Blood Red Snow White

August 8, 2016
British children’s book author Arthur Ransome captured Printz-winner Sedgwick’s (Midwinterblood) imagination with his 1916 book, Old Peter’s Russian Tales. These stories, coupled with Ransome’s involvement in the Russian revolution as a journalist, inspired this multifaceted historical novel, written in three parts and originally published in 2007. The first section sets the scene of the social and political landscape leading up to the revolution; Sedgwick uses vivid, fairy tale imagery to describe historical events, such as a bear that represents the growing discontent among the Russian populace (“The bear, which by now was as large as the cathedral on Catherine’s canal, rose on its hind legs.... As it fell, it came apart. It disintegrated. It fell like brown snow, but each flake was a person”). The rest of the novel, written in episodic vignettes, is more straightforward in painting a man whose attachment to Russia seemingly stems from the love of the woman who would eventually become his second wife. Sedgwick’s admiration for Ransome is clear from the outset and bolstered by appended notes about where the novel dovetails with and diverges from real-life history. Ages 12–up.

Sedgwick plays on the fairy-tale motif to spin an intriguing tale that weaves together a famous children's writer and the Russian Revolution.Originally published in 2007 in the U.K., this import tells how Arthur Ransome, British author of children's books, including the popular series Swallows and Amazons, became a spy as Russia went to war with itself. The book is divided into three distinct parts (just one of many fairy-tale "threes"). Ransome is also the author of Old Peter's Russian Tales, and the first part of the novel reads like one of his folk tales. Drenched in atmosphere, it gives vivid depictions of snowy Russia while magical scenes set the backdrop of Arthur's unhappy marriage and move to Russia, eerie portrayals of Rasputin and the czar's family, and the rise of Trotsky and Lenin. The second part, told in the third person, is taut as Arthur counts down time to a clandestine rendezvous. Flashbacks provide details of his increasingly complicated life, working as a journalist, befriending Bolshevik leaders, falling in love with Trotsky's secretary, and becoming a pawn for British authorities. The third part, told in Arthur's voice, loses momentum as the writer inundates readers with the comings and goings of his personal life amid increased spy activity. Substantial backmatter fills in the gaps about the real Ransome. While not one of his best, this nevertheless is trademark Sedgwick envelope-pushing. (author's note, timeline, appendix) (Historical fiction. 13 & up) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-A historical novel based on the life of British author and journalist Arthur Ransome that is told in three distinct styles, each of which reflects an aspect of Ransome's career. It opens in the style of a fairy tale, brilliantly setting the scene in Saint Petersburg in 1913, when the bright, impetuous young writer leaves his wife and daughter in England, teaches himself Russian, and sets about collecting the stories that appear in his first book, Old Peter's Russian Tales, published in 1916. But by then, everything had changed. "The time for princes and tsars and grand duchesses and especially holy madmen was gone. In its place came a world of war and revolution, of tanks and telephones, of murder and assassination." Here the narrative shifts and uses flashbacks and the third person to report the events of the Russian Revolution and the civil war that followed back to the British press. Ransome becomes romantically involved with Evgenia, Trotsky's personal secretary, and is caught up in the dangerous game of political intrigue and information exchange. He becomes a pawn in the ongoing power struggle, and his every move is suspect, but he wants only to get himself and Evgenia safely out of the country. The narrative shifts to Arthur's first-person account of getting out and back into Russia and escaping with his beloved. An author's note, a time line, and Secret Service files are appended to inform readers about facts behind the spy thriller elements. VERDICT This well-written tale might be a hard sell to a lot of teens, but those who are fans of Sedgwick's earlier titles, history buffs, and readers of Ransome's classic "Swallows and Amazons" adventures will be intrigued by this colorful and multilayered work.-Luann Toth, School Library Journal

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2016
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Sedgwick's at it again with another novel pushing YA boundaries. Opening with a dreamy account of Tsar Nicholas II's rise and fall, Sedgwick's novel links fairy tales to Russian history, likening the growing populist movement to a rampaging bear hungry after months of cold and starvation. It's in this hair-trigger environment that Arthur Ransome, real-life author of classic children's literature and British correspondent in Russia, finds himself, and after befriending both Bolsheviks and British nationals during his career as a journalist, his political allegiances are dangerously muddy. Aided by historical records and journals, Sedgwick tells Ransome's story of traversing Europe at a dangerous moment in history and carefully navigating tense diplomatic relations, complete with walking across no-man's-land in order to reunite with his Russian wife. While at first glance this might not seem to have much teen appealthere are no teen charactersthe spy-novel-like narrative and fictionalized account of a key historical moment will thrillingly bring WWI and Russian history to life for readers bored by the usual textbook accounts of the period. Sedgwick's artful fairy tales and Ransome's unique perspective dovetail into a compelling narrative offering both a glimpse into the life of a writer and a nuanced take on the Russian Revolution. Pair with Candace Fleming's The Family Romanov (2014) to enrich the context even further.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)