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A review by binstonbirchill
Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman
5.0
Go read Stalingrad.
Life and Fate picks up where Stalingrad left off but with a heavy shift in tone. Stalingrad is primarily a war novel but Life and Fate is a much more of a novel to contemplate over. Grossman compares and tears into the authoritative systems of Germany and Russia, a complete overhaul from Stalingrad where any criticism was necessarily (for purposes of getting it published) oblique, subtle.
The letter referred to in Stalingrad is here and it was some of the best pages I have ever read. The fate of the jewish people in German occupied territory and Russia is explored. The price that was paid to defeat the Germans was immense, and in Life and Fate we really get a feel for that toll.
Luck plays a large part in survival, of bombs, of bullets, or of a wrong word. There is a heavy emphasis on the political system both civilians and soldiers had to try to live within.
The scope of Grossman’s work is vast, in around 2000 pages we get everything I would want in a war story. Both books are 5 star for me and highly recommended. I can’t rate one higher than the other, Stalingrad felt more enjoyable, Life and Fate gave me more to think about.
Life and Fate picks up where Stalingrad left off but with a heavy shift in tone. Stalingrad is primarily a war novel but Life and Fate is a much more of a novel to contemplate over. Grossman compares and tears into the authoritative systems of Germany and Russia, a complete overhaul from Stalingrad where any criticism was necessarily (for purposes of getting it published) oblique, subtle.
The letter referred to in Stalingrad is here and it was some of the best pages I have ever read. The fate of the jewish people in German occupied territory and Russia is explored. The price that was paid to defeat the Germans was immense, and in Life and Fate we really get a feel for that toll.
Luck plays a large part in survival, of bombs, of bullets, or of a wrong word. There is a heavy emphasis on the political system both civilians and soldiers had to try to live within.
The scope of Grossman’s work is vast, in around 2000 pages we get everything I would want in a war story. Both books are 5 star for me and highly recommended. I can’t rate one higher than the other, Stalingrad felt more enjoyable, Life and Fate gave me more to think about.