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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Imperial Intrigue,
By
This review is from: The Coronation (Hardcover)
The layers, allusions and historical winks and nods Akunin includes in his latest Erast Fandorin novel make for a richly textured mystery. On the eve of the coronation of Nicholas II as Tsar, his nephew Michael Gregorevich is kidnapped and held for an imperial ransom. Erast Fandorin is called to save the child, the crown jewels, and to prevent the international scandal that would surely result were the kidnapping made public.
Told through the voice of an imperial butler, the mystery takes time to build steam - primarily because the narrator is a classist snob who revels in his position as servant to the powerful. As the story unfolds, we learn the mastermind behind the kidnapping - "Dr. Lind" - is the arch-enemy of Fandorin, akin to Holmes' Dr. Moriarity. The similarities between Fandorin and Holmes (and Moriarity and Lind) in this story are legion, and were fun to watch for, (the butler playing a Watson of sorts). The number and variety of historical allusions to the fate of the Romanovs, the geographical landmarks of Moscow and the playful references to the rivalry between the "two capitals" of St. Petersburg and Moscow were also enjoyable to read for. Like a freight train, _The Cornonation_ takes time to build up steam, but once its momentum gets going, it is difficult to stop. _The Coronation_, in its time quickly becomes a real page turner. Akunin has always been an entertaining writer, _The Coronation_ is another example of his skill. As with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Akunin provides all the clues necessary to solve the mystery, which close readers can figure out; this is the real fun in reading his work. Highly recommended.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
More of the same for Fandorin fans,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Coronation: The Further Adventures Of Erast Fandorin (Erast Fandorin 7) (Kindle Edition)
In this volume, Fandorin's life has moved along quite a bit, and he's not quite the arrogant and brash young man he was. Otherwise, it's typical of the series--in other words, very good. This one is set at the time of the coronation of the last Tsar, and members of the imperial family are central characters. Akunin takes some liberties with history, including (I think) creating members of that family who did not exist. But, for a non-Russian who is not highly conversant with Russian history, I learned several interesting things about the period and the dramatic (and tragic) events surrounding the coronation. If you've read the other Fandorin books and liked them, then you already know you want this book. If not, you should start at the beginning of the series.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good enough!,
By Prabal Guha Biswas "hmmm" (don't worry, I shall find you) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Coronation (Paperback)
Took a long time to finish this book. Told from a Butler/valet's viewpoint. Deftly written with good pace towards the end, with few funny incidents in between. However, I do think it would be funnier if read in Russian. Something is missing in the book, don't think the translation was spot-on.
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