Fifty Russian Winters: An American Woman's Life in the Soviet Union

It held my interest very well. I really enjoyed reading how she, who was actually there, felt towards Russia's changing times.

An idealistic American woman comes to Russia in the 1930s, intending to stay for one year, and ends up living there for almost half a century. One of the best looks into average life during the heart of the Soviet days as well as a story of faith and disillusionment. Recommended.

Margaret Wettlin's book is insightful and very well written. She offers the reader a very personal account of her life under a regime which was as barbarous as any in history. Remarkably, despite all of the terrible events and deprivations she experienced in the Soviet Union, she expresses no bitterness or regret over her decision to live most of her life there. My only reservation about the book (and it is definitely not a reason to refrain from reading the book) is that her criticisms of the Soviet regime are far milder than that regime deserved.

What a life Margaret lived with her mate in Russia! This is an extremely moving book. It leaves one feeling apalled at the horrendous conditions in which these people lived and tried to survive. Margaret's life story is certainly a tale worth reading.

I was so moved by Margaret Wettlin's courage. What a free spirit, so ahead of her time. She gave herself an education through her travels and experiences far exceeding anything we could ever hope for in a classroom. This book confirms that it is women who are the glue who hold the world together. I'll never forget the images she gave me of the women in Leningrad clearing away the thousands of starved, frozen bodies before the Spring. No one should miss this extraordinary perspective of an American living in Russia for 50 years including the harrowing war years and the oppressive years following them.