Stalina by Emily Rubin
After the fall of the Soviet Union, Stalina Folskaya’s homeland is little more than a bankrupt country of broken dreams. She flees St. Petersburg in search of a better life in America, leaving behind her elderly mother and the grief of the past. However, Stalina quickly realizes that her pursuit of happiness will be a hard road. A trained chemist in Russia, but disillusioned by her prospects in the US, she becomes a maid at The Liberty, a “short-stay” motel on the outskirts of Hartford. Able to envision beauty and profit even here, Stalina convinces her boss to let her transform the motel into a fantasy destination. Business skyrockets and puts the American dream within Stalina’s sights. A smart, fearless woman like Stalina can go far…if only she can reconcile the ghosts of her past. Obsessed with avenging her family while also longing for a new life, Stalina is a remarkable immigrant’s tale about a woman whose imagination—and force of personality—will let her stop at nothing.
“Rubin has created an immigrant tale as forceful, unique, and surprising as her unforgettable heroine” —Chronogram “A marvelous, captivating debut novel.” —Russian Life Magazine “Rubin’s first novel about a Russian woman’s adventures in America after the fall of the Soviet Union is teasingly matter-of-fact and cat-claw smart…Mordantly funny, deliciously human, Rubin’s tale of a self-possessed survivor brings zest to the literature of immigration and adaptation.” —Booklist “Stalina is a highly accomplished, imaginative work, an impressive debut. Emily Rubin is a writer to watch.” —Jonathan Baumbach, author of B “A quirky and wonderful new voice in American fiction. Emily Rubin’s wise and funny debut is a fresh take on the immigrant story, a new angle on the joy and pain of change.” —Sam Lipsyte, author of The Ask “Emily Rubin’s Stalina is an engaging international epic, a funny feminist treatise and a wise and emotionally satisfying serious novel all at the same time. Like Amy Bloom’s bestselling novel Away it has a sweeping voice and universal appeal. An insightful, impressive debut.” —Susan Shapiro, author of Overexposed and Speed Shrinking “Stalina Folskaya is a survivor—one with vim, vigor, intelligence and a sense of humor.” —Suzanne Wasserman, Ph.D, Historian and Film Maker “There are many delightful moments in this odd and entertaining novel…Moments where I laughed out loud and many moments where I thought, that is so true.” —Daphne Kalotay, author of Russian Winter
Emily Rubin’s fiction has been published in the Red Rock Review, Confrontations, and HAPPY. She is a past nominee for the Pushcart Prize. In 2005, she began producing Dirty Laundry: Loads of Prose, a reading series that takes place in Laundromats around the United States. She teaches writing workshops and is a television stage manager. She divides her time between New York City and Columbia County, New York with her husband, Leslie, and their dog, Sebastian.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781935597179 |
| ISBN 10 | 1935597175 |
| Title | Stalina |
| Author | Emily Rubin |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Amazon Publishing |
| Year published | 2011-01-04 |
| Number of pages | 218 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |