The Nesting Dolls
Summary (from the publisher): Spanning nearly a century, from 1930s Siberia to contemporary Brighton Beach, a page turning, epic family saga centering on three generations of women in one Russian Jewish family—each striving to break free of fate and history, each yearning for love and personal fulfillment—and how the consequences of their choices ripple through time.
Odessa, 1931. Marrying the handsome, wealthy Edward Gordon, Daria—born Dvora Kaganovitch—has fulfilled her mother’s dreams. But a woman’s plans are no match for the crushing power of Stalin’s repressive Soviet state. To survive, Daria is forced to rely on the kindness of a man who takes pride in his own coarseness.
Odessa, 1970. Brilliant young Natasha Crystal is determined to study mathematics. But the Soviets do not allow Jewish students—even those as brilliant as Natasha—to attend an institute as prestigious as Odessa University. With her hopes for the future dashed, Natasha must find a new purpose—one that leads her into the path of a dangerous young man.
Brighton Beach, 2019. Zoe Venakovsky, known to her family as Zoya, has worked hard to leave the suffocating streets and small minds of Brighton Beach behind her—only to find that what she’s tried to outrun might just hold her true happiness.
Moving from a Siberian gulag to the underground world of Soviet refuseniks to oceanside Brooklyn, The Nesting Dolls is a heartbreaking yet ultimately redemptive story of circumstance, choice, and consequence—and three dynamic unforgettable women, all who will face hardships that force them to compromise their dreams as they fight to fulfill their destinies.
Odessa, 1931. Marrying the handsome, wealthy Edward Gordon, Daria—born Dvora Kaganovitch—has fulfilled her mother’s dreams. But a woman’s plans are no match for the crushing power of Stalin’s repressive Soviet state. To survive, Daria is forced to rely on the kindness of a man who takes pride in his own coarseness.
Odessa, 1970. Brilliant young Natasha Crystal is determined to study mathematics. But the Soviets do not allow Jewish students—even those as brilliant as Natasha—to attend an institute as prestigious as Odessa University. With her hopes for the future dashed, Natasha must find a new purpose—one that leads her into the path of a dangerous young man.
Brighton Beach, 2019. Zoe Venakovsky, known to her family as Zoya, has worked hard to leave the suffocating streets and small minds of Brighton Beach behind her—only to find that what she’s tried to outrun might just hold her true happiness.
Moving from a Siberian gulag to the underground world of Soviet refuseniks to oceanside Brooklyn, The Nesting Dolls is a heartbreaking yet ultimately redemptive story of circumstance, choice, and consequence—and three dynamic unforgettable women, all who will face hardships that force them to compromise their dreams as they fight to fulfill their destinies.
Review: I received an uncorrected proof copy of this novel from HarperCollins.
This generational family saga follows three generation of women in a Russian Jewish family. While the perspective shifts over the years, the ripple effects of each woman's choices are felt over time. Opening in 1931, the story begins with Daria, whose family is crushed by Stalin's Soviet state. To survive and to save her family, Daria makes choices that dramatically alter her family's future. In 1970, her granddaughter Natasha is crushed that her dreams of becoming a mathematician will never be realized because Jewish students are barred from entering the top universities. This disappointment leads her to take a different path, that ultimately leads her family to America. And finally, in 2019 in the United States, Natasha's granddaughter Zoya must find her own path while coming to terms with her family's history.
I loved the frame story for this novel and the title, which so neatly sums it up, as each succeeding woman in this family is a part of what came before her. Like many novels told from multiple perspectives, it's hard not to prefer one woman's story over others. The first story told this in this novel, of Daria, who is sent to a labor camp in Siberia and is must turn to a man who is not her husband to survive was the most compelling for me. Of course, Daria's story informs that of the women who come after her, but no story was as captivating in the way hers was and the novel grew increasingly less interesting with each jump in perspective after her story.
A well-done multi-generational story that shows the lasting impact of trauma on subsequent generations. This is a story of survival, of women trapped by their circumstances but canny enough to find alternate routes to survive and protect their family.
Stars: 4
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