Reconstructions of the past must contend with lacunae in the sources, but in mostly illiterate and technologically-remote peasant societies, many instances of social interaction left only traces in the written record. In her insightful book on the peasant quarrel in central and northwestern provinces in postemancipation Russia, Anna Kushkova sheds light on an important and little-studied social phenomenon. Having read deeply into key ethnographic, folkoric, and legal texts of the period (the magnificent reports of the Tenishev Bureau, major studies of customary law, volost΄ court records, and the secular rural press), Kushkova argues that quarrels served as a release mechanism for growing social pressures as peasants adapted to change in the reform period.

As an anthropologist, Kushkova employs thick description and analysis to weave together glimpses of intimate relationships between husbands and wives, sons and fathers, next-door neighbors and more distant villagers, and peasants and secular authorities. Within the marital unit, the quarrel facilitated adjustments during key moments in the life-cycle of the family—particularly when the new bride joined her husband's household and when its resources were divided at the time of the bol΄shak's death or at the demand of the younger generation of men. However the conflict was resolved, a harsh pragmatism prevailed in the direction of reconciliation, though not always contentment. Even the most berated and abused daughter-in-law could not depend on her parents taking her back, a violation of custom, marital agreement, and honor that, combined, were held to be more sacred than the bonds of blood. Division of household resources resulting from family conflict or the natural cycle of life, if not resolved quickly, deepened bitterness between quarreling parties and threatened village stability. With a growing awareness of new legal institutions and processes, women and wronged parties turned to volost΄ courts to fight against husbands, in-laws, and family members.

Pragmatism took many forms and peasants were adept at asserting individual and household needs by navigating customary law and the formal imperial legal code. One of the most interesting chapters examines common marital disagreements and disaffections that are inherent in any long-term relationship. Legal divorce (razvod) was difficult to obtain from the church yet, especially in the absence of children, peasants creatively arranged informal separations (raskhod) and even remarriage, as if the original union never took place or the partner were deceased. The ultimate goal was reconciliation, and an assortment of individuals informally worked at restoring peace to troubled relationships.

Throughout her analysis, Kushkova reminds the reader of source limitations: her introductory chapter and bibliography provide a detailed review of different types of written materials, their strengths and weaknesses, and the individuals who created them. Facimiles of Tenishev Fund manuscripts presented in the appendix suggest some of the mechanics of late-imperial fieldwork. Although she is correct in noting the gendered nature of the production of sources, Kushkova underestimates the impact of school teachers and daughters of village priests who served as ethnographic correspondents. Their physical, psychological, and emotional proximity to the peasantry may have compromised objectivity, but their observations are invaluable. The question of gender is so wonderfully presented in the first few chapters that a short chapter specifically on the topic could have been integrated earlier on. Two other shortcomings are more problematic. First, Kushkova is only marginally interested in the function of the parish and its clergy at a time when the diocesan press published important studies of peasant customs and parish life was experiencing a revitalization. Evidence of the centrality of religious life can be found in the large number of petitions to the diocesan administration and the Holy Synod as peasants complained about clerical immorality, the clergy's use of non-church communal lands, and requested wondrous religious objects for special loans. Kushkova also downplays the importance of the rise of primary education and the tensions resulting from limited resources to construct schools, pay teachers, and purchase educational materials.

These caveats aside, Kushkova's engaging prose and tightly argued thesis make this an important contribution to an understudied aspect of village life and the complexity of social relationships and the adaptability of peasants struggling to maintain traditional norms and practices in the face of the slow, unrelenting forces of modern life.