Pushkin's Button is an astonishing tour de force, a riveting narrative about the four months of Pushkin's life leading up to his death on January 27, 1837. At the same time, the book is an astute, original assessment of Pushkin's literary and national importance, a luminous homage to a tragic genius that sparkles with Pushkin's own genial wit. The rich international -- yet very Russian -- world of St. Petersburg in the 1830s comes wonderfully to life, with its imperial balls, political and literary gossip, and beautiful women -- notable among them Natalya Pushkin, the poet's wife. Serena Vitale adds yet another level to the narrative with absorbing references to her own archival detective work and exciting discoveries.