2005 book 73

nancy richler's your mouth is lovely
i think i would have loved this book based on the title alone (it's a great title--and also a line from the song of songs), but the story itself was vivid and interesting as well. it takes place in russia in the early 1900s, around the time of the first russian revolution, and it's being written by a young jewish woman in prison (in siberia!) to her daughter, who was taken away from her at birth. miriam, the narrator, tells of her own tragic birth, her upbringing in a small town, and her growing involvement with socialist activities, leading to her eventual life imprisonment. bits and pieces of the book are based on real people and events, but the heart of the story is purely richler's creation.