One Night in Winter: A Novel
About this audiobook
Inspired by a true story, prize-winning historian and acclaimed novelist Simon Sebag Montefiore explores the consequences of forbidden love in this heartbreaking epic of marriage, childhood, danger, and betrayal that unfolds in Stalin's Moscow during the bleak days after World War II.
As Moscow celebrates the motherland's glorious victory over the Nazis, shots ring out on the crowded streets. On a nearby bridge, a teenage boy and girl—dressed in traditional nineteenth-century costumes—lie dead. But this is no ordinary tragedy, because these are no ordinary teenagers. As the son and daughter of high-ranking Soviet officials, they attend the most elite school in Moscow. Was it an accident, or murder? Is it a conspiracy against Stalin, or one of his own terrifying intrigues?
On Stalin's instructions, a ruthless investigation begins into what becomes known as the Children's Case. Youth across the city are arrested and forced to testify against their friends and their parents. As families are ripped apart, all kinds of secrets come spilling out. Trapped at the center of this witch-hunt are two pairs of illicit lovers, who learn that matters of the heart exact a terrible price. By turns a darkly sophisticated political thriller, a rich historical saga, and a deeply human love story, Montefiore's masterful novel powerfully portrays the terror and drama of Stalin's Russia.
About the author
Simon Sebag Montefiore's bestselling books are published in more than forty languages. He is the author of the critically acclaimed novel Sashenka. As a historian, his works include Jerusalem: The Biography; Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar; and Young Stalin, which won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Biography, the Costa Biography Prize (United Kingdom), and Le Grand Prix de Biographie Politique (France). One Night in Winter won the 2014 Political Fiction Book of the Year Prize (United Kingdom) and was long-listed for the Orwell Prize.
Simon Prebble has worked extensively on British and American television as both actor and narrator.
