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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
Fine book, I found it thoroughly researched and well written. It takes you through the life of V. Putin by presenting major events in his political (and personal) life, and also the context in which they occur which is useful for someone not too familiar with Russian history. It paints a vivid and dark picture. I get that it's about the rise of Putin but it could have focused a bit on the later years too. I wish it had a few more words about Vladislav Surkov and his contribution to Putin's regime but otherwise I don't really have any criticism.
informative
fast-paced
The style is highly journalistic and can be quite dry, which will put many off, but overall it's not a bad read. The last chapter (the epilogue) was dreadful. The idea of it was great but the execution was rubbish. I didn't learn much new but someone who knows a lot less going into it would learn quite a lot.
adventurous
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Putin is not as tough and invulnerable as he thinks he is, he's only as tough and invulnerable as we think he is, and he keeps fooling us.
A well-organized and readable overview of Putin and modern Russia.
informative
medium-paced
challenging
informative
slow-paced
I read this book because I was feeling a lot of anxiety about Russia and I've learned that the more I know about a situation the less I fear it. This book helped, but it definitely left me with a lot of question. There were a few places where I thought, "Oh, yeah, some of us saw it coming". But there were other places where I truly wondered if this was how many or most Russians felt. There's always a difference in opinions, and it's so hard, sometimes, to tell how everyday Russians are thinking/feeling. It also made me realize that there's a lot I just don't know about Russian society. Anyway, it was a fascinating book that got me thinking, helped me understand a small part of the world around me, and was an excellent introduction to modern Russian politics.