"I had really been looking forward to this book, and although I enjoyed it and learned a lot about Russian literature I didn't love it. It just felt a bit like hard work to read, and I wasn't expecting that. The authors way of writing is very self deprecating and very honest, and I like the way she interspersed her own life with stories within the Russian classics. It has made me feel I need to read at least one Russian novel in my life (I gave up on The Idiot last year) so watch this space! "