Lady of the Snakes [Hardcover]

Rachel Pastan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 14, 2008

Jane Levitsky is a bright light in the field of nineteenth-century Russian literature, making her name as an expert on the novels of Grigory Karkov and the diaries of his wife, the long-suffering Masha Karkova. Jane is also wife to sweet, reasonable Billy and mother to lovable (if demanding) Maisie, roles she’s finding surprisingly challenging to juggle along with her ambitions. But when Jane uncovers evidence that Masha may have been more than muse and helpmeet to her famous husband, she seizes her ticket to academic superstardom. Little does she know that she has set in motion a chain of events that will come perilously close to unraveling both her marriage and her career. Lady of the Snakes will be instantly familiar—and instantly unforgettable—to any woman who has ever aspired to have it all.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The woes of being a scholarly mom are highlighted in this highbrow chick lit entry from Pastan (This Side of Married). Jane Levitsky's research concerns Maria (Masha) Karkova, the fictional, gifted wife of the fictional philandering genius of 19th-century Russian literature, Grigory Karkov. Jane is in her first year of a tenure-track job at the competitive University of Wisconsin–Madison as she struggles to untangle the web of intrigue surrounding Masha and Grigory. Husband Billy has moved with her from California along with toddler daughter Maisie, but Jane doesn't have much time for either of them, a fact of which live-in nanny Felicia is well aware. Further, Jane's office is next door to the professor she has been hired to replace, the irascible but charming Otto Sigelman, who was responsible for bringing Karkov's literary works to light; though he's meant to be retired, Otto is still very much invested in the reputation of his literary hero, and Jane's researches may be a threat. Fast-paced, well-written and entertaining, Pastan's latest has a winning feminist twist and should turn up in more than a few faculty lounges. (Jan.)
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Review

PRAISE FOR THIS SIDE OF MARRIED

"In this delightful novel, the mating habits of the subspecies we might call Very Intelligent Women are examined by a writer whose eye is sharp, whose wit is keen, and whose heart is open to the possibilities that love offers."--Ann Packer, author of The Dive from Clausen’s Pier

"A loving homage to the spirit of Jane Austen."--The Boston Globe

"Can a woman have both a fulfilling career and a storybook family life? ... If you want to see the dilemma smartly dramatized in the experience of an appealing, intelligent heroine, read Rachel Pastan''s crisp novel, Lady of the Snakes."

(Entertainment Weekly )

"Pastan''s writing is fluid and frank, and her characters are luminescent."

(The Washington Post )

"Pastan has an assured, deft and lovely voice ... Pastan admirably tackles the challenge of writing in both contemporary voices and the voices of two 19th-century Russians."

(The Philadelphia Enquirer )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 1 edition (January 14, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0151013691
• ISBN-13: 978-0151013692
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,216,936 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Snake charmer -- Pastan's novel captivates head and heart, January 21, 2008

By 

Amy Tiemann "creator of www.MojoMom.com" (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lady of the Snakes (Hardcover)

Usually I tear into a book but this time I felt like "Lady of the Snakes" devoured me and left me an extremely satisfied reader. As a motherhood writer myself, I've read hundreds of books about the tradeoffs between work and family that all mothers have to face. Since reading is part of my work, at this point in my life I am generally burned out about reading about motherhood, and have little patience for either dense literary fiction or fluffy "chick lit."

Against that background, "Lady of the Snakes" was a wonderful treat. Incredibly honest about the everyday realities of a young academic juggling work and family, yet engrossing on the level of big questions; compulsively readable and convincingly literary at the same time. Rachel Pastan creates believable voices for both her modern heroine, Professor Jane Levitsky, and Jane's research subject, Russian countess Maria Karkova. (Quite an accomplishment given that Pastan had to create the excerpts of Karkova's journals and letters as well as the fictional 19th-century literary masterpieces of her husband Grigory Karkov.)

The academic mystery/counterplot about Karkov and Karkova is involving even if you have no background in Russian literature. The relationships between Karkov and Karkova, Jane and Maria, Jane and her husband Billy, and Jane and her academic rivals avoid easy categorization, mirroring the complicated textures and ambivalence of real life. I was touched by Jane's honesty about the tug she felt toward her work even as she cared deeply for her young daughter.

"Lady of the Snakes" would make an ideal book club selection. If you enjoyed Allegra Goodman's Intuition or A. S. Byatt's Possession: A Romance I highly recommend "Lady of the Snakes."

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Read, May 28, 2008

By 

Elizabeth Hendry (New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lady of the Snakes (Hardcover)

Rachel Pastan's Lady of the Snakes is a really terrific read, just a delightful way to spend a few hours. The novel opens as Jane Levitsky, a Russian literature Ph.D. candidate is about to give birth and is focused on the life of another woman, Masha Karkova, the wife of a fictional Russian novelist. Her thoughts lead to comment to a friend, which in turn send her in search of the truth about Masha, her husband, his novels and her journals. Jane has to balance the life of a (working) scholar with that of a wife and mother. The truth she seeks manages to disrupt both her professional and her personal life and she struggles for the balance that most working mom's grapple with. Jane is a sympathetic protagonist, not perfect. One of her experiences that was spot on was her search for child care for her daughter. Pastan captures that dilemma and the hypocricies surrounding it perfectly. I really enjoyed this novel--a sort of Possession-lite. I've seen it referred to as "literary chick lit", but I think the "chick lit" tag is a bit demeaning. The Lady of the Snakes is much more substantive than that genre. This is a really terrific read that I highly recommend. Enjoy!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Don't you know the difference between life and art?", January 14, 2008

By 

Luan Gaines "luansos" (Dana Point, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lady of the Snakes (Hardcover)

A professor of 19th century Russian literature and an expert on the novels of Grigory Karkov, Jane Levitsky has immersed herself in academia, her obsession the diaries of Grigory's wife, Masha Karkova. But life interferes with the birth of a daughter, Maisie, thrusting Jane and husband Billy into the usual dilemmas of new parenthood. Sleep-deprived and short of tolerance, Jane attends to the baby's incessant demands, all the while longing for the comfort of Masha's world, the Russian's diaries revealing a complicated life, wife and mother married to a demanding genius. Fortunately for Jane, Billy is accommodating and helpful, doing his best to alleviate the burdens of motherhood and career; but there is nothing a husband can do to resolve the issue Jane faces: the clash of family and career, the frustrating trade-offs of limited time and demands that cannot be ignored: "Time was like fruit left rotting on the vine."

Two years later, Jane's burdens are exacerbated by a move to Wisconsin, where she accepts a teaching position at the University, the opportunity for a stellar career move within reach, in the same department as Professor Otto Sigelmann, aficionado of all things Karkov. While Jane focuses on Masha, the professor remains Karkov's greatest champion, a sly colleague she would do well to keep at arms length concerning her own interests. Floundering a bit in her first real teaching position, Jane escapes into Masha's diaries, developing an affinity for the Russian woman's personal challenges, her poignant words flowing between the centuries, linking the two in common angst. In real time, however, Jane and Billy are beset by the nightmare of childcare that is faced by young working parents, the couple sliding into routine, the spontaneity of their marriage slipping away with the days that pass too quickly.

Pastan does an admirable job of illustrating the frustrations of a career woman learning the harsh lessons of balancing work and home, the demands and daily frustrations, the fear that one must choose one or the other, not both. Just as Jane stumbles across a discovery that may establish her credentials in Russian literature, her home life cracks along predictable fault lines. Although she spends many chapters wallowing in discontent, Jane is eventually jarred out of a complacency that has become all too seductive, even Masha Karkov's life revealing conflicts beyond what Jane has anticipated. After much pain, both academic and personal, Jane must reassess her options, weighing career, family and reality. With Masha as inspiration, Jane faces the future from an altered perspective, harbinger of a new maturity. Realizing that vipers are everywhere, Jane learns to navigate more carefully through her particular world, embracing shortcomings as well as achievements. Luan Gaines/ 2008.