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4.47 AVERAGE
4.47 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I finally made it through a legit Russian novel. Grossman’s insights of human nature and the human condition are as apt today as when he wrote them in the 1950s. Despite the horror he recounts, I remain optimistic for our future in part because of our desire for freedom and to be “good.” While not universal, as evidenced by mass killings, those traits are commonplace, frequent enough to build upon.
Reseña completa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V0pyKfTBO4&t=49s
Aunque este libro está ambientado durante la batalla de Stalingrado, realmente lo que muestra son retazos de vidas durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial... Puntos de vista muy dispares, personajes que sufrieron desde los campos de trabajo a los de concentración, el asedio, las bombas, la vida en el frente y la angustia por los familiares desaparecidos.
'Vida y destino' es mucho más que una crónica, habla de arte, literatura, dignidad, amor... está plagado de dudas y sufrimiento y hubo un capítulo en especial que me rompió el corazón. Aún así lo he disfrutado muchísimo, por su crítica política tanto al comunismo como al fascismo, como especialmente por esa brutal humanidad que desprende.
Aunque este libro está ambientado durante la batalla de Stalingrado, realmente lo que muestra son retazos de vidas durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial... Puntos de vista muy dispares, personajes que sufrieron desde los campos de trabajo a los de concentración, el asedio, las bombas, la vida en el frente y la angustia por los familiares desaparecidos.
'Vida y destino' es mucho más que una crónica, habla de arte, literatura, dignidad, amor... está plagado de dudas y sufrimiento y hubo un capítulo en especial que me rompió el corazón. Aún así lo he disfrutado muchísimo, por su crítica política tanto al comunismo como al fascismo, como especialmente por esa brutal humanidad que desprende.
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An excellent novel of a particular time and place with a wide sweep of characters (listed in an index covering eight pages).
The centerpiece of the novel is the battle of Stalingrad, a turning point in WWII when the Russians encircled the decimated German forces. The historical aspect of both the war and what was happening in Russian society were very interesting.
It was a long read but very worthwhile. The book was written in 1960 but not published until 1980, after it was smuggled out of the country.
The centerpiece of the novel is the battle of Stalingrad, a turning point in WWII when the Russians encircled the decimated German forces. The historical aspect of both the war and what was happening in Russian society were very interesting.
It was a long read but very worthwhile. The book was written in 1960 but not published until 1980, after it was smuggled out of the country.
"And in this silence of the dumb and these speeches of the blind, in this medley of people bound together by the same grief, terror and hope, in this hatred and lack of understanding between men who spoke the same tongue, you could see much of the tragedy of the twentieth century."
This is a book that can only be described as a journey, an elaborate, complex, and yet poignantly human one. Grossman's epic, if you want to call it that, is a masterpiece of Russian literature, the twentieth century's [b:War and Peace|656|War and Peace|Leo Tolstoy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1413215930l/656._SY75_.jpg|4912783] if you will. It's beautifully written, even in translation, and admirably constructed, down to its huge cast of characters and historical details.
Though I personally have no way of reading the original Russian, this is one of the few books in translation that I've ever read where I feel I can say I truly did get a sure sense of the author's original voice. Grossman's writing really is just so beautiful. He knows exactly when to pause for a description and when to forge on with the dialogue, and that balance really carries the reader through this massive work.
This is certainly one packed so full of detail and where so much occurs that I think I could reread it over and over again and continue to be surprised by it. I already know there has to be so much I missed just in this first read, and I have to believe that, in getting to know the characters more and more, with each subsequent reread it would just get better and better.
I think this is a book that needs to be well digested, which I honestly don't know if I always did. It's dense, with a lot of heavy, tragic material, and, again, a lot of characters to keep track of. I would definitely recommend taking your time with it; it's not to be plowed through, and nor will you want to do so, as from its first pages you begin to realize how much it ought to be savored in all its Russian glory.
I'm not sure what I can say about this that hasn't already been said. Hard going at first, certainly, until you adapt to Grossman's pace and style. But by Part 2 I was hooked and the last 2/3 of the book flew by. Brilliant for the way I found myself completely caught up in Viktor Shtrum's moral tussle. It captures the turbulence and the challenges of the time perfectly, and while at first I found it preachy, by the end it had shifted to a more morally ambiguous stance (on some things) which is going to have me thinking for a while to come.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced