The Fifth Gift of Varvara

Russia in the mid-19th century. Eighteen-year-old Varvara Shupinskaya is supposed to marry an old friend of her father in order to save herself and her family from looming poverty. However, the girl is not as simple as she seems at first glance. In childhood, Varya nearly died, and a shamanic rite saved her from death—after that, the girl gained unusual abilities. Years later, she will finally need to understand and accept the powers passed on to her by a mysterious grandmother, and learn to use her gift. In addition, Varvara must become a worthy wife of a man she barely knows, and the true mistress of a vast estate. Will the girl be able to love her husband, and how will her life unfold in the new place?
*** Part 1 — The story of Varya Shupinskaya, who married her father’s friend, begins with a tale about the parents of her husband, Petr Tumanovsky / the story “A Couple of Conversations and Four Dances.”
Parts 2 and 3 — The duology “Varvara’s Fifth Gift.”