Written by: Jaan Kross
Submitted By: Karl
Timo von Bock, a 19th-century Estonian baron possessed of romantic ideals, falls in love with and marries a peasant girl, the chambermaid of the young lady he had been expected to wed. He then frees the serfs on his estate and criticizes the czar in a letter--for which he is imprisoned. After nine years, he is declared mad and placed under house arrest at his estate, where his every movement is monitored by relatives and retainers loyal to the czar before the baron finally dies under mysterious circumstances. Timo's peasant brother-in-law, who has been educated by the von Bock family, narrates the proceedings in a deceptively measured, almost dry style that offsets the powerful emotions gripping all the characters. A great novel for people who also like George Orwell.
