A Train to Potevka

A Train to Potevka

3.34 of 5 stars 3.34  ·  rating details  ·  2,926 ratings  ·  940 reviews
A Train To Potevka will take you on an incredible, winter's journey across Great Mother Russia along the 6,000-mile Trans-Siberian Railway. This fascinating story about an American intelligence agent from a small town in Utah is a tale of failed espionage, escape, and second chances.
Paperback, 345 pages
Published June 1st 2005 by Zhivago Press
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Jason
This was an unusually tough book to rate. After reading it, I was vacillating between either 2 or 4 stars, but not 3. That's too much of a spread for my comfort, and it happens only rarely. Consequently I waited two months before posting a review. As expected, after time and distance from Train to Potevka, my thoughts kluged into 3 stars, closer to 2.5.

Potevka is an autobiographical book about Ramsdell's life as a Russian expert in the CIA during the Cold War, especially highlighting the single...more
Danielle
Despite my two-star review, this is actually a book that I wouldn't discourage people from reading. I just want to clarify what you can expect when you pick up this book:

- A glimpse into the Russian people, their challenges, a taste of their history, and their culture. The author of the book lived in Russia for many years and was able to offer some insights. I liked that.

- Bourne Ultimatum-ish story. What can I say? The opening storyline is about how the KGB is after him because he's a U.S. Inte...more
Garett
The author took an experience that happened in Russia as a CIA agent that by itself was interesting. The problem was I had to suffer through the cheesy narration of his life in the process. I downgraded from two stars to one star because it annoyed me so much - and it continues to annoy me. If it is still bugging me in a month I may go to zero stars (if that is possible).
Liz
I was touched by the sincere and honest storytelling of Mike Ramsdell. This is my favorite book I have read lately. I learned many things about the history of Russia, but even more about the strength of the human spirit and the Love of God for his children.
Janell
Surprisingly, I really enjoyed this book. This is a true story written by an LDS man who served with US intelligence in Russia. He actually was raised in Northern Utah and attended Utah State University. While serving in Russia, his covert operation was compromised, he was attacked by the mafia and had to flee into Russia to Potevka. He was severely injured and was without food for days. He describes his thoughts and experiences about his work and his religious beliefs. The book is written as if...more
Amy
I was really looking forward to reading this story of "espionage, intrigue and love", but ended up extremely disappointed. The writing is incredibly disjointed. The author jumps around in time period and story line in such a way that is confusing and often feels as though the book was never edited. I found the storyline during the first hundred or so pages generally interesting enough that I was able to get past the typo's and repetative phrases and even entire paragraphs which were repeated ver...more
Doran Barton


Another book I read recently is "A Train To Potevka" written by Mike Ramsdell, a native Utahn.

Train To PotevkaRamsdell spent many years working in Military Intelligence (MI) and with his mastery of the German and Russian languages, was involved in missions behind the Iron Curtain in the 1980s.

This book, Ramsdell's first, is classified as fiction, but it's clear from reading that it is, at a minimum, based on real events. The stories take place shortly before the collapse of the Communist governm...more
Jenny
Okay, I am having a hard time consistently using the star rating system. My inclination is to give this two stars, but as I look back at books I have rated as two stars, I liked this book better so I guess it means barely three stars for "Train to Potevka."

I pretty much have the same impression of this book as others I know who have read it. It starts as interesting spy type novel, then the author digresses a bit to provide some background. I personally did not like the structural organization o...more
Shasti
Jul 09, 2008 Shasti rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Mormons and those who love/hate them
Recommended to Shasti by: Hurrah for used bookstores
I wouldn't really recommend this book, but I enjoyed it.

*warning: stop reading now if you don't want my views on Mormonism*

Mormons amaze me... I have a dear friend who is Mormon, and I he's quite simply the closest thing I've ever met to a saint. I mean that perfectly sincerely, not sarcastically... So speaking, of course, very generally: I absolutely love Mormons, with something very close to worship, and am completely creeped out by them at the same time.
So there you have it.
If you want to r...more
Kari
I really enjoyed this book, it was a pleasent surprise. It was scary to see the fall of the Soviet Union and all the trials that the people went trough. It definitely concerned me with the trails that the USA is going through, however in the book great miracles happen, and if you put your trust in the Lord you can get through anything.
Sarah
May 06, 2008 Sarah rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who like to read about Russia, adventure stories and spy stories
Recommended to Sarah by: Saw it at Costco
The core adventure story of this book (escaping from the Russian mafia in Siberia) is quite good but the author is not a practiced writer and there's a lot he could have left out. For example, the lectures on what was wrong with communism and how things came to be are not necessary. I mean, after all, I think the failure of almost all of the communist regimes is a testament to that fact. In addition, the author gives more autobiographical information than is necessary.

This would have made a grea...more
Joel & Christie
Did anyone like the movie 'The Cinderella Man'? Its a movie about a boxer (true story). It got mixed reviews. I found the movie compelling, from this singular point of view. The movie painted a very vivid and fascinating portrayal of poverty and survival and happiness and everyday life during the Great Depression. I found Cinderalla Man's depression depection far more meaningful than Grapes of Wrath or The Sting or Seabiscuit.

Sam got A Train to Potevka for Christmas and its made the rounds in th...more
Jodie
I enjoyed the true story of an American agent and his narrow escape from the Russian Maffia and the KGB. I didn't like some of the side stories that took away from the action and suspense of the main story. They seemed more like fillers, a way to take up more pages. There were a couple of quotes from the book that really touched me...

"It is not the Lord's way or His plan to take away our hardships and difficulties. It is these challenges that give us the opportunity to grow in faith, character,...more
01jacksonm
Train to Potevka

Author: Mike Ramsdell

Mike Ramsdell in an Intelligence officer working for the U.S. He had been beaten up by a huge Russian Mafia member with brass knuckles and a stiletto knife. After he got away he was shot at twice pointblank by another Russian Mafia member. Luckily the two shots missed. He had a massive head wound and was loosing blood rapidly. The Intelligence corps instructed him to board a train and go to Potevka. There is a safe house there. The safe house was supposed to...more
Alyson Farmer
This book has been on my radar for awhile now. I'm glad it was chosen for book club so that I was pushed into finally reading it. I ended up reading almost all of this book the day of book club to get it done. I'm so glad it was so enjoyable. Cayden ended up being home sick from school that day so we both sat next to each other on the couch and read. I later tried to explain to him that I rarely have the luxury of sitting around and reading while the kids are at school. I'm not sure if he believ...more
Jenifer
For locals. This book enjoyed a bit of celebrity a few years back around my reading circles in Utah. I remember hearing SUCH good things about it. I think I expected a bit more. From the author's prologue we learn that Mr. Ramsdell mostly wanted to get his thoughts and memories in printed format at the request of his friends and family. From the prologue; "If the story provides a few hours of reading pleasure to some, I'll be very pleased. If not, at least my grandchildren will someday be able t...more
02elizabethb
The main issue in this story is, Mike is being followed by the Russian mafia and is trying to get back to safety. The main setting in the story is in Russia, and a lot of it is in Potevka. this story took place in the early 80's. Mike went on a mission to Russia, so he already spake the language so he decided he wanted to be an american spy in Russia. the protagonist is Mike Ramsdell. The antagonist is the Russian mafia. I really liked this book because it was so intense!!!! There was one part i...more
Robin Lambert
I have a unique perspective on this book for two reasons: the first is that the author is my dad's best friend. The second is that I was the editor for this book. My dad and Mike Ramsdell served in the military together in Finland and Russia. My dad went to Finland on an LDS mission and has worked with the National Guard as a Russian linguist.

When Mike decided to write this book, he had no real writing experience. He just wrote down his memories of these amazing experiences, in the same way tha...more
Austin Cox
This book is based on actual events, but classified as a work of fiction since many of the actual events remain classified. Michael Ramsdell, the author, is a native of Bear River, Utah who joined the military as an intelligent agent after graduating from college. In the military, he learned to speak Russian which plotted his career as a linguist, a diplomat and ultimately a CIA agent.
In this book, Michael talks about some of his own experiences while serving as a secret agent in Russia. The st...more
Miandmiksmom
Hmmmmm...this is a tough book to rate. Some parts of the book were definitely a "4", but overall, it just wasn't that great. If I knew he was writing this book for his family as a memoir and didn't mean for it to be published, I'd rate it higher. However, he seemed to need a little platform to complain about his family a little (remember the section where the brothers keep asking what he's REALLY doing in Russia and according to the author won't leave him alone about it? There were a lot of othe...more
Tom
Jul 09, 2009 Tom rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone
Any one interested in the former USSR will want to read this story set during the evil empire's collapse and dissolution, but it is by no means targeted only at that audience.

Don't let the fact that this story is written by a local (that is, Utah) author with no previous books to his credit turn you away from reading this story. This page turner tells a great story that I couldn't put down, especially in the first half of the book. The author becomes more introspective in the second half of the...more
Barbara
I was really interested to read this book. I love spy movies and was intrigued by a real-life American spy story. One of my main issues with this book was the fact that it is a work of fiction. The author explained in the prologue that it is fiction because he had to change names and places to protect himself as well as to follow the laws of confidentiality regarding national security. He wrote, "Thus due to the foregoing reasons, several of the events, dates, places, and names in the book have...more
Kim
Mike Ramsdell was a tour guide on a trip DeVaughn's parents took, and so they bought this book. His mom loved the book and gave us a copy for Christmas. It starts out pretty interesting.....

Okay, I finished this book and I enjoyed it. This is first and foremost a MEMOIR. The cover implies that it is a spy story, and that is a very interesting part of the book, but if that is why you are reading it, you will be bitterly disappointed. It is more of a book about how this small spy experience affect...more
Abby
Two days ago I wasn't sure if I wanted to read this book, because there were so many reviews on here saying it wasn't that great. However, I read the book in less than 24 hours. I was annoyed that I had to stop reading to do non-important things like shower and make food, or answer the phone. Or respond to my crying children. (Seriously, there was this part where a guy was dying, and every other sentence my children were interupting me, and I was like, PLEASE GO AWAY GO AWAY GO AWAY!!! Then I lo...more
Vanessa
Once upon a time there was a spy from Utah serving his country in Cold War Russia. Well, even though A Train to Potevka may be classified as fiction, it’s based on the true-to-life experiences of Mike Ramsdell, Utah native. As a young man Ramsdell served his mission in Switzerland and Germany, and had learned enough Russian to make him an excellent candidate as a spy for the U.S. CIA. His mission: to find and capture a known mafia kingpin deep in Siberia. Unfortunately, things go wrong.

The book...more
Jane
This book finds itself in a rare group of mine: I cannot finish it.
I bought this under the pretense that he's a former CIA agent who worked in the USSR, which is all true.
What I didn't bargain for was his childhood history. I DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT!
This must be a pet peeve of mine...authors that have a wonderful story to tell, yet ruin & dull it with their boring past history. Ugh. I'd prefer my toenails get pulled out!
Mosop
I really enjoyed this story. Perhaps readers will have an easier time appreciating this book, if one does not go into it with any pre-conceived ideas or expectations, nor attempt to classify the genre. Potevka is not fully a spy novel. It is not fully an adventure novel. It is not fully a religious and/or Mormon novel. Rather, "A Train to Potevka" is a first-hand account of the authors true-life survival story serving as a secret agent who must escape cold-war Russia. It is a story of the hardsh...more
CarrieLyn
I can't remember who gave me this book; probably someone who knew of my interest in Russian studies. I found it interesting, though not very well written and a little too focused on the author's personal life rather than his experiences working for the US government in Russia at the time the Soviet Union was falling apart. I also thought some of his reflections on Soviet life were superficial considering the time he spent in the country. His political (conservative, Republican) world view came t...more
Autumn
I'll give it four stars even though the writing could have been tighter. Ramsdell took some of his stories from his experience as an American intelligence agent in the USSR toward the end of the Cold War and put them into novel form. Fascinating historical backgrounds and images of Russia and its people at the time. And his descriptions of the life of a spy are anything but glamorous. The movie "The Ipress File" comes to mind while reading this: no action-packed soundtrack, no amazing fight scen...more
Adysnewbox
I'll give it three stars, because I enjoyed reading it...but it ain't great literature. The writing is not especially gripping and the climax of the book meanders a LOT, plus the time shifts in the narrative are fairly ham-handed. But the author is plain-spoken, honest, and passionate about his subject, so that counts for something.

I lived in Russia myself for a year and a half, so I enjoyed the book as a window to peer back into that world. Ramsdell has strong feelings about Russia and I can re...more
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“We are all on this journey of life together, each given certain gifts to make this world a better place and to help make one another's burdens a little lighter along the way.” 8 people liked it
“Perhaps it sounds awfully simplistic, but I have often thought how much better off our country would be if sometimes we left the Washington bureaucrats at home and let a group of common sense, everyday men and women-farmers, bankers, factory workers, small business owners, school teachers, ranchers, etc.-negotiate on behalf of the United States. Certainly they could do no worse, and personally I'm confident-because of their COMMON SENSE-they would do much better.” 2 people liked it
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