Bitter Quest. Volume 1

Novel-quest. Novel-test. Novel-rethinking! Bitter Quest is an incredible experiment immersing modern young people into the Soviet era of the 1970s. For writing this work, Alexandra Marinina organized focus groups of modern youth and described their real reactions in the book. You will learn how Generation Z would behave in the realities of the era of developed socialism. This novel is for anyone who does not live in the present but thinks about the future while recalling the past... Imagine that you find yourself in the USSR. The good old seventies: stability and tranquility, free education, lunch in the cafeteria for one ruble, ice cream for 19 kopecks… A dream?! Well, the Quest will show… The organizers selected several guys and girls to participate in a rather unusual experiment - a journey to the 1970s. In the house where the volunteers will live, the everyday life of the developed socialism era has been fully recreated. They read plays by Maxim Gorky, eat Soviet food, wear Soviet clothes, and suffer from boredom at Komsomol meetings, deprived of their smartphones and other gadgets. At first glance - just a fun adventure. But for what purpose is all this conceived? And how will it end for each of them? Marinina not only writes detective novels but also answers eternal questions. The author treats her readers like a kind and experienced teacher towards students who need support, hints, and guidance on the right path. Optimistic and practical in her didactics, Marinina poses the question of "how to live" and tries to help the reader find their path to a better life in today's world. Through her detective stories, Marinina writes a modern novel of "emotional education": the main goal of the author is upbringing through entertainment. - Anatoly Vishnevsky, Grinnell College, USA Many of Alexandra Marinina's novels have been adapted into films in Russia, while in Germany, they have been transformed into radio plays. Given that the purpose of these adaptations is to captivate viewers and listeners in the same way as they are captivated...