"The hiring of a new secretary shouldn't be a big deal--just a slight a change in the office environment. But for the protagonist of this novel, it is a declaration of war, a call to arms: "The new secretary has only been here two days," she says, "and I'm already talking about evil, a word I shouldn't even be using--arming myself for battle and choosing my weapons." Her quiet life of sacrifice and service has been rudely disrupted by the new hire,...

A collection of short fiction is populated by characters--mostly displaced women--who, despite the odds and challenges in their lives, continue to hold out hope that the love in their lives will make everything all right.

Elena Chizhova, avtor bestsellera "Vremi͡a zhenshchin", romanov "Kroshki T͡Sakhes", "Lavra" i "Polukrovka", neizmenno vybiraet glavnym geroem i͡arkui͡u nezauri͡adnui͡u zhenshchinu. Tatʹi͡ana, geroini͡a romana "Terrakotovai͡a starukha", byvshiĭ vuzovskiĭ prepodavatelʹ, vidit okruzhai͡ushchiĭ mir skvozʹ prizmu velikoĭ russkoĭ literatury, no rezko meni͡aet svoi͡u zhiznʹ: ustraivaetsi͡a menedzherom v firmu uspeshnogo predprinimateli͡a,...