| Author |
Taylor, Mary Imlay, 1878-1938 |
| Title |
On the red staircase
|
| Original Publication |
United States: A. C. McClurg & Company, 1896.
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| Note |
Reading ease score: 77.2 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.
|
| Note |
A story of Russia in the youthful days of Peter the Great.
|
| Credits |
D A Alexander and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by University of California libraries)
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| Summary |
"On the Red Staircase" by Mary Imlay Taylor is a historical novel written in the late 19th century. Set against the turbulent backdrop of early Russian history, the narrative unfolds around the politically charged climate following the death of Czar Feodor. The story introduces various central figures including the Patriarch Joachim, who is overseeing the election of a new czar, the ambitious Czarevna Sophia, and Zénaïde, the young daughter of a recently murdered boyar, caught in a web of court intrigue and familial conflict. At the start of the novel, the reader is thrust into the Grand Square of the Kremlin, where a crowd has gathered for the election of a new ruler amidst cries for justice and shifting loyalties. The protagonist, a Frenchman named Philippe de Brousson, becomes entwined in the unfolding drama, witnessing the manipulations and power plays of the nobility, particularly focusing on the rise of Peter Alexeivitch against the backdrop of the milieux of the Streltsi and the Miloslavsky faction. Philippe's interest piqued by the beautiful Zénaïde and her perilous situation leads him to navigate the dangerous political landscape of Russia in search of justice and love, while ominous foreshadowing hints at the darker forces at play within the Kremlin. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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| Language |
English |
| LoC Class |
PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature
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| Subject |
Historical fiction
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| Subject |
Peter I, Emperor of Russia, 1672-1725 -- Fiction
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| Subject |
Russia -- History -- Sofia Alekseevna, 1682-1689 -- Fiction
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| Category |
Text |
| EBook-No. |
70502 |
| Release Date |
Apr 8, 2023 |
| Copyright Status |
Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads |
66 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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