--- product_id: 12161522 title: "The Funeral Party: A Novel" price: "€ 33.51" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 10 url: https://www.desertcart.hr/products/12161522-the-funeral-party-a-novel store_origin: HR region: Croatia --- # The Funeral Party: A Novel **Price:** € 33.51 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Funeral Party: A Novel - **How much does it cost?** € 33.51 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.hr](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/12161522-the-funeral-party-a-novel) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description August 1991. In a sweltering New York City apartment, a group of Russian émigrés gathers round the deathbed of an artist named Alik, a charismatic character beloved by them all, especially the women who take turns nursing him as he fades from this world. Their reminiscences of the dying man and of their lives in Russia are punctuated by debates and squabbles: Whom did Alik love most? Should he be baptized before he dies, as his alcoholic wife, Nina, desperately wishes, or be reconciled to the faith of his birth by a rabbi who happens to be on hand? And what will be the meaning for them of the Yeltsin putsch, which is happening across the world in their long-lost Moscow but also right before their eyes on CNN? This marvelous group of individuals inhabits the first novel by Ludmila Ulitskaya to be published in English, a book that was shortlisted for the Russian Booker Prize and has been praised wherever translated editions have appeared. Simultaneously funny and sad, lyrical in its Russian sorrow and devastatingly keen in its observation of character, The Funeral Party introduces to our shores a wonderful writer who captures, wryly and tenderly, our complex thoughts and emotions confronting life and death, love and loss, homeland and exile. Review: Lovely, funny, heartbreaking and hopeful - This was assigned reading for one of my courses, and rarely have I loved an assigned book this much. I'm mostly familiar with Soviet-era literature (Bulgakov, Platonov, Solzhenitsin), and some of the Russian classics (Gogol, Pushkin, Chekov, Tolstoy), so it's been a great experience to explore more contemporary literature. It's a great quick read that bears repeat reading, in order to appreciate the nuance of the language and the complexity of the characters. It's also a solid translation that makes an effort to maintain the original richness of the mixture of languages spoken by the characters, which is a very difficult thing to do. If you do read Russian, obviously, reading in the original will enable you to enjoy the Russian Jewish emigres' mix of borrowed English words and Yiddish in a way that can't quite be matched in translation, but it's pretty darn close. Deals with some adult subject matter (brief, not terribly graphic sex, but a little unsettling in the context; death, obviously) in a sensitive way, so I think it would be appropriate for a mature teenager (if this is a concern, I'd read it yourself before giving it to a child/teenager. Though I'd suggest you read yourself anyway!). Shockingly upbeat ending for a Russian novel! Don't get me wrong, somebody definitely dies, but it's downright hopeful, for a Russian novel. Review: Russia observed in New York - The Funeral Party is a Russian novel set in New York in 1991.Most of the characters are Russian emigres of a somewhat Bohemian cast.This group is a Jewish - Christian mix. The author has a bemused, friendly attitude to both groups and religions , which is rather refreshing. The novel centers around Alik , a charismatic, , not especially successful painter, who is married to Nina. Alik is dying and Nina wants him to get baptized .If that sounds depressing, it isn’t. The novel is written with a light touch. The most depressing aspect of the book is something readers in 2022 will bring with them. The characters pay close attention to the events unfolding in Russia in 1991 and are full of hope for their country. One character even thinks of going back home to Kharkov. Well, we know how that turned out. I am being generous with 4 stars but I enjoyed this easy to read and in some respects wise and compassionate book. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #1,340,171 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #11,530 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction #36,826 in Literary Fiction (Books) #213,103 in Genre Literature & Fiction | | Customer Reviews | 4.0 out of 5 stars 177 Reviews | ## Images ![The Funeral Party: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71I+zdvyjpL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Lovely, funny, heartbreaking and hopeful *by C***. on October 25, 2017* This was assigned reading for one of my courses, and rarely have I loved an assigned book this much. I'm mostly familiar with Soviet-era literature (Bulgakov, Platonov, Solzhenitsin), and some of the Russian classics (Gogol, Pushkin, Chekov, Tolstoy), so it's been a great experience to explore more contemporary literature. It's a great quick read that bears repeat reading, in order to appreciate the nuance of the language and the complexity of the characters. It's also a solid translation that makes an effort to maintain the original richness of the mixture of languages spoken by the characters, which is a very difficult thing to do. If you do read Russian, obviously, reading in the original will enable you to enjoy the Russian Jewish emigres' mix of borrowed English words and Yiddish in a way that can't quite be matched in translation, but it's pretty darn close. Deals with some adult subject matter (brief, not terribly graphic sex, but a little unsettling in the context; death, obviously) in a sensitive way, so I think it would be appropriate for a mature teenager (if this is a concern, I'd read it yourself before giving it to a child/teenager. Though I'd suggest you read yourself anyway!). Shockingly upbeat ending for a Russian novel! Don't get me wrong, somebody definitely dies, but it's downright hopeful, for a Russian novel. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Russia observed in New York *by J***K on May 21, 2022* The Funeral Party is a Russian novel set in New York in 1991.Most of the characters are Russian emigres of a somewhat Bohemian cast.This group is a Jewish - Christian mix. The author has a bemused, friendly attitude to both groups and religions , which is rather refreshing. The novel centers around Alik , a charismatic, , not especially successful painter, who is married to Nina. Alik is dying and Nina wants him to get baptized .If that sounds depressing, it isn’t. The novel is written with a light touch. The most depressing aspect of the book is something readers in 2022 will bring with them. The characters pay close attention to the events unfolding in Russia in 1991 and are full of hope for their country. One character even thinks of going back home to Kharkov. Well, we know how that turned out. I am being generous with 4 stars but I enjoyed this easy to read and in some respects wise and compassionate book. ### ⭐⭐⭐ Couldn't relate to Russian culture. Felt book lost focus ... *by A***R on February 28, 2015* Couldn't relate to Russian culture. Felt book lost focus = had to go back to pick up theme and sort out names of characters. Unexpected comedy especially puns gave me a laugh. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.hr/products/12161522-the-funeral-party-a-novel](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/12161522-the-funeral-party-a-novel) --- *Product available on Desertcart Croatia* *Store origin: HR* *Last updated: 2026-05-28*