Book Life Reviews

Set against the turbulent decades following the Russian Revolution, Conway’s historical novel follows Maya, a gifted recruiter for the Soviet government, and Foreign Intelligence official Dmitry, as they help build an espionage network to infiltrate the United States. Athletes, performers, orphans, and even expectant mothers become pieces in this bid for Soviet influence, but, for all its covert operations and political intrigue, the novel remains close to the personal lives of those carrying out these missions. Maya and Dmitry draw into their orbit a host of memorable characters whose lives become inseparable from the Soviet project. Among them are Raisa, an observant and ambitious orphan who later becomes their adoptive daughter; Nikolay, a talented sportsman; and Babushka, Nikolay’s grandmother, whose directness would make even a hardened spy think twice.

What sets Making Russian Dolls apart is its surprising tenderness. Stories about Soviet intelligence often lean towards cold calculation, but Conway approaches her characters with unusual empathy, refusing to reduce them to villains or ideologues. Instead, they emerge as products of unstable governments, unending war, and unfavorable circumstances. Maya and Dmitry’s relationship provides a softness in a world otherwise defined by secrecy and manipulation. At times, the novel’s detours to new characters interrupt the momentum, but it always finds its way back to the unlikely family that Maya and Dmitry have built around themselves.

More than a spy novel, Making Russian Dolls offers a nuanced Soviet perspective on the 20th century that is rarely explored in English-language fiction. Espionage is Conway’s entry point, but what she’s really interested in is the personal cost of nation-building. The book highlights what ordinary people have to give up when patriotism demands extraordinary sacrifices, asking readers to understand the human beings who served the Soviet state. In doing so, Conway exposes the complicated price of believing that the future of a nation matters more than your own.

Takeaway: Soviet spy fiction with unusual heart and emotional depth.

Great for fans of: Anika Scott’s The Soviet Sisters, Suzanne Parry’s The Communist’s Secret.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-

Indie Reader Review

Kimberly Anne Conway’s MAKING RUSSIAN DOLLS takes readers on a winding journey of self-discovery and intrigue. The novel starts out in Russia during the early 1900s. From here it meanders through several years as things slowly unfold, telling a story of Russia, war, family obligations, and becoming (this last theme being heavily woven into the book). Each of the characters eventually has to decide for themselves who they were meant to be, and how much they’re willing to sacrifice in pursuit of that goal.

There are a few issues that become apparent early on. One example is the tendency to jump between perspectives without warning. While sometimes these shifts are marked, in other places the POVs bounce around mid-scene and make it difficult to follow along. For instance, “Dmitry excused himself. He did not need to know the details” is followed by “The family was relieved when Dmitry left the room.”

Another issue is the characters themselves. From the outside, they appear to be an interesting and well-thought-out bunch. But upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that many of them lack genuine motive or depth. Their decisions feel random, often impulsive, and without any real reason or clear justification. Their actions seem like mere excuses to move the story in a certain direction, and less like choices that the characters would have actually made. They come off as too convenient, too shallow, and often random—which seems odd for characters who are said to be decisive and cunning by nature. The plot suffers from these chaotic shifts as well, with the timeline moving in uneven bursts for the duration of the first several chapters. While that does level out once certain characters are introduced, there is no clear indication of why that is until much later. The year is marked at the beginning of each chapter, but some chapters jump several years ahead mid-way through with no real warning—lending a choppy and uneven flow to the narrative.

On the other hand, the history and culture are vibrant. MAKING RUSSIAN DOLLS takes readers on quite the adventure, and it immerses them in a global experience along the way. While the focus remains on the Russian characters and their perspectives, seeing everyone learning and interacting with other cultures adds beautiful sparks of color to an otherwise slightly morose story. While there is room for improvement, Conway delivers an entertaining and thought