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Stalin's Daughter: The Extraordinary and Tumultuous Life of Svetlana Alliluyeva by Rosemary Sullivan
voodoo_dexter's review against another edition
4.0
An intimidating yet interesting read with such a voluminous compilation of anecdotal stories. The interesting personality of this wonderful woman is rather eclipsed by her own father, a shadow that never leaves. Svetlana Alliluyeva (later known as Lana Peters), is a figure that I was not aware of until this book and can be easily included in Russian Intillegencia and Literature. An absolute rollercoaster of tensed anxiety, laughter, tragedy, and a tear-jerker at the end, this book is very well put together and hugely informative.
rosa_eleanor's review against another edition
4.0
Goodreads let me leave half star reviews challenge
Beautiful heartbreaking but a bit long!
Beautiful heartbreaking but a bit long!
jenniferstringer's review against another edition
4.0
3.5-4 stars. Having met Svetlana while in college, it was fun to read her whole story. When I met her, we were under strict orders not to ask her about her father. We talked Russian literature and poetry. I discovered Anna Akhmatova was one of her favorite poets, so we had that in common. I remember reciting for her my favorite (and the only one I had completely memorized) and now 20+ years I am totally embarrassed that I chose THAT poem - all about the longing to flee, but knowing you never will, that would be the easy way out. So not appropriate...
Anyway, I definitely understood from this book that she was a troubled lady, but I never really felt like I understood what motivated her. I don't think the author does, either. For someone who felt so abandoned by her own mother when she committed suicide, I still don't understand how she abandoned her own children without any kind of warning. Hard to read without judgement.
Anyway, I definitely understood from this book that she was a troubled lady, but I never really felt like I understood what motivated her. I don't think the author does, either. For someone who felt so abandoned by her own mother when she committed suicide, I still don't understand how she abandoned her own children without any kind of warning. Hard to read without judgement.
ckrupiej's review against another edition
4.0
"Vivi a minha vida como pude - embora pudesse tê-la vivido melhor - dentro de um determinado enquadramento limitado chamado Destino. Há qualquer coisa de fatal na minha vida. Não podemos lamentar o nosso destino, embora lamente que a minha mãe não tenha casado com um carpinteiro. Nasci e fui inserida no destino dos meus pais. Nasci com esse nome, essa cruz, e nunca consegui saltar de lá para fora. Limitei-me a seguir passivamente o caminho da minha peregrinação.
"A 31 de Dezembro de 1999, quando Vladimir Putin se tornou presidente em exercício depois de Boris Ieltsin ter renunciado inesperadamente, ela preveniu Miller:
A Rússia está (na minha opinião) a resvalar de novo para o passado - com aquele horrível antigo ESPIÃO-DO-KGB a desempenhar agora as funções de Presidente. Espero e creio realmente que o povo não venha a votar nele para a Presidência - mas, é claro, as eleições poderiam sempre ser manipuladas ...
Os líderes estrangeiros destas Democracias deveriam boicotar Putin - mas, em vez disso, estão à espera de o abraçar com belos jarros de vodca. Ah, Thomas, tenha cuidado. Os tempos da pretensa democracia terminaram, na Rússia."
"A 31 de Dezembro de 1999, quando Vladimir Putin se tornou presidente em exercício depois de Boris Ieltsin ter renunciado inesperadamente, ela preveniu Miller:
A Rússia está (na minha opinião) a resvalar de novo para o passado - com aquele horrível antigo ESPIÃO-DO-KGB a desempenhar agora as funções de Presidente. Espero e creio realmente que o povo não venha a votar nele para a Presidência - mas, é claro, as eleições poderiam sempre ser manipuladas ...
Os líderes estrangeiros destas Democracias deveriam boicotar Putin - mas, em vez disso, estão à espera de o abraçar com belos jarros de vodca. Ah, Thomas, tenha cuidado. Os tempos da pretensa democracia terminaram, na Rússia."
classicbhaer's review against another edition
5.0
This was a wonderfully written non-fiction account of the daughter of one of the worlds most notorious men. It was really enlightening to read about her relationship with her father for a few reasons. The first being it really gave insight into Soviet Russian elite, which to me seemed to not be so different with how the elite lived under the tsars, and how Stalin was as a husband and a father.
I also liked how this novel tracked her life following the death of her father and beyond. I think it was a very good nod to her because it seemed like she tried hard to be seen as her own person and this novel really does just that.
As I said earlier, this is well written. The style of writing is story like with a great deal of information, I think this is great for those who want to read more non-fiction but are intimidated by books being to "academic". In addition to this, the organization and execution of this biography is wonderful. The flow was very natural and I never felt like I was jumping around in her story, even though we cover an entire lifetime in a single book.
This book also inspired me to look into Svetlana's own books about her story and also read more from this author.
I also liked how this novel tracked her life following the death of her father and beyond. I think it was a very good nod to her because it seemed like she tried hard to be seen as her own person and this novel really does just that.
As I said earlier, this is well written. The style of writing is story like with a great deal of information, I think this is great for those who want to read more non-fiction but are intimidated by books being to "academic". In addition to this, the organization and execution of this biography is wonderful. The flow was very natural and I never felt like I was jumping around in her story, even though we cover an entire lifetime in a single book.
This book also inspired me to look into Svetlana's own books about her story and also read more from this author.
jcurrat's review against another edition
5.0
This book was very well done and amazingly thorough. I cannot believe the tragic life of this woman who could never seem to escape from the stigma of being Stalin's daughter. Not only do you learn so much about Svetlana but this book is full of history.
horthhill's review against another edition
5.0
"Stalin's Daughter: The Extraordinary and Tumultuous Life of Svetlana Alliluyeva" by Rosemary Sullivan was a remarkably thorough biography. Moreover, it had the bonus of touching on current events here and there. Definitely, a great read.
coffeekat's review against another edition
4.0
This was not what I expected, although, since I didn't know Stalin had a daughter until I found this book, I'm not exactly sure what I expected. She was a tragic woman, who lived a difficult life, but she was also a terribly interesting woman.
frawst_disasta_reads's review against another edition
5.0
It’s not an easy read, nor is it necessarily a fun read. However, it’s...necessary? Stalin no longer seems a distant figure, and it shows how we get to present day Russia.
Svetlana...is volatile, but determined and one cannot help but wonder...if things would have turned out differently had she not always needed to feel loved. Given who her father was, though, can anybody really be surprised?
Svetlana...is volatile, but determined and one cannot help but wonder...if things would have turned out differently had she not always needed to feel loved. Given who her father was, though, can anybody really be surprised?