Scan barcode
dunnadam's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the book and wanted to love it but didn't.
The book was definitely full of harrowing adventures but I felt it was a little too harrowing. People are starving to death or in mortal danger on nearly every page and it's too much. Speaking of too much what about that train sequence? It's so over the top.
The book presents wonderfully Russian life under Stalin but there were so many obstacles it made me want to give up as a reader, I can't imagine living it. The truth doesn't matter, justice doesn't matter, the only thing that matters is obedience. I got so frustrated with Leo's situation that I got frustrated with the book too.
Also the wife, when did dislike turn to "loathe". I saw this word and thought 'Where did that come from?'
I enjoyed Leo, I enjoyed learning about life under Stalin, but some things stretched believability. The fact that Leo lives for two more books for one. Everyone in the book dies, how does he get out? It was good, the concept and execution I just found overwhelming.
I'm glad I read [b:The Farm|17557913|The Farm|Tom Rob Smith|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1391017911s/17557913.jpg|24485092] first.
The book was definitely full of harrowing adventures but I felt it was a little too harrowing. People are starving to death or in mortal danger on nearly every page and it's too much. Speaking of too much what about that train sequence? It's so over the top.
The book presents wonderfully Russian life under Stalin but there were so many obstacles it made me want to give up as a reader, I can't imagine living it. The truth doesn't matter, justice doesn't matter, the only thing that matters is obedience. I got so frustrated with Leo's situation that I got frustrated with the book too.
Also the wife, when did dislike turn to "loathe". I saw this word and thought 'Where did that come from?'
I enjoyed Leo, I enjoyed learning about life under Stalin, but some things stretched believability. The fact that Leo lives for two more books for one. Everyone in the book dies, how does he get out? It was good, the concept and execution I just found overwhelming.
I'm glad I read [b:The Farm|17557913|The Farm|Tom Rob Smith|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1391017911s/17557913.jpg|24485092] first.
caroline8110's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
elliotbolton4's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
jamesob's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kimmaloo's review against another edition
4.0
This was a captivating book to listen to via audio book. The setting of Soviet Russia added to the darkness of the the hunt for a serial killer.
debra_reads_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Dear Child 44,
You were definitely not a book I would have picked up on my own. I was intrigued about the thriller aspect of your whole story, but all of the communism and Red Scare aspects were a bit of a turn off for me. You were very political, and sometimes really confusing. It also took a long time, and a lot of exposition for the serial killer aspects and more thriller driven parts of the story to begin. I didn't love (or even like) most of your characters, which made it extremely hard to to sympathize with any of their struggles. While I didn't hate you as a story, I struggled with a lot of aspects, including the fake pregnancy that happened early in your story.
You were definitely not a book I would have picked up on my own. I was intrigued about the thriller aspect of your whole story, but all of the communism and Red Scare aspects were a bit of a turn off for me. You were very political, and sometimes really confusing. It also took a long time, and a lot of exposition for the serial killer aspects and more thriller driven parts of the story to begin. I didn't love (or even like) most of your characters, which made it extremely hard to to sympathize with any of their struggles. While I didn't hate you as a story, I struggled with a lot of aspects, including the fake pregnancy that happened early in your story.
gadicohen93's review against another edition
4.0
I read this one on a summer 2009 road trip to Canada, finished it in around a week I think (and that's a travel week, meaning barely any time to read, except probably some kinda-long car rides.) I remember I loved it--love meaning couldn't strip my eyes away from the pages.
But I remember only a few scenes, namely:
-A little boy in famined Ukraine, a cat someone ate, a kidnapped brother, eaten.
-Train tracks.
-Some really nasty murder stories.
-Something about a prison, or about torture, and about Leo not seeing his wife for a long long time.
That's it.
So, not very memorable, and I guess I also remember the ending was a little too... well-rehearsed? I don't know. It's a perfect example of a 3.5 star book, one that feeds your need for speed, that immerses you in things that make you passionate, in history... but a book you're not going to even remember that you read until you read something about a Russian serial killer and then you're like, "Woah what!? I think I read something about a Russian serial killer. Woah."
So yeah.
But I remember only a few scenes, namely:
-A little boy in famined Ukraine, a cat someone ate, a kidnapped brother, eaten.
-Train tracks.
-Some really nasty murder stories.
-Something about a prison, or about torture, and about Leo not seeing his wife for a long long time.
That's it.
So, not very memorable, and I guess I also remember the ending was a little too... well-rehearsed? I don't know. It's a perfect example of a 3.5 star book, one that feeds your need for speed, that immerses you in things that make you passionate, in history... but a book you're not going to even remember that you read until you read something about a Russian serial killer and then you're like, "Woah what!? I think I read something about a Russian serial killer. Woah."
So yeah.
whimsicalmeerkat's review against another edition
4.0
I knew nothing about [a:Tom Rob Smith|981834|Tom Rob Smith|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1254868572p2/981834.jpg] or [b:Child 44|2161733|Child 44|Tom Rob Smith|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255690645s/2161733.jpg|2167258] when I saw it in my library, but from the description on the back it sounded interesting so I picked it up. As it turns out, that description was not terribly accurate, but I liked the book even more than I expected. The era of Soviet history in which it is set is one that I want to learn more about and the story of Andrei Chikatilo, on which the novel is loosely based, is one that has long horrified and fascinated me. Overall, this is an excellent, chilling story. I not only intend to read the next books in the trilogy, I added eight books to my to read list based on his descriptions of what they were and how they figured into his research.
emsavors's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is absolutely incredible! I’m not entirely sure that I find the ending believable, but given how good the rest of the book is - I don’t even care!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Colonisation, Gun violence, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Confinement, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Excrement, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Rape, Violence, Homophobia, Antisemitism, Body horror, Blood, Classism, Infertility, Medical content, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Alcohol, Death, Murder, Sexual assault, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Sexism, Slavery, Forced institutionalization, Animal death, Child abuse, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Sexual violence, Stalking, Torture, Animal cruelty, and Toxic relationship