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Original poster

If you have read Troubled Blood (latest Strike book)

37 replies

ScribblyGum · 26/09/2020 18:58

Please can you tell me what the last line means. Two (? Russian) sounding names that make Strike smile.

I’ve listened to the audio book and can’t google the two names as I don’t know how to spell them and so can’t find out what it means.

Urgh.

She did this last book with the two stupid swans!

OP posts:
pollyhemlock · 29/09/2020 11:01

I enjoyed it so much I had to slow myself down because I didn’t want to finish it. I love the care she takes with her characters. In some ways I would prefer it if R and C didn’t get together yet as the will they/ won’t they tension is part of the fun.

CormoranStrike · 28/09/2020 21:32

He’s remember the line for Anna Karenina and he thinks that some women are worth risking his all for - he’s ready to make a play for Robin (yay!)

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 27/09/2020 09:51

I read half of it yesterday, it’s spellbinding. I feel book hungover too. I’ve actually downloaded the audio book as well to listen to today when I’m gardening, I get so excited by books I tend to read too quickly and inadvertently miss bits, and with this I don’t think you can miss bits, there is so much information and so many characters.

Absolutely loving it.

Original poster
ScribblyGum · 27/09/2020 09:35

Yes I enjoyed it very much. There were a lot of characters with corresponding rabbit holes of stories and I’m not sure I understood all of them by listening to the book but overall it was just lovely to be immersed in 31 hours of Strike and Robin again.

I’ve got a major book hangover today 🙁

OP posts:
IamEarthymama · 27/09/2020 06:33

I must admit to owning both the Audible and Kindle versions of Trouble Blood for just that reason OP.
JKR uses so many quotes as introductions to chapters that I need to have the written text in front of me.

Did you enjoy it?
I loved it, planning to reread when DW and I have listened to it together.

Original poster
ScribblyGum · 26/09/2020 19:27

Brilliant!

Thanks so much all. Mn is wonderful sometimes. The Polworth/Anna Karenina conversation.

One of the big disadvantages of audiobooks is you can’t flick back to reread stuff.

OP posts:
Janleverton · 26/09/2020 19:11

It made me wonder whether strike has decided to move on from Charlotte, to try with robin or to stop resisting it at least. Acknowledging his feelings frees him at the same time? I don’t know, I’ve never read Anna karenina so I might be talking bollocks! Or wishful thinking...

AgentProvocateur · 26/09/2020 19:07

I’ve just finished it today, and didn’t understand that last line. I was on Kindle so pressed on the words for a wiki explanation but there was none. I meant to google and got distracted, so thanks for this thread OP.

Janleverton · 26/09/2020 19:07

“You can only carry a weight and use your hands, if you strap the weight to your back. Marry, and you get the use of your hands back. Don’t marry, and you’ll never have your hands free for anything else. Look at Mazankov, at Krupov. They’ve ruined their careers for the sake of women.”
This is the bit at the beginning.

Janleverton · 26/09/2020 19:05

“Out of his subconscious rose the names Mazankov and Krupov, and it was a second or two before he remembered where he’d heard them, why they sounded Cornish, and why he thought of them now. The corners of his mouth twitched, but as Robin didn’t see him smiling, he felt no compulsion to explain.“ have cut and pasted the last paragraph so you can see the names.

CodenameVillanelle · 26/09/2020 19:04

I googled it, it's from anna karenina and is about marriage I think

Janleverton · 26/09/2020 19:03

If you go back to the beginning when strike is chatting to polworth in the pub in Cornwall, polworth explains how he came to decide to take the plunge/settle down the characters are from Anna Karenina and I think the gist of it is that it’s better to take the plunge because it frees you from indecision. Those who don’t, can’t settle, can’t relax, can’t think of anything else.

I think!

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