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jeffmauch's review
4.0
This is a harrowing and somewhat unbelievable story of survival, which is probably why it's authenticity has been questioned numerous times since it was written. True or not, it's engaging and well written, especially when it comes to the interactions among the characters within the prisoner camp and towards the later points of their long journey. While I don't know enough to comment on the truth behind this story, it's still engaging and worth a read.
geve_'s review
1.0
The story of a Polish prisoner in a Soviet Gulag who escapes and walks with several other escapees from Siberia, through the Gobi, over the Himalayas and into India. Sounds great right? And with a name like The Long Walk: The TRUE Story of a Trek to Freedom you might think this was a true story. Well it's not. It's certainly passed off as a true story though.
There were lots of other weird points that seemed impossible or were stupid that I'm not gonna bother listing, just take my word for it, it didn't take me any research to realize this book was fake. Is it based on a real story? Maybe. Did the writer just seriously embellish it? Maybe, but honestly it was so unrealistic it wasn't fun at all to read. Like if this was presented as a fiction I would have been annoyed that the author thought people could live
Anyways, I don't recommend this to anyone. The story itself is so ridiculous that it's not fun to read and also it's for sure fake.
Spoiler
I started getting suspicious when Slav (the narrator and supposed author) explains the grievous wounds he endured in the Gulag, including getting most of his teeth knocked out and his hand terribly burned. The injuries themselves didn't make me suspicious, I'm sure Soviet prison guards did shit like that, it's that I knew he ended up walking all the way to India, and the amount of damage he took would have crippled him enough to make walking that far impossible, esp with hardly any teeth left to chew food with. But I kept reading. Then they find a young polish girl in the wilderness and adopt her. Yeah, ok. THEN they walk 13 days through the fucking Gobi desert without water. Like none. That's just too much, but it actually gets worse. They saw a pair of Yeti in the Himalayas. Yeah.There were lots of other weird points that seemed impossible or were stupid that I'm not gonna bother listing, just take my word for it, it didn't take me any research to realize this book was fake. Is it based on a real story? Maybe. Did the writer just seriously embellish it? Maybe, but honestly it was so unrealistic it wasn't fun at all to read. Like if this was presented as a fiction I would have been annoyed that the author thought people could live
Spoiler
without water for 13 days, let alone WALK ACROSS A DESERT FOR 13 DAYS WITHOUT WATER.Anyways, I don't recommend this to anyone. The story itself is so ridiculous that it's not fun to read and also it's for sure fake.
generalheff's review against another edition
4.0
This is an engrossing tale of one man's torture and subsequent transport to a Russian forced labour camp, followed by the escape and journey of several inmates across Siberia, Outer and Inner Mongolia, and Tibet, finishing in India. The book is simply written and immensely moving for it. An early highlight was the description of the simple humanity showed between prisoners in the cattle car used to transport them across most of Russia. Such scenes are common and are very evocative; I found reading the whole book both an immensely enjoyable as well as a very emotional experience.
It is a shame that the considerable controversies surrounding this book, regarding both authenticity and authorship, leave such a sour taste in the mouth. Without this aspect, it would have been a five star, must-read book. Given this (a topic about which much has been written and I have no intention of taking a side on), and despite how much I nevertheless engaged with and cared for the characters, I couldn't rid myself of the feeling of not quite knowing whether I was being cheated and that the story was too fantastic by far. Ultimately, I like to imagine the story is broad-stroke true, and I choose to ignore the authorship issue. It's an unfortunate comprise to have to make for a book that I would love to have whole-heartedly and un-sceptically engaged with. As it is, I hope one day someone conclusively proves some version of this story true. Then I will re-read the book, suspicion free, and enjoy it even more than I did this first time.
It is a shame that the considerable controversies surrounding this book, regarding both authenticity and authorship, leave such a sour taste in the mouth. Without this aspect, it would have been a five star, must-read book. Given this (a topic about which much has been written and I have no intention of taking a side on), and despite how much I nevertheless engaged with and cared for the characters, I couldn't rid myself of the feeling of not quite knowing whether I was being cheated and that the story was too fantastic by far. Ultimately, I like to imagine the story is broad-stroke true, and I choose to ignore the authorship issue. It's an unfortunate comprise to have to make for a book that I would love to have whole-heartedly and un-sceptically engaged with. As it is, I hope one day someone conclusively proves some version of this story true. Then I will re-read the book, suspicion free, and enjoy it even more than I did this first time.
booksnug's review against another edition
4.0
I was aware before I began this book that it's authenticity is questionable. Nevertheless I found it well written and an extremely compelling read. It is not inconsistent with other accounts and references to wartime Russia I have encountered and there are sufficient details to suggest that it is at least an embellished version of someone's account, or perhaps accounts, of such a journey. In any case it is an account of hardship and triumph over adversity that cannot help but leave one feeling thankful for one's blessings.
ritaeglite's review against another edition
4.0
Izsūtījums uz Sibīriju un bēgšana no tās.
Tagad sēžu un nevaru saprast, kas tajā visā bija un varēja būt ļaunākais?
Viens gads cietumā un spīdzināšanā? Mokošais ceļš vilcienā uz Sibīriju? Soļošana uz nometni Nr.303 Sibīrijas ziemā, nepiemērotā apģērbā un ar nepietiekamu barību? Īsais uzturēšanās laiks tur? Varbūt vieglāk būtu izciest sodu un cerēt tikt brīvībā pēc termiņa beigām? Diez vai. Lasot šo stāstu, piemēram, neliekas, ka te gāja trakāk kā holokausta koncentrācijas nometnēs. Kaut gan, ko es zinu? Tas, ka šī ir necilvēcība visaugstākajā mērā un tā nomira daudz, jo daudz cilvēku.. Tas ir skaidrs.
Viņiem septiņiem izdevās aizbēgt, bet šis ceļš uz brīvību nebija viegls. Ne katra to paveica.., kas liek domāt: varbūt paliekot viņš būtu izdzīvojis?
“Varbūt” nav nekāds rādītājs. Vismaz viņi nomira brīvībā un cerību pilni.
Padomju savienība pastrādāja mežonīgas zvērības. Latviešu tauta no šī neprāta ir piedzīvojusi ārprātīgus zaudējumus. Pazīstu dāmas, kuras atgriezās. Represētās, kuras atgriezās mājās un nu ir sirmā vecumā. Kādu neatgriezenisku iespaidu piedzīvotais ir viņās atstājis un cik stipras un sīkstas darījis… Un cik sāpīgs gan viņām ir šobrīd notiekošais. Un atkal, un atkal notiek tas pats zem Saules, kas allaž. Mūsu kaimiņu lācis nesnauž un nemainās. Mēs nedrīkstam aizmirst.
Noslēgums nedaudz apstulbināja un gaidīju ko citu. Vismaz skaidrākas norādes par to, kādi pavērsās visu aizbēguši un izdzīvojušo likteņi pēc Lielā Gājiena caur Sibīriju, Mongoliju, Tibetu un Himalajiem.
Paldies grāmatai, kas ir ieinteresējusi mani pievērsties šī baigā vēstures notikuma dziļākai iepazīšanai.
Tagad sēžu un nevaru saprast, kas tajā visā bija un varēja būt ļaunākais?
Viens gads cietumā un spīdzināšanā? Mokošais ceļš vilcienā uz Sibīriju? Soļošana uz nometni Nr.303 Sibīrijas ziemā, nepiemērotā apģērbā un ar nepietiekamu barību? Īsais uzturēšanās laiks tur? Varbūt vieglāk būtu izciest sodu un cerēt tikt brīvībā pēc termiņa beigām? Diez vai. Lasot šo stāstu, piemēram, neliekas, ka te gāja trakāk kā holokausta koncentrācijas nometnēs. Kaut gan, ko es zinu? Tas, ka šī ir necilvēcība visaugstākajā mērā un tā nomira daudz, jo daudz cilvēku.. Tas ir skaidrs.
Viņiem septiņiem izdevās aizbēgt, bet šis ceļš uz brīvību nebija viegls. Ne katra to paveica.., kas liek domāt: varbūt paliekot viņš būtu izdzīvojis?
“Varbūt” nav nekāds rādītājs. Vismaz viņi nomira brīvībā un cerību pilni.
Padomju savienība pastrādāja mežonīgas zvērības. Latviešu tauta no šī neprāta ir piedzīvojusi ārprātīgus zaudējumus. Pazīstu dāmas, kuras atgriezās. Represētās, kuras atgriezās mājās un nu ir sirmā vecumā. Kādu neatgriezenisku iespaidu piedzīvotais ir viņās atstājis un cik stipras un sīkstas darījis… Un cik sāpīgs gan viņām ir šobrīd notiekošais. Un atkal, un atkal notiek tas pats zem Saules, kas allaž. Mūsu kaimiņu lācis nesnauž un nemainās. Mēs nedrīkstam aizmirst.
Noslēgums nedaudz apstulbināja un gaidīju ko citu. Vismaz skaidrākas norādes par to, kādi pavērsās visu aizbēguši un izdzīvojušo likteņi pēc Lielā Gājiena caur Sibīriju, Mongoliju, Tibetu un Himalajiem.
Paldies grāmatai, kas ir ieinteresējusi mani pievērsties šī baigā vēstures notikuma dziļākai iepazīšanai.
ehays84's review
4.0
I've somehow wound up reading some epic adventure/survival stories over the last year or so like Endurance and Unbroken, and this one is right up there with them. I realize, of course, that there is a lot more contention about whether these events actually took place.
To start with, I'll say that the author seems to have chosen to focus the story almost entirely on the portion from which he is captured by the Red Army to the point when they reach British protection in Northern India. This makes it more similar to Endurance than Unbroken because we get literally nothing of the story of Rawicz or any of his surviving companions after the time of their epic trek. That was frustrating, and doesn't exactly do the story any favors in terms of its believability.
I'm not going to go and do a bunch of research to try to find out whether this is true or not. From what little I have seen, there doesn't seem to be enough to really discredit it, anyway. And the fact that for almost the entirety of the book, he is either kept away from all others who might have corroborated his story or is traveling through desolate places meeting only very few people, almost all of whom weren't connected with the wider world and didn't speak the same language as he or any of his companions did, means that there is very little chance of the story ever being conclusively proven or disproven.
It was interesting to read it as a historian, trying to pick up little nuances here or there that would suggest it's reliability. I think, often, the truth is stranger than fiction. And including details like seeing two unidentifiable creatures that he later thinks might have been yetis in the Himalayas, which might put some people off, actually to me gives the story more credence because he's not afraid to tell everything he remembers, and then also could very well be evidence of how the final part of the trip through the Himalayas was so devastating on him and his companions that he started to hallucinate some. That would also support his month of delusion and recovery after reaching India, which didn't make for a satisfying end to the story, but does have the ring of truth. If he were making it up, he could have made the ending so much more satisfying.
Overall, a remarkable story in so many ways. One I might very well read again. And in the end for me it's proof that WWII has supplied us, and will continue to supply us through historical fiction, with a seemingly infinite amounts of stories filled with the absolute worst of human cruelty as well as the boundless heights of the human spirit and will to survive and put life back together.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1Zn1Z_qmTZ5IM7xKqPbUHvq2-uZ4&ll=46.52554227580385%2C106.45783885000003&z=4
To start with, I'll say that the author seems to have chosen to focus the story almost entirely on the portion from which he is captured by the Red Army to the point when they reach British protection in Northern India. This makes it more similar to Endurance than Unbroken because we get literally nothing of the story of Rawicz or any of his surviving companions after the time of their epic trek. That was frustrating, and doesn't exactly do the story any favors in terms of its believability.
I'm not going to go and do a bunch of research to try to find out whether this is true or not. From what little I have seen, there doesn't seem to be enough to really discredit it, anyway. And the fact that for almost the entirety of the book, he is either kept away from all others who might have corroborated his story or is traveling through desolate places meeting only very few people, almost all of whom weren't connected with the wider world and didn't speak the same language as he or any of his companions did, means that there is very little chance of the story ever being conclusively proven or disproven.
It was interesting to read it as a historian, trying to pick up little nuances here or there that would suggest it's reliability. I think, often, the truth is stranger than fiction. And including details like seeing two unidentifiable creatures that he later thinks might have been yetis in the Himalayas, which might put some people off, actually to me gives the story more credence because he's not afraid to tell everything he remembers, and then also could very well be evidence of how the final part of the trip through the Himalayas was so devastating on him and his companions that he started to hallucinate some. That would also support his month of delusion and recovery after reaching India, which didn't make for a satisfying end to the story, but does have the ring of truth. If he were making it up, he could have made the ending so much more satisfying.
Overall, a remarkable story in so many ways. One I might very well read again. And in the end for me it's proof that WWII has supplied us, and will continue to supply us through historical fiction, with a seemingly infinite amounts of stories filled with the absolute worst of human cruelty as well as the boundless heights of the human spirit and will to survive and put life back together.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1Zn1Z_qmTZ5IM7xKqPbUHvq2-uZ4&ll=46.52554227580385%2C106.45783885000003&z=4
sdmomof5boys's review
4.0
I really enjoy books about survival, and this one was no exception. Great story. Well written. I enjoyed it.
michael5000's review
2.0
It is certainly a spare, evocative, and inspiring tale.
Initially, it was interesting to notice the ways in which Long Walk betrayed its own fictional nature, and -- after looking into Rawicz a little more -- to speculate about whether he was a simply a fraud or, through some combination of trauma and half truth, truly believed or came to believe in what he had written. But I think that might have just been an attempt to recoup the investment of time I had put into the book. Fortunately, it was a quick read.
Initially, it was interesting to notice the ways in which Long Walk betrayed its own fictional nature, and -- after looking into Rawicz a little more -- to speculate about whether he was a simply a fraud or, through some combination of trauma and half truth, truly believed or came to believe in what he had written. But I think that might have just been an attempt to recoup the investment of time I had put into the book. Fortunately, it was a quick read.
achilleselio's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0