Before the Russian revolution, Sophia lived in St. Petersburg and was close friends with the Tsarinas, Olga and Tatiana. During the height of the conflict, the three girls volunteered in the hospital set up in the Winter Palace. Sophia couldn’t stand the operating theater. Instead she worked in the wards where she met a young office who had lost his memory. She called him Carpathian and fell in love with him. A pregnancy ensued and her parents got her to America before the calamity of the end of the revolution.
Isabelle is Sophia’s daughter. It is now 1948. Sophia has been killed after being struck by a car on a wintry night in New York City. Isabelle inherits the apartment she shared with her mother. Being an architect, she’s eager to renovate the apartment to suit her taste. In the process she discovers a niche in the wall containing a silver tiara from which the jewels have been removed. This leads her on a path of discovery to learn her mother’s secrets.
As usual with M.J. Rose’s books, this is beautifully written with detailed description and accurate historical background. The story is told from two points of view, the mother before the Russian revolution and Isabelle after WWII. As the story unfolds we get to know both women, follow the mystery, and understand why Sophia was so chary about sharing her secrets with Isabelle.
I highly recommend this book. It draws you in. The characters are people you would like to know and the historical detail is fascinating.
I received this book from Net Galley for this review.
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