"Two Lands, Two Languages, Two Lives" by Lora Gridneva is published

A remarkable story of a life spent in extraordinary circumstances. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) June 10, 2016 - "Two Lands, Two Languages, Two Lives" by Lora Gridneva, About the Book: Lora Gridneva was born in Moscow and grew up in a Russia still adjusting to the post-Stalin era. An eventful enough life spent in the stability and certainty of Cold War communism was thrown into turmoil when the great Soviet experiment drew to an end during the late 1980's. In the chaos that replaced it the author, together with her small daughter, left the land of their birth and headed for England, on the other side of the recently withdrawn Iron Curtain. And so began the second phase of the author's life with a new family, in a new land, requiring new work and facing new challenges. This moving and fascinating account is revealed as a rich tapestry into which are woven threads of adventure and excitement, humour and joy, as well as those of fear, despair and tragedy.

It is a tale of two lives within two countries across two cultures throughout which pervades an unwavering instinct for survival and a mother's unquestioning love. The book will appeal to a wide audience. For advanced level students of Russian (and for Russian-speaking students learning English) its dual-language format will be of particular interest - a story of two lives across two lands in two languages. And for those not learning a language, it is a highly unusual and interesting story in its own right. There are also amusing quotations, explanatory footnotes, questions, and charming illustrations including many of the author's original photographs.

Excerpt from the book:
"I don't know what's more dangerous - to fight a buffalo, film sharks close-up or this reckless running across the ice floes! I would think the last, but what is interesting is that our parents never knew about these crazy heroic exploits of their children. Had they found out, punishment would have been certain and fearsome. However, we girls were enraptured by the boys, which is perhaps why they did it, to show off! The most dangerous ice crossing however was on the third and fourth days, when the distance between floes was already big. Excitement was feverish and it really was dicing with death, but interestingly we somehow didn't think about death, we just thought `will he make it or not?' Children! Who thinks about death at that age?!"

Amazon review:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and highly enjoyable
By Maria Kingston on 18 April 2014
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

The Russian-language side of this book is a bit too difficult for my current level of knowledge (AS level), so I switched to reading the story in English only, and was immediately hooked. The author's life is full of twists and turns, and I was entranced by the detail about life in the Soviet Union, which is consistent with what I've heard from other Russians, but added much more to my understanding.

The style is compassionate as well as exciting and very readable, although I found the author's outlook on life somewhat naive at times. I'm now working my way through the Russian translation, and can definitely say that having the Russian and English translations on facing pages is a great help, as it avoids constantly having to look up words in the dictionary.

"Two Lands, Two Languages, Two Lives" by Lora Gridneva is available in paperback from Amazon.com at:
http://www.amazon.com/Lands-Languages-Lives-Dual-Language-Book/dp/075520638X

This book can also be downloaded from Amazon.co.uk at:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lands-Languages-Lives-Dual-Language-Book/dp/075520638X

Press/Media Contact Details:
New Generation Publishing
Tel. 01234 712 064
E-mail: info ( @ ) newgeneration-publishing dot com
ISBN #978-0755206384

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