Red Moon over White Sea

Laila Hietamies is Finland's best-selling author with more than 30 novels to her credit. Red Moon over White Sea depicts the experiences of the people of Karelia at the beginning of the 20th century through two young girls growing up to become school teachers, falling in love and inadvertently ending up on opposite sides of the Civil War in Finland. Finland's best-selling author for over 20 years, Laila Hietamies has captured the atmosphere of the times as well as the emotional diversity of her characters in this historical novel. The most eventful years in Finland's 20th century history, gaining independence in 1917 and waging Civil War in 1918, are the backdrop to the passionate love and dramatic events of this novel. Having struck gold in Yukon, Ilja Huotari returns from Canada to his home region in Viena Karelia in eastern Finland to help develop the area. Two young female teachers, one Ilja's granddaughter, respond differently to the historical events, including revolution and war. True to Laila Hietamies' narrative style, the book abounds in love, tragedy, and drama. English translation by Börje Vähämäk

This novel is set in Karelia in the period from roughly 1909 to 1919. It was definitely a page turner and held my attention -- a fun and quick read. The story centers around two girls and their families during the last years of czarist Finland, the Russian revolution, and the Finnish Civil War. I felt that the book interwove the political and human stories very well. The only criticisms are that the book's print quality is subpar, the story is occasionally just a wee bit sappy, and the translation (although generally good) occasionally slips ever so slightly, but this shouldn't stop you from enjoying the book. I kept thinking the story would make a good movie.