Overview

"Finalist for the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing From the bestselling author of A Mountain of Crumbs, a ""brilliant and illuminating"" (BookPage) portrait of mothers and daughters that reaches from Cold War Russia to modern"

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9781451689839

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Reviews

Blazingly entertaining. --Caroline Leavitt (blogger)

[Gorokhova's] writing is exquisite in its simplicity. -- New Jersey Monthly Elena Gorokhova's memoir of her journey to America is delightful, hilarious and bracingly candid, a memorable odyssey of learning and striving as she escapes from the crumbling old world to a strange and mystifying new life. --David E. Hoffman, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Dead Hand This incredibly powerful book slips into your unconscious with charm and warmth and then grabs you by the gut. By the time you reach the end, you'll have experienced the laughter, sorrow, joy, regret, love and hurt of a real life. And you'll have a lump in your throat the size of Petersburg. With a magical command of language, Elena Gorokhova has painted images on my brain I won't forget, as if I'd lived those moments myself. Because, somehow, I did. --Alan Alda [An] evocative memoirist building on a fine previous volume ... [Gorokhova] imbues this narrative of the gathering momentum of her assimilation with admirable esprit. -- Elle [Conveys] to readers a vivid, almost visceral understanding of the sometimes paralyzing sense of dislocation [Gorokhova] experienced arriving in the United States in 1980 from the Soviet Union. . . . Every page sings with sharp, intelligent, often witty observations about her new, confusing life in America. . . . Brilliant [and] illuminating. -- BookPage [Gorokhova fills] the pages with fresh metaphors about American culture....Gorokhova's lovely turns of phrase carry the book. -- Entertainment Weekly [Gorokhova] provides readers with a fascinating glimpse into what it meant to fit into American society after growing up behind the Iron Curtain. ... [A] worthwhile read. -- Associated Press A refreshing amount of candor elevates this memoir of an immigrant's life in America. ... [A] wonderful and entertaining work. -- Washington Independent Review of Books Affecting. -- Buffalo News An epic read. -- Brit & Co (blog) An exquisite memoir of emigrating from Russia. . . . A magnificent book, all the more notable because memoirs are common and rarely this wonderful. -- New Jersey Star-Ledger Beautifully written. -- The Jerusalem Post Blazingly entertaining. --Caroline Leavitt (blogger) Engaging. ... With a wry, unswervingly honest observer's eye, Gorokhova chronicles the increasing strangeness of her new country. ... This work from a young immigrant's point of view is both wondrous and stinging. -- Publishers Weekly Fluid and evocative prose. ... An imaginative writer. -- The Washington Post Written fully, laden with emotion. -- Minneapolis Star Tribune Russian Tattoo is a page-turner from the start. . . . Gorokhova fills her story of arriving in the U.S. with telling, fascinating details . . . [and] bravely, frankly shares her life. --Eloise Kinney Booklist Russian Tattoo is the story of an immigrant, of leaving what you know and love. It is the story of mothers and daughters--a story of love, forgiveness, and the desire to belong. --Anya Von Bremzen, author of Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking Russian Tattoo is a gripping story, Elena Gorokhova is a clear-voiced and human narrator, and her life is captivating without becoming incomprehensible. The glory of the book is in its little things: the pride that comes from feeling respected by a parent, and the trust needed to humble yourself before them. -- The Book Reporter Russian Tattoo...takes one to new heights of truly understanding the 'guts' and significance of immigration....Many could identify with [Gorokhova] or tell a story similar to hers. But it's nearly impossible to tell it better than she did. -- Huffington Post Full of vivid imagery and memorable description, this is a wonderful trip into existential bewilderment. As a sequel or a stand-alone, Russian Tattoo is compelling, colourful and hugely enjoyable. -- The Guardian (UK) Self-effacing and candid, yet also deeply observant and as powerfully descriptive as a novel, Russian Tattoo is that rare book written by an immigrant that helps a native understand their country better, seeing it from the peeled-back perspective of a newcomer. -- Russian Life

Author Information

Elena Gorokhova grew up in St. Petersburg, Russia, although for most of her life it was known to her as Leningrad. At the age of twenty-four she married an American and came to the United States with only a twenty kilogram suitcase to start a new life. The bestselling author of A Mountain of Crumbs and Russian Tattoo, she has a Doctorate in Language Education and currently lives in New Jersey. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Daily Telegraph, on BBC Radio, and in a number of literary magazines.

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