“
This is quite the story.
I'm always a big fan of books about royals which are told from the point of view of someone who's been placed near them. While it's interesting if the author can capture the actual royal voice, more often than not I find that the technique used by Stachniak in The Winter Palace is a better one to use.
So I knew little to nothing about Catherine the Great before picking up this book - as most of my reading about Kings and Queens has been focused on England - but holy cow, I think now I'll be checking more into Russian history. I was thoroughly charmed by this book and caught up in so much drama - because it had it in abundance!
Stachniak's writing is strong, and she really creates the scene well. I felt as if I was being whisked away, and along with Sophia, felt so much sympathy for Varvara - while also SO much respect for Elizabeth, because that Queen, I'm tellin' ya, she's got a story as well.
Highly recommend for historical fiction fans.”
