This is a fascinating memoir of the first known female officer in the Russian military. I found it especially interesting that, as Durova went by her male alias for so long, she switched to using masculine grammar in Russian to speak about herself, and that at one point when she went to visit her family, they also switched the way they addressed her.
We tend to think of gender fluidity as a modern concept (or as the current Russian government would claim, "a western invention"), when in fact, historical accounts show us that queer & gender fluid individuals have always existed! Durova also reminded me of one of my all-time favorite fictional characters, Jacky Faber - a young girl who disguises herself as a ship's boy and ends up becoming a pirate. But Durova really lived her adventure, flouting all convention by leaving her marriage to join the military and go into battle against the French.

Released at book swap in Tbilisi!