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Description
A young Russian woman comes into her own in the midst of revolution and civil war in this “brilliant” novel set in “a world of furious beauty” (Los Angeles Review of Books).
After the loves and betrayals of The Revolution of Marina M., young poet Marina Makarova finds herself alone amid the devastation of the Russian Civil War — pregnant and adrift, forced to rely on her own resourcefulness to find a place to wait out the birth of her child and eventually make her way back to her native city, Petrograd.
After two years of revolution, the city that was once St. Petersburg is almost unrecognizable, the haunted, half-emptied, starving Capital of Once Had Been, its streets teeming with homeless children. Moved by their plight, though hardly better off herself, she takes on the challenge of caring for these orphans, until they become the tool of tragedy from an unexpected direction.
Shaped by her country’s ordeals and her own trials — betrayal and privation and inconceivable loss — Marina evolves as a poet and a woman of sensibility and substance hardly imaginable at the beginning of her transformative odyssey.
Chimes of a Lost Cathedral is the culmination of one woman’s s journey through some of the most dramatic events of the last century — the epic story of an artist who discovers her full power, passion, and creativity just as her revolution reveals its true direction for the future.
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Praise
"[Chimes of a Lost Cathedral is] for anyone who's ever dreamed of meeting their heroes, centuries be damned."
—Margaret Wappler, Los Angeles Times
"Brilliant...a world of furious beauty, sprawling, majestic landscapes,
and erotically charged and traumatic encounters, with life and love hanging in
the balance... For the readers who have followed Marina and Fitch on this long,
eventful journey, the ending feels satisfying. To Marina, it feels like divine
intervention--a signal of the possibility of life and happiness despite
everything...Fitch makes the answer clear: Marina is remarkably brave. Her saga
should inspire us all to be braver."
—Ani Kokobobo, Los Angeles Review of Books
"We first met Fitch's passionate, independent Marina Makarova in The Revolution of Marina M...Fitch's darker, equally compelling sequel tracks Marina's perilous journey from 1919 to 1921...Marina's yearning for freedom propels her to risk everything in the dramatic final scenes."
—Jane Ciabattari, BBC.com (10 Smartest Beach Reads of 2019)
"Ceaselessly entertaining...Fitch's transporting sequel to The Revolution of Marina M. is even better than the first book...In this full-blooded feminine epic, Marina narrates her dramatic life with striking visual detail...Awash with emotion and poetic imagery...Fitch's tale channels the woman's vibrant spirit throughout. Historical-fiction fans should devour this."
—Sarah Johnson, Booklist, (Starred Review)
"Fitch gives a 360-degree view of the suffering caused by the Bolsheviks'
consolidation of power and tells a long and sweeping story without wasting a
word...Our heroine reflects the genius of the Silver Age poets. Their works, personalities, and disagreements are examined as if through a jeweler's loupe."
—Barbara Conaty, Library Journal
"A treat for fans of Russian literature...An unusual and passionate re-creation of the terrible tragedy of the Bolshevik Revolution and the timeless literary culture it produced."
—Kirkus Reviews