells the story of Arthur Ransome, a British journalist/author who worked in Russia during the time of Lenin and the Russian Revolution. Ransome is famous for his adventure stories for children, written later in his life, but also wrote a book of Russian fairytales in English much earlier. His fascination with Russia led him to travel there prior to the Revolution, and he worked as a correspondent and became entangled in events - eventually becoming a foreign agent. This fictional tale, based on true events and documents only recently released by the British government, is a fascinating snapshot of a time and place.
I had never heard of Ransome before reading this book and did not know a great deal about this period of Russian history, but like the best fiction, it made me want to know more.
Classified as a Young Adult novel, this is not a particularly difficult read, and I finished it in a weekend. I wouldn't recommend it to young teens, as it is fairly dark and grim in sections. The story is well-written and Sedgwick is a great storyteller, interweaving history and fairytale, fact and fiction skillfully. Highly recommended! Check out the website here.
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