The House by the Dvina by Eugenie Fraser

The House by the Dvina, A Russian Childhood by Eugenie Fraser

This is the most wonderful book describing the beauty of living in Old Russia during the author’s childhood.  A fascinating insight into a beautiful era which is now lost.  The author’s parents were Scottish and Russian.  Her mother left Scotland as a young bride to live in Archangel, Russia with her husband.  The author was born in Russia.

Included in the story are relatives, friends and family and what a story it is!  So beautiful initially with sometimes holidays also to Scotland.  The wonder of the fairyland of beauty during the winter when all was cold and still and the river froze over but yet there were incredible scenic delights and splendours.  Wonderful sleigh and reindeer rides, travelling on sledges and memorable Christmas and Easter celebrations.  Midnight Easter services with lighted candles and laden Easter tables with Easter eggs and wonderful delicacies. 

  However, this idyll was not to last as the Bolsheviks even came to Archangel eventually with their policies.

 So many changes and disruptions to the families and people who had lived and worked all their lives in Russia.

The stories of the people are quite incredible and also beautiful.  There is also wonderful romance and fascinating detail regarding life in Old Russia, even stories from the earlier generations, of a great-grand-father who married a serf and of long journeys through the snow.

There was the beauty of life by the River Dvina which was a source of much needed water, vital for washing and also wonderful during the summer time for bathing and boating.   A beautiful garden and summer houses and a house with balconies overlooking the river whereby could be seen the glow of the sunset at the end of a summer’s day.  This was the last the author saw of this beautiful house from a boat which crested a wave and she could see the house bathed in a beautiful sunset glow.

This book certainly is a book to think about afterwards.  So much beauty and fascination within its pages and the tragedy of events for many of the characters in the story which finally followed are not revealed until the end of the book.

An excellent story and well recommended.

A Christmas Garland by Anne Perry

A Christmas Garland

This is a novel set in Cawnpore, Northern India

during the nineteenth century.

Descriptive writing, almost haunting, the dry wind, the

tamarind trees and seed pods which fall on the ground

bring clarity and beauty to the story.

The dry earth not long before Christmas with reflections

of how different a Christmas in England might be for

Lieutenant Narraway.

A medical orderly is believed responsible for a heinous

crime of which he is to be tried and most likely to be

found guilty.

Lieutenant Narraway is young and new to the area. He is

given the task of defending John Tallis, the medical orderly.

Perhaps he was given this role as he may be able to view

the situation with fresh eyes. He is not familiar with the

situation at Cawnpore, where soldiers have been affected by

shocking events and atrocities which have

recently occurred in this area.

The little spark of hope and a belief in Christmas in an otherwise

bleak environment brings a special quality to this book.

Amongst the soldiers' dilapidated barracks, the dust and the heat

there is an enduring spirit of hope. Lieutenant Narraway assists

with Christmas decorations in a family home and is given a blue

Christmas garland by a young child bereft of a father.

In these special moments there is the belief in Christmas and hope.

Lieutenant Narraway questions his own belief and faith. He has to

hold on to hope but at the same time he cannot risk giving hope to

the medical orderly.

Where there seemed to be no hope for the prisoner Lieutenant Narraway

had to find a way to defend John Tallis and prove his innocence.

This book is wonderful to read and gives inspiration.

Christmas gives hope. It is a wonderful celebration.

A Christmas Garland is well recommended.