stormy_reading's review against another edition
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
cdurbzz's review against another edition
4.0
pretty great, all things considered. on the whole, the brief dramatizations that constitute the book's "novelistic" elements were extremely effective, each one expounding upon internalized views of the soviet economic project (as opposed to exogenous, retroactive criticisms). what holds it back, as with any collection of thematically-adjacent vignettes, are the boring ones. standouts include the novocherkassk massacre, chekuskin the pusher, and zoya's expulsion from academgodorok, among others. well-researched and endlessly detailed; I learned a lot of little factoids about post-stalinist optimism and the kruschev thaw that I will forget in no less than one month. my fault, not the book's.
nick_latanick's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to like this book better, and I think I might after a second read. The story is constructed in a series of vignettes, spanning the social strata of the USSR, as well as decades. I had trouble following the characters as they reemerged in later chapters, always at first unsure if this is someone new, or if we had met them before. Some of the most interesting characters and plots are left behind unfinished -barely even started- as the narrative arc ploughs ever onward to the next year, and the next plan cycle. Perhaps the book's structure is itself a metaphor for the indifferent churn of a planned economy, but it didn't enhance my enjoyment of reading the book.
That said, the vignettes themselves are each engaging and well written on their own, and now knowing more about how the book is constructed, and what the relationships are between the vignettes, which plots are throughlines and which are deadends, I think a second reading would be less confusing and easier to enjoy.
That said, the vignettes themselves are each engaging and well written on their own, and now knowing more about how the book is constructed, and what the relationships are between the vignettes, which plots are throughlines and which are deadends, I think a second reading would be less confusing and easier to enjoy.
zoodlemorph's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
funbeach1100's review against another edition
5.0
Увлекательная книга повествующая жизнь людей разного ранга в СССР. Интересные короткие истории, о том как в такой огромной стране СССР пытались провести такой эксперимент как СССР. Книга написана очень хорошо: разные герои, разные жизненные ситуации, особенно понравились диалоги.
trashlover91's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
paulataua's review against another edition
4.0
A fascinating mix of history and fiction focusing on the Soviet Union from the late 1950s to 1970 and its attempt to engineer the economy into prosperity and to outpace the Capitalist economies of the West. It is the story of the collapse of the Soviet dream. A really interesting read, and one that opens up the possibility that one day someone might write a similar book about the collapse of the American dream.
adarossiwrites's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75