The Soviet Sisters

A Novel of the Cold War

By: Anika Scott

Narrated by: Yelena Shmulenson, Kirsten Potter

Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

From bestselling author of The German Heiress, a gripping new historical novel filled with secrets, lies, and betrayals, following two spy sisters during the Cold War.

"Anika Scott pens a fascinating tale of secrets, surveillance, and sisterhood.... The Soviet Sisters will suck you in to the very last page!" —Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Diamond Eye

“Electrifying, meticulously researched, and expertly plotted, The Soviet Sisters is at once a Cold War thriller, a gripping spy story, a page-turning mystery, and a familial drama.” —Lara Prescott, New York Times bestselling author

Sisters Vera and Marya were brought up as good Soviets: obedient despite hardships of poverty and tragedy, committed to communist ideals, and loyal to Stalin. Several years after fighting on the Eastern front, both women find themselves deep in the mire of conflicts shaping a new world order in 1947 Berlin. When Marya, an interpreter, gets entangled in Vera’s cryptic web of deceit and betrayal, she must make desperate choices to survive—and protect those she loves.

Nine years later, Marya is a prisoner in a Siberian work camp when Vera, a doyenne of the KGB, has cause to reopen her case file and investigate the facts behind her sister's conviction all those years ago in Berlin. As Vera retraces the steps that brought them both to that pivotal moment in 1947, she unravels unexpected truths and discoveries that call into question the very history the Soviets were working hard to cover up.

Epic and intimate, layered and complex, The Soviet Sisters is a gripping story of spies, blackmail, and double, triple bluff. With her dexterous plotting and talent for teasing out moral ambiguity, Anika Scott expertly portrays a story about love, conflicting world views, and loyalty and betrayal between sisters.

©2022 Anika Scott (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

A Rare Treat

Scott conjures a world that is almost never talked about any more: a time after the war, when there was not one enemy to unite the forces. The splintering of the fractions and the stubborn hold on ideals led to a conflict every bit as heartbreaking as open warfare.
Humanity gets lost wherever we elevate ideals over humans. A great work and well written and narrated.
Thanks!

Phenomenal!!

A page Turner,
Twists and turns galore, heartbreaking and joyous. I couldn’t put it down.

Keep you hooked

This book has so many twists and turns that you never know which way to look. It will surly keep you hooked! The narrators do a great job at switching to different accents when required which makes it all the more interesting to follow the story.

Intense and well written

Well written historical fiction about blackmail, betrayal, espionage, love and difficult choices. An intense an emotional story. Could not stop listening.

Good enough

The story was interesting but not interesting enough, if I were to be reading the book instead of listening I wouldn’t have finished it. The ending is very pleasant, for a sad story. The plot twist is good

Intense

BRUTAL, CRUEL, SELFISH. TWISTED...Post war... sorrowful.
I completed this book in one setting. I will relisten...in a few weeks after I digest it a bit. I have read about WW2 all my life.

This is a well done intense book. The author made it real...post war ideologies...

A Wake-up Call For Those Who Favor A More Authoritarian Government In The US

Unfortunately there are many uninformed citizens of our country who think they want a more authoritarian government and less democracy in our country. It would be wise for such people to read/listen to this story of how such a system destroys everything we hold dear, including the freedoms we take so much for granted. All of us should take the time to carefully consider the dangers and great risks we take when we support those who promote and actively work to install such a system of government here. Democracy can often seem to be a very slow method of installing programs that support and defend the freedoms we so richly enjoy, but over the long-term once put in place those programs work to make all of our lives better. Be careful, very careful, of those who say there’s a better way through authoritarianism. Once those doors are opened it’s virtually impossible to close them again. Be careful what you wish for!

I love a good spy story.

My first novel by this author. Plan to check out more of her works. I do love a Cold War novel, and this is one of the best so far. The story is excellent. Both narrators are quite good, though, havingnot heard either before, figuring out who played which role was a challenge.

Spoiler Alert!

This is one of the most muddled and confusing stories I've read (listened to) in a long time. I'm used to historical fiction jumping back and forth in time, that wasn't the problem. The problem is the story line and inconsistencies. While investigating her sister's conviction for treason in the year 1956 she appears to be ignorant of what Maria was up to 9 years earlier in Berlin. However, Maria's recollections of the events of 1947 make it clear Vera was orchestrating all of it. Vera was well aware of what Maria was doing because she was instructing her and Maria reported back to her about all of it. The idea was a good one, but the way the author chose to write it was very confusing and labored. I dont recommend this one.

Never got over being depressing.

It just seemed slow, boring and dark to me. And some of the characters were just not believable.