One Night in Winter Lib/E

Product Description
Inspired by a true story, prize-winning historian and acclaimed novelist Simon Sebag Montefiore explores the consequences of forbidden love in this heartbreaking epic of marriage, childhood, danger, and betrayal that unfolds in Stalin's Moscow during the bleak days after World War II.
As Moscow celebrates the motherland's glorious victory over the Nazis, shots ring out on the crowded streets. On a nearby bridge, a teenage boy and girl--dressed in traditional nineteenth-century costumes--lie dead. But this is no ordinary tragedy, because these are no ordinary teenagers. As the son and daughter of high-ranking Soviet officials, they attend the most elite school in Moscow. Was it an accident, or murder? Is it a conspiracy against Stalin, or one of his own terrifying intrigues?
On Stalin's instructions, a ruthless investigation begins into what becomes known as the Children's Case. Youth across the city are arrested and forced to testify against their friends and their parents. As families are ripped apart, all kinds of secrets come spilling out. Trapped at the center of this witch-hunt are two pairs of illicit lovers, who learn that matters of the heart exact a terrible price. By turns a darkly sophisticated political thriller, a rich historical saga, and a deeply human love story, Montefiore's masterful novel powerfully portrays the terror and drama of Stalin's Russia.
Review
A compelling read.-- "Independent (London)"


A gripping thriller about private life and poetic dreams in Stalin's Russia...A darkly enjoyable read.-- "Guardian (London)"


A mix of thriller, love story, and historical fiction...Montefiore's knowledge of the period helps him bring 1945 Moscow to bleak, fascinating life.-- "Observer (London)"


A novel of passion, fear, bravery, suffering and survival...Its success is helped by Montefiore's pitch-perfect reconstruction of the golden tightrope that Moscow's elite walked under Stalin.-- "Spectator (London)"


Basing his book on an actual murder case from 1945, Montefiore incorporates fictional families among historical figures such as Stalin and his secret police chief, Lavrentiy Beria. He does an excellent job of portraying the paralyzing tension of powerful high-ranking Soviet officials who are powerless to protect their own families and the chaos of a society where brothers denounce brothers and children denounce parents. Highly recommended.-- "Library Journal"


British historian Montefiore turns in his second novel, a foreboding tale of Soviet Russia based on actual events...The characters...are strong and believable, all careening toward a fateful day...Speak[s] to much that's dark in the human soul-but to what can redeem it, too.-- "Kirkus Reviews"


Compulsively involving. Our fear for the children keeps up turning the pages...We follow the passions with sympathy...The knot of events tugs at a wide range of emotions rarely experienced outside an intimate tyranny.-- "Times (London)"


Delicately plotted and buried within a layered, elliptical narrative, One Night in Winter is also a...page-turner which adroitly weaves a huge cast of characters into an arcane world.-- "Time Out (London)"


From the first pages of this gripping novel, Montefiore captures the very essence of the fear created by Stalin's regime. His characters are very real teenagers caught in political games they cannot fathom and terrors so deep that they and their families cannot escape prosecution. As thought provoking as it is historically accurate, Montefiore's foray into Soviet politics is fascinating.-- "RT Book Reviews (4 1/2 stars)"


Gripping and cleverly plotted. Doomed love at the heart of a violent society is the heart of Montefiore's One Night in Winter...depicting the Kafkaesque labyrinth into which the victims stumble.-- "Sunday Times (London)"


In this engrossing novel, the setting is the USSR shortly after the end of the Second World War...As Simon Sebag Montefiore explains in an af