The Lost Pianos of Siberia by Sophy Roberts

The Lost Pianos of Siberia by Sophy Roberts

A critically-acclaimed Sunday Times, Spectator and Independent BOOK OF 2020 'Richly absorbing... An impressive exploration of Siberia's terrifying past.' Guardian 'Evocative and wonderfully original.' Colin Thubron __________ Siberia's expansive history is traditionally one of exiles, bitter cold and suffering. Yet there is another tale to tell. Dotted throughout this remote and beautiful landscape are pianos created during the boom years of the nineteenth century. They tell the story of how, ever since entering Russian culture under the influence of Catherine the Great, piano music has run through the country like blood. How these pianos made the journey into this snow-bound wilderness in the first place is remarkable. That they might be capable of making music in such a hostile landscape feels like a miracle. The Lost Pianos of Siberia is an absorbing story about a piano hunt - a quixotic quest through two centuries of Russian history and eight time zones stretching across an eleventh of the world's land surface. It reveals not only an unexpected musical legacy, but profound and brave humanity in the last place on earth you might expect to find it. __________ What readers are saying about The Lost Pianos of Siberia: ***** 'You know a book's good when, on finishing it, you just want to start again.' ***** 'Beautifully written, full of compelling anecdotes celebrating Siberia's extraordinary history.' ***** 'The most unusual and intelligent way to tell a travel story.'

An extraordinary encounter with a wildly fascinating and astonishingly ill-known region.. This is a wonderful book. * Sunday Times *
The ultimate quest for the oddest objects - pianos - in the most unlikely place - Siberia. But Roberts makes it much more than that, an elegant and nuanced journey through literature, through history, through music, murder and incarceration and revolution, through snow and ice and remoteness, to discover the human face of Siberia. I loved this book. * Paul Theroux *
An impressive exploration of Siberia's terrifying past. * Guardian *
An exuberant, eccentric journey through Russian vastness, European history and Russian culture, The Lost Pianos of Siberia is a quixotic quest, a picaresque travel adventure and a strange forgotten story, all wrapped into one fascinating book. * Simon Sebag-Montefiore *
What shines through in this book is Roberts' genuine, humane affection for and fascination with the people she meets in Siberia. * Literary Review *
A stunning example of modern historical travel writing * Independent *
A richly observed cultural history... thrilling. * New Statesman *
Fascinating account of Siberia’s horrific legacy told with great verve… Roberts is a wonderfully lyrical writer. * The Observer *
Beautifully written... A unique short history of Russia from Catherine the Great to Putin... A sense of the extraordinary marks every page. * History Today *
Captures Siberia's wildness, but favours its enchantments. * Times Literary Supplement *
Courage, patience, erudition and a sympathetic imagination… A travel book of rare quality. * Dervla Murphy *
Roberts achievement is to vividly bring us into a hidden landscape that in an over-travelled world retains its mystique. Through her painterly depiction of the people she encounters, she infuses the epic with the intimate and reveals how sometimes looking is more important than finding * Business Post Magazine *
Utterly absorbing - a wonderful addition to the story of resilience, tragedy and triumph that are the hallmarks of Siberia. Roberts displays an empathy and understanding worthy of this deeply haunted, strangely fascinating land. * Benedict Allen *
Roberts' writing is beguiling. * The i *
A modern-day Freya Stark. * Tatler *

Sophy Roberts is a British writer whose work focuses on the wild places from Papua New Guinea to the Congo. She began her career assisting the writer Jessica Mitford, and trained in journalism at Columbia University in New York. She regularly contributes to the Financial Times and the US edition of Condé Nast Traveler, among others. The Lost Pianos of Siberia is her first book.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780857524942
ISBN 10	0857524941
Title	The Lost Pianos of Siberia
Author	Sophy Roberts
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Transworld Publishers Ltd
Year published	2020-02-06
Number of pages	448
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable