Thanks, everyone, for your positive comments and support for my writing! This week, I wanted to talk about Hélène’s early years in Russia. She arrived in 1909, when the Romanov family had been ruling the country for almost 300 years, there was relative peace, and Saint-Pétersbourg was at its political and cultural height. The city had been built by Peter the Great and his heirs beginning in the late 1600’s in an Italian architectural style and with its multiple canals was dubbed the “Venice of the North”, and “Russia’s Window on Europe”. Culturally, the sophisticated city boasted world-renowned opera and ballet companies, orchestras, composers, and writers. French was the language of the Imperial family and upper class, and 12,000 French nationals were living in Russia. Even clothing and furnishings were ordered from Paris. At the time, it was very acceptable for a young woman to travel from France to Russia by herself to seek employment and adventure. What a perfect environment and opportunity for Hélène: aside from leaving her family in France, Saint-Pétersbourg must have felt like home with an exotic twist.

I’m so appreciative of everyone’s positive responses and interest in my novel! Thank you!

Last week, when I posted my blog on November 11, it made me think about the 100th anniversary of some of the key battles of WW1 and of the Russian Revolution – two significant events that figured highly in Hélène Aubry’s life.

When the war started in 1914, Hélène had been living in Saint-Pétersbourg (now re-named Petrograd) for 5 years. As soon as Germany began hostilities against France, the Triple Entente brought Russia and the United Kingdom into the conflict. Everyone thought this was going to be a quick affair, but the war dragged on, and by 1917, as many as 2.5 million Russian soldiers had died on the front, and 5 million had been wounded. To contribute to the war effort, Hélène, like Tsarina Alexandra and 25,000 Russian women, trained to be a nurse; they were called the sisters of mercy of the Red Cross. 1917 proved to be a key turning point in Russian history, as starvation and the war casualties led to a series of debilitating strikes, Tsar Nicholas II’s abdication, and, ultimately, the Russian Revolution.