A highlight of my reading this year. Interesting to gain knowledge on Ukraine’s history almost a century prior to the current crisis. Joseph Stalin had introduced a strict collectivization on individual peasant farmers and a resulting famine ensued. Our protagonist a young Jewish Ukrainian woman feeling stifled her sleepy rural life moves to the city and finds a sense of freedom. This idyll is shattered however as the horrors from the countryside are revealed and restrictions on their lives by the Soviet secret police are increasing and getting more perverse.

Thanks to Netgalley the author and publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Absolutely incredible story, glad to see more writers focussing on Ukraines specific troubles under Stalin. Rich writing

Ambitious in is far-reaching scope, this compelling historical novel chronicles the turbulent years between the 1930s and the 1950s in Soviet Ukraine. We follow a young Ukrainian-Jewish woman, Debora Rosenbaum, as she navigates the horrors of these years; Stalinism, the Famine, WWII and its aftermath, genocide and all the horrors of Soviet rule, one of the darkest periods of Ukrainian history. If you want to know about and understand that history, this book is an excellent guide. Everything is covered, and if at times some of the encounters are a bit contrived, and occasionally the dialogue is a bit stilted, then these literary weaknesses are easily forgiven given the reach of this important and timely novel. A must-read for anyone wanting to understand a little more about why Ukraine is fighting so desperately against Russia right now (August 2024) and why their sense of nationhood has never been stronger. Highly recommended.

I found this book very hard to read - it brought to life a period of history about which I knew very little. The book starts in 1930s Ukraine and covers the period when Stalin is in control; the famine years and World War Two where Ukraine is in the middle of the battle between Nazi Germany and Russia.

Deborah - from a Jewish family - comes to Kharkiv to volunteer at the tractor factory and meets Samuel - a fighter pilot. They marry and have a child but he is betrayed by a neighbour and sent to do hard labour. Deborah is told that he is dead and to survive marries again and renounces her Jewish background and heritage to protect her son.

She adapts to her husband’s demands until the return of her husband, Samuel, when she is forced to take control of her destiny and make decisions in her interests.

Hard, harsh and shocking at times - it’s tells the story of real people in real times. I found it hard to put down and would recommend it.

This is an epic saga taking its readers through one of the darkest periods of Soviet history, set in Ukraine between 1930 and 1953. It is Debora Rosenbaum’s story as much as it is the story of the Ukrainian people living through those troubled times.

In 1930, the young Debora, of Jewish descent, leaves her family and provincial home in order to help to build her new country. She goes to the big city, to Kharkiv in order to join the thousands of volunteers to build a new tractor factory, she is full of hope and believe in a bright Soviet future, but also incredibly naïve and innocent. We then witness her life – and that of her family - unfold over the next 23 years and we experience with her the death of her believe, her hope and love. This is no country for love.

For those with little historical knowledge this book is an education. It is also a story about survival and self-preservation (think Pasternak’s Dr Zhivago or Grossman’s Life and Fate) which, at the end, poses the question whether it has been worth it.
Debora, believing that Soviet rule had put an end to anti-Semitism and discrimination, first observes the machinations of the new regime in bewilderment until she and her family get caught up in it. Anti-Ukrainian show trials, the purges, collectivisation resulting in one of the most devastating famines in history, the gulags, the total state control and unbridled power of the brutal Stalinist regime plus the effects of an equally brutal war leave her at the receiving end of historical forces that she cannot navigate without compromise. She learns to fear and to adapt and, of course, there is always the question of her own culpability in some of it.

This novel is timely, since it reminds its readers of the long history of the Ukraine’s troubled relationship with Moscow at a time when Russia once more attempts to achieve dominance over the Ukrainian people. It might help us to understand the high level of defiance we witness day by day.

I am grateful to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Seventeen-year-old Debora Rosenbaum, ambitious and in love with literature, arrives in the capital of the new Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Kharkiv, to make her own fate as a modern woman. The stale and forbidding ways of the past are out; 1930 is a new dawn, the Soviet era, where skyscrapers go up overnight. Debora finds work and meets a dashing young officer named Samuel who is training to become a fighter pilot. They fall in love, and begin to mix with Ukraine's new cultural elite.

This is a wonderfully written book. Hard, harsh and, at times, shocking but it feels very honest. Although a work of fiction it feels very real. It tells the story of real people in real times and does it so well. I found it hard to put down.

The book tells the story of Deborah, a young Ukrainian woman from a Jewish family, spanning 20+ years, between the early 30s and the mid-50s of the 20th century. The travails of those years slowly turn Deborah from an idealist to a realist to a cynic. Surviving Stalin's persecutions, hunger, and WW2 take a toll, and we see what impact these events have on their survivors. The book is part romance and part the story of a dissolving personality progressing towards nihilism.

I like it quite a bit. While slow-moving, it was difficult to put down, despite the horrific events it described. The writing was often telegraphic in style, but that only added to the sense of urgency and the need to progress. The characters, especially that of Deborah herself, were acutely well executed. Maslov, in some ways, came to life even more, as his journey and corruption emerged as critical shifts to the story's progression. The setting of these small human stories against the background of these pivotal 20 years was also unique - it didn't talk about the holocaust, nor did spend too much time on politics. It was just a story of a Ukrainian-Jewish family and what it meant for them to survive.

There were some minor parts of the book I liked less. There were too many deus-ex-machina moments, suggesting the author, writing in English, was heavily influenced by Western literature, on top of his clear roots in its 20th century Soviet and Russian equivalent. The story, with its atmosphere, reminded me of many other books, predominantly Doctor Zhivago (and perhaps the works of Guzel Yakhina), but lacked the smoothness of flow that many Soviet/Russian novels have.

Overall, highly recommended to anyone interested in the history of the Ukraine, its Jews, and its people.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

In this timely novel set in Ukraine the author depicts a deeply troubled period in the country's history, the 1930s to the 1950s, with great clarity and concision.

The narrative centres on Debora and the sacrifices she has to make, the manipulative behaviour she must adopt, to survive and to protect the people she loves, living in constant fear under a brutally repressive regime, and through WW2.

There are some fascinating characters, Debora of course, and also her second husband, Maslov. His work involves the worst brutality, but he is a mass of contradictions in his home life, inadequate in his relationship with his wife, loving towards his children, but always horribly controlling.

The whole novel raises the question of how much people can endure. In such horrific situations there are no happy endings.

A wonderfully powerful novel which I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read.

In "No Country for Love," Yaroslav Trofimov masterfully transports us to the heart of 1930s Ukraine, a landscape rife with upheaval and transformation. This gripping novel tells the story of Deborah Rosenbaum, a spirited seventeen-year-old with a passion for literature and a hunger for a modern life, far removed from the stale conventions of the past. Trofimov's portrayal of Deborah's journey, set against the backdrop of the nascent Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, is both poignant and compelling.

The author's vivid depiction of Kharkiv in the 1930s is a character in its own right. The city, brimming with new ideologies and architecture that symbolizes the dawn of the Soviet era, serves as the perfect stage for Deborah's ambitions. Her encounter and ensuing romance with Samuel, a young and charismatic officer-in-training, adds a deeply personal layer to the narrative. Their love story, tender yet fraught with challenges, mirrors the tumultuous times they live in.

Trofimov's narrative prowess shines as he navigates through the complex layers of history, personal struggle, and cultural shifts. The descent of Ukraine, and Deborah's life, into the throes of famine, ideological conflicts, and the horrors of World War II, is heart-wrenchingly captured. The author does not shy away from depicting the stark realities of the era, making Deborah’s journey a symbol of resilience and the human spirit's indomitable will to survive.

What stands out in Trofimov's writing is his ability to weave a deeply human story against a grand historical tapestry. Deborah's evolution, from a naive teenager to a woman who must renounce her identity and dreams for survival, is both moving and inspiring. Her struggles as a mother, her internal conflicts amidst rising anti-Semitism, and her forced decisions, all paint a vivid picture of a woman embodying the spirit of a nation caught in the crossfire of history.

"No Country for Love" is more than just a historical novel; it's a testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of insurmountable odds. Trofimov's skillful blending of historical accuracy with compelling storytelling makes this book a must-read. As a reader, I was not only enthralled by Deborah's story but also left with a profound sense of admiration for her strength and perseverance.

I eagerly await more works by Yaroslav Trofimov. His ability to bring history to life and create characters that resonate with emotional depth is truly remarkable. "No Country for Love" is not just a novel; it's an experience, a journey through a pivotal time in history, seen through the eyes of a remarkably resilient woman. A highly recommended read for anyone who cherishes historical fiction with a powerful human core.