A Plague on Both Your Houses

Name: A Plague on Both Your Houses
Rating: 2.6 (5 reviews)
ISBN: 9798212227735

By Robert Littell

Publisher Description

A brand-new novel from New York Times bestselling author Robert Littell, A Plague on Both Your Houses is a thrilling tale of love and war.

On Christmas Day, 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev delivered a ten-minute televised speech announcing his resignation as Soviet president. Moments later, with little pomp and less circumstance, the red flag was lowered from its floodlit perch atop the Kremlin, and the Soviet Union ceased to exist.

Into the vacuum—before a new democracy had time to put down roots—surged the Russian mafia, supplying what the new state could not: krysha, or “roof”—protection for the privately owned businesses sprouting across the country. Rivalries turned bloody as Moscow’s Jewish mafia battled the Ossete vory v zakone (literally “thieves-in-law”) for control of the city. Caught up in the mayhem, Yulia, only daughter of the Jewish mafia godfather, and Roman, only son of the Ossete mafia godfather, are obliged to navigate the minefield of a star-crossed love affair as they attempt to escape a destiny that appears preordained.

A Plague on Both Your Houses is the fictional story of one bloody episode in Moscow’s Great Turf War, when clans fought brutally in the streets and the future of the Russian nation was anything but assured.

Download the free Fable app

Stay organized

Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.

Build a better TBR

Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool

Rate and review

Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags

Curate your feed

Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities

Stay organized

Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.

Build a better TBR

Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool

Rate and review

Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags

Curate your feed

Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities

A Plague on Both Your Houses Reviews

2.5

Beth Sneider

Created over 1 year ago

Bbecca_marie

Created almost 2 years ago

“Thank you Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the gifted copies and the chance to review it honestly. I received this book as a physical gifted copy and ab audiobook through NetGalley. I tried to read it as a physical book and unfortunately I couldn’t get in to it, which is why I requested it as an audiobook. It sounded like something I’d enjoy but it missed the mark for me. I will say, I did enjoy the narrator and because of him, I was able to finish the book. Now I don’t think my issue was the story itself, I just always have a love/hate relationship with mafia stories and historical fiction… I just didn’t love this one. It’s a violent one and I think it’s supposed to be a Romeo & Juliet reimagining. As always, please take my opinion with a grain of salt. There are a ton of mixed reviews so you’ll just need to check it out for yourself if it’s on your TBR. Happy reading”

noladawn

Created almost 2 years ago

KayHush

Created almost 2 years ago

“This book was an interesting combination of Russian history and a Romeo and Juliet retelling. I am struggling to write a review for this book, just as I struggled to connect with these characters and storyline. Overall, I felt that the story plot was good. The initial half(ish) of the book is told in dual timeline, and then switches to current timeline only. I usually do not enjoy dual timeline stories, so I was happy when this turned current only. The one thing that remains with me more than anything is that one mafia boss has a bad nostril that seems to be constantly whistling! Many other reviewers comment on the way that women are portrayed and described in this book. While I wasn't thrilled with how they were portrayed - there seemed to be a considerable focus on hyper sexualizing them - it didn't stop me from continuing on. Big kudos go to the narrator, Ramiz Monsef, who did an exceptional job with the narration and especially the accents. Very well performed. Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an advanced listener copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own and I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily.”

Jenniferreads

Created about 2 years ago

““A Plague on Both Your Houses” by Robert Littell is the Romeo and Juliet inspired story of Roman and Yulia, that come from different Russian Mafia families. It is set in 1991, after the fall of communism during the time the transitional government was in place. This transition led to a rise in the Russian mafia and turf wars throughout Russia and the region. The concept and political landscape at the time lent itself to what could have been a great historical fiction novel, however, it came up short and I ended up DNFing at 50%. The book lacked the historical depth for me to get a sense of time and place and the transitions in point of view limited the character development I desired. At 50% I was still unclear of the main themes of the book. I also had trouble with the writing of the female characters in general. If you go in knowing more about Russian History and the Russian Mafia, this book might interest you, but for me, I didn’t get enough depth to understand the backstory or characters so the book felt flat.”

About Robert Littell

Robert Littell is the author of nineteen other highly acclaimed novels, many about the Cold War and the Soviet Union, including his masterwork, New York Times bestseller The Company, and the Los Angeles Times Book Award winner for best mystery-thriller Legends. An American born in Brooklyn, Robert Littell now lives in France.