Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.47 AVERAGE
4.47 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Before I get too excited i’m still firmly in camp Bely but I don’t think it too much to say this book is the most effective capture of the Tolstoyan mantle I’ve probably ever read. It blends the nineteenth century Russian novel with socialist realism & surprisingly that actually works there’s a miracle of style here. Most shocking is that I never felt Grossman’s politics too heavy handed, polemical, or dogmatic. This is so rare for me & I tend to only encounter it with some of the Russian masters, for whatever reason. Platonov very much outside of that gathering (going by TFP anyway).
Cues from Война и Мир all over the place we even have both Hitler and Stalin as characters which I’m sure Tolstoy would have appreciated. But for me, one the most interesting aspects of Жизнь и Судьба is the discussion of what it means to write a War and Peace.
So - life is freedom. Or otherwise. I think Grossman is never too high-minded with his encompassing reflectives but —
“You say life is treedom. Is that what people in the camps think? What if the life expanding through the universe should use its power to create a slavery still more terrible than your slavery of inanimate matter? Do you think this man of the future will surpass Christ in his goodness? That's the real question. … What if he transforms the whole world into a galactic concentration camp? What I want to know is - do you believe in the evolution of kindness, morality, mercy? Is man capable of evolving in that way?”
Such a magisterial unfolding of history of Stalingrad there’s really just so little like it and it may be the one book where I have to say War and Peace is a pre-requisite. Good luck there
The light of evening can reveal the essence of a moment. It can bring out its emotional and historical significance, transforming a mere impression into a powerful image. The evening sun can endow patches of soot and mud with thousands of voices; with aching hearts we sense past joys, the irrevocability of loss, the bitterness of mistakes and the eternal appeal of hope.
Cues from Война и Мир all over the place we even have both Hitler and Stalin as characters which I’m sure Tolstoy would have appreciated. But for me, one the most interesting aspects of Жизнь и Судьба is the discussion of what it means to write a War and Peace.
So - life is freedom. Or otherwise. I think Grossman is never too high-minded with his encompassing reflectives but —
“You say life is treedom. Is that what people in the camps think? What if the life expanding through the universe should use its power to create a slavery still more terrible than your slavery of inanimate matter? Do you think this man of the future will surpass Christ in his goodness? That's the real question. … What if he transforms the whole world into a galactic concentration camp? What I want to know is - do you believe in the evolution of kindness, morality, mercy? Is man capable of evolving in that way?”
Such a magisterial unfolding of history of Stalingrad there’s really just so little like it and it may be the one book where I have to say War and Peace is a pre-requisite. Good luck there
The light of evening can reveal the essence of a moment. It can bring out its emotional and historical significance, transforming a mere impression into a powerful image. The evening sun can endow patches of soot and mud with thousands of voices; with aching hearts we sense past joys, the irrevocability of loss, the bitterness of mistakes and the eternal appeal of hope.
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's so rare to find a book where the author masterfully weaves multiple plot lines together with ease and makes the entire WWII/Great Patriotic War experience come alive for a whole nation.
This is the best novel I have read in a long time. And it had the added bonus of being the only book I've ever heard of to be arrested.
I was afraid it would be slow given its age and country of origin, but I was riveted throughout.
If you're on the fence: buy it.
This is the best novel I have read in a long time. And it had the added bonus of being the only book I've ever heard of to be arrested.
I was afraid it would be slow given its age and country of origin, but I was riveted throughout.
If you're on the fence: buy it.