Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
But also can we talk about how most of Pulley's female characters are mean hardasses? Grace, Agatha and now Rezovskaya (and Anna to a lesser extent), they all seem to be cut from the same ruthless cloth, and they are all eliminated in awful ways because they stand in the gay couple's way. I don't know if this is newsflash, but there is no need for these characters to be in the book? There's no reason for a woman to stand in their way... and honestly the ending made me feel incredibly queasy, because I honestly doubt Shenkov would have left his children. Nope. And the way he seems to have almost forgotten them? uffff. It just didn't sit well with me. i wanted to like this book, i wanted to like valery - and i did, until it was revealed he took part in human experiments on jewish people and homosexuals in nazi germany, with the literal, actual josef mengele. god i wish i was kidding. i cannot tell you how unprepared and blindsided i was encountering the smiling and polite character of dr. mengele in a (among other things, romance!!!!!) book that i knew handled heavy subjects, but maybe not *quite* like this.
The house isn’t bugged, but old habits, Valery supposes, are said to die hard. Language: English Words: 1,657 Chapters: 1/1 Comments: 16 Kudos: 76 Bookmarks: 7 Hits: 532 how there’s a method to the madness; a formula perfected so finely that it never fails to leave me breathless and reeling. the way she weaves each story like literal magic - take what you know from the history books but make it queer and infuse it with sad, tragic, frayed men. so desperately lonely but with a heart of fire. I have to be honest. I doubted my rating because the last part of the book suddenly made my brows knit together. But I loved the overall story so much and I’m in awe with the writing, and therefore just pushed the glorious five-star button!Overall, it's a story that's easy to follow and safe to enjoy. I really didn't have a problem with the plot until near the end. But the ending is a culmination of problems I have with all of Pulley's books, so it may not resonate with new readers. I donot understand the POINT of this book. What was the point? We read about actual real life horrific things that have happened to actual real life people and we get that absolute deranged ending ??? I cant believe how absolutely insentive this book was while dealing with such an insensitive topic The everyday conversations, and the important ones. Language: English Words: 3,897 Chapters: 1/1 Comments: 5 Kudos: 23 Bookmarks: 3 Hits: 158 how its only april, but i already know this book will make an appearance on my top 10 countdown in december. i am so, so utterly in love.
Finally, the last thorn in my side with this book: Natasha Pulley is British. And it shows. There were so many Britishisms sprinkled throughout this book that it completely ruined the flow for me whenever I would run into one of them. Like navigating a set of stairs and thinking that there's one more step than there actually is, and feeling that momentary disorientation associated with the expected being yanked out from under your foot. Shenkov handed Valery a pamphlet. "There’s an ice rink in Newcastle." Language: English Words: 1,351 Chapters: 1/1 Comments: 10 Kudos: 56 Bookmarks: 2 Hits: 257 i'm not sure how anyone could get through reading the following scene without feeling it was extremely unnecessary, unwanted, out of line, and frankly insane:City 40 really existed and Natasha Pulley based the story on actual (terrifying) events. It caused chills that nestled themselves deep into my bones while my stomach knitted itself constantly in a knot, and showed bitterly sweet moments building up a love story so subtly that I hardly noticed there was a romance at all. Add the rather blunt and simple but exceptionally effective writing and two incredibly flawed but likable main characters, and I cannot do anything but surrender and read all of Natasha’s other books. Several of Pulley’s other novels are set in the 19 th Century and some of the scenes in this novel, although happening in the 20 th century, could easily be from this earlier period. I’m thinking of the prison camp in particular with its grim regime and dehumanising procedures. So... all in all... I felt a bit let down here... but it wasn't BAD. I never felt annoyed enough to just give up on the book and DNF it. It was easily readable and I did like the premise... But I did expect a bit more from it than I got, so we'll go middle of the road 3 stars.
The provocative, unsettling latest by Pulley revolves around a horrifying and secretive research project deep in the countryside of the Soviet Union in 1963...Her dark humor, which turns on the blind faith given to Soviet authority figures despite their outlandish claims, combines with complex characters and a clear understanding of radiation science to yield an explosive blend. The chilling result feels all too plausible.
He thought he’d controlled his voice well, but beyond the cubicle door, Shenkov stopped pacing, and there was a long silence. The year is 1963, and Dr. Valery Kolkhanov, a nuclear scientist, is moved from his frozen Siberian prison to City 40. There he’s expected to serve out the remainder of his prison term by studying radiation and its effect on the local wildlife. But instead of finding answers to his research questions, Valery discovers a very large amount of radiation in the area and is determined to uncover the source of it. So Valery informs this little girl without either of her parent's consent that, "It’s not something we know how to cure. That means you will probably die of it," further informing her that she will die before she can grow up. There are two main female characters in the book. Resovkaya, Valery's old advisor and the head researcher of the facility within City 40 named the Lighthouse. And Anna, a genius nuclear physicist who is married to Shenkov and has four adorable children with him. Also Pulley has this trend in her books where all her female characters are unemotional, ruthless, often despicable girlbosses because defying gender norms I guess, and this sometimes results in interesting characters (like the antagonist of this book, a shady scientist lady who is the only compelling character). But then she does this thing where she will violently bulldoze every single one of these women because they get in the way of the gay couple. The girl Valery had a crush on? Shot in the head by Sexy KGB Man! Sexy KGB Man’s wife? She has terminal cancer after being forced to work in the radiation-poisoned town by her husband’s predicament! Evil scientist lady? She meets a violent end too, but this I’m less mad about because at least she injected some menace into this stale ass book. OH and there’s also an entire train carriage of women who get raped to death in front of Valery, for the purposes of making Valery grow a spine (it’s literally so he has something heroic to do i.e. take revenge on the rapists by murdering them all, in an attempt to make the audience sympathise with him more. Reader, I did not like him more.)
one lonely middle-aged man (46 M) meets another lonely middle-aged man (51 M) and together find peace for the first time in their lives Pulley's impeccable prose, vivid and shot through with tenderness, lends a glint of lightness to this unsettling story.”— Daily Mail
We have 4 read-alikes for The Half Life of Valery K, but non-members are limited to two results. To see the complete list of this book's read-alikes, you need to be a member. Like a Russian nesting doll, Pulley wraps the floating body mystery within a larger one, as Valery's research uncovers alarming levels of radiation far beyond what the authorities are telling the public. Suspecting a cover-up of nightmarish proportions, as well as diabolical human trials in a nearby secluded village, Valery and Shenkov build a tentative partnership to root out the truth in an atmosphere of denial and lies. Pulley creates a relatable parallel to Valery in Shenkov, who plays a vital role in Valery's story and comes off just as likable thanks to the author's surgical prose: I always come out of a Natasha Pulley book feeling like my heart has grown several sizes to better accommodate all the emotions the book has summoned in me. She has such a magical way with words, and her full talents are on display here. This book is a real gem, and a worthy successor to Pulley’s absolute masterpiece The Kingdoms. I want to spend ten hours on Wikipedia reading about radiation, and I want to reread this book immediately so I can feel everything all over again. I wanted more of the kids , I wanted more of the women because atleast if the men were not only morally depraved but horribly characterised there would be something for me to latch on but no.... From the author of A Bend in the Stars, an epic adventure as three generations of women work together and travel through time to prevent the Chernobyl disaster and right the wrongs of their past.
Great Deal 
New Comment