St. Petersburg 1908-1917
Born into privilege as the daughter of the Tsar’s favored vodka maker, Mila appears to have everything: wealth, status, and a household devoted to her happiness. But behind the gilded doors of her family estate, she is trapped by the cruelty of a stepmother whose greatest wish is to give birth to her own child.
Each summer on Ivan Kupala Eve, Russia turns its gaze to river bends and forest floors in search of the legendary Fern Flower—a mythical bloom said to grant fortune, power, and the deepest desires of the heart. Only one person had ever found it.
Until Mila.
Years later, in the fading grandeur of Petrograd, Mila and her friends slip into the fabled Stray Dog Café, once the sanctuary of Russia’s most daring artists and dreamers. Inspired by its ghosts, murals, and memories, Mila's group resurrects the work she'd first imagined as a child. The Fern Flower is a breathtaking ballet drawn from folklore, magic, and the secrets of Mila’s past.
But in the fiercely competitive ranks of the Imperial Ballet School, talent is never enough. Though Mila wrote the ballet and her gifted musician friend composed its score, rivals question whether Mila is worthy of claiming the coveted lead role.
As World War I intensifies and revolution ignites, the Russia Mila knows begins to collapse. Family secrets surface, loyalties are tested, and the people she loves begin to disappear. When her parents flee and her young brother’s life hangs in the balance, Mila is faced with an impossible choice: remain with the found family who helped her chase her dreams or risk everything to save the person who needs her most.
With Russian folklore, imperial grandeur, and the fierce beauty of ballet, The Fern Flower is a sweeping tale of ambition, friendship, sacrifice, and the magic that survives even when the world is falling apart.
Mila Belova has enjoyed her father’s company and attention since her mother died. Despite the overwhelming loss that came with her mother’s death, Mila found comfort in her father, and comforted him in turn. Midnight walks, telling stories and dancing, dreaming about the future where Mila sees herself as a prima ballerina, brought a level of security and comfort to Mila’s life.
When a new woman turns up in the house, her father’s new wife, whom Mila knew nothing about until the woman was moving in, everything changes. Her father takes the side of his new wife over his daughter, often turning her away, or dismissing her ideas or requests in favour of keeping his new wife happy.
This is a book I found myself instantly drawn into. We meet Mila as a young girl, who finds herself cut off from her only remaining family in an instant when her new Maman arrives. The woman stepping into her mother’s role is nothing like the parent Mila misses, or needs. Maman is desperate for a child of her own, and seemingly uninterested in taking on this young girl, preferring Mila to stay away from her and to keep quiet. I found Mila’s introduction to her new ‘mother’ heartbreaking, for she is only young and so desperate to keep everyone around her happy, but she is met with resistance at every turn from Maman and, in turn, her father. To watch such a young girl face such loneliness and rejection is truly saddening, especially since she goes to such measures to try and make Maman like her, attempting to keep the peace in the house.
Mila finds herself treading on eggshells around Maman, along with the rest of the people in the house. Although her father is Mila’s only relative, those employed to work in the house are a found family for Mila, and one she so desperately needs. Lottie, her nurse, slowly, and throughout the course of the novel, becomes closer and closer to Mila. Lottie is much like Mila’s own mother was, they share the same interests, and temperaments. It is no surprise that Lottie almost becomes a step-in parent for Mila, when the arrival of Maman drives her father away from her. This is a relationship that I found absolute joy in while reading this book, for although Lottie and Mila argue at times, they are always there for each other, and have such a clear bond, they are willing to do anything to keep the other happy and safe.
I especially liked the folklore of this novel. The fern flower holds a lot more metaphorical value to this novel than it appears at first, for although it is said to hold riches for the one who finds and picks it, the consequences are much more dire than they originally appear. In particular, this seems to extend to Maman and her desperation for a baby, leading to a deep delve into the superstitions and scepticisms of the time period. Through Maman’s insistence, the household must follow the rules of many different superstitions in order to keep her happy and content, for her tendencies to change from seeming fairly tolerant to throwing a fit at some small occurrence in the house are unpredictable, dangerous, and unsettling.
Although this book is generally about Mila’s ballet, and her dream of becoming a prima ballerina, I felt like the majority of the book actually focused on her early life. This is not a complaint, for I found every moment with Mila a joy to read about, but it did seem to take a while to get to the Imperial Ballet School. Once there, Mila seemed to meet only more resistance, no aspect of her life laying itself out to be easy for her. The ballet school is fiercely competitive, and Mila struggles to try and stay put in the background in order to stay out of trouble. She is truly a free spirit, and when she gets an idea into her head, there is no stopping her. The ballet school itself, and the story from there on out expands the story into Russia as the First World War breaks out, and revolutions begin to stir. Despite focusing entirely on Mila, this book clearly depicts the history of the time, but does it subtly to not take away from Mila’s story, while fully immersing the reader in the setting.
One other person of significance would be Mila’s brother, but I can’t talk about him too much without spoiling aspects of the book, and I don’t want to do that! He doesn’t come into the story until far into the story, but Mila’s sisterly affections and protectiveness make for an excellent addition to the story.
This is a very long book, nearly 600 pages long, but when you are reading it, it doesn’t seem like a long book at all. It is one of those rare stories that keep your attention entirely throughout reading it, and is one that you absolutely don’t want to put down because the characters become like friends while you read. It is deeply emotional, while holding onto that tendril of innocence that comes with such a young main character. This is 100% one of the best books I have read this year, and one I will very highly recommend to anyone who asks.
Bestselling author, Kathleen Shoop, PhD’s novels have won awards in the Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY), Eric Hoffer Book Awards, the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, Readers’ Favorite, and more.
Kathleen has more than 20 years of experience in the classroom and has been featured in USA Today and the Writer’s Guide. She co-coordinates Mindful Writers Retreats and co-coordinated the 2023 Pennwriters Conference.
She frequently teaches and is a regular presenter at conferences for writers.
