I first read this magnificent tome on Russian history and culture in 1997. As it was part of a history class in college, the first read was a bit of a drag...page after page of description concerning the minutia of Russian life: clothes, churches, meals, religious & superstitious rituals, architecture, commerce, political strife, and so on. Really, with the whirl of the Social Circus of that college year, trudging through all this obscure information brought me no end of grief and silent lamentation! To think of all that time I could have been out with friends looking to score whatever cheap release was on hand or burning inside...spent instead sludging through *detailed history*!

Cut to four years later...

I'm going to Russia. In two weeks. Like so many other unplanned affairs that seem to formulate out of nowhere and take one by the lapels, shoving one screaming into the storm of life, this reviewer took it in stride and decided to find some quick-but-informative text on the destination in mind--especially one with such contradictory reports as Mother Russia. Thus, I dug this out of my library and began anew, stifling a faint unpleasant feeling no doubt inspired by those long sleepless college nights. There had to be some merit here, yes?

Oh yes.

'Land of the Firebird' is a WONDERFUL and ENGAGING in-depth look of Russian history from 987-1917, spanning the ascension of Vlad and the Orthodox Church to right before the Revolution. With colorful prose Suzanne Massie details the variety of Russian existence--tsars and serfs and merchant-princes and babushkas--no stone is left uncovered as she cross-references nearly a thousands years, writing with equal consideration of art, poetry, country-life, court-life, politics and its myriad games, myths and legends, influence "outside the sphere." It would be impossible to truly set down the full range of Russia experience for this time in the 450 pages allotted the reader, but the author does an admirable job in covering the major shakers and movers and events while sparing a considerable amount of print for the minor peoples and patterns that set the foundation of this ancient, troubled country. It certainly put an interesting light on what I saw come the spring of '01.

Indispensable for the casual student of Russia.

I bought this book in the early 80's and absolutely loved it. I recommended it to friends who were going to spend a year in Russia. They took it with them and shared it with their Russian friends, who copied whole chapters by hand -- all the while bemoaning the loss of so much of their rich, pre-revolutionary culture.

Having read many books on Russian history, architecture, notable personalties and points of interest, I found this book to be invaluable. It is a must have if you're interested in Russian history, planning to travel there, or simply want to try to understand how a Russian thinks. Also has wonderful illustrations and photographs.

Suzanne Massie creates a moving, romantic view of the palace and park at Pavlovsk. Indeed, the author gives an interesting history of the palace, the creative force of its first mistress, Maria Fedorovna, in shaping its structure and extraordinary park.

The history falls thin in unfolding the history of subsequent inhabitants; and in describing the development of the many features of the park (at one time the largest private park in Europe). That Suzanne Massie skimps on the history of those post Maria Fedorovna inhabitants and in placing the park in its proper framework mars the descriptive of Pavlovsk's story.

The historic descriptive becomes a prelude for the heroically painted picture of A. M. Kuchumov, the head preservationist at the time of palace's reconstruction (A. M. Kuchumov's story by itself, would be substantial material a book); and, thus, may explain the scant detail of the park's restoration, since A. M. Kuchumov displayed heroic dedication and courage to his work that would overshadow the story of the park in favour of that of the palace itself. There is no information on the continuing efforts to address all the problems persisting from that palace reconstruction--the first to be rebuilt after WW2--or the continuing story of the park.

Suzanne Massie does leave out the dimensions of the incredible collections at the palace-museum; and the continuing extraordinary work of the conservators. (It also may be of interest to note that the legendary Rose Pavilion has been reconstructed (1993-94); and that Suzanne Massie had contributed work towards fundraising for lighting for the palace, but no longer maintains such connections with the palace-museum and park.)

I should like to see an update and an expansion of this book.

This is a book about a Russian palace, Pavlovsk, a classically beautiful building which was designed by Charles Cameron and furnished by Maria Feodorova, the daughter-in-law of Catherine the Great. The palace managed to escape the uncertain taste of descendants and the Revolutionary commissars to somehow remain intact. Then came the Second World War. The Nazis occupied the palace, stripped it to the walls and set it on fire. It was reduced to smouldering shell. A devoted band of Russians devoted their lives to restoring the palace to its former glory. Their work is like a detective story as they trace looted furnishings and use old blue-prints and photos to rebuild. Rebuild they did, and the palace is now open to the public. A heroic story, though not in the conventional sense.