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A re-imagination of a Russian folk tale
A re-imagination of a Russian folk tale
Elena Rudina’s life seems pretty hopeless. Her father is long dead and his mother’s health is getting worse. One brother has been drafted into the Czar’s army, the other taken as a servant to a wealthy household. They live in poverty.
But then a train pulls into her little village, and on it is a little girl Elena’s age, but living a life as pampered as Elena’s is impoverished.
A case of mistaken identity leads to an adventure for both of them….
The village in the Russian countryside where Elena lives is fictional.
“Elena Rudina lives in the impoverished Russian countryside. Her father is dead and her mother dying, while her brother has been conscripted into the Tsar’s army. Elena’s future is as bleak as the wastelands surrounding her village of Miersk. That is until the night of a freak storm when a majestic steam train is forced to stop at the village’s abandoned station. ”
An adventure that features the mythical Firebird, a prince travelling incognito, the awesome city of Saint Petersburg, the glacial lands of the north, and – in a starring role – Baba Yaga, the enigmatic witch of Russian folklore, and her shapeshifting house, Dumb Doma, perched on chicken legs.
Author/Guide: Gregory Maguire Destination: Russia, Moscow
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