Intimate Letters from Petrograd

"Crosley's book of published letters is an important and fascinating addition to the body of first-hand literature on the Russian Revolution. It is particularly important as the product of a female author. Pauline Crosley's role and experience in Russia in 1917 was much the same as the diplomatic wives of the U.S. Foreign Service. She was largely responsible for their social calendar and the day-to-day operations of their home. Her letters tend to focus on the details of everyday life, particularly the assessment of their fuel and food supplies. She also comments on the changing cultural scene and the growing violence in the city. Crosley's letters give us a sense of what life was like during these tumultuous months and serve as a fascinating companion to some of the more politically detailed accounts of the revolutionary period."--