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evan_makeba's review against another edition
Another preview book I NEED to buy... *Sigh*
dinara221b's review against another edition
4.0
Well,If I was asked to describe the plot in short, I would say: rich people also have their problems. And they cry too.
The drama is closely connected with humor and this is all just in the center of Economic crisis in USSR that should collapse soon. If you are interested in malinovyi jackets and how it was there, you should read it.
The book is also full of Russian jargon. I personally liked it, because I missed it.
The drama is closely connected with humor and this is all just in the center of Economic crisis in USSR that should collapse soon. If you are interested in malinovyi jackets and how it was there, you should read it.
The book is also full of Russian jargon. I personally liked it, because I missed it.
ajdajustin's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
b_mcg's review against another edition
4.0
"The Lying Year" shares many of the ineffable qualities of classic Russian literature in its approach to characters, tragedy, and comedy. The primary setting is late '90's Moscow during the Yeltsin regime and the painful transition to free market economy, but while the setting enables some of the plot points, it is not what really makes the novel. Rather, it is the characters and their various and tangled inter-relationships.
Without being as overtly philosophical as Dostoevsky or Tolstoy, Gelasimov still manages to deal with questions of love, happiness, money, mental health--in general, why do people do the things they do. He is masterful at interweaving comedy and drama, with some of the most intense scenes also being the funniest--the characters Mikhail and Sergei, especially, seem often unable to get out of their own way, landing themselves in ever more ridiculous situations.
The narrative structure also deserves a mention. Gelasimov presents the viewpoints of multiple characters, who each have their own voice, which in turn provides alternative context for events seen from the perspective of another. But rather than just getting different first-person narrations, each character's thoughts are communicated in a manner uniquely suited to their persona, whether that be straight-ahead first-person, journal entries, letters, voicemail recordings, or stream of consciousness. Perhaps most noteworthy, however, is that the character who motivates everyone else's actions never receives her own voice, leaving a satisfying space to contemplate the necessity, or "rightness," of all that has transpired.
Without being as overtly philosophical as Dostoevsky or Tolstoy, Gelasimov still manages to deal with questions of love, happiness, money, mental health--in general, why do people do the things they do. He is masterful at interweaving comedy and drama, with some of the most intense scenes also being the funniest--the characters Mikhail and Sergei, especially, seem often unable to get out of their own way, landing themselves in ever more ridiculous situations.
The narrative structure also deserves a mention. Gelasimov presents the viewpoints of multiple characters, who each have their own voice, which in turn provides alternative context for events seen from the perspective of another. But rather than just getting different first-person narrations, each character's thoughts are communicated in a manner uniquely suited to their persona, whether that be straight-ahead first-person, journal entries, letters, voicemail recordings, or stream of consciousness. Perhaps most noteworthy, however, is that the character who motivates everyone else's actions never receives her own voice, leaving a satisfying space to contemplate the necessity, or "rightness," of all that has transpired.
rosseroo's review against another edition
2.0
With the benefit of 10-20 years of distance, it's unarguable that the decade following the dissolution of the USSR was more or less a disaster for the average Russian. Treated to a series of bewildering economic and political reforms that rendered state services completely unreliable, their savings more or less worthless, the rule of law shaky at best, and funneled wealth and power into the hands of a select band of oligarchs/mafia, it's hardly surprising that the effects continue to resonate across Russian society today. This novel from one of Russia's more well-regarded writers revisits those uncertain times with a story set the months leading up to the 1998 Russian fiscal crisis (aka the "Ruble crisis").
Mikhail Vorobyov is a twenty-something screwup/slacker who's recently been fired from his job at a large industrial firm in Moscow for boozing on the job. To his astonishment, he is summoned to the boss's office, where he is made an offer he can't refuse. The boss (a budding oligarch) is concerned that his teenage son is some kind of deviant or sissy, as he spends all day in his room on his computer. The boss wants Mikhail to teach him to be a man, take him out on the town, introduce him to vodka and women -- for which he will be paid a very handsome salary and given the use of a shiny new Land Rover. Naturally, Mikhail jumps at the offer and wacky hi-jinks ensure. Or rather, somewhat wacky hi-jinks sometimes ensue.
After this promising setup, the book never picks up a head of steam, instead meandering all over the place with little urgency or focus. It turns out the teenager has a secret lover, but his father has pledged him to the daughter of an Italian concrete magnate, so that's one thread. Mikhail turns out to be attracted to the kid's lover, so that's another thread. There's plenty of deception (hence the title), plenty of intragenerational issues, plenty of "New Russia" problems (like a gangster who takes over a market stall), some comic set pieces, some gunplay, some diary excerpts, some other voices -- but none of it really adds up to anything really compelling. It's more a series of vignettes or impressions or moods, as opposed to a compelling story. Those who need their fiction to be plot-driven will likely be frustrated, while those who feed on character will find a little more to chew on -- a little, not a lot. Worth trying if you've got some connection to Russia or Russian fiction, otherwise I can't recommend it. It's never a good sign when I'm able to put a book down for a few days and completely forget about it, and that happened several times with this book.
Mikhail Vorobyov is a twenty-something screwup/slacker who's recently been fired from his job at a large industrial firm in Moscow for boozing on the job. To his astonishment, he is summoned to the boss's office, where he is made an offer he can't refuse. The boss (a budding oligarch) is concerned that his teenage son is some kind of deviant or sissy, as he spends all day in his room on his computer. The boss wants Mikhail to teach him to be a man, take him out on the town, introduce him to vodka and women -- for which he will be paid a very handsome salary and given the use of a shiny new Land Rover. Naturally, Mikhail jumps at the offer and wacky hi-jinks ensure. Or rather, somewhat wacky hi-jinks sometimes ensue.
After this promising setup, the book never picks up a head of steam, instead meandering all over the place with little urgency or focus. It turns out the teenager has a secret lover, but his father has pledged him to the daughter of an Italian concrete magnate, so that's one thread. Mikhail turns out to be attracted to the kid's lover, so that's another thread. There's plenty of deception (hence the title), plenty of intragenerational issues, plenty of "New Russia" problems (like a gangster who takes over a market stall), some comic set pieces, some gunplay, some diary excerpts, some other voices -- but none of it really adds up to anything really compelling. It's more a series of vignettes or impressions or moods, as opposed to a compelling story. Those who need their fiction to be plot-driven will likely be frustrated, while those who feed on character will find a little more to chew on -- a little, not a lot. Worth trying if you've got some connection to Russia or Russian fiction, otherwise I can't recommend it. It's never a good sign when I'm able to put a book down for a few days and completely forget about it, and that happened several times with this book.
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