The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald was first published in 1988. The setting is Moscow in 1913. I’ve read quite a lot of Russian literature in the past and I must say that this one seems very authentic, it would be easy to believe that it was written by an actual Russian.

Frank Reid is a printer in Moscow, he was born in the city but is still seen as a foreigner as far as the Russians are concerned. Lots of British businesses had opened up in Russia in the 19th century. But times are changing, there’s a hint of revolution in the air. Really Frank would be better leaving Russia, but he isn’t the type of person to make a decision, until he’s pushed.

However when Frank comes home from work one night, his servants tell him that his English wife Nellie has left him, and taken their three children with her. This comes as a huge surprise to Frank who had no notion that Nellie had been unhappy. But Nellie apparently had second thoughts and leaves the children in the care of the railway stationmaster while she gets on a train. When the children get back home it’s evident that the eldest two have more sense about them than their father has, but of course they will have witnessed things that their father hasn’t.

I enjoyed this one with its atmosphere of Russia and its petty restrictions, however the ending is so abrupt that it came as a bit of a shock. At page 187 it just stopped!

I think this is the first book that I’ve read by Penelope Fitgerald alhough I thought I had read some before, but I must admit that I get mixed up with the three Penelopes – Fitzgerald, Lively and Mortimer. I’ve definitely read books by Lively and Mortimer.