The Porcelain Doll set in Russia by Kristen Loesch

Submitted: 6th February 2022

Porcelain Russian Dolls

This is one of those books where the cover really draws you in. When I found out that the author Kristen Loesch has had a fascination with Russian culture and literature from a young age, I became fascinated with reading this novel. She has also studied Russian history and politics and then Slavonic Studies at Cambridge. When an author is that passionate about something and has lived and breathed it all her life, I am there!

BookTrail locations in The Porcelain Doll

Boarding Pass Information : The Porcelain Doll

Destination : St Petersburg

Author guide: Kristen Loesch

Genre: Historical fiction, Russian history

Food and drink to accompany: Borscht and Sbiten.

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BookTrail locations in The Porcelain Doll

Aaaah. I didn’t realise it but this is the novel I have been waiting for. I love a good Russian historical fairytalesque novel but until now I haven’t come across one in a while. THIS is that book I didn’t know I was waiting for.

Dolls, stories set across three timelines, Russian history, a Dr Zhivago style love story and a gorgeous cover to boot!

The author mentions her love of all things Russian but you can tell from the passionate writing, the exquisite research and the joy of each word on the page that this is engrained into her soul. Writing like this was a joy to read for me. The characters, stories, timelines and settings are compelling and intricate. I saw silhouette puppets set against Red Square as I read.

Three generations. In Russia, Tonya is the child bride of an aristocrat in the days leading up to the Revolution. Many years later, Rosie, in Oxford, is haunted by her dead sister as well as her mothers collection of strange dolls. And then there is Kulkolka.

If you want to see a painting of Russia through the ages, read this book and then close your eyes. Better still, listen to it with your eyes closed. Loesch is an artist who uses splashes of colour, artistic blending and attention to detail to really showcase the country and its people. This is epic scene setting on a par with the Games of Thrones franchise – battles, gulags, huge luxurious palaces and the tiny boxy homes inhabited by the masses.

This read like more than just a novel. It was a classic immersion experience through Russian history and folktales.

Highly recommended!