Book Title:The Shoemaker and His Daughter ISBN-13:978-1781620434 Author:Conor O'Clery Publisher:Doubleday Ireland Guideline Price:£14.99In the many accounts of the history of the world, the importance of good footwear is surely under-represented. Even after the war, the quality of mass-produced shoes in the Soviet Union remained poor. Stanislav Suvorov is Conor O’Clery’s father-in-law – father of his wife Zhanna – and through the story of their family O’Clery takes us deep into the history of the Soviet Union and post-Soviet Russia. Send them to Siberia?”Through Zhanna’s story we experience the isolation of life in Soviet Russia where “near abroad” is Latvia and Armenia, while “real abroad” extends only to Romania and Bulgaria. Memories of the four-day train journey with her grandmother from Grozny to Moscow where they lined up to see Lenin’s embalmed body.

Source: The Irish Times August 25, 2018 04:52 UTC