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wulfus's review against another edition
4.0
This was a slow burn. Parallel stories following grandmother Marusya and grand-daughter Nora starting in the 1910s and 1970s respectively. Exploring the themes of biological destiny, love, and assimilation (particularly Jewish, Ukrainian, Russian). Focused in the nitty-gritty of Russian culture in a way that flew over my head to be honest, but the segments following Nora's theater productions were fascinating to me. Ulitskaya interpolates the two stories with actual letters she unearthed from her own grandfather (Jacob Ukitskaya) and documents from the KGB file on him as well. So much to digest here that was so dense with history, the presumably very personal family story as it weaves through some of the most traumatic events in Russian Jewish history. Captures the essence of a people who were drawn to their arts and love in order to survive. Incredible work.
mwmakar's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Enjoyed the theater & stage incorporation. Every character has a relationship with art as a source of joy, as an obligation, and as an obsession. Jacob’s exile/imprisonment is interestingly told mostly from his letters, which maybe resembles how we only hear the parts of imprisoned life that escape, but I would also have appreciated seeing more of his story head-on.
braxwall's review against another edition
4.0
Rysk familjekrönika och en minst sagt brokig historia. Ulitskaya är en skicklig berättar och även om denna inte når samma höjder som Det gröna tältet är det ytterst läsvärt. Och, glöm inte att efter ett lyckligt slut följer med 100% säkerhet alltid döden.
eroubenoff's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
egelantier's review against another edition
4.0
first book of the year, and i'm pleased by it being so. it's a multigenerational family saga: a bohemian and practical stage designer inherits a family letter archive when her grandmother dies, and later in life discovers the complicated and tangled love (and not just) story of her grandparents, expressed in letters and diary entries. we follow jacob and maria and their friends, acquaintances and enemies in one timeline, and nora with her son, her accidental husband and her fated lover through the other, with revolutions, wars, purges, coups and such familiar sight of russian soviet history rolling over them like waves.
it's a superbly done book, and the only problem i have with it is that it's the same book ulitskaya always writes, down to some characters; i think i've liked it more when it was казус кукоцкого. but on the other hand, it's a story based on her own family and her own late grandfather, and who am i to object to some authorial self-therapy via text? and besides, this story is never told enough.
it's a superbly done book, and the only problem i have with it is that it's the same book ulitskaya always writes, down to some characters; i think i've liked it more when it was казус кукоцкого. but on the other hand, it's a story based on her own family and her own late grandfather, and who am i to object to some authorial self-therapy via text? and besides, this story is never told enough.
lada2104's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
inesdef's review against another edition
5.0
A great work of Russian literature. In exactly 800 pages, Oulitskaïa takes the reader to pre/post and Soviet Russia, the US and Georgia, between 1910 and 2010. Personal trajectories of one Russian family are used to interrogate the world and the essence of life and art on an universal level. Not only we follow the lives of the main characters with interest, but Oulitskaïa's writing style is beautiful and clever, she takes us to high levels of literature, adding much appreciated references to the biggest Russian writers, musicians, artists and scientists of the 19th and 20th century. I loved this book for its travels through time, its family saga, its brilliance, its length and the passion and dedication the author put in the novel.
barbouille's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
astroneatly's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0