The Empress’ Gift
In 1763, Catherine the Great of Russia invited peasants and tradesmen of Europe to settle the Volga Frontier, offering to pay for transport, food, seed, lumber, and nearly everything they would need to establish villages and farms, as well as a promise that the land they settled would belong to them. When young German noblewoman Amila learns of the offer, she sees it as a way to escape a repulsive marriage organized by her evil stepfather. Amila convinces some of her serfs to escape her stepfather’s cruelty and emigrate with her, to Russia or elsewhere. Her maid, Eve, and Eve’s handsome brother Rein are two of those who join her. The journey to reach the lands offered to them is long, difficult, and dangerous. The frontier itself has many hazards: the tribes of Kirghiz who believe the land to be theirs, bands of thieves, wolves, and winter. In addition to these dangers is the corruption of Russian officials and Amila’s stepfather’s desire for revenge.
The pacing of this story is strong, with conflict never taking a break. A prologue, showing where Amila and Rein are and what they are doing near the end of their story, removes suspense from many of the dangers; I wish I hadn’t read it. Amila is an independent and enjoyable heroine, more nuanced than the other characters. Rein’s belligerent attitude toward his former mistress seems unrealistic and unnecessary for their love story. The evil stepfather’s motivation is greed, and he has no redeeming qualities; although one-dimensional, he is easy to hate. The historical details of the German emigration to the Volga frontier are interesting. An epilogue and author notes expand on the information and show the author’s connection to the story.
