The Man from St. Petersburg
In the book The Man from St. Petersburg the author Ken Follet, describes the struggles and adversity a Russian anarchist is forced to deal with in order to stop the outbreak of the First World War. In the early chapters of the book the conservative Earl of Walden is visited by Winston Churchill and is convinced to negotiate an alliance with Russia. In doing so, a young Russian admiral named Prince Aleksey Andreyevich Orlov is sent to London with plans of negotiating the alliance between the Russian and British government. However, little does he know Feliks Kschessinksy a Russian anarchist plans to assassinate him, decreasing the possibilities of an alliance and saving the lives of millions of innocent Russians who would be forced to take part in the war.
Although this book is fictional I believe that Ken Follet did an exceptional job portraying the reality of the early twentieth century. He was able to describe not only the class systems but the ideologies and points of view from all angles based the characters background and beliefs. He was also able to put into perspective the different political views and battles that occurred between different European governments. Much like the society we live in today people are not only based on their social status but also by where they came from and I believe Ken Follet was able to depict that as well.
What stood out to me the most was how he portrayed Feliks Kschessinksy a Russian anarchist beliefs and values. In the book Feliks displayed compassion for Russian peasants much like himself and realized the danger joining the war would put innocent people in. He made the effort to stand up for what he believed in and did everything in his power to stop this alliance. Like any other anarchist fighting for their country Feliks gave himself a greater cause and showed his tenacity and determination in doing whatever it would take to fight for what he believed in. It is because of this that I feel like Kschessinky could be viewed as a hero to his fellow people. The decisions and tasks that Felik carried through to stop Orlov shows a direct example of his ideology and what he was willing to do to prevent the alliance.
Along with describing the values and beliefs of characters throughout this book the author does a great job illustrating the truth behind the situations that occurred during this time. It is because of this novel that I have learned about the women’s suffrage movement that was starting to take place in 20th century Britain. Charlotte, the daughter of Lydia is prime example of the impact the movement had on society. She lived a very sheltered childhood but as she continued to grow into her own person she begins to learn more about the world she’s been living in. Charlotte’s life reflected the world and the society of the 20th century as she made the decision to take part in the movement and attend her first suffrage meeting. Much like the fictional character Charlotte, women from all across Britain would attend these meetings with hopes of having equal rights as men. It was at this point and time that many married women stayed home and did not have the opportunity to work. However if they did have a job they would be paid dramatically less to that of a man, and there was also not a wide range of jobs they could have. Teachers, secretary and nurses were the most common jobs for a middle class women living in twenty century Britain.
I believe Ken Follett was also able to describe the dramatic difference between the lower and upper class structure during this time period in realistic ways. The upper-class in Britain at this time consisted of Dukes, those born into other aristocratic families, people who were born into hereditary peerage. While the lower class consisted of less skilled workers and peasants. In the case of the man from St. Petersburg, Felik represented the lower class while Walden represented the upper. Although the book does clearly describe the differences between the upper and lower class I feel like the middle is not depicted as much.
I have only heard wonderful things about the best-selling author Ken Follett and now I will be able to spread the word. After reading this book my knowledge of twentieth century Britain has increased. Although the characters were fictional I was still able gain a better knowledge about the not only the 20th century but the start of WWI.