"Simply superb...A brilliant and unputdownable history of Russia itself." –Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Telegraph (UK)
"Magnificent...Merridale's extraordinary history of the red fortress mixes politics, history, architecture, and biography to lay bare the secret heart of Russia's history....A delight to read." –
The Wall Street Journal "A splendidly rich portrait of an exotic and puzzling redoubt...Vivid and meticulous...Merridale is a historian by training, but she has a detective's nose and a novelist's way with words." –
The Economist "One of the best popular histories of Russia in any language...Merridale's stories flow naturally, and she has a superb eye for detail and the telling fact....The Kremlin becomes in her hands the narrative thread that knits together the disjointed story of Russia and the Russians." –
The Times Literary Supplement (UK)