Blackbird's Song & A Fistful of Ashes - Stairwell Books

I swore, when I set this blog up, I’d avoid getting political. So I’m glad that Katy Turton, the author of Blackbird’s Song and A Fistful of Ashes, is doing it for me.

Now, I’ll admit, I’m probably a bit biased. I’ve always been really into the 1917 Russian Revolution, and I’ve got a soft spot for the 1905 one too; it’s such a key moment in the lead-up. As Lenin said:

Without the “dress rehearsal” of 1905, the victory of the October Revolution in 1917 would have been impossible

Biases aside, I really enjoyed these books and think they’re excellent, whether you care about the Russian revolutions or not.

Front cover for Blackbird's Song

Blackbird’s Song was released in 2021 and A Fistful of Ashes came out last year. Both are published by Stairwell Books, a Yorkshire-based press that started life in America in 2005 before relocating to the UK in 2007. While their focus is on writers from Yorkshire, they also publish work from authors around the world. Stairwell is particularly known for its poetry list, but also publishes fiction, political nonfiction, and historical novels. Support Northern publishing and pick up some books from their website! 

They also run an open mic night on the first Tuesday of every month in York which has been going strong for 18 years: The Spoken Word. Oh, and they’re open for submissions, so if you have a book make sure to send it over to rose@stairwellbooks.com

In collaboration with Dream Catcher, they publish an international arts journal which offers a mix of poetry, prose, artwork and reviews. Check it out here. 

Katy Turton is a university lecturer at the University of the Highlands and Islands and specialises in European, Russian and Soviet history, with a particular focus on women’s experiences. She is the author of Forgotten Lives: The Role of Lenin’s Sisters in the Russian Revolution. This wealth of knowledge shines through in her novels.

Blackbird’s Song mostly takes place in 1904, the year leading up to the revolution. The story revolves around Anna, a recently enrolled university student and her two friends, Rosa and Boris. Though the story centres on these three and their relationships, the backdrop of the revolution is equally important. The sequel picks up in the aftermath of the failed 1905 revolution, as the movement regroups and reassesses its strategy:

Cover for A Fistful of Ashes

‘He genuinely cannot see the use for assassinations while we wait for the right opportunity to revolt?’

Rudnev shook his head mildly, ‘Lenin thinks on a grander scale than that.’

Many of the characters and events mentioned throughout the book are real. Usefully, it has a list of characters at the back and the real people are in bold, so you’re not wasting your time looking up fictional people between chapters (I wish I’d realised this before finishing).

The role of women in the Russian Revolution is often overlooked, and so, Katy’s academic background and her focus on women’s experiences in Soviet history is especially valuable. If you enjoy historical fiction, or novels that bring overlooked voices in revolutionary history to life, these two books are absolutely worth your time. So, pick Blackbird’s song up here, and let me know what you think!