Dreams of My Russian Summers - post III

This book is starting to develop a richness that at first is not apparent but much like Andrei's development as a person the book moves from distant memories of the rich and famous to the more personal

Bullet points between pages 120 - 188

* Following his interest in history it seems there is not much left about France at the turn of the century that Charlotte can tell her grandson but after his mother and father die and his aunt comes to stay a soviet view of the world is imposed

* Part of the Soviet view includes a different history and he learns about Beria, who used to choose women to rape and then make them disappear, and soon after he discovers that his grandmother was raped

* Rather than rebel against the Russian side of his character he starts to embrace it and as he does so is accepted much more by his classmates and his interest in girls starts to increase

* As he becomes again a point of mockery in the classroom he heads back to visit his grandmother without warning to confront her and blame her Frenchness for making him suffer but he finds her in a changed mood and together they discuss the past, her rape and the war and he discovers the difference when Charlotte treats him as a man

The final leg of this book comes tomorrow...