In 1917, Paulette Pax was a celebrated French actress on tour in Russia. She was there for the art, not the politics. Then the world exploded. The Tsar fell, and the Bolsheviks rose to power, plunging the country into the Red Terror. Suddenly, her passport was worthless, her money meant nothing, and her very identity as a foreigner and an artist made her a target. This diary is her raw, unedited account of those terrifying months.

The Story

The book follows Paulette day by day as her glamorous world collapses. One page she's performing for aristocrats, the next she's bartering a silk scarf for a loaf of black bread. We see the revolution through her eyes: the sudden disappearances of friends, the constant fear of a knock on the door, and the surreal experience of performing classic French plays for new, unpredictable audiences while hunger gnawed at her stomach. It's a story of incredible resilience, focusing on her struggle to keep her troupe together and find a way home.

Why You Should Read It

This isn't a dry history lesson. Paulette's voice is immediate, witty, and deeply human. You get the small, telling details history books miss—the taste of ersatz coffee, the sound of boots in the hallway at night, the strange kindness of a stranger. Her love for the theater shines through the darkness, becoming her anchor. It makes you think: what would I hold onto if everything else was taken away?

Final Verdict

Perfect for anyone who loves gripping personal stories from history. If you enjoyed A Woman in Berlin or the personal diaries from World War II, you will be captivated by this. It's for readers who want to understand history from the ground up, through the eyes of a fascinating, flawed, and courageous woman who just happened to be in the wrong place at the worst possible time.