Great read, nicely researched, good plot. Howver, plenty of mistakes in the Russian words and names used, a little surprised given how much effort has been put in for the research, the least the author and/or editor could have done is to check with a native speaker. ( )

As far as historical fiction goes, I liked this book. Antonia's son is kidnapped. We follow her life growing up to where she winds up on a Russian estate in 1860 at what is called the time of the unrest meaning social upheaval. Antonia has a lot to deal with from an ill, demented husband, servants who leave, her own drinking, and a personal maid who is in love with her. Really, the novel is packed with stuff happening. Very entertaining. ( )

I was hoping The Lost Souls of Angelkov by Linda Holeman would be the type of historical fiction that makes this such a favorite genre of mine and it started off promising indeed. Set in 1860 this is a dramatic story of life on one of the great Russian estates. Filled with rich and vivid descriptions, interesting and varied characters and a tension filled plot but unfortunately that was only the first half of the book. The second half got bogged down and was so boring that I was happy to finally finish the book. And I had to finish it, as I had read too far not to find out the ending!

As Count Mitlovskiya and his son are out riding one day they are accosted by three Cossacks and young Misha is kidnapped. The Countess Antonia, who did not want her son to go that day, blames her elderly husband for his failure to protect their son. Woven around this event and the quest to bring the child back, the reader is brought into the world of both the ruling class and the servants and serfs who serve them. This was an interesting time in history as Tsar Alexander II was just in the process of freeing the serfs which caused much uncertainly and upheaval.

The book started out as a sweeping epic, but by the second half of the book the story had narrowed and this limited vision of a drunken Countess and the people around her who were either consumed by jealousy, or were obsessed with revenge just moved too slow to hold my attention. I was disappointed as Linda Holeman is one of my favorite authors and I expected more. ( )

http://coyotewandering.wordpress.com/2012/11/05/book-review-the-lost-souls-of-an... ( )

Wonderful book, a real page turner ( )