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Stalina
After the fall of the Soviet Union, Stalina Folskaya’s homeland is little more than a bankrupt country of broken dreams. She flees St. Petersburg in search of a better life in America, leaving behind her elderly mother and the grief of the past. However, Stalina quickly realizes that her pursuit of happiness will be a hard road. A trained chemist in Russia, but disillusioned by her prospects in the US, she becomes a maid at The Liberty, a “short-stay” motel on the outskirts of Hartford. Able to envision beauty and profit even here, Stalina convinces her boss to let her transform the motel into a fantasy destination. Business skyrockets and puts the American dream within Stalina’s sights. A smart, fearless woman like Stalina can go far…if only she can reconcile the ghosts of her past. Obsessed with avenging her family while also longing for a new life, Stalina is a remarkable immigrant’s tale about a woman whose imagination—and force of personality—will let her stop at nothing.
206 pages, Paperback
First published December 21, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
February 9, 2011
This was really bad. I did not enjoy it, and only read the whole thing because I wanted to see if anything was actually going to happen. I gave it 2 stars instead of 1 because the author did do a good job of setting scenes and I really felt like I was at that motel front desk with Stalina. I just wanted to leave. Really badly.
If it had cost more than 99 cents on Amazon for my Kindle I would be VERY irritated.
If it had cost more than 99 cents on Amazon for my Kindle I would be VERY irritated.
March 29, 2011
Stalina is named after Stalin by her mother, partly to protect her since she was a Jew in the Soviet Union, but also because her mother, though afraid of Stalin, is nevertheless a communist.
Stalina trains as a chemist in the Soviet Union, but when she moves to the United States in 1991 finds that the only jobs she is offered involve hazardous substances and too little regard to safety. So she takes a job as a maid in the Liberty Motel, working for Mr Suri, an Indian gentleman whom she comes to admire and like. The motel is situated in Berlin, on the outskirts of Hartford, Connecticut.
The ‘motel’ makes its rooms available to couples who have nowhere better to go. Payment is by the hour. Mr Suri is given to watching the clock and one of Stalina’s duties is to phone the clients fifteen minutes before their time is up.
Stalina takes her work seriously. Given the nod by Mr Suri, she turns her attention to interior design, turning the rooms into fantasy destinations and marketing them as ‘rooms for the imaginative.’ Some of these designs are described in detail. Though I found them unattractive the clientele make frequent repeat visits.
But Mr Suri’s plans for the development of the motel, together with Stalina’s success in marketing the rooms, proves too much for the local mob who are also in this line of business. So they ‘buy him out’. Stalina is sad to see him go but is retained by the new owners to run the motel and makes a success of it.
The story is told in the first person. It is always interesting to see how an author handles that. Some go for an educated person, a professional or academic, who can be counted upon to be as articulate as the author. A few choose someone less articulate who nonetheless has insights to offer, however eccentric their expression may be. And some have used for their narrator a person who, while telling the story in an interesting manner, also reveals a great deal about his or her character without realising it. John Galt was a master of this technique (the Scottish novelist of that name, not the fictional character in Atlas Shrugged).
In this case, the issue is complicated by the fact that Stalina, though a professional, is Russian and is therefore recounting events in a foreign language. But her father, a poet, had been fond of English literature and so her knowledge of English had begun in childhood. Though reference is made to her heavy accent, it seems that over the years she has acquired an excellent command of English. The author’s use of first person narrative works well. Stalina has a voice of her own, not only in the way she expresses herself but also in her attitude to life. She is always direct and businesslike.
'Life was so different at the Liberty Motel. I’ll now take a moment to describe the décor of my room designs.' ( Page 44)
'The next bit of my story will explain how my life in Berlin, Connecticut, and in the world, suddenly and completely changed.' (Page 126)
Just as she is direct with the reader so she is forthright with those she has dealings with, be they friend, acquaintance, customer or foe. Her US destination was chosen because her friend Amalia had gone there before her. However, she learns that Amalia has been ripping her off by selling some of the Russian brassieres that she, Stalina, had brought with her to supplement her income. The confrontation between the two is very sharp and Amalia becomes an ex-friend. Despite this, Stalina takes Amalia’s cats, Shosta and Kovich, when Amalia leaves the area. She likes animals and observes their behaviour closely.
Stalina is open to life in all its variety. She is not a censorious person and accepts the wide range of behaviours she comes across at the motel much in the spirit of a human zoologist. She notes but does not deplore. For example, speaking of two of her favourite clients she says:
'I wanted to ask them why they were not together like a regular couple. They could love each other and take care of each other. The rest of the world would just have to understand.’ (Page 85)
At its extreme this attitude to life might be questioned, and never more so than when a woman is found hanging in one of her rooms. Stalina phones the police at once, as the reader would expect, but the police are in her pocket since some of them frequent the motel. There is no interest at all in whether the woman hanged herself or someone did it for her. Was this only because she was a known prostitute? I don’t think so.
‘We’ll call this a suicide. No worries – we’ll take care of the body. You can go back to work.’
The other officer said, ‘No need to mention this to anyone, Ms Folskaya. We’ve got your back.’ (Page 189)
Most people would recognise a big difference between suicide and murder but in this case no one, including Stalina, seems to care.
One strand of the narrative concerns the death of the young Stalina’s pet dog and the disappearance of her father to the Gulag shortly after. This is subtle and handled very well. A connected strand of the story involves Nadia, a bossy girl Stalina knew as a child. To discover many years later that this same Nadia fronts the local mob which takes over the Liberty Motel stretches credulity. How likely is it that two girls from Leningrad end up as competitors in the sex business in Berlin, Connecticut?
This is an enjoyable book. Stalina comes over as a real person and one you like. I feel I have met someone new, as I would when she has spoken to me with such candour over two hundred pages.
Small points
The book under review is ‘an advance reader’s copy, an uncorrected proof.’ I can’t think there is much to correct. The only sign of it I could see was this.
The was is pulling up worms from the ground. (Page 87)
Readers outwith the United States may be disturbed by a couple of past tenses. It seems that in the US the past tense of the verb ‘to fit’ is also ‘fit’. I have come across this many times, for example in John Irving, but still find it strange. But here I also find ‘spit’ used as a past tense despite the fact that the verb ‘to spit’ is an irregular verb where the root vowel changes in the past. I can’t help wondering if this past tense is common in the States while hoping that it isn’t.
Stalina trains as a chemist in the Soviet Union, but when she moves to the United States in 1991 finds that the only jobs she is offered involve hazardous substances and too little regard to safety. So she takes a job as a maid in the Liberty Motel, working for Mr Suri, an Indian gentleman whom she comes to admire and like. The motel is situated in Berlin, on the outskirts of Hartford, Connecticut.
The ‘motel’ makes its rooms available to couples who have nowhere better to go. Payment is by the hour. Mr Suri is given to watching the clock and one of Stalina’s duties is to phone the clients fifteen minutes before their time is up.
Stalina takes her work seriously. Given the nod by Mr Suri, she turns her attention to interior design, turning the rooms into fantasy destinations and marketing them as ‘rooms for the imaginative.’ Some of these designs are described in detail. Though I found them unattractive the clientele make frequent repeat visits.
But Mr Suri’s plans for the development of the motel, together with Stalina’s success in marketing the rooms, proves too much for the local mob who are also in this line of business. So they ‘buy him out’. Stalina is sad to see him go but is retained by the new owners to run the motel and makes a success of it.
The story is told in the first person. It is always interesting to see how an author handles that. Some go for an educated person, a professional or academic, who can be counted upon to be as articulate as the author. A few choose someone less articulate who nonetheless has insights to offer, however eccentric their expression may be. And some have used for their narrator a person who, while telling the story in an interesting manner, also reveals a great deal about his or her character without realising it. John Galt was a master of this technique (the Scottish novelist of that name, not the fictional character in Atlas Shrugged).
In this case, the issue is complicated by the fact that Stalina, though a professional, is Russian and is therefore recounting events in a foreign language. But her father, a poet, had been fond of English literature and so her knowledge of English had begun in childhood. Though reference is made to her heavy accent, it seems that over the years she has acquired an excellent command of English. The author’s use of first person narrative works well. Stalina has a voice of her own, not only in the way she expresses herself but also in her attitude to life. She is always direct and businesslike.
'Life was so different at the Liberty Motel. I’ll now take a moment to describe the décor of my room designs.' ( Page 44)
'The next bit of my story will explain how my life in Berlin, Connecticut, and in the world, suddenly and completely changed.' (Page 126)
Just as she is direct with the reader so she is forthright with those she has dealings with, be they friend, acquaintance, customer or foe. Her US destination was chosen because her friend Amalia had gone there before her. However, she learns that Amalia has been ripping her off by selling some of the Russian brassieres that she, Stalina, had brought with her to supplement her income. The confrontation between the two is very sharp and Amalia becomes an ex-friend. Despite this, Stalina takes Amalia’s cats, Shosta and Kovich, when Amalia leaves the area. She likes animals and observes their behaviour closely.
Stalina is open to life in all its variety. She is not a censorious person and accepts the wide range of behaviours she comes across at the motel much in the spirit of a human zoologist. She notes but does not deplore. For example, speaking of two of her favourite clients she says:
'I wanted to ask them why they were not together like a regular couple. They could love each other and take care of each other. The rest of the world would just have to understand.’ (Page 85)
At its extreme this attitude to life might be questioned, and never more so than when a woman is found hanging in one of her rooms. Stalina phones the police at once, as the reader would expect, but the police are in her pocket since some of them frequent the motel. There is no interest at all in whether the woman hanged herself or someone did it for her. Was this only because she was a known prostitute? I don’t think so.
‘We’ll call this a suicide. No worries – we’ll take care of the body. You can go back to work.’
The other officer said, ‘No need to mention this to anyone, Ms Folskaya. We’ve got your back.’ (Page 189)
Most people would recognise a big difference between suicide and murder but in this case no one, including Stalina, seems to care.
One strand of the narrative concerns the death of the young Stalina’s pet dog and the disappearance of her father to the Gulag shortly after. This is subtle and handled very well. A connected strand of the story involves Nadia, a bossy girl Stalina knew as a child. To discover many years later that this same Nadia fronts the local mob which takes over the Liberty Motel stretches credulity. How likely is it that two girls from Leningrad end up as competitors in the sex business in Berlin, Connecticut?
This is an enjoyable book. Stalina comes over as a real person and one you like. I feel I have met someone new, as I would when she has spoken to me with such candour over two hundred pages.
Small points
The book under review is ‘an advance reader’s copy, an uncorrected proof.’ I can’t think there is much to correct. The only sign of it I could see was this.
The was is pulling up worms from the ground. (Page 87)
Readers outwith the United States may be disturbed by a couple of past tenses. It seems that in the US the past tense of the verb ‘to fit’ is also ‘fit’. I have come across this many times, for example in John Irving, but still find it strange. But here I also find ‘spit’ used as a past tense despite the fact that the verb ‘to spit’ is an irregular verb where the root vowel changes in the past. I can’t help wondering if this past tense is common in the States while hoping that it isn’t.
March 29, 2024
I found this book, signed by the author in a Little Library. It is definitely unusual. A Jewish woman, Stalina, leaves her native Russia after the end of the Soviet Union. She ends up working at "short stay motel" in Connecticut. Written in the first person, she makes many comparisons between the US and her former home. For me, that was the most interesting part of the book. I also liked the wry humor and quirky characters. However, there was little in the way of a plot. It was more like a collection of short stories revolving around Staline. Still enjoyable, however.
Read
January 24, 2011There are many delightful moments in this odd and entertaining novel.
Named after the man whose many victims include her own father, Stalina Folskaya embodies the ambiguity of so many Soviet citizens toward their country and its communist past; her mother named her for the leader she both “worshipped and feared” out of reverence as well as protection—necessary for a Jew in Russia. And so at the start of this quirky novel, Stalina, like so many Russian Jews in the early 90’s, leaves her country for the United States, where she makes a modest yet happy career for herself at the Liberty Motel, a by-the-hour place outside of New Haven, Connecticut.
Despite this surely seedy setting and a plot that involves the Russian mafia, the story and its narrator remain obdurately jolly; even with the many sad stories in our narrator’s past, we sense that no one will come to real harm. But that is part of the charm of this joyful book, which, though it at times tends toward farce, embraces the many bizarre and sorrowful truths in this world.
Setting the tragic absurdities of Stalina’s life in Soviet Russia against the peculiarities of the capitalist USA allows the author’s great sense of humor to shine. (For instance, stepping out of Kennedy Airport upon arrival, Stalina is disconcerted to immediately hear Russian being spoken—by the taxi and limo drivers waiting for their fares.) Stalina is admirably good-natured—self-confident, outgoing, mischievous—and her observations are spot on: “Everything is potentially a drama. I noticed that holidays here always coincide with sales in stores. In Russia we have parades.”
Stalina embraces her new life in “Connecticut, USA” whole-heartedly and with optimism, finding the world a curious and amusing place. Her spunk and resourcefulness make up for a storyline that relies a bit much on coincidence, and while the book could use some editorial shaping, what it lacks in plot structure it makes up for in wackiness, including a stray cat raised by a crow, revenge via crematory ashes, and a crime boss whose dream “is to have Berlin, Connecticut become the short-stay capital of the East Coast.”
There were many moments where I laughed out loud and many moments where I thought, That is so true. The author respects the often harrowing histories of her Russian characters and, most importantly, is true to human nature, to our weaknesses and superstitions, to the strengths and frailties of our friendships, and to the baggage of the past that we bring with us no matter where we go. As Stalina proudly says of the various betrayals, both horrible and petty, that motivate much of the action in this novel, “It was all very Russian.”
Named after the man whose many victims include her own father, Stalina Folskaya embodies the ambiguity of so many Soviet citizens toward their country and its communist past; her mother named her for the leader she both “worshipped and feared” out of reverence as well as protection—necessary for a Jew in Russia. And so at the start of this quirky novel, Stalina, like so many Russian Jews in the early 90’s, leaves her country for the United States, where she makes a modest yet happy career for herself at the Liberty Motel, a by-the-hour place outside of New Haven, Connecticut.
Despite this surely seedy setting and a plot that involves the Russian mafia, the story and its narrator remain obdurately jolly; even with the many sad stories in our narrator’s past, we sense that no one will come to real harm. But that is part of the charm of this joyful book, which, though it at times tends toward farce, embraces the many bizarre and sorrowful truths in this world.
Setting the tragic absurdities of Stalina’s life in Soviet Russia against the peculiarities of the capitalist USA allows the author’s great sense of humor to shine. (For instance, stepping out of Kennedy Airport upon arrival, Stalina is disconcerted to immediately hear Russian being spoken—by the taxi and limo drivers waiting for their fares.) Stalina is admirably good-natured—self-confident, outgoing, mischievous—and her observations are spot on: “Everything is potentially a drama. I noticed that holidays here always coincide with sales in stores. In Russia we have parades.”
Stalina embraces her new life in “Connecticut, USA” whole-heartedly and with optimism, finding the world a curious and amusing place. Her spunk and resourcefulness make up for a storyline that relies a bit much on coincidence, and while the book could use some editorial shaping, what it lacks in plot structure it makes up for in wackiness, including a stray cat raised by a crow, revenge via crematory ashes, and a crime boss whose dream “is to have Berlin, Connecticut become the short-stay capital of the East Coast.”
There were many moments where I laughed out loud and many moments where I thought, That is so true. The author respects the often harrowing histories of her Russian characters and, most importantly, is true to human nature, to our weaknesses and superstitions, to the strengths and frailties of our friendships, and to the baggage of the past that we bring with us no matter where we go. As Stalina proudly says of the various betrayals, both horrible and petty, that motivate much of the action in this novel, “It was all very Russian.”
June 23, 2011
I have to admit that the first thing that led me to select this novel was the fact that much of it takes place in Connecticut. Not too many books are set in this location and as that is where I was born and raised I have an affinity for good old CT. I also have read very, very little on Russia, so I was interested in that setting as well. The story shifts back and forth between Stalina in the present, 1990’s-2000’s, in Connecticut to her past in Russia. I also loved that it was set in a “short stay” motel – mostly for the cast of characters that would come through the establishment and the crazy things that happened to them.
Through the shifts back to her past in Russia we get to see some of what it was like to live in Stalinist Russia. We also get to see what effect that early life has on characters that immigrated to the United States. Stalina comes into contact with several friends from her homeland while in the States – which initially felt a little far-fetched, but I guess it is possible.
The story is told in the first person with Stalina talking to the reader. She tells it like it is and doesn’t mince her words. Through the prose you get the feel that this is being told by an individual whose first language is not English, which adds to the believability of the story and the character of Stalina.
This was certainly not a heavy read and was more of a fun romp. It isn’t very plot driven, mostly centering around characterization. It focuses primarily on the motel that she is working at with the historical thrown in here and there – but that is not to say that I did not learn anything, like this tidbit:
“He was holding up his right hand showing a mangled index finger. In his youth it was common for young men to chop off their trigger fingers or shoot wax into their leg veins to make them varicose to escape serving in the czar’s army” (pg 31)
All in all a quick and enjoyable read. You could likely devour this in one sitting.
This book was received for review from the Amazon Vine Program - I was not compensated for my opinions and the above is my honest review.
Through the shifts back to her past in Russia we get to see some of what it was like to live in Stalinist Russia. We also get to see what effect that early life has on characters that immigrated to the United States. Stalina comes into contact with several friends from her homeland while in the States – which initially felt a little far-fetched, but I guess it is possible.
The story is told in the first person with Stalina talking to the reader. She tells it like it is and doesn’t mince her words. Through the prose you get the feel that this is being told by an individual whose first language is not English, which adds to the believability of the story and the character of Stalina.
This was certainly not a heavy read and was more of a fun romp. It isn’t very plot driven, mostly centering around characterization. It focuses primarily on the motel that she is working at with the historical thrown in here and there – but that is not to say that I did not learn anything, like this tidbit:
“He was holding up his right hand showing a mangled index finger. In his youth it was common for young men to chop off their trigger fingers or shoot wax into their leg veins to make them varicose to escape serving in the czar’s army” (pg 31)
All in all a quick and enjoyable read. You could likely devour this in one sitting.
This book was received for review from the Amazon Vine Program - I was not compensated for my opinions and the above is my honest review.
February 28, 2011
I was intrigued to read Stalina because in the free kindle sample I found out that she (the main character and the narrator) came to the USA in 1991 – a year before I arrived here, and her mother was born in 1935 – which would make her just a year younger than my mother is. I realized that it’s not a memoir, but fiction, and yet, I was looking forward to finding similarities to my former live in the USSR and my mother’s many memories. I was disappointed by many cultural inaccuracies strewn around the heroine’s recollections. For example, when describing the “tourist breakfast,” Rubin said it was made of reeking fish, when in fact it was cooked from meat and tasted something like the American spam; cooking with rosemary there was not heard of, etc.
These seemingly small inaccuracies and the absence of hardly any references to her pre-departure years (surely Stalina was not asleep through Gorbachev’s years filled with changes), make this immigrant tale unauthentic to someone like I. The fact that Stalina was supposedly fluent in English even before arriving in the NYC because her father read to her in English forty some years prior to that, is completely ludicrous, which did not add to the feeling of plausibility either. The heroine comes across as one-dimensional and curiously immature for her age. Even the ending is totally unremarkable and flat.
These seemingly small inaccuracies and the absence of hardly any references to her pre-departure years (surely Stalina was not asleep through Gorbachev’s years filled with changes), make this immigrant tale unauthentic to someone like I. The fact that Stalina was supposedly fluent in English even before arriving in the NYC because her father read to her in English forty some years prior to that, is completely ludicrous, which did not add to the feeling of plausibility either. The heroine comes across as one-dimensional and curiously immature for her age. Even the ending is totally unremarkable and flat.
April 3, 2013
Just OK. I did learn a little about life in Russia..
June 11, 2013
What a lovely little story. I took to Stalina straight away and didn't want to put it down.
March 14, 2021
As someone who dreams about writing a book, I always love to support friends and acquaintances who succeed in being published. I've worked with Emily at her day job in the TV business... It's so cool that she has hit it out of the park! (Spoiler Alert)
This is a wonderful book. Short and sweet, it reads very much like a John Irving novel. It is a rich tapestry of unlikely tales that somehow are completely believable as they spin out. Stalina tells the story in the past tense as she celebrates ten years in her adopted America. As a girl in Russia she loved her country even when the communists came and took her poetry-writing, school teacher father away. In America she comes to work for Nadia, who as a girl, was her arch rival back home. Nadia had Stalina’s dog put down after it attacked her dog. Stalina learns it was Nadia’s parents who turned in her father to the KGB.
In a twist of fate she gets to exact sweet revenge on the informants. She travels to Brighton Beach and ends up scattering her mother’s ashes in their tidy apartment… in the most comical of scenes! For a book to have so many fantastical scenes and make them all work is so amazing!
The motivated flashback devices are all so brilliant! Flashbacks can be tricky… they can feel forced. But we are along for a ride as Stalina daydreams about her life and the journey is perfectly natural!
In the scene where she finds out her alzheimer’s riddled mother has died we have this..
"Ludmilla said it was as if someone had come to greet her." How wild is that? That is exactly how my Mom described the night my Dad died. He was talking in Lithuanian to long lost relatives in his sleep!
Here are some great lines…
"The river was black and oily. Our faces reflected in the lapping waves looked like photographs developing in a darkroom."
"The road was slick and shiny, and the smell of rain and oil seeped into the bus as the wheels spun along."
"This line from one of my father’s poems came to mind.
"Survival by betrayal was for our family and friends love with a feral scalpel.""
"When we got upstairs, Amalia asked, “Your parents don’t touch anymore, do they?” I could not remember the last time I saw them touch each other. “They don’t need to touch,” I told her. “Everyone needs to touch,” she said."
This is a wonderful book. Short and sweet, it reads very much like a John Irving novel. It is a rich tapestry of unlikely tales that somehow are completely believable as they spin out. Stalina tells the story in the past tense as she celebrates ten years in her adopted America. As a girl in Russia she loved her country even when the communists came and took her poetry-writing, school teacher father away. In America she comes to work for Nadia, who as a girl, was her arch rival back home. Nadia had Stalina’s dog put down after it attacked her dog. Stalina learns it was Nadia’s parents who turned in her father to the KGB.
In a twist of fate she gets to exact sweet revenge on the informants. She travels to Brighton Beach and ends up scattering her mother’s ashes in their tidy apartment… in the most comical of scenes! For a book to have so many fantastical scenes and make them all work is so amazing!
The motivated flashback devices are all so brilliant! Flashbacks can be tricky… they can feel forced. But we are along for a ride as Stalina daydreams about her life and the journey is perfectly natural!
In the scene where she finds out her alzheimer’s riddled mother has died we have this..
"Ludmilla said it was as if someone had come to greet her." How wild is that? That is exactly how my Mom described the night my Dad died. He was talking in Lithuanian to long lost relatives in his sleep!
Here are some great lines…
"The river was black and oily. Our faces reflected in the lapping waves looked like photographs developing in a darkroom."
"The road was slick and shiny, and the smell of rain and oil seeped into the bus as the wheels spun along."
"This line from one of my father’s poems came to mind.
"Survival by betrayal was for our family and friends love with a feral scalpel.""
"When we got upstairs, Amalia asked, “Your parents don’t touch anymore, do they?” I could not remember the last time I saw them touch each other. “They don’t need to touch,” I told her. “Everyone needs to touch,” she said."
August 10, 2017
A powerful read from a skillful author, Stalina gripped me right from the opening pages. I loved the main character -- serious, resourceful and persistent. I cheered her on as she emigrated from Russia to the U.S. and I enjoyed her ingenuity as she carved out a new role for herself at the Liberty Motel. The weaving in of her younger life in the old Soviet Union was a haunting reminder that even when we reinvent ourselves, we can never truly escape the past. Historical fiction at its best!
May 10, 2021
An enjoyable read with quirky characters. I found the back and forth from Russia to America very insightful into the character of Stalina. The first person telling of the story made it feel like you were sitting in the room with Stalina and she was telling you her story. A good read.
July 19, 2017
Stalina was quirky and different. I enjoyed her bizarre little world and her Russian-ness made it unique and interesting.
August 28, 2011
Starts well, disappointing ending.
This book started out well, I was readily drawn in to the life of Russian, Stalina Folskaya, who leaves her homeland for America in 1991, at the age of 51. I would have liked a bit more about her reasons for leaving, especially as she left an elderly, demented mother behind in St Petersburg. However, we meet her as she is preparing to leave and so assume those thought processes are behind her.
Arriving at Kennedy Airport, she makes her way to Hartford, Connecticut, where she stays with her childhood friend, Amalia. As is all too common in the emigre experience, her chemist's qualifications are of no value in her new land so Amalia finds her work as a maid at a local 'short-stay' motel. Stalina settles into this new way of life and persuades the proprietor to allow her to decorate some 'theme' rooms. Her Gazebo room and Roller Coaster room are an instant hit and The Liberty Motel adds 'Rooms for the Imaginative' to its motel board. Strangely, though she thinks about decorating other rooms, nothing happens for several years.
Unfortunately, I thought the novel collapsed in on itself at this point (about 2/3 through). Suddenly the motel ownership changed, 'suits' were on the scene, and Stalina breaks up with her closest friend over a thieving incident.
I don't want to spoil the story for prospective readers so I can't fully explain why I lost patience with the book at this stage, but all these events occurred with no build-up or back-ground and my star rating plummeted from a good 4 stars to only three.
A love interest in America would have been good too.
There were some really nice touches too though, particularly the relationship between Svetlana, the kitten, and Zarzamora, the crow. The flash-backs to Stalina's life in Russia were also interesting and the episode with the ashes made me smile.
This was a reasonable read but, for me, fell a bit short of the mark.
This book started out well, I was readily drawn in to the life of Russian, Stalina Folskaya, who leaves her homeland for America in 1991, at the age of 51. I would have liked a bit more about her reasons for leaving, especially as she left an elderly, demented mother behind in St Petersburg. However, we meet her as she is preparing to leave and so assume those thought processes are behind her.
Arriving at Kennedy Airport, she makes her way to Hartford, Connecticut, where she stays with her childhood friend, Amalia. As is all too common in the emigre experience, her chemist's qualifications are of no value in her new land so Amalia finds her work as a maid at a local 'short-stay' motel. Stalina settles into this new way of life and persuades the proprietor to allow her to decorate some 'theme' rooms. Her Gazebo room and Roller Coaster room are an instant hit and The Liberty Motel adds 'Rooms for the Imaginative' to its motel board. Strangely, though she thinks about decorating other rooms, nothing happens for several years.
Unfortunately, I thought the novel collapsed in on itself at this point (about 2/3 through). Suddenly the motel ownership changed, 'suits' were on the scene, and Stalina breaks up with her closest friend over a thieving incident.
I don't want to spoil the story for prospective readers so I can't fully explain why I lost patience with the book at this stage, but all these events occurred with no build-up or back-ground and my star rating plummeted from a good 4 stars to only three.
A love interest in America would have been good too.
There were some really nice touches too though, particularly the relationship between Svetlana, the kitten, and Zarzamora, the crow. The flash-backs to Stalina's life in Russia were also interesting and the episode with the ashes made me smile.
This was a reasonable read but, for me, fell a bit short of the mark.
April 3, 2011
“Stalina” by Emily Rubin is the fictional story of a Russian immigrant to the United States. The story takes place after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Stalina Folskaya flees St. Petersburg search for a better life in the United States. Stalina leaves behind her elderly, alzhimeric, mother and her past. As a trained chemist, Stalina is quickly disillusioned about her bright future prospects and becomes a maid at a short-stay motel.
Stalina convinces her boss to let her design some of the fantasy rooms and business skyrockets.
“Stalina” by Emily Rubin is a well written novel, but I had varied thoughts about it. While the story was certainly interesting the book had very little in the way of plot and no ending.
The characters were certainly well developed. Stalina is very engaging, her circle of friends was interesting and her circle of acquaintances was also intriguing. Ms. Rubin certainly knows how to build a scene and explore relationships. The father/daughter relationship which Stalina relishes thought the novel is heartwarming and sad. Stalina’s father, a poet, was taken by the Russian government never to be seen again.
As someone who had to learn English as a second language, the notion that Stalina spoke fluent, or even passable English because her father read to her in that language was a bit of a stretch. There are plenty of people who hear English everyday (via songs, radio, TV, movies, etc.) yet cannot converse. I can watch Telemundo all day long yet still not be able to hold my own in Spanish. Learning a language takes dedication, time and practice.
As appealing as the character of Stalina was and as interesting as her point of view is I still felt as if the book was a collection of short stories all revolving around a central character.
Certainly not a bad thing.
Please visit my bookish blog at http://www.ManOfLaBook.com
Stalina Folskaya flees St. Petersburg search for a better life in the United States. Stalina leaves behind her elderly, alzhimeric, mother and her past. As a trained chemist, Stalina is quickly disillusioned about her bright future prospects and becomes a maid at a short-stay motel.
Stalina convinces her boss to let her design some of the fantasy rooms and business skyrockets.
“Stalina” by Emily Rubin is a well written novel, but I had varied thoughts about it. While the story was certainly interesting the book had very little in the way of plot and no ending.
The characters were certainly well developed. Stalina is very engaging, her circle of friends was interesting and her circle of acquaintances was also intriguing. Ms. Rubin certainly knows how to build a scene and explore relationships. The father/daughter relationship which Stalina relishes thought the novel is heartwarming and sad. Stalina’s father, a poet, was taken by the Russian government never to be seen again.
As someone who had to learn English as a second language, the notion that Stalina spoke fluent, or even passable English because her father read to her in that language was a bit of a stretch. There are plenty of people who hear English everyday (via songs, radio, TV, movies, etc.) yet cannot converse. I can watch Telemundo all day long yet still not be able to hold my own in Spanish. Learning a language takes dedication, time and practice.
As appealing as the character of Stalina was and as interesting as her point of view is I still felt as if the book was a collection of short stories all revolving around a central character.
Certainly not a bad thing.
Please visit my bookish blog at http://www.ManOfLaBook.com
March 8, 2011
My feelings for this novel are mixed. On one hand it’s a well written book but on the other hand it’s not quite there for me. It was as if the book had no plot or rather no climax.
I did enjoy reading the narrator’s description of Russia post Soviet Union. However, I wasn’t sure if the details were facts.
For the most part the characters were well-developed and the author did a good job of painting a visual picture of the scenes. I also enjoyed exploring the relationships of the characters. My favorite character was Stalina’s mother. Her mother liked to curse and y’all know I like people who curse… Shhhhh! I also enjoyed reading about her father’s love for American literature. I think it was her me wanting to know more about her father at-times that kept me interested.
On the other hand, I didn’t like some of the criticisms the narrator made about America. I’m one of those people who believe in the mantra, “Love it or Leave!” I’m okay with comparing differences between America and Russia but I caught myself telling the narrator, “Leave then!” Maybe it’s the American in me.
So for the most part this a well told story but I just felt like it was missing something. Maybe Stalina and Mr. Suri should have done more or maybe it should have given more detail as to why Stalina really came to America. Was it for the American dream that she often criticized? Why?
I did enjoy reading the narrator’s description of Russia post Soviet Union. However, I wasn’t sure if the details were facts.
For the most part the characters were well-developed and the author did a good job of painting a visual picture of the scenes. I also enjoyed exploring the relationships of the characters. My favorite character was Stalina’s mother. Her mother liked to curse and y’all know I like people who curse… Shhhhh! I also enjoyed reading about her father’s love for American literature. I think it was her me wanting to know more about her father at-times that kept me interested.
On the other hand, I didn’t like some of the criticisms the narrator made about America. I’m one of those people who believe in the mantra, “Love it or Leave!” I’m okay with comparing differences between America and Russia but I caught myself telling the narrator, “Leave then!” Maybe it’s the American in me.
So for the most part this a well told story but I just felt like it was missing something. Maybe Stalina and Mr. Suri should have done more or maybe it should have given more detail as to why Stalina really came to America. Was it for the American dream that she often criticized? Why?
January 17, 2015
I am not Russian, but have known many, and this book does capture a Russian ethos in the characters. A shorter book, means you can read it before that Russian ethos overwhelms. I found it hard to relate to Stalina or the other characters, but I liked the author's descriptive style, the subtle plotting of the story line ( this is a creeping plot but works in a short book). The setting of short stay hotels in Connecticut really made this story much more interesting. The plot is mostly set in mid-1990's Connecticut with flashbacks to various scenes in Stalina's life growing up under Stalin and his successors -- the flashbacks are just the right balance. The best scenes in the book involved Svetlana the Kitten and the crow feeding her. This is certainly a more cerebral and literary read than one packed with adventure and there are many chuckles amid the heavy Stalinist feeling in the book. See what happens with Stalina's mothers' "revenge" for one such scene, and some of the short stay guests as well. Worth a few hours read.
February 19, 2014
I thought this was a refreshing book! Stalina was named after Josef Stalin, in order for her Jewish Russian parents to fit in better into Communist Soviet society. She of course manages to have her birthday party on the day he dies, and things just spiral into "not good" from there. Her father is sent to a gulag, and her mother (parents survived the Siege of Leningrad) is never really the same.
Decades later, Stalina emigrates to the United States, just after the fall of the Soviet Union. She moves there with a suitcase full of bras she plans to sell, and a job offer in Bristol, Connecticut at a tiny motel that runs by the hour. The people she encounters and the stories she goes through are interesting, sad, and a bit poignant by turns.
I have to say, it's a quick read, but I really liked it! It kind of has a bit of an uplifting ending, despite all the trouble Stalina has been through in her life.
Decades later, Stalina emigrates to the United States, just after the fall of the Soviet Union. She moves there with a suitcase full of bras she plans to sell, and a job offer in Bristol, Connecticut at a tiny motel that runs by the hour. The people she encounters and the stories she goes through are interesting, sad, and a bit poignant by turns.
I have to say, it's a quick read, but I really liked it! It kind of has a bit of an uplifting ending, despite all the trouble Stalina has been through in her life.
January 15, 2014
This was an odd read. Can't say I really enjoyed it, nor did I dislike it either. It was just sort of there. It's a fairly easy read all in all but no idea what the point was or what the author was trying to impart. It begins sort of nowhere and traveled to an end that was no where and in between was some decent writing, acceptable prose but for what? I feel certain there was intended to be some great mystical meaning, some deep profound understanding....but for the life of me I surely missed it. I can say the characters were fairly well drawn but the dialog was a bit wooden. I can not slam it in any way but neither can I give it a strong recommendation. It's a decent time filler I suppose. Faint praise, but a bit of praise nonetheless.
April 21, 2012
Pooely written, confusing with unlikeable characters. At first I thought it must be a translation but it isn't. It actually was written in English.
I chose this book to gain some insight into Stalin's impact on Russia but ended up in a sleezy motel in Miami . . . I admit it. I stopped reading the book halfway through. I've recently come to the realization that if I don't like a book I don't have to finish it.
I chose this book to gain some insight into Stalin's impact on Russia but ended up in a sleezy motel in Miami . . . I admit it. I stopped reading the book halfway through. I've recently come to the realization that if I don't like a book I don't have to finish it.
March 6, 2014
Stalina brings her corner of the U.S. to life through her uniquely Russian lens. Her creativity is unpretentious, almost childlike, and completely enchanting. She tells the story of her childhood in Russia as well as her immigrant adulthood from the context of the short-stay motel in Connecticut where she begins her American dream journey. Her lack of judgment and prejudice offer a rare view of life
February 14, 2016
I didn't get the point of this book. I don't know what I was expecting but this seemed disjointed. She moves to America in her 50s or 60s and ends up working at a motel where hookers and cheaters go for their "short stay"...rendezvous. Random people from Stanlina's time in Russia show up to add some "flavor" to the mix and them there's this random crow and cat thing going on. Eh... I'm not happy that I paid $1 for it.
April 11, 2011
Our main character is from St. Petersburg, Russia, so I loved the Russian references and descriptions of St. Pete's. She emigrates to the States and lands in Connecticut where she becomes the cleaning lady, then the manager of a "by-the-hour" hotel. Funny encounters are sprinkled throughout. Another immigrant story with a bit more fun bent.
May 20, 2011
Short and sweet. TOO MANY SIMILES!
Some elements of this book were very endearing to me, like Stalina's love of rooms-rented-by-the-hour and acceptance of sex work as a regular and even awesome part of life. Her easy acceptance of sex workers being murdered as being sad but not something to report, though: not endearing.
What can you do, folks? What can you do . . .
Some elements of this book were very endearing to me, like Stalina's love of rooms-rented-by-the-hour and acceptance of sex work as a regular and even awesome part of life. Her easy acceptance of sex workers being murdered as being sad but not something to report, though: not endearing.
What can you do, folks? What can you do . . .
July 31, 2014
A really interesting book. It gives a glimpse in the life of a Russian immigrant - telling of both life in Russia and the US. Stalina's job in the US isn't an average job and with that comes a peek into a side of life most will never know anything about. Read it to expand your knowledge. I became quite fond of Stalina. :)
March 6, 2015
A quirky, enigmatic book - much like Stalina herself and a few Russians whom I have met. It's relatively short, and most characters are not deeply developed, but there is enough detail to allow the reader to form an sense of the person. A fun read, not to be taken too seriously - it was an enjoyable entertainment on a cross-continental flight.
August 1, 2011
This was a weird little novel. There were some funny parts and some serious parts, but there didn't seem to be a clear story line with a problem, climax and solution. The main character, Stalina seemed to meander about sharing information as she came to it without a rhyme or reason.
February 19, 2013
I thought this book was interesting and engaging, but I also felt that it missed a certain excitement factor. Some of the interactions with the main character and other characters fell short and could have had more depth.
February 9, 2014
This book seemed disjointed. It was depressing to read the many misfortunes that occurred in the protagonist's life. Life was bleak in Russia for Stalina and didn't improve much when she moved to Connecticut and lived with a childhood friend who stole from her.
February 17, 2014
What a fun book. Highly recommend. Especially loved the last part where Stalina, an emigre to America from Russia, now in her sixties, sits in the heart shaped bath tub full of bubbles, drinking vodka and reminiscing about her eventful life. Thiip! Think I'll recommend it to my book club.
December 6, 2010
A marvelous, captivating novel. Reviewing this for Russian Life, so will copy the whole review here after that is to press...
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