This book definitely lived up to all the hype. I had only heard about the CIA's mission to smuggle Doctor Zhivago into the Soviet Union in passing, and it was absolutely fascinating to learn about that initiative through the eyes of female "typists" (but really spies). Learning about what the agency was like in the 1950s was so surprising and interesting, and I loved the depiction of society at that time. But what really elevated this book for me was the parallel storyline of the author of Doctor Zhivago, Boris Pasternak, and his mistress, Olga. Tracing the publication of the book, and its consequences after the fact, was riveting. I've always been fascinated by Russia, especially by Russia in the throes of the Cold War and the Great Purge, and I thought this novel masterfully depicted what it was like to live in that time. I was particularly impressed by the characterization of Boris, of how he had many anti-Communist sentiments and wrote a very transgressive novel, but of how he wasn't always really that brave, and how he still had this deep-seated love for Russia and believed his novel was a representation of that. The female characters were all so fully formed and interesting and different from each other, and seeing the parallels between Irina and Sally, and then Olga and Zinaida, really struck me. I appreciated that just like Doctor Zhivago, this was a love story, but not just love between people, but love for art and what it can do for people. I can't recommend this book enough.