Archer brings humour right at the beginning:-
"As Alexander opened the door to his family’s tiny flat on the fifth floor, he recalled an article he’d recently read in a state magazine reporting that America was so overrun with criminals that everyone had at least two locks on their front door. Perhaps the only reason they didn’t in the Soviet Union, he thought, was because no one had anything worth stealing."
One has to wonder if he really thought this, being a high school boy born and brought up in Russia and with no familiarity with life in West, with no possibility of making comparisons, or even of idea of possessions not entirely essential to existence?
Or again, when Archer writes:-
"Alexander was very aware, but always happy to be reminded how Papa had been stationed on the eastern front as a young corporal during the Siege of Leningrad, ..."
Did or do Russians call it eastern front? It certainly wasn't from Russian point of view, and why would they use terminology applicable from strictly German point of view? British, and U.S. allies, presumably used it because the war and the world wasn't then U.S. centric, so for U.S. it was Pacific and Europe rather than East and West, even though the war in Atlantic did make it East and West.
Again,
"‘Because if Alexander is to win that scholarship and go to Moscow, he will have to be fluent in the language of our enemies.’
"‘But the British and Americans fought on the same side as us during the war, Papa.’
"‘On the same side, yes,’ said his father, ‘but only because they considered us the lesser of two evils.’"
Would, do, Russians think of it from outsiders' point of view, that U.S. and U.K. "thought they were lesser of the two evils"? Wouldn't Russian, especially USSR, position be quite different, and use very different terminology?
Alexander compares his family dinner table to the Rostov family from War and Peace, but decides his mother must be better than their cooks - and Konstantin tells his wife he was going for a church meeting, having refused to join communist party (rather than just say The Party) yet again as the couple talked over dinner. It all smacks of being written from a Western point of view! Did Russians have the possibility of going to church, much less a church meeting, before perestroika?
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Konstantin's murder is a shock, and the mother and son leaving so conveniently seems far too easy, leaving one wondering if they'd be betrayed further, but then suddenly Alexander is Sasha, one has no clue why, until the next chapter where he's Alex - only, the two chapters are completely different scenarios being worked out, along the two possibilities of their destinations. Sasha goes to Southampton while Alex is bound for U.S..
Archer does have a fascination with this twin scenario where two boys of similar or identical backgrounds are brought up diversely and come face to face after parallel lives that keep drawing closer asymptotically. He's done it with fraternal twins and with other pairs, and now he's doing two possible futures of a mother and son, one for each result of a flip of a coin. But after the first shock, one soon forgets it's the same pair even though one knows it all the while, and begins to process the two separate stories. Here they can't come face to face, of course.
Archer fixes dates for events with assassination of Bobby Kennedy the day after Alex and his mother arrive in Brooklyn with Dimitri, having escaped the ship's cook from his having locked them up. Those are some of the ways he paints the differences between U.S. and U.K., the former so far being free but abounding with goons, latter a queer combination of courtesy and standoffish behaviour that includes value for intelligence. Sasha has impressed the head and mathematics teacher at an upscale school.
Archer's usual shock tactics continue - here another shock is, Alex suspects that Dimitri might be KGB, not CIA as the reader has been led to suspect.
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Sasha is attending an academic session, where his (tutor?) greets him by telling him he's missed crumpets but can have tea. Cambridge?
"Streator poured a fourth cup before he began. ‘Today, I want to consider the relationship between Lenin and Stalin. Lenin not only didn’t have any respect for Stalin, he actively despised the man. However, he recognized that if the revolution was to be a success, he needed money to make sure that his political opponents were removed one way or another. Enter a young thug from Georgia who was only too happy to carry out both tasks. He raided banks, and didn’t give a second thought about murdering anyone who got in his way, including innocent bystanders.’"
Is this usually officially taught, or is Archer having fun?
"Sasha took notes while Dr Streator continued his discourse. It hadn’t taken him long to realize how little Russian history he actually knew, and that his teachers in Leningrad had parroted words from a book that had been vetted by the KGB in a blatant attempt to rewrite history."
Reminds one of a housemate saying how news across Europe was all politically biased unlike U.S. where it was objective and fair! Obviously opinions of Europeans and others international visitors were diametrically opposite to that. Is Archer, one wonders, aware that U.S. and U.K. versions aren't free of bias?
Yet another typical Archer shock - Alex is arrested I'm midst of a legitimate business as a tender running three stalls in the market while being a student at NYU.
And he follows it up by sasha being picked up at Trinity immediately after his mother's employment is terminated, she is asked to leave her home and her phone is cut off, because Moretti died and Tremlett, presumably the father of the boy (and not the boy himself) whom Sasha stopped from raping a girl, bought the restaurant.
It resolves well for Sasha, except for the usual cliffhangar about whether our good guy won or the evil forces against him, this time a beautiful daughter of a politician; Alex on the other side of the pond is contacted by CIA, under a pretense of arrest, and is informed by them that his chess racket is managed by a KGB guy, and the cliffhangar is, he wonders if Dimitri too is KGB - while the reader knows the opposite.
Other Archer favourites are brought in, one here, one there. Valuable paintings and art auctions, battles and loyalties, society women who cheat, and young men with acumen rising despite a stumble once or more.
Cambridge rivalry graduates to rivalry in parliamentary elections as Sasha manages restaurants in London with his mother the chef reason why they succeed, with a Russian Countess grateful to him for help. Alex across the pond is close to Boston Society due to being with a Lowell in Vietnam, and has met Ted Kennedy.
Sasha is attending an academic session, where his (tutor?) greets him by telling him he's missed crumpets but can have tea. Cambridge?
"Streator poured a fourth cup before he began. ‘Today, I want to consider the relationship between Lenin and Stalin. Lenin not only didn’t have any respect for Stalin, he actively despised the man. However, he recognized that if the revolution was to be a success, he needed money to make sure that his political opponents were removed one way or another. Enter a young thug from Georgia who was only too happy to carry out both tasks. He raided banks, and didn’t give a second thought about murdering anyone who got in his way, including innocent bystanders.’"
Is this usually officially taught, or is Archer having fun?
"Sasha took notes while Dr Streator continued his discourse. It hadn’t taken him long to realize how little Russian history he actually knew, and that his teachers in Leningrad had parroted words from a book that had been vetted by the KGB in a blatant attempt to rewrite history."
Reminds one of a housemate saying how news across Europe was all politically biased unlike U.S. where it was objective and fair! Obviously opinions of Europeans and others international visitors were diametrically opposite to that. Is Archer, one wonders, aware that U.S. and U.K. versions aren't free of bias?
Yet another typical Archer shock - Alex is arrested I'm midst of a legitimate business as a tender running three stalls in the market while being a student at NYU.
And he follows it up by sasha being picked up at Trinity immediately after his mother's employment is terminated, she is asked to leave her home and her phone is cut off, because Moretti died and Tremlett, presumably the father of the boy (and not the boy himself) whom Sasha stopped from raping a girl, bought the restaurant.
It resolves well for Sasha, except for the usual cliffhangar about whether our good guy won or the evil forces against him, this time a beautiful daughter of a politician; Alex on the other side of the pond is contacted by CIA, under a pretense of arrest, and is informed by them that his chess racket is managed by a KGB guy, and the cliffhangar is, he wonders if Dimitri too is KGB - while the reader knows the opposite.
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Other Archer favourites are brought in, one here, one there. Valuable paintings and art auctions, battles and loyalties, society women who cheat, and young men with acumen rising despite a stumble once or more.
Cambridge rivalry graduates to rivalry in parliamentary elections as Sasha manages restaurants in London with his mother the chef reason why they succeed, with a Russian Countess grateful to him for help. Alex across the pond is close to Boston Society due to being with a Lowell in Vietnam, and has met Ted Kennedy.
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Archer keeps on using inappropriate terminology.
" ... Had he lived, I’ve no doubt he would have been the first president of an independent Russia.’"
But Russia has always been the dominant component of USSR, and Russia's independence has been unquestionable except for the brief periods of Mongolian invasions, not exactly recent!
A totalitarian regime nevertheless, the opposite isn't independence of nation, but freedom and rights of citizens; is the author confused, or catering to those extremely prejudiced and ignoramus of right? Nations can be independent whik e their citizens are not free.
Archer, like most citizens of U.K. and U.S., continues to be Grassley insensitive to facts, truth, and effects of their racism on other people.
" ... hand-delivered by a smartly dressed woman with a clipped Brahmin accent,’ said his campaign manager."
Needless to say he does not mean Brahmin, just as when they speak of Indians they need not mean anyone connected in any way whatsoever with India. Various words and nomenclature related to India has been borrowed by West only to be hideously distorted out of all possibility of recognition, including Hitler using Swastik (which literally means "symbol of Wellbeing") in every way opposite to the very meaning of the word and the symbol.
But then what can one expect from those still dominated by their history of subjugation to Roman empire with its fraud of worship of someone murdered by the Roman empire, while castigating everyone who might be connected by DNA with that object of worship, and not punishing attempts to annihilate the whole race!
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Another thrill when Sasha, as an English MP, visits Moscow at beginning of Gorbachev era as part of a delegation, is contacted by his boyhood friend Vladimir who had caused Konstantin's murder by KGB, and is subsequently contacted by someone else who knows about Sasha and about Vladimir - Nemtsov.
On the other side of the pond, Archer mentions Alex being told by his secretary that his wife, Anna, has picked out an anniversary gift for herself, a Chloe bag from Bonwit Teller's. On a nostalgia trip, one looks for the store on Google map, and discovers it's gone, just like the maples one walked or sat under for years!
Archer has two motifs duplicated here in Misha Pushkin meeting Alex - one about sasha meeting Nemtsov and another about Sasha recognising a chess team member he played at Cambridge.
Archer's usual denigration occurs again -
"The Soviet Union may have some of the finest universities in the world if you want to study philosophy, even Sanskrit, but very few offer a serious business course.’"
Notice the despising tone about philosophy, Sanskrit and Russian academic institutions. And yet, Russia has had fine traditions of scientific research and academic institutions, but perhaps archer wouldn't know that. Despite the recent Field's medal, too!
Archer begins with Alexander talking of being elected President of a democratic Russia in a free election, although there are a dozen glitches right there - this was supposed to be 1968, and he should have said USSR or Soviet Union, since it wasn't yet broken, and the breakup wouldn't occur to a young boy. But after he's left, Sasha now being an MP in U.K. and Alex a banker and entrepreneur in U.S., Archer still talking of Alexander becoming President of Russia is much too farfetched. Sasha must now be a U.K. citizen, and Alex would not be comfortable not being a U.S. citizen in his position with his history of how he migrated. How's it even possible Alexander has his dream, far receded, come true?
Archer keeps on using inappropriate terminology.
" ... Had he lived, I’ve no doubt he would have been the first president of an independent Russia.’"
But Russia has always been the dominant component of USSR, and Russia's independence has been unquestionable except for the brief periods of Mongolian invasions, not exactly recent!
A totalitarian regime nevertheless, the opposite isn't independence of nation, but freedom and rights of citizens; is the author confused, or catering to those extremely prejudiced and ignoramus of right? Nations can be independent whik e their citizens are not free.
................................................................................................
Archer, like most citizens of U.K. and U.S., continues to be Grassley insensitive to facts, truth, and effects of their racism on other people.
" ... hand-delivered by a smartly dressed woman with a clipped Brahmin accent,’ said his campaign manager."
Needless to say he does not mean Brahmin, just as when they speak of Indians they need not mean anyone connected in any way whatsoever with India. Various words and nomenclature related to India has been borrowed by West only to be hideously distorted out of all possibility of recognition, including Hitler using Swastik (which literally means "symbol of Wellbeing") in every way opposite to the very meaning of the word and the symbol.
But then what can one expect from those still dominated by their history of subjugation to Roman empire with its fraud of worship of someone murdered by the Roman empire, while castigating everyone who might be connected by DNA with that object of worship, and not punishing attempts to annihilate the whole race!
................................................................................................
Another thrill when Sasha, as an English MP, visits Moscow at beginning of Gorbachev era as part of a delegation, is contacted by his boyhood friend Vladimir who had caused Konstantin's murder by KGB, and is subsequently contacted by someone else who knows about Sasha and about Vladimir - Nemtsov.
On the other side of the pond, Archer mentions Alex being told by his secretary that his wife, Anna, has picked out an anniversary gift for herself, a Chloe bag from Bonwit Teller's. On a nostalgia trip, one looks for the store on Google map, and discovers it's gone, just like the maples one walked or sat under for years!
Archer has two motifs duplicated here in Misha Pushkin meeting Alex - one about sasha meeting Nemtsov and another about Sasha recognising a chess team member he played at Cambridge.
Archer's usual denigration occurs again -
"The Soviet Union may have some of the finest universities in the world if you want to study philosophy, even Sanskrit, but very few offer a serious business course.’"
Notice the despising tone about philosophy, Sanskrit and Russian academic institutions. And yet, Russia has had fine traditions of scientific research and academic institutions, but perhaps archer wouldn't know that. Despite the recent Field's medal, too!
................................................................................................
Archer begins with Alexander talking of being elected President of a democratic Russia in a free election, although there are a dozen glitches right there - this was supposed to be 1968, and he should have said USSR or Soviet Union, since it wasn't yet broken, and the breakup wouldn't occur to a young boy. But after he's left, Sasha now being an MP in U.K. and Alex a banker and entrepreneur in U.S., Archer still talking of Alexander becoming President of Russia is much too farfetched. Sasha must now be a U.K. citizen, and Alex would not be comfortable not being a U.S. citizen in his position with his history of how he migrated. How's it even possible Alexander has his dream, far receded, come true?
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"Robin Cook, the shadow Foreign Secretary, was calling for an ethical foreign policy, and told Sasha that he expected him to keep reminding his Russian counterparts that their country’s new-found wealth should be distributed among the people, and not handed out to a group of undeserving oligarchs, many of whom had not only taken up residence in Mayfair, but weren’t paying any tax."
Really?
Archer is stretching it when he has Sasha mistaken for Alex in N.Y. on holiday with his wife, at the art gallery where Anna, wife of Alex, worked before marriage. It can't even be about identical twins, since each has his mother Elena, making her name as a chef, and the son managing Elena's until he has another career.
"Robin Cook, the shadow Foreign Secretary, was calling for an ethical foreign policy, and told Sasha that he expected him to keep reminding his Russian counterparts that their country’s new-found wealth should be distributed among the people, and not handed out to a group of undeserving oligarchs, many of whom had not only taken up residence in Mayfair, but weren’t paying any tax."
Really?
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Archer is stretching it when he has Sasha mistaken for Alex in N.Y. on holiday with his wife, at the art gallery where Anna, wife of Alex, worked before marriage. It can't even be about identical twins, since each has his mother Elena, making her name as a chef, and the son managing Elena's until he has another career.
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"‘Our ambassador in Moscow tells me that if you were to return to Russia and stand against Yeltsin, you’d end up with an even bigger majority than I have. In which case it will be me trying to get an appointment with you.’"
Hmmmm?????!!!!!
Archer is troubling on one being mistaken for the other, this time it's Sasha's wife mistaking Alex for her own husband, and only realising her mistake when Anna comes up, at the Turner collection in Tate gallery.
"‘Our ambassador in Moscow tells me that if you were to return to Russia and stand against Yeltsin, you’d end up with an even bigger majority than I have. In which case it will be me trying to get an appointment with you.’"
Hmmmm?????!!!!!
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Archer is troubling on one being mistaken for the other, this time it's Sasha's wife mistaking Alex for her own husband, and only realising her mistake when Anna comes up, at the Turner collection in Tate gallery.
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One does figure out what Archer reserves for his punchline, which is, identity of Vladimir the school friend of Alexander.
But just as one is getting thrills with the criss connections between Alex and Sasha, and it seems like they might come face to face in St. Petersburg if not in Amsterdam at the airport, and one might get to just how two identical boys with two very similar mothers and an uncle in common apart from the same history before leaving Leningrad, were unaware of one another - were they born to identical twins who married the same man without ever meeting one another? - frankly, Archer cheats, and has one Alexander (Sasha, one suspects) killed off with his family by the KGB taking care of crashing the plane; the other arrives, surprised at his reception by huge crowd, gives a speech, and has Ivan Donokov call Vladimir to let him know he'd gave to wait a little more to announce Alexander's death.
Did Archer just write two scenarios, couldn't pick one, and was too lazy to find a solution to bring them together? Most unsatisfactory.
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One does figure out what Archer reserves for his punchline, which is, identity of Vladimir the school friend of Alexander.
But just as one is getting thrills with the criss connections between Alex and Sasha, and it seems like they might come face to face in St. Petersburg if not in Amsterdam at the airport, and one might get to just how two identical boys with two very similar mothers and an uncle in common apart from the same history before leaving Leningrad, were unaware of one another - were they born to identical twins who married the same man without ever meeting one another? - frankly, Archer cheats, and has one Alexander (Sasha, one suspects) killed off with his family by the KGB taking care of crashing the plane; the other arrives, surprised at his reception by huge crowd, gives a speech, and has Ivan Donokov call Vladimir to let him know he'd gave to wait a little more to announce Alexander's death.
Did Archer just write two scenarios, couldn't pick one, and was too lazy to find a solution to bring them together? Most unsatisfactory.
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