I needed a book set in Russia and a classic so I chose this one. I figured as an audiobook it would be easier to swallow; I was wrong. It was literally read by Maggie Gyllenhaal, with little to no effort to distinguish between characters. The politics and farming bits made the story less interesting and I really did not like many of the characters, including Anna. About the only thing I can say is that now I’ve read it.

Well, I liked the mystery but agree with a lot of other reviewers that someone we are repeatedly told has survival training appears to forget most of her skills. She also meddles and doesn’t discuss “clues” with the people she actually should. The romance bit I could have done without considering the chief’s marital status but had that been different I might have been okay with it.