To Russia for Love: The American Man's Best Option

I read this book soon after bringing my Russian bride home in 1999 (happily married 6 years now with one daughter), and I enjoyed it. During my quest for a Russian wife, I felt I had earned a PhD in travel to Russia and Ukraine and in the psychology of Russian women. Learning how to find, communicate with, and pursue a Russian girl is not nearly as easy as one might think. All information is welcome. Frank's book is a solid, fairly readable portrayal of one man's adventure. It is centered around the three "socials" of his first two-week trip to Moscow, which was sponsored by a well-known tour agency/internet address provider, and the subsequent dates that Frank had with Russian girls he met during that trip. The book is easy to read but could have used some editing. Frank's adventure was probably fairly typical, though different from mine. There's a lot of good information and advice for those men who are planning a trip to Russia/Ukraine (though it is perhaps becoming somewhat dated now in 2006). You can get good information on various websites as well. This book would also make a good read for single American women who wonder why they aren't finding the kind of man they want. They will not like a lot of what Frank says, but they should try to understand why he says it. Several of my wife's Russian girlfriends have read the book and they generally like it, although they find his description of his sexual conquests to be "ne culturny" (not cultured). My only serious criticism of the book is that Frank does not spend a lot of time talking about the emotional aspects of meeting and being with Russian girls. My adventures in Russia and Ukraine, and of meeting and courting my future wife, were very emotional for us both. Frank also does not tell much about the women he meets. Their everyday lives are sometimes fascinating and often sad. Most men are more emotional than people realize - we simply express it differently (and less fully) than women. I would have enjoyed hearing more from Frank about this. Still the book is quite enjoyable and an interesting contrast to my quest. I re-read the book recently and still found it interesting and enjoyable.

To Russia With Love is an interesting account of one man's experiences of traveling to Russia on a group tour to find the perfect Russian wife. Obviously the author's efforts did not land him on any short list for the Pulitzer Prize. While in Moscow he dated women with whom he had corresponded prior to making his trip as well as those who were met for the first time at the socials. I would have liked to have been given more details about his pre-trip correspondence to know what it was about those women in particular that led him to want to actually meet them on his trip. Similarly, the author failed to provide many details about what it was about the particular women that he met at the socials that singled them out from the two to three hundred women who were in attendance. The reader is simply told that he would be meeting Irina, Sveta, or whomever at 7:30 p.m. and it is difficult to keep the various women straight. The author writes at great lengths about his dissatisfaction with American women, though he is presumably preaching to the choir since most men contemplating such a trip to Russia most likely already share his views. My final criticism deals with the contant lawyer- and Clinton-bashing, which seemed totally unneccessary, but then again, I am a lawyer and a former Clinton supporter! Despite these faults, the book still did make for a quick and amusing evening's read, though it probably could have been shortened into a better article for a men's magazine.

This book describes what a goldmine the former Soviet Union is for bachelors. Imagine a country chocked full of beautiful women where the local men turn far too often to the bottle as a lifestyle. I have been to Russia quite a number of times and I always marvel at the number of beautiful and often well educated women who are single. I have read a number of articles in newspapers, magazines, and E-zines about the matchmaking agencies. This book is a good way to read about some of the plethora of matchmaking agencies available. If nothing else, this book can be an eyeopener for American guys looking for a woman out of the United States 1950s: a woman who wants to stay home, raise children, keep house, and please her man. Don't get me wrong, many Russian woman are liberated and demand equality, but they do it in the framework of putting home and hearth first in their lives. I beleive in full equality of the sexes AND I think Russia is a good place to go to find a future friend and spouse. If you don't already know about Russian women, please buy this book. You'll be glad you did.

I've read Frank Coleman's book twice and I must say it gets better each time. Him and I both went to Russia several times and we both are VERY HAPPILY married to Russian women...(we didn't go together! I've never met the guy!) This book explains in often hilarious detail how so many educated, upper middle class Western men are finding fantastic women in the former U.S.S.R. ( )END