"Beginning in a fictionalized Kiev, The Wine of Solitude follows the Karol family through the Great War and the Russian Revolution, as the young Hélène grows from a dreamy, unhappy child into a strong willed young woman. From the hot Kiev summers to the cruel winters of St Petersburg and eventually to springtime in Paris, the would-be writer Hélène blossoms, despite her mother's neglect, into a clear-eyed observer of the life around her. Here is a powerful tale of disillusionment-the story of an upbringing that produces a young woman as hard as a diamond, prepared to wreak a shattering revenge on her mother."--P. [4] of cover.