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Thursday, January 5, 2012

Review: The Amber Room

Full title: The Amber Room - The Fate of the World's Greatest Lost Treasure
Author: Catherine Scott-Clarke and Adrian Levy
Publisher: The Berkley Publishing Group
Total Pages: 386

Scott-Clarke and Levy seek to solve one of modern history's mysteries: the fate of one of Russia's greatest treasures, a room made completely from amber. During Germany's invasion of Russia during World War II, this work of art was disassembled and taken to Germany, where it seemingly vanished.

The book covers with a history of the room itself, beginning with the creation of the room itself up to its last days in a Leningrad museum as the Russians frantically attempted to hide it from the invading Nazi armies. The authors intertwine the story of the room with their own research efforts as they attempted to determine, once and for all, the fate of this treasure. Filled with a multitude of twists and turns, their investigation takes them throughout both Russia and Germany. It also offers insights into the Cold War history, as well as the bureaucratic workings, of the two nations.

This book was truly difficult to put down and is written in such a way that makes it very easy for the reader to identify with the authors in their search for any kind of information related to the Amber Room. Scott-Clarke and Levy worked diligently to uncover the truth about the fate of the room and their research is quite compelling and evident throughout. Dead ends and triumphs are both detailed and make the story seem alive.

Covering such a long period of time there are, as one might expect, numerous people who have a role in this story, both those who interacted directly with the authors and those whose association with the room have been historically recorded. The book does include a list of many of these characters, with a brief description, which is helpful as one moved deeper into the book. There are also many pictures of both people and places referenced in this work, which is also quite helpful.

While there are a few brief moments where the story does lag, I found it to be, overall, a very engrossing read. I found myself rooting for the authors to succeed and could not wait to find out what happened to this great work of art. This is a complex work, not only covering the room whose name is the book's title, but also painting an interesting picture of two nations and their post-Cold War conditions. Certainly an enjoyable and recommended read.

Bottom line:
Would I read it again? Yes
Would I recommend this book to someone else? Yes



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