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4.47 AVERAGE
4.47 AVERAGE
It’s a monumental book that gives a true look at the anxiety and horror of those living under totalitarian regimes. Absolutely brutal in its honest portrayal of history. The only disappointment is that it’s more of a panorama than a novel - you see the whole picture but not all of the individual plots are wrapped up.
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
This is a fantastic masterpiece-equivalent to any novel written by any other great Russian writer. [Like any great book it led me to another "got to read" book-I ordered Dostoevsky's complete Life of a Writer]
The philosophical discussions in the chapters are certainly more related to the 22nd century than those of the 19th century and are fascinating in both the explicit discussions and implicit philosophy. The story line is also fantastic, extended and intertwined. It took me a little too long to realize the relationships between some of the players even despite the nice list of characters at the end.
One of the key inferences of this book is equating the evil of the Soviet state with that of the Nazi one. I find that rare, but it is one I have held for a long time.
Whether one believes this or not, this is a the WW2 version of Napoleonic War and Peace.
Great quote from the book (when the physicist Viktor does something against his conscience)
"Good men and bad men alike are capable of weakness. The difference is simply that a bad man will be proud all his life of one good deed-while the honest man is hardly aware of his good acts, but remembers a single sin for years."
A shout out to goodreads member Kendall Compere who clued me into this incredible book.
The philosophical discussions in the chapters are certainly more related to the 22nd century than those of the 19th century and are fascinating in both the explicit discussions and implicit philosophy. The story line is also fantastic, extended and intertwined. It took me a little too long to realize the relationships between some of the players even despite the nice list of characters at the end.
One of the key inferences of this book is equating the evil of the Soviet state with that of the Nazi one. I find that rare, but it is one I have held for a long time.
Whether one believes this or not, this is a the WW2 version of Napoleonic War and Peace.
Great quote from the book (when the physicist Viktor does something against his conscience)
"Good men and bad men alike are capable of weakness. The difference is simply that a bad man will be proud all his life of one good deed-while the honest man is hardly aware of his good acts, but remembers a single sin for years."
A shout out to goodreads member Kendall Compere who clued me into this incredible book.
Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman is hands down the most haunting and moving book of Russian literature I've read., amd one of the best books of any literarue I've read. There is some subtle existential humor, but the book isn't at all a comedy; instead it is a bleakly realistic depiction of Stalingrad and its effects on one family and their world.
It also has some of the most impactful writing in it's depiction of the Holocaust (the Holocaust is a major subplot of the book, but not THE plot) and the gas chambers.
It's a long book that takes even longer to read to digest the whole, but it's one that is going to stay with me for a very long time.
It also has some of the most impactful writing in it's depiction of the Holocaust (the Holocaust is a major subplot of the book, but not THE plot) and the gas chambers.
It's a long book that takes even longer to read to digest the whole, but it's one that is going to stay with me for a very long time.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Пронзительную, безысходную правду о жизни людей и мира рассказал в романе-эпопее «Жизнь и судьба» безжалостный и отважный писатель Василий Гроссман. Лучшие герои этой книги неизбежно попадают между двух огней: сражаясь с фашизмом, защищают сталинскую систему, но существенно ли различаются немецкий лагерь и Лубянка? Из последних сил люди воюют за свободу и справедливость, но наступят ли они после победы? История об освободительной войне ради нового рабства вышла из-под пера Гроссмана вопреки осторожности и инстинкту самосохранения: полвека назад роман арестовали, и это укоротило автору жизнь. Сегодня его книга, получившая мировую известность, читается как суровый гимн подлинной свободе — свободе духа, сохранение которой составляет основу человеческого бытия, а утрата означает неизбежную смерть.
Dans ce roman-fresque, composé dans les années 1950, à la façon de Guerre et Paix, Vassili Grossman fait revivre l'URSS en guerre à travers le destin d'une famille, dont les membres nous amènent tour à tour dans Stalingrad assiégée, dans les laboratoires de recherche scientifique, dans la vie ordinaire du peuple russe, et jusqu'à Treblinka sur les pas de l'Armée rouge. Au-delà de ces destins souvent tragiques, il s'interroge sur la terrifiante convergence des systèmes nazi et communiste alors même qu'ils s'affrontent sans merci. Radicalement iconoclaste en son temps — le manuscrit fut confisqué par le KGB, tandis qu'une copie parvenait clandestinement en Occident —, ce livre pose sur l'histoire du XXe siècle une question que philosophes et historiens n'ont cessé d'explorer depuis lors. Il le fait sous la forme d'une grande œuvre littéraire, imprégnée de vie et d'humanité, qui transcende le documentaire et la polémique pour atteindre à une vision puissante, métaphysique, de la lutte éternelle du bien contre le mal.
Parts of this book are outstandingly well written and moving, and I'm sure they will stay with me for a long time. Some of the details on the horrors of the holocaust, the war, and Stalinism are absolutely horrifying. However, it is patchy and long, and sometimes seems a bit twee and at other times a bit preachy. As a result it only gets 4 stars.