Book review - Small Acts of Kindness

Thank you to Random Things Tours for inviting me on another fantastic book tour and to Unicorn Publishing for sending me a copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

Small Acts of Kindness: A Tale of the First Russian Revolution by Jennifer Antill.

Synopsis: 

St Petersburg, 1825. Imperial Russia still basks in the glory of victory over Napoleon, but in the army and elsewhere resentment is growing against serfdom and autocracy. Vasily, a pleasure loving, privileged young man, returns home from abroad expecting to embark on a glittering career. Having become entangled in an impossible love affair, he joins a conspiracy to overthrow the government. Threatened by exile to Siberia or death, he is forced to flee the Tsar’s vengeance. Vasily hopes to rebuild his life in a distant provincial town. But he cannot forget his lost love, and now finds himself pursued by a rival who aims to destroy him. Can he escape the past, mend his broken relationships and find a better way to change the world?

Review:

Jennifer Antill’s book Small Acts of Kindness: A Tale of the First Russian Revolution, transports us back to St Petersburg, 1825. Vasily Nikolayevich, or Count Belkin, is a young privileged aristocratic, who is passionate, naïve and carefree. He is returning to St Petersburg, after a tour of Europe. He fancies himself as an artist, after honing his skills during his European tour.

I Really liked how much Vasily cared about the serfs, especially Yakov who had been in his life for years and young Matyev who had a horrible start in life and is incredibly clever. The serfs were treated terribly, but Vasily sees them as people. I also enjoyed the love story between Vasily and Count Kalinin’s sister, Irina, who is already married. Their love is impossible and heart-breaking.

Vasily witnesses the beating of a man and dog by the Tsar’s men, which helps him to decide that he needs to get involved in the plan to overturn the government and the power of the Tsar, something his new friends have been trying to persuade him to do. But when their plan fails and Vasily is found out by his uncle, he is sent to the family’s country estate, where he is to stay for the foreseeable future. He is told that Irina has ended their affair and he is utterly heartbroken. His only companion is the young serf Matyev, who hides himself on Vasily’s transport to the family estate. Other people involved in the plans for the revolution weren’t so lucky and were either executed or exiled to Siberia, as was the fate of Vasily’s friend, Mikahil. The conditions the prisoners were kept in were appalling. It really highlighted how deeply the men’s beliefs were, they were willing to give up everything, their families, and relationships, to fight for what they believed in.

The reader is taken on a journey with Vasily, and we see him mature as the story progresses, I really loved him as a character, and I was sad to say goodbye to him at the end of the book. The only thing I found a little difficult was how to pronounce some of the Russian names, and once I got to grips with all the characters, I realised they also had nicknames that I had to learn too.

I really enjoyed Small Acts of Kindness, I have always been interested in the Russian revolutions, but I don’t know a lot about them, so this book was a welcome read. Jennifer Antill studied Russian Language and has a vast knowledge of the place, which really brings the story to life. There is a Historical Note at the end of the book, which I always appreciate. I love knowing which characters are fictional and who was based on a real person! A fantastic read, highly recommended!

Buy your copy here (Don't forget to check your local bookshops first!)

About the author: 

Jennifer Antill studied Russian Language, Literature and Politics, at UCL SSEES, and has travelled widely in the country, often living with Russian families. She gives talks on Russian cultural topics to a wide variety of organisations. In a former life she worked in the City of London as an Investment Analyst and for eleven years served as a local councillor. Jennifer is married to Nick, has two sons and lives in Suffolk.

Please read the rest of the reviews on the tour: