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The Eighth Life

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The Eighth Life

By: Nino Haratischvili, Ruth Martin - translator
Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
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About this listen

At the start of the twentieth century, on the edge of the Russian empire, a family prospers. It owes its success to a delicious chocolate recipe, passed down the generations with great solemnity and caution. A caution which is justified: this is a recipe for ecstasy that carries a very bitter aftertaste....

Stasia learns it from her Georgian father and takes it north, following her new husband, Simon, to his posting at the center of the Russian Revolution in St. Petersburg. Stasias is only the first in a symphony of grand but all too often doomed romances that swirl from sweet to sour in this epic tale of the red century. Tumbling down the years, and across vast expanses of longing and loss, generation after generation of this compelling family hears echoes and sees reflections. A ballet dancer never makes it to Paris and a singer pines for Vienna.

Great characters and greater relationships come and go and come again; the world shakes, and shakes some more, and the listener rejoices to have found at last one of those glorious old books in which you can live and learn, be lost and found, and make indelible new friends.

©2019 Nino Haratischvili (P)2021 Dreamscape Media, LLC Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction World Literature Russia Imperialism

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All stars
Most relevant
A great read. The story of revolution, family, love, betrayal as experienced by a Georgian family throughout the 20th century and beyond. Larger than life characters and great storytelling kept me enthralled.

Great Storytelling

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This book is quite a commitment in both length and graphic content so won't be for everyone, but if you feel able to commit then it will give you a really good story whilst also teaching you something of the history of the USSR. In particular through the eyes of thè female line of a fictitious Georgian family.

However it really does not shy away from the brutality of life behind the iron curtain and tells a tragic tale in many particularly given the geopolitical situation we find ourselves in at the moment.

Please proceed with exstreame caution if you are struggling with your mental health. I don't know whether I would have started the journey had I been fully armed with the facts before doing so but I was too gripped to stop once I had started. A masterpiece.

This is an amazing book, but not for everyone.

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This book was a real gift for me to read. I learned so much about 20th century Russian history that I was particularly interested in, and which I didn't actually know that much about until I read Nino's novel. I think with every well written historical novel, the book has the power to pick you up and transport you into the lives of the people and the time period of which it was written, you learn so much more than you ever would from a history book. The book was exquisitely written, at times a hard read to hear what was happening during the Soviet Rule and World War II, how it effected people and what they went though. But I feel enriched to have gained this knowledge and this history. The author Nino Haratischwili is an extremely gifted writer, you can see she has meticulously researched Russian 20th century history and the story telling of the eight interwoven lives of this family is excellent, right from the very beginning of this book I was drawn in and so interested to read more, in fact all the way through the book it held my attention. I also Googled the history as I went along, as it sparked my interest to know more. The book was fantastically narrated by Tavia Gilbert. I just fell in love with her voice and she made the book an even more enjoyable experience. I thank Nino for writing such an incredible and educational book, and Tivia for bringing this fabulous book alive. 📖 🇬🇪 🧡

An Incredible Book! 📖

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This book is really amazing. There is nothing I disliked about it. It’s raw and full of emotions. It takes you to another time, a time when everything was so different and dificult too. I am so glad I got to enjoy it so much. It’s been a while since I found such an interesting book. It also made me wonder about certain things. And mostly about its “coming to surface”. Is it true? At least a few things if not all of them… my favorite at the moment 🤍

Everything 🤍

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There is a point when purchasing a book when you consider its length. Can I really commit to something this long, but soon you are wrapped up in a tumble of stories, history and heartbreak. Ending the book is quite emotional as you have to leave this remarkable family behind. A set of beautifully drawn and realised characters who have been with you through a turbulent century. Wonderful.

A great big rollicking read

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