Kristen Loesch Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Kristen Loesch is a historical fiction author that is best known for his debut novel “The Last Russian Doll.”

The author grew up in San Francisco and studied history for her bachelor’s degree. She would, later on, attend the University of Cambridge where she got a Salvonic Studies master’s degree.
She published The Last Russian Doll her debut novel in 2022 and the novel would go on to be longlisted for the Bath Novel Award and made the shortlist for the Caledonia Novel.

After living in Europe for more than ten years, she now makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and kids.

Growing up as a child, Kristen Loesch was always a huge fan of “Anastasia” the animated film. The work chronicled the 1917 fall of the Romanovs a historical event that has been depicted in countless films and novels.

It is also one event that has for decades captured the public imagination in Europe and across the world. Loesch has a great fascination with that era and it was this interest that resulted in her studying Russian history and politics for her master’s degree.
While she studied Russian history, she also felt a strong urge to pen a novel that depicted the impact of the rise of the Bolsheviks. But for Loesch, it was not only about chronicling how it impacted the Romaovs but the regime they presided over and the many subjects they ruled.

Kristen was particularly inspired by memoirs from the 1917 era. For instance, she loved the memoirs of a mechanic that would become a soldier and go on to fight in the Civil War on the side of the Red Army.

There was the story of an academic in a central Russian town who found himself trapped as food supplies ran out. There was also the memoir of a young woman who lived through the unfolding of the revolution on the streets of Petrograd right from her bedroom window.

In many interviews, Kristen Loesch has said that she is a strong believer in the power of historical fiction to provide incredible insights into moments, circumstances, and events in history. Historical fiction brings these slices of what may not have captured public imagination or been known by many into public consciousness.

For Kristen, she makes use of historical fiction to write highly accessible and compelling novels. She also writes to open up spaces where people can continue to discuss the impact that historical events may have on the people and circumstances of the modern world.

Kristen Loesch’s works have over the years come to span a range of genres from literary flash to historical novels and short humor.

Nonetheless, she has had an uncanny ability to approach each form and genre variation and still make some compelling novels. She has said that this comes from a philosophy titled “Writing in Breakthrough” which she adopted after hearing about it from a podcast.
For Kristen, trying different and new genres is a great way of improving how one writes. She likes how easy it is to experiment particularly with short fiction. She has said that over the years has been pushing herself to become better with each passing day.
In that regard she can often be found entering all manner of competitions and reading forms of itinerary fiction she is not used to.

Kristen Loesch’s “The Last Russian Doll” is an epic and haunting novel about redemption, revenge, and betrayal. It follows three Russian women from three disparate generations from the 1917 revolution to the sunset years of the Soviet Union and the enduring love story that happens during this time.

The novel tells the story of a girl that lived in an ancient land and a faraway kingdom. Together with her family which included her father, her sister, and their eccentric mother, they lived a happy life in Moscow. The eccentric mother was known for collecting porcelain dolls and telling all manner of fairy tales.

But everything had changed one summer night and of all her family only the girl and her mother remained. Ten years later, she has changed her name to Rosie, is a student at Oxford University, has a promising future, and is a loving fiance. Her biggest desire is to understand and finally put the past behind her.

When she loses her mother, she goes back to Russia to find her past armed only with a single key and strange folklore. What she finds in her homeland is a devastating family history that spans the years from the Revolution in 1917, the Leningrad siege, the purges perpetrated by Stalin, and beyond.

At the heart of the story is Tonya, a young beautiful noblewoman, and her love for an idealistic man. It is a powerful and very unique work full of everything from porcelain dolls, forbidden love, hope, betrayal, survival, political upheaval, loss, and despair.

Kristen Loesch’s “The Regeneration of Stella Yin” is an experimental literary novella in flash. It tells the story of a woman who in the depths of grief signs up for revenge experience in virtual reality in which she will be able to confront the man she believed is responsible for his loss.

The work was surprisingly popular and made the shortlist for the Bath Novella in Flash Award and the Thriller/Horror Short Story competition by Uncharted Magazine. “The Regeneration of Stella Yin” is a bold and imaginative tour de force, as it invites readers on a compelling journey of loss, love, and artificial intelligence.

Loesch’s expertly woven tale is akin to looking into dark water and seeing movement. It is a work that is both humorous and haunting and the high craft makes for a thoroughly unforgettable and immensely readable even if ambitious novella.
Right from the first page, Loesch shows her mastery as he takes the reader in an urgent rush to uncover the characters who come with all the usual human flaws.

It makes for an interesting story of singularity, survival, and transcendence told with breathtaking grace and precision.