I am not as blown away by this novel as are other reviewers. Another Animal Farm it is not. Michael Honig Tells the story of Putin’s nurse, and indirectly Putin. as he cares for a Putin brought low by Alzheimer’s. Sheremetev is that rare man in this Russia-someone who is NOT on the take. But circumstances of family tragedy coupled with his growing awareness of his patient’s utter immoral nature conspire to drive even him to break his ethical code. The lively cast of characters who surround Sheremetev at the dacha add interest to the book as their true natures and histories are revealed. Sheremetev and his crisis of conscience leads him to an unexpected act, but it is Vladimir himself and the Russia he created-venal, corrupt, and unscrupulous-that is ultimately to blame for what befalls Patient One. A very good novel, yes, very readable-but great? No.
Tag: Russia
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Trump’s New Slogan: Make Russia Great Again!
The FBI is investigating the hack into the DNC which released emails to WikiLeaks from the Clinton campaign about her former rival Sanders. U.S. officials suspect that it was in fact a Russian cyber-attack. The timing and nature of this incident has the Clinton campaign saying that it was done deliberately to help Republican nominee Trump. Trump has been vociferous in his admiration of Russian leader Putin, and Putin has returned that by giving his endorsement to the controversial candidate. Given Trump’s ties to Putin, including substantial Russian monetary ones, this is hardly surprising. But Trump has channeled this politically, pushing the Republican platform to change its stance on the Ukraine and saying that he would not honor the NATO treaty to defend U.S. allies, a move which could potentially benefit Russia in its move towards hegemony in the Middle East and Europe. The question is: will Trump supporters CARE about any of this? They seem to be fueled by faith and willing to give The Donald an innumerable number of passes. Lied? No big deal. Scammed people? He’s a businessman! So maybe it’ll be “What’s a little bit of foreign intrigue/quasi-treasonous activity?”