Friday, February 26, 2016

The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell

The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell -- To the wealthy elite of St. Petersburg, wolves are good luck. To General Rakov, commander of the Tsar's armies, wolves are vermin. To Feo and her mother, however, wolves are family. And when the wolves of the wealthy turn on their owners, those wolves are sent to Feo and her mother, who return them to the wild. When General Rakov imprisons Feo's mother, Feo determines to break her mother out of prison. She and her wolves make their way to the city, but along the way, they pick up Ilya, a former child soldier who dreams of being a dancer, Alexei, a teenage revolutionary, and a band of children, all of whom have seen first-hand the devastation wrought by Rakov. Feo's rescue attempt is starting to look more like a revolution!

This is a lovely and atmospheric tale. The writing style will be immediately recognizable to readers who have enjoyed Rundell's other works. I had a little trouble staying engaged in the story, but I think I was just not in the mood; I don't think the book was at fault. The characters and setting are exceptionally strong, and the emotions run deep in this book. Readers who love Russia, wolves, or good writing should pick this one up.

(Reviewed from an advance copy, courtesy of the publisher.)

2 comments:

  1. this was an extraordinary book. I couldn't stop reading it! It gave me all sorts of emotions throughout the story and sometimes drove me mental with the great description. I can't wait to read some other of Katherine's wonderful work.

    Bridget

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  2. My daughter loved this book (we read Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms together a year or so ago), then lent her copy to her classmate/friend whose family is Russian.

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