⇒ Download Moscow Dreams Russian Historical Fiction edition by Julia Gousseva Children eBooks

Moscow Dreams Russian Historical Fiction edition by Julia Gousseva Children eBooks

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Moscow Dreams Russian Historical Fiction edition by Julia Gousseva Children eBooks

Marina is a bright and determined fourteen year old girl who is living in Moscow. The novel starts just before her entrance into the Russian equivalent of high school. Which, coincidentally, happens during the very last summer of the old Soviet Union.

Her dream is to travel and see the world. For that, she is learning English, transfers to a specialized high school that has a heavy emphasis on foreign languages, and is planning to take exams for the Moscow State Linguistics University, a school that will allow her to get a job as a Russian-English interpreter, or perhaps even work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or something similar; jobs like that are a ticket to see the outside world.

Marina and her friend Nadia go shopping for school supplies, and decide to stop on the way to try this new exotic food they've heard so much about from a newly opened, "fancy" American restaurant, McDonald's. As they leave, the girls find themselves right in the middle of the Soviet coup d'état attempt of 1991. Tanks are roaming the streets of Moscow, the hard-line Communist "Emergency Committee" is making declarations, people protesting one side of the putsch or the other, and the state TV stations are broadcasting nothing but "Swan Lake" ballet. Boris Yeltsin, then the president of the Russian Republic, is gathering support and making a stand in the Parliament building.

Things are changing and will never be the same.

This novel, "Moscow Dreams," is a coming of age story, for both Marina and the just-born Russian democracy. Not everything in the storyline is tied up to the politics and social and economic changes of the time. Friendship, love, desire for a better future are universal independent of what government is in charge. However, Marina's life, whether she likes it or not, and lives of her friends, are affected by those changes. It is interesting to see how an uncertainty in the future gradually develops over the period of a couple of years, and how the young people, especially Marina and Nicolai, are managing to still strive to achieve their dreams.

This novel is also a treasure trove of little, but authentic tidbits about the Russian culture. Celebrating New Year's eve instead of Christmas, for example. It's still the biggest holiday for Russians, no matter where they live; even though, today, they celebrate Christmas as well. Truly, reading this book was like taking a time machine into that era, at least for me. I was a couple of years older than the protagonists, but I still remember the references and the general ambiance of that time.

The constant theme that is running through this novel is "change." Frightening, yet exciting change, with absolutely no guarantees for the future, that can be experienced only by those who lived through turbulent times. There is a constant metaphor for this "change" in the form of a colorful, sacred Tibetan sand, that Marina's father brought for her from one of his overseas expeditions, that runs through the story and neatly loops into itself at the end.

A couple more things to say about this book. First, it's authentic, down to little details. The author was there, in Moscow, when the events unfolded, and experienced everything first-hand. Secondly, the way this book is written is textbook-perfect. The language is deceptively simple and clear; the words melt into the background and do not interfere with your immersion into the story; the characters act naturally; the dialogs and the actions of characters move the story forward; the storyline has twists that keep the pages turning. This is no surprise: the author is a college professor who teaches English composition. So, if you are interested in the coming of age novels with a historical twist, pick this book up, you won't be disappointed. Recommended.


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Moscow Dreams Russian Historical Fiction edition by Julia Gousseva Children eBooks Reviews

I could simply call this a lovely coming of age story, but that wouldn't nearly express the depth of Julia Gousseva's fine "Moscow Dreams". Set in Russia during the early `90s, while the U.S. thrilled to the idea of the Communistic Soviet Union morphing quickly into another fellow capitalistic country, teenagers on both sides of the ocean continued on with their lives--dating, experimenting with makeup, dreaming of good colleges, and giving in to their potent hormones. But as we witness Marina with her teenage interests and angst, we are also privy to the changes happening in Russia; some good, some not so good. For instance, after Gorbachev `disappears,' we see Yeltsin urging people not to give up hope--democracy is here forever, but then we learn how now, although there is a far greater variety of food available in the markets, the prices have doubled. Her grandmother, Babushka, talks about the great freedom of religion now; on the other hand, we see, like in the U.S., the lure of being a wealthy businessman far outweighs the former great respect for career scientists and educators. And all through our ride alongside Marina, Gousseva's vivid, beautiful descriptions of Leningrad, the Black Sea and its shoreline, and the older parts of Moscow, bursting with history is wonderful, as we ultimately understand how Marina, as much as she cherishes her new freedoms, recognizes how the old, repressive state at least had some continuity, whereas now, there is none. A highly recommended read, indeed!

S. R. Mallery, author
I love reading books about other cultures and times, and this one drew me in from the start. Author Julia Gousseva does an excellent job of painting a vivid picture of life in early '90s Russia, when politics and futures were uncertain. Smart, spirited Marina and her boyfriend Nikolai both want to attend college, but will they be able to live their dreams amid the sweeping changes in the educational system? Will Marina's best friend Nadia be content to be a military wife like her mother before her, or will she strive for something more?

Gousseva's characters were bright, complex, and likable, and the story unfolded beautifully from start to finish. It was the perfect mixture of romance and excitement, and I felt as though I'd lived through the time period described in the book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the adventures of the Russian teens, and would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, romances, and/or coming-of-age stories.
Marina is a bright and determined fourteen year old girl who is living in Moscow. The novel starts just before her entrance into the Russian equivalent of high school. Which, coincidentally, happens during the very last summer of the old Soviet Union.

Her dream is to travel and see the world. For that, she is learning English, transfers to a specialized high school that has a heavy emphasis on foreign languages, and is planning to take exams for the Moscow State Linguistics University, a school that will allow her to get a job as a Russian-English interpreter, or perhaps even work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or something similar; jobs like that are a ticket to see the outside world.

Marina and her friend Nadia go shopping for school supplies, and decide to stop on the way to try this new exotic food they've heard so much about from a newly opened, "fancy" American restaurant, McDonald's. As they leave, the girls find themselves right in the middle of the Soviet coup d'état attempt of 1991. Tanks are roaming the streets of Moscow, the hard-line Communist "Emergency Committee" is making declarations, people protesting one side of the putsch or the other, and the state TV stations are broadcasting nothing but "Swan Lake" ballet. Boris Yeltsin, then the president of the Russian Republic, is gathering support and making a stand in the Parliament building.

Things are changing and will never be the same.

This novel, "Moscow Dreams," is a coming of age story, for both Marina and the just-born Russian democracy. Not everything in the storyline is tied up to the politics and social and economic changes of the time. Friendship, love, desire for a better future are universal independent of what government is in charge. However, Marina's life, whether she likes it or not, and lives of her friends, are affected by those changes. It is interesting to see how an uncertainty in the future gradually develops over the period of a couple of years, and how the young people, especially Marina and Nicolai, are managing to still strive to achieve their dreams.

This novel is also a treasure trove of little, but authentic tidbits about the Russian culture. Celebrating New Year's eve instead of Christmas, for example. It's still the biggest holiday for Russians, no matter where they live; even though, today, they celebrate Christmas as well. Truly, reading this book was like taking a time machine into that era, at least for me. I was a couple of years older than the protagonists, but I still remember the references and the general ambiance of that time.

The constant theme that is running through this novel is "change." Frightening, yet exciting change, with absolutely no guarantees for the future, that can be experienced only by those who lived through turbulent times. There is a constant metaphor for this "change" in the form of a colorful, sacred Tibetan sand, that Marina's father brought for her from one of his overseas expeditions, that runs through the story and neatly loops into itself at the end.

A couple more things to say about this book. First, it's authentic, down to little details. The author was there, in Moscow, when the events unfolded, and experienced everything first-hand. Secondly, the way this book is written is textbook-perfect. The language is deceptively simple and clear; the words melt into the background and do not interfere with your immersion into the story; the characters act naturally; the dialogs and the actions of characters move the story forward; the storyline has twists that keep the pages turning. This is no surprise the author is a college professor who teaches English composition. So, if you are interested in the coming of age novels with a historical twist, pick this book up, you won't be disappointed. Recommended.