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Grushin's stunning debut drew praise that placed her in the top rank of young literary voices. Now she returns with that rarity: a second novel even more dazzling than her first.
The line: the universal symbol of scarcity and bureaucracy that exists wherever petty officials are let loose to abuse their powers.
The line begins to form on the whispered rumor that a famous exiled composer is returning to Moscow to conduct his last symphony. Tickets will be limited. Nameless faces join the line, jostling for preferred position. But as time passes and the seasons change and the ticket kiosk remains shuttered, these anonymous souls take on individual shape. Unlikely friendships are forged, long-buried memories spring to life, and a year-long wait is rewarded with unexpected acts of kindness that ease the bleakness of harshly lived lives. A disparate gaggle of strangers evolves into a community of friends united in their desire to experience music they have never been allowed to hear.
The Line is a transformative novel that speaks to the endurance of the human spirit even as it explores the ways in which we love-and what we do for love.
The line: the universal symbol of scarcity and bureaucracy that exists wherever petty officials are let loose to abuse their powers.
The line begins to form on the whispered rumor that a famous exiled composer is returning to Moscow to conduct his last symphony. Tickets will be limited. Nameless faces join the line, jostling for preferred position. But as time passes and the seasons change and the ticket kiosk remains shuttered, these anonymous souls take on individual shape. Unlikely friendships are forged, long-buried memories spring to life, and a year-long wait is rewarded with unexpected acts of kindness that ease the bleakness of harshly lived lives. A disparate gaggle of strangers evolves into a community of friends united in their desire to experience music they have never been allowed to hear.
The Line is a transformative novel that speaks to the endurance of the human spirit even as it explores the ways in which we love-and what we do for love.
4 Reviews
3.5
Jessica Jeffers
Created almost 2 years agoShare
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Emily
Created almost 7 years agoShare
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Gael Pixie
Created almost 12 years agoShare
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“Goodreads app just deleted my review before I could save it.
Anyway, I'm not going to rewrite it.
Thoroughly enjoyed this subtle drama of family and community in the queue for concert tickets in a fictionalized 20th century Russian city.”
Ursina Studhalter
Created about 15 years agoShare
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“Talent, emotion and the pure power of words come together in The Line by Olga Grushin. Due out for release in late March by Penguin Canada, this book is one of those you might not finish all at once but are guaranteed to remember. Here's what Goodreads had to say:
The line: the universal symbol of scarcity and bureaucracy that exists wherever petty officials are let loose to abuse their powers.
The line begins to form on the whispered rumor that a famous exiled composer is returning to Moscow to conduct his last symphony. Tickets will be limited. Nameless faces join the line, jostling for preferred position. But as time passes and the seasons change and the ticket kiosk remains shuttered, these anonymous souls take on individual shape. Unlikely friendships are forged, long-buried memories spring to life, and a year-long wait is rewarded with unexpected acts of kindness that ease the bleakness of harshly lived lives. A disparate gaggle of strangers evolves into a community of friends united in their desire to experience music they have never been allowed to hear.
The Line is a transformative novel that speaks to the endurance of the human spirit even as it explores the ways in which we love-and what we do for love.
While this book is not something I normally read, I got an ARC of it from Penguin Canada. I have to say for a second novel, this is an amazing show of writer's talent. Grushin can string together words in a way that you normally only find from authors that go down in history as 'great'. She brought out an emotion and depth to her writing that I have rarely read. As you read this story you can feel the black clouds hanging over Anna and her family's head. You can get a great sense of what Russia was like back when it was the USSR without needing a history lesson. What I liked best was how the characters always seemed to hope for something and no matter how terrible things got, they clung to this hope. The kiosk becomes a way of living and a daily part of their lives after the first time somebody asks, "What do you want?". The Line is about wishes, hope, family and sacrifices. There are, according to the author's note, several true historical facts in the book. Because I am just awe-struck by the emotion and the power pulled from words by the author, I give this 4 stars. Where's the 5th star you ask? Well, it got lost somewhere in a plot that sometimes lacked direction. This book is more for an adult and sophisticated audience than for leisure reading so it gets an IT Book Ranking of On The Shelf. Overall a good read!”
About Olga Grushin
Olga Grushin was born in Moscow in 1971. She studied at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow State University, and Emory University. Her short fiction has appeared in Partisan Review, Confrontation, The Massachusetts Review, and Art Times. This is her first novel. Grushin, who became an American citizen in 2002, lives in Washington, D.C.
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