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(Dreams of My Russian Summers #1)
Dreams of My Russian Summers, tells the poignant story of a boy growing up amid the harsh realities of Soviet life in the 1960s and '70s, and of his extraordinary love for an elegant Frenchwoman, Charlotte Lemonnier, who is his grandmother.
Every summer he visits his grandmother in a dusty village overlooking the vast steppes. Here, during the warm evenings, they sit on Ch...more
Every summer he visits his grandmother in a dusty village overlooking the vast steppes. Here, during the warm evenings, they sit on Ch...more
Published December 31st 1998 by Touchstone Books (first published December 6th 1995)
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MvonWunschI'm not sure whether that is the title, but it is often found as 'Sur une barricade, au milieu des pavés' or just 'Sur une barricade' (and it's…moreI'm not sure whether that is the title, but it is often found as 'Sur une barricade, au milieu des pavés' or just 'Sur une barricade' (and it's translated as 'On the barricade' in English, I think).(less)
Prix Goncourt Laureates 57 books — 35 voters
France in Contemporary Fiction 218 books — 177 voters
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Rating details
May 23, 2017Jim Fonseca rated it really liked it
The story is of a young Russian boy and his older sister who have a French-born grandmother living on the edge of the steppe in Siberia. They live a distance away and visit her only in summers. From her old time stories, her reading of poetry and ancient newspaper articles, their perusal of newspaper and family pictures, she teaches them the language and imbues in them a love of French culture.
The grandmother’s life spanned years from the tsars through Stalin and WW II to the modern era, so we...more
Sep 11, 2012Kalliope rated it it was amazing · review of another editionThe grandmother’s life spanned years from the tsars through Stalin and WW II to the modern era, so we...more
Shelves: 2012, international-lit, fiction-french, russia
The Goncourt prize in France seems to be drawn to Russian writers who can write French better than many French natives.
In 1938 it was awarded to Henri Troyat (né Lev Aslanovitch Tarasov) for his L’Araigne. He later became a Member of L’Académie Française. In 1956 and again in 1975 it was awarded to Romain Gary (né Roman Kacew). And more recently, in 1995, André Makine (a.k.a. Gabriel Osmonde) received this prestigious prize.
Had Nabokov been the son not of an Anglophile but of a Francophile, we w...more
In 1938 it was awarded to Henri Troyat (né Lev Aslanovitch Tarasov) for his L’Araigne. He later became a Member of L’Académie Française. In 1956 and again in 1975 it was awarded to Romain Gary (né Roman Kacew). And more recently, in 1995, André Makine (a.k.a. Gabriel Osmonde) received this prestigious prize.
Had Nabokov been the son not of an Anglophile but of a Francophile, we w...more
Oct 12, 2015Rowena rated it it was amazing
'So I saw things differently; was it an advantage? Or a handicap, a blemish?... I understood that this second view of things would have to be hidden for it could only provoke mockery from others.'- Andrei Makïne, Dreams of my Russian Summers
One of my interests in recent years has been in reading books about, and talking to people with cross-cultural upbringings, and it amazes me how much is similar between people who were, like me, brought up in this way. It's even more interesting to encount...more
One of my interests in recent years has been in reading books about, and talking to people with cross-cultural upbringings, and it amazes me how much is similar between people who were, like me, brought up in this way. It's even more interesting to encount...more
Sep 08, 2012Fionnuala added it · review of another edition
Several of the books I have been reading recently have been about place.
Together they show how the history of a community and the geography of a region can be combined and recorded so that they remain alive and vibrant rather than gathering dust in the archives.
In Cosmopolitan Europe: A Strasbourg Self-Portrait, the geographer John Western records the history and geography of the city of Strasbourg on the French/German border through wonderfully immediate interviews with its citizens; the read...more
Together they show how the history of a community and the geography of a region can be combined and recorded so that they remain alive and vibrant rather than gathering dust in the archives.
In Cosmopolitan Europe: A Strasbourg Self-Portrait, the geographer John Western records the history and geography of the city of Strasbourg on the French/German border through wonderfully immediate interviews with its citizens; the read...more
Dreams of My Russian Summers is my second book by Russian-born French novelist, Andrei Makine, and I was once again entranced by the elegance of his lyrical prose. Makine was born and raised in Russia but he wrote this book in French while he was living in France. The version I read was translated into English by Geoffrey Strachan. There were lines and passages I loved and read over a few times because they were breathtakingly beautiful. I can only imagine how much more luscious and gorgeous it...more
Feb 16, 2015Hana rated it really liked it
· review of another edition Shelves: 2015-reads, around-the-world, historical-fiction, east-europe-russia, europe, lit-fic
On a flower-covered balcony, cooled by Siberia’s dusty summer breezes, a grandmother tells stories to her grandson, the narrator, and granddaughter. But she is not just any grandmother, nor are these just any times. The grandmother is a Frenchwoman and these are the 1960s in the Soviet Union. Yet on that balcony, the USSR disappears and the children are immersed in another reality—the reality of memories of things and worlds past. They speak in French, and the language, the words, become part of...more
Dec 13, 2014Bettie rated it liked it · review of another editionRecommended to Bettie by: Themis-Athena (Lioness at Large)
Shelves: winter-20142015, books-with-a-passport, published-1995, soviet, translation, giftee
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Oct 05, 2010Jim rated it it was amazing
It's a French novel. It's a Russian novel. It's a French novel about Russia. It's a Russian novel about France. It's all of those things. As a Hungarian-American, I am almost never unaware of my own dual nature. So too is Alyosha, the narrator of this tale of his encounters in Saranza, Western Siberia, with his French grandmother, Charlotte Lemonnier.
Andrei Makine's Dreams of My Russian Summers is a wonderful autobiographical novel about never quite being a unified whole, but part of a centrifug...more
Andrei Makine's Dreams of My Russian Summers is a wonderful autobiographical novel about never quite being a unified whole, but part of a centrifug...more
Jun 30, 2017Jill rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
This is such a wonderful book that my words could never do it justice. The reflections on time, memories and his grandmother are beautifully written and almost poetic. I would love to know how much of this book is autobiography. The main character's trajectory seems to closely line up with what I have read about the author, but I would love to know if these are true memories of his grandmother. One of my favorite books.
Jun 15, 2013Inderjit Sanghera rated it really liked it
Andrei Makine’s beautifully dappled style, the conflagration of colours which leap from the page and the obsession with memory and the past recalls Proust (who makes an appearance in the novel); Makine lacks Proust’s genius, yet ‘Dreams of My Russian Summers’ reverberates with beauty and pathos.
The story follows the story of a young Russian who is torn between the exoticism, grace and individuality of French culture, as represented by his French grandmother, Charlotte, and the autocracy and bru...more
The story follows the story of a young Russian who is torn between the exoticism, grace and individuality of French culture, as represented by his French grandmother, Charlotte, and the autocracy and bru...more
Jun 13, 2017Quo rated it really liked it · review of another edition
How one comes to maturity can involve a long but disconnected procession of events, many of which are elusive and in Andrei Makine's excellent novel, Dreams of My Russian Summers, the detailed memories involve fragments rather than clear & specific moments of recollection. Piecing the fragments together to form a tapestry that causes the story to become lucid is the task on the novel's narrator but also that of the reader. I found the novel to resemble a Proustian journey of very gradual enl...more
Jun 27, 2017Clay Olmstead rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Fascinating view into the series of accidents that come together to form a person's identity. I learned a little bit of what it is to be Russian, a little of what it means to be French, and something about the historical attraction that the Russians have had for French culture - I always thought that was odd, but I understand it a little more now. Well worth the read. I spite of the title, it's all in English, except for an occasional word of French or Russian; most of those are explained in the...more
Jun 17, 2014Hugh rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Note that this is an English translation which retains the French title. My expectations were raised having read The Life of an Unknown Man earlier this year, but this was just as impressive - a beautiful reflective mixture of memory and imagination.
May 22, 2015Helen Stanton rated it really liked it · review of another edition
A pondering on roots, identity and memory as well as a look at the turbulent history of Russia in the 20th Century . I did find the language a little challenging at times but a book that was definitely worth the effort .
Mar 05, 2015Lavinia rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Marcel, we need a date asap.
Jun 25, 2010UChicagoLaw added it
To me, it is the most poetic, original and beautifully written book about a search for an identity and a life between two cultures. It is a special book for me given my own attempt to embrace an American life yet retain all that is Finnish in me. Still, I trust that Makine’s delicate yet powerful story will captivate everyone. - Anu Bradford
May 01, 2019Magdelanye rated it really liked it Shelves: creative-process, culture-conflict, childhood, coming-of-age-initiation, historical-fiction, social-history, displacement, autobiographical-fiction, social-commentary
One seeks escape before being caught up in the toils of adult life...the role that it imposed on the lovers and the dreamers. p105
The languid pace of this exquisitely conceived and written account of a boys summers in the country somehow proceeds in spite of the increasing disturbances that surface as detonations that shred the hazy shrouds of innocence that protect the truth from children. The character of Charlotte Lemanier emerges from the background of a grandsons growing awareness, and the...more
The languid pace of this exquisitely conceived and written account of a boys summers in the country somehow proceeds in spite of the increasing disturbances that surface as detonations that shred the hazy shrouds of innocence that protect the truth from children. The character of Charlotte Lemanier emerges from the background of a grandsons growing awareness, and the...more
Mar 23, 2013Kerry rated it it was amazing
Makine's writing has all the subtle touches of masters of their trade; nowhere does he falter or fail, and instead allows the reader to fall deeper into the layers of his stories without being aware they are doing so. His tales are always created this way, their seemingly simple exterior giving way to sophisticated story lines that seductively pull the reader further into his interpretation of the world.
This book centers around a host of themes: being trapped between two languages, which reveal...more
This book centers around a host of themes: being trapped between two languages, which reveal...more
First, let me say that this is another one of those book I read a long time ago. One of those that passes through my mind from time to time with a bit of wistfulness. There are scenes that are vivid. But mostly it leaves me unsettled. Reading something in English, that was written in French, telling memories of a Russian childhood made me wonder what I could possibly be missing.
On the other hand, it was an intriguing cultural read and sadly, it's rare to run across a book in which a grown man f...more
On the other hand, it was an intriguing cultural read and sadly, it's rare to run across a book in which a grown man f...more
I would have given this book three and a half stars if that were possible. The beauty of its prose was my reason for wanting to do this. I couldn't give it more because I didn't enjoy reading it enough. This is a book you are supposed to like because it has earned such high literary praise. But I rank my books by how much I enjoyed reading them, not on literary merit.
Although I know the Russia of the time was bleak, it was just too bleak for me to like reading about it. I loved the grandmother b...more
Although I know the Russia of the time was bleak, it was just too bleak for me to like reading about it. I loved the grandmother b...more
I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. The prose is flowery (reminded me a little of Orhan Pamuk's scented pages) but ultimately seemed right for this slipping in and out of memory, going between a French past and a Russian present, between languages. I liked the urgency of the adolescent narrator's frustration in trying to reconcile the world of stories and feelings and ideas with the world in front of his face. He's alert to poignancy--he finds it everywhere and makes his reeling...more
Still reading but more comments -- This book received the Prix Goncourt. Did not know about the flood in Paris in 1910(?). I love the children's curiosity about the Grandmother's life, the places she lived. Can relate to the wonderment as a child stars at the photos of those long gone. More later.
Occasionally, the author's language seems a bit convoluted and the settings jump around without due warning. I know this is current construction of tales but this latter was a bit obtuse.
Was, however, a...more
Occasionally, the author's language seems a bit convoluted and the settings jump around without due warning. I know this is current construction of tales but this latter was a bit obtuse.
Was, however, a...more
Makine is the most profound author of our generation. There might be writers who can paint a prettier picture (see also, Best American Short Stories), but there is nobody on this earth who can challenge our perceptions on what it means to be human (to live, love, laugh, and die) like this fellow. Please disagree with me. Please recommend someone better. I look forward to reading. Thanks
May 19, 2018Sarah rated it really liked it · review of another edition
How could I not love this? So many things that are close to my heart ; the country and language I love (France), the country and culture that fascinates me (Russia), the importance and beauty of language and the written word, the difficulty of fitting into society when you belong to two cultures. A beautiful read.
The writing in this book is very prosaic and beautiful. The author gave such a vivid description of his memories and past events that I felt as though I was there, not that I really want to go to Russia after reading this book but France would be nice.
71 of 75 for 2015. The reading guide for this novel compares it to work by Nabokov and other great Russian authors, although I can't really see that. The book, written originally in French and presented here as an English translation, tells the story of a young man growing up in Soviet era Russia, spending his summers with his grandmother, a native of Paris. As someone who grew up in all the tension of the Cold War, I am fascinated by stories that tell of the life of my counterparts on the other...more
I decided I'm going to make room on my book shelve just for those books that are so well written that I some day will reread. This one will be on it. My gosh, this man can write! I can't wait to read more of his books. It may be that I've always been drawn to books about Russia, nonfiction, mostly, but fiction too. This book is listed as fiction, but the author's life so closely parallels the book that I can see how it is sometimes referred to as autobiographical. In a way it is a coming of age...more
Testamentul Lui Petru Cel Mare
Nov 27, 2010Belinda rated it liked it · review of another edition
The first thing to say about Le Testament Francais is that it is pretentious. Published elsewhere in English as Dreams of My Russian Summers, Andrei Makine's novel seems to be somewhat auto/biographical, although a quick poke around google shows this as something of a questionable claim.
Regardless of the truth of the story and its pretensions, Le Testament Francais is one of the most beautifully written and translated books I have ever read. Each word seems carefully picked to bestow maximum wei...more
Regardless of the truth of the story and its pretensions, Le Testament Francais is one of the most beautifully written and translated books I have ever read. Each word seems carefully picked to bestow maximum wei...more
Feb 05, 2018J.C. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
As I delved into this very intense book I regretted not having read Proust, because I thought the opening section might be similar to “A la Recherche du Temps Perdu”. I have a friend who, half a century after reading Proust, still suffers from depression, so I’ve never been tempted by his famous book. I am now curious as to whether “Le Testament Français” is actually a better book, deeper and more searching (forgive the pun!).
Andrei Makine grew up in The Soviet Union, but later lived in France....more
Andrei Makine grew up in The Soviet Union, but later lived in France....more
Testamentul Poate Fi Atacat
Feb 16, 2019Liz rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Makine's autobiographical novel depicts an adolescent experience of growing up whilst feeling torn between two cultures, two histories, two languages- and identifying with both for different reasons. A sweeping epic that charts the dramatic history of the twentieth century and the horrors of Stalinism, the dehumanising degradations of famine and the atrocities of war against the Nazis and also the bitter legacies for future generations that they left. The relationship between the narrator and hi...more
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Andreï Makine was born in Krasnoyarsk, Soviet Union on 10 September 1957 and grew up in city of Penza, a provincial town about 440 miles south-east of Moscow. As a boy, having acquired familiarity with France and its language from his French-born grandmother (it is not certain whether Makine had a French grandmother; in later interviews he claimed to have learnt French from a friend), he wrote poe...more
Dreams of My Russian Summers(3 books)
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