I won't rehash the plot, as that is already everywhere, and I also hate it when too much plot is given away in reviews. So you can safely read this without me revealing too much.

Kate Furnivall's writing style is really beautiful, and as a sidenote, the publishing house did a beautiful job packaging this (cover design, chapter headings, fonts).

What I loved about this book: The characters were well-developed and there was so much gray area (rather than black & white/clear-cut scenarios and "good" characters vs. villians). The historical part of the book was interesting and the author's writing style is poetic but in a flawless, easy way that doesn't feel too embellished or drawn out.

I'll admit, the first half of this book was simply interesting to me. It probably ranked at about 3 stars - I thought the plot and the characters were interesting and the writing was beautiful. However, it wasn't a page turner for me. I was reading it kind of slowly, in fact. I think this may have to do with the fact that many characters are introduced in the first half of the book, so I'm getting familiar with everyone but not exactly falling in love with the character...but just hang on...because:

The second half of this book is one of the BEST sections of fiction I've read. All of the earlier setup, the intercutting of the past with present storylines, the locations of the village vs. the labor camp all come together beautifully. I felt like the book turned a corner around the midpoint and I was absolutely captivated. I couldn't put it down. As new twists and turns are added to the story, I found myself going back to reread earlier passages in light of the new plot/character information.

If you find yourself feeling the book is a touch slow in the beginning, don't keep reading, because it turns into something amazing. Because the second half of this book is 10+ stars, I give it 5 stars overall.

The best book I have read in a very long time. I could not put it down and I never wanted it to end. I highly recommend.

I am surprised at the favorable reviews for this book since I found it totally unbelievable and ridiculous. The premise is interesting - girl in Russian labor camp escapes to get help for her friend who is spitting up blood and may not last a year. Then she finds the town where her friend's old beau resides so he can help her. OK, so far so good. Keep in mind that her sick friend was twelve the last time she saw the beau and he was fourteen. Everybody is well into their twenties by now. Throw in a gypsy who goes around hypnotizing people and multiple, endless, soul searching episodes of the principal characters staring into each other's eye and I had enough. Could not make it past the halfway point and I am writing this review so nobody wastes an otherwise lovely weekend on such a mind numbing, annoying, trite book.

I wrote this review for Romance Junkies. THE RED SCARF tells the story of prisoners in a Siberian labor camp, two women, fragile Anna Fedorina and practical Sophia Morozova, couldn't survive without each other. Their friendship is tested when Anna falls ill and Sophia escapes to find the only person who can help them, Anna's childhood love.

It's 1933 when Stalin has forced aristocrats into labor camps. Anna Fedorina's act of kindness forges a friendship with another inmate, Sophia Morozova, whose hand has been crushed. While caring for Sophia, Anna entertains her with stories from her childhood that include the love of her young life, Vasily. As Sophia listens, she comes to know the character and charm of Vasily. She also learns that Vasily has hidden family treasures.

The two women are inseparable as they struggle to live through another day at the harsh Davinsky Labor Camp. When Anna becomes ill, the tables are turned. Now Sophia fears her friend won't survive unless she escapes to bring help. When Sophia tells Anna that she is going to escape to find Vasily, Anna hopes that at least one of them will survive. Has Sophia fallen in love with Vasily before she has even met him?

Kate Furnivall's book, THE RED SCARF, is a stunning narrative of loyalty, romantic love, and fear of betrayal. Anna's tender-hearted reaction to care for Sophia during her time of need, and strong-willed Sophia's loyalty toward Anna brought tears to my eyes. I was swept into the Siberian wilderness when Sophia, a tough survivor, escapes to find Vasily in a small village. Masterful storyteller Kate Furnivall spins a cruel world of Soviet Russia. THE RED SCARF was too compelling to put down. I'm telling my friends who love a dark historical to grab this powerful book.

This is another excellent book by Kate Furnivall. Loved it. I started reading and couldn't put it down. Kate makes the characters come alive, the story is intriguing and exciting with surprising twists and turns. And above all it is incredibly well researched - I learned a lot about life in Stalin's Russia.
Highly recommended!

This is another excellent book by Kate Furnivall. Loved it. I started reading and couldn't put it down. Kate makes the characters come alive, the story is intriguing and exciting with surprising twists and turns. And above all it is incredibly well researched - I learned a lot about life in Stalin's Russia.
Highly recommended!

An absolute masterpiece from Kate Furnivall--hands down the best book I've read all summer. I read the first page sitting a Borders cafe, and didn't put it down until I'd finished the final chapter. Anyone who appreciates intricate, delightful storytelling and picture-perfect prose should put this on their list of must-reads.

An absolute masterpiece from Kate Furnivall--hands down the best book I've read all summer. I read the first page sitting a Borders cafe, and didn't put it down until I'd finished the final chapter. Anyone who appreciates intricate, delightful storytelling and picture-perfect prose should put this on their list of must-reads.

The compelling tale of two women's life in a Russian labor camp. While a extremely well written historical novel, it was a bit confusing at times. I bought this book because I read Furnival's Novel the Russian Concubine and really enjoyed it, and this book did not quite measure up.

Furnivall's first book, The Russian Concubine, was fantastic. I wasn't disappointed by this second book, The Red Scarf.
Although the first book contained the theme of the Bolshevik revolution, it was set in China, and thus cultural conflict was a major theme. In The Red Scarf, we are in a country that has been torn apart by inner conflict: it is tearing out the heart of 'Mother Russia'.
I studyed Stalinist Russia in college, and I very much wish that this novel had of been around at the time. Reading the facts and figures on the page of a textbook is one thing, but Furnivall's book brought it to life. It is a fantastic historical novel, with pure facts where they are needed combined with the fictional characters that you can't help but feel empathy for.
The characters that Furnivall has created are so very complex; exactly how I imagine people would have been at the time when your neighbour who you have known your whole life could very well be the person to sign your death warrant.
I would recommend this book to any lover of historical fiction, especially the period of Communist Russia.

I was completely engrossed by The Russian Concubine so I picked up this book immediately the day it came out!

The book kicks off by establishing the tight-knit friendship between Anna and Sofia plowing through horrible conditions at the Davinsky Labor Camp in pre-Revolutionary Russia. Soon one of the two friends manages to escape and the rest of the book is split between two worlds. The book is begins to show its value as an educational tool on communist Russia that most Americans probably have little to no education of. It also presents a non-stereotypical view that highlights the individual differences and idiosyncracies in a time where individualism was viewed as selfish. However, what the book fails to do, is really delve into the psychology of the characters and of the times. Characters seem to be portrayed as being wholy good (those against communism) or wholy evil (Bolshevik supporters). Around the middle of the book, tables are turned, lies are revealed and nothing but confusion follows. Paragraphs become snippier and it is obvious that the author seemed uncertain how to wrap up the plot she unraveled. Sofia and Mikhail become cardboard cutouts of star-crossed lovers and Pyotr becomes just another stupidly innocent boy on the brink of manhood.

In the end, I found the book to be slightly above par with your average romance novel. I was disappointed and hope for a better next book from Furnivall.

Author Kate Funivall has written a gripping story in a fascinating setting. She has brought the culture and politics of Russia in the 30's to life. The characters are interesting - strong and brave Sofia, and fragile and hopeful Sofia. She produced the backgrounds of these main characters, and others, in small bits throughout the book, slowly adding richness to each. A surprise twist really surprised me (as it should be, no glaring hints). I would give The Red Scarf five stars but for a few minor issues. One is that the author tended to end a chapter in the middle of a scene, and the next chapter would begin well on down the road, with the details from the earlier scene doled out slowly. The very final denouement, on the last page seemed trite, but I quibble. Four and one half stars for this recommended book.

I visited St. Petersburg a couple of summers ago and have since then trying to get my hands on anything that will give me more insight to Russia and her history. This book provided a perspective of collectivism, Stalin's labor camps, and communism, with of course, the human tragedy associated with those things. I'm trying to find more books like this, so if you know of any, respond to this!

The Red Scarf was an excellent story. I found it to be just as engrossing as The Russian Concubine, but in a totally different way. Furnivall has the rare talent of making each of her novels a completely unique experience for the reader. Amazingly well researched, true to life in its time, I whole-heartedly recommend The Red Scarf.

In 1933 Sofia Morozova struggles to survive her ordeal in Siberia's Davinsky labor camp. She lives because she has a long term goal of freedom and a short term objective to keep the spirit of frail half-broken Anna Fedorina going; she knows Anna depends on her for her minuscule fading flicker of hope.

When Anna becomes ill, Sofia desperately seeks help, which means leaving the camp. She escapes in hopes of finding Anna's childhood love Vasily a revolutionary allegedly living in Tivil. Sofia meets factory director Mikhail Pashin, whom she believes is Vasily in disguise. As she falls in love with Mikhail, she refuses to act on her feelings because if he is Vasily, as she believes, he belongs to Anna.

This is a deep character driven tale starring two courageous women, a brave man, and the labor camp that is so vividly described it takes on a role of a horror figure. Sofia is wonderful as she survives the same way some people did the Nazi's concentration camps a decade later by making friends to care for, thinking of the happiness in her past in Petrograd and believing in a future life beyond the death prison. The romance takes a back seat though well written and enhancing the overall plot as Kate Furnivall concentrates on a powerful historical that focuses on the horrors of the Siberian death camps.

Harriet Klausner