Zoya : A Novel

From Publishers Weekly With the emotional panache that pleases her devotees, Steel (Kaleidoscope) portrays Zoya Ossupov, a courageous young woman of Imperial Russia who experiences both ecstasy and trauma. Daughter of a count who is a cousin of Tsar Nicholas, Zoya enjoys a privileged, cloistered existence. Zoya, whose name means "life," is on intimate terms with the tsar's family. All of them, of course, are endangered by the Revolution. The insurgents slaughter the tsar and his kin, and cause the deaths of Zoya's parents and brother, forcing her to flee to Paris with her aged but indomitable grandmother. Suffering in unaccustomed poverty, they are sustained by Zoya's wages as a dancer with the Ballet Russe. Romance brightens her life following a chance encounter with an affluent New Yorker, Capt. Clayton Andrews. Enchanted by Zoya, Andrews eventually brings her to Manhattan as his bride, never imagining the tragedies that will befall them both. Steel evokes the final days of Imperial Russia with characteristic bravura. As always, she offers a carefully calculated mix of picturesque locales, remarkable events and appealing characters. Literary Guild and BOMC dual main selections. Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal $19.95. f Most of Steel's readers have favorites among her stories and while this one may not be destined to be the choice of many, libraries will have difficulty keeping it in stock because of Steel's reputation. Within weeks of her last visit to the family of her distant cousin Tsar Nicholas II, Zoya and her grandmother flee the Russian Revolution in 1917, taking with them two final royal gifts, a small dog and the measles. The harsh winter in Paris before Zoya meets the handsome American captain she marries is difficult. She loses all but her two children in the stock market crash, but finds work as a fashion coordinator. Throughout, history and romance often seem to bump into each other as they stumble over coincidence. This is not one of Steel's better sagas, and her fans will be disappointed. Literary Guild Dual Main Selection.Andrea Lee Shuey, Dallas P.L. Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

against The Backdrop Of The Russian Revolution  and World War I Europe, Zoya, Young Cousin To  the Tsar, Flees St. Petersburg To Paris To Find Safety. Her Entire  world Forever Changed, She Faces Hard Times And Joins The   Ballet Russe In Paris. And Then, When Life Is Kind To Her,  zoya Moves On To A New And Glittering Life In New York. The  days Of Ease Are All Too Brief As The Depression Strikes, And  she Loses Everything Yet Again. It Is Her Career, And The Man She  meets In The Course Of It, Which Ultimately Save Her, As She  rebuilds Her Life Through The War Years And Beyond. And It Is  her Family That Comes To Mean Everything To Her. From The Roaring Twenties To  the 1980's, Zoya Remains A Rare And Spirited  woman Whose Legacy Will Live On.

publishers Weekly

with The Emotional Panache That Pleases Her Devotees, Steel (kaleidoscope) Portrays Zoya Ossupov, A Courageous Young Woman Of Imperial Russia Who Experiences Both Ecstasy And Trauma. Daughter Of A Count Who Is A Cousin Of Tsar Nicholas, Zoya Enjoys A Privileged, Cloistered Existence. Zoya, Whose Name Means ``life,'' Is On Intimate Terms With The Tsar's Family. All Of Them, Of Course, Are Endangered By The Revolution. The Insurgents Slaughter The Tsar And His Kin, And Cause The Deaths Of Zoya's Parents And Brother, Forcing Her To Flee To Paris With Her Aged But Indomitable Grandmother. Suffering In Unaccustomed Poverty, They Are Sustained By Zoya's Wages As A Dancer With The Ballet Russe. Romance Brightens Her Life Following A Chance Encounter With An Affluent New Yorker, Capt. Clayton Andrews. Enchanted By Zoya, Andrews Eventually Brings Her To Manhattan As His Bride, Never Imagining The Tragedies That Will Befall Them Both. Steel Evokes The Final Days Of Imperial Russia With Characteristic Bravura. As Always, She Offers A Carefully Calculated Mix Of Picturesque Locales, Remarkable Events And Appealing Characters. Literary Guild And Bomc Dual Main Selections. (june)

Against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution and World War I Europe, Zoya, young cousin to the Tsar, flees St. Petersburg to Paris to find safety. Her entire world forever changed, she faces hard times and joins the Ballet Russe in Paris. And then, when life is kind to her, Zoya moves on to a new and glittering life in New York. The days of ease are all too brief as the Depression strikes, and she loses everything yet again. It is her career, and the man she meets in the course of it, which ultimately save her, as she rebuilds her life through the war years and beyond. And it is her family that comes to mean everything to her. From the roaring twenties to the 1980's, Zoya remains a rare and spirited woman whose legacy will live on. — From the Paperback edition. Zoya closed her eyes again as the troika flew across the icy ground, the soft mist of snow leaving tiny damp kisses on her cheeks, and turning her eyelashes to lace as she listened to the horses' bells dancing in her ears like music. From the shattering onset of the Russian Revolution in 1917 to New York in the turbulent eighties, witness the dramatic events that transformed the history of the world and the life of an unforgettable woman .. Follows Zoya, from the revolution in Russia through the sixties and seventies in America, from St. Petersburg to Paris to New York in the eighties, as she struggles to survive in the face of insurmountable odds