20–6483
“Many who have followed the Russian articles in the Saturday Evening Post of Princess Cantacuzène will no doubt greet with pleasure their appearance in book form under the title ‘Russian people: revolutionary recollections.’ Similar to Princess Cantacuzène’s earlier book, ‘Revolutionary days,’ these pictures of Russian life are seen through the eyes of a member of the upper classes, residents for years in the country. It is the simple folk outside the city, exemplified by the peasant of the Cantacuzène estate, Bouromka, about whom the stories center. In addition to the pictures of Bouromka before and after the ‘red’ outbreaks, there are chapters dealing with the efforts in various parts of the old empire to re-establish a stable government. Crimea, where the Cantacuzène villa is situated, was one such center. ‘Daughters of Russia’ is the title of the final chapter, these ranging from Catherine the Great to Catherine Breshkovsky and Maria Botshkarova.”—Springf’d Republican
“The author knows the peasants and tenantry outside of the large cities and writes of them intimately and interestingly. Her account of the revolution and of political affairs is, however, second hand and lacks clarifying detail.”
+ − Booklist 17:64 N ’20
“They present readable and accurate impressions of events on which full information is still hard to get.”
+ Ind 103:440 D 25 ’20 130w
“It would be a mistake to regard her story as seriously contributing to our understanding of the revolution, if for no other reason than that her materials are obtained at secondhand and to a great extent from rumor. Painting in simple black-and-white is not her only limitation.”
− Nation 110:860 Je 26 ’20 340w
“Princess Cantacuzène’s book is certainly a striking case of a good opportunity missed. If only she had stuck more to what she saw herself during those days when her adopted country was going to pieces before her eyes!”