The Pearl
By Douglas Smith
ISBN # 9780300120417
Rating: *****
This story is set in Catherine the Great's Russia. It is the irresistible story of the Russian serf, Praskovia Kovalyova (1768-1803), who was honored by Catherine the Great as well as loved by one of the richest men in the world, Count Nicholas Sheremetev, who brought her to the stage. He also brought her to his bed & eventually he secretly wed her. It after the marriage that she bore his only legitimate child & heir. She died soon after giving birth
It is a timeless tale as well as a look at Imperial Russia during the time of Catherine the Great. All of the class stratification & ithe implications of the same are brought into sharp focus by this book. For the Russophile or the historian this is a good read.
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