Read in record time as I just couldn't put it down. With hindsight I wish I'd had the self control to pause for a few days after the first story before starting the second to make the most of it.
My favourite was the first story, loved the characterisation. Amazing that in so few pages there is so much clarity of character without becoming just a caricature. And I thought it captured some of the agonies of being adolescent in a way that superseded the specific cultural context, although the translator's note was useful for filling in the context.
I struggled slightly to keep track of all the characters in the second story and adjust to the difference in pace, although I suspect neither of those would have been so tricky if I hadn't rushed straight onto it! Despite studying the Bolshevik Revolution though, I'd never really thought much about the personal implications for the surviving White Russians and where they went, so it was fascinating to see the traumas of making a cultural transition and practical adjustments for them.
Thanks JenniL, I really enjoyed these.