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maibenottho's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
brennsteez's review
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
it is about cement
cruelspirit's review
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Time, Forward! is a novel of Soviet Realism that takes place during the first 5 Year Plan in the the early 1930's. This is an era of history I'm not that familiar with but definitely interested in. As a fan of brutalist architecture that the rapid expansion of progress in the 20th century I was quite intrigued by the setting. The kinds of buildings that this book describes are now crumbling wrecks across the former Soviet Union and it is interesting to see them in a different light; when they were new and a symbol of the future.
Kataev offers a lot of great insight into Soviet life during this time period and the driving force of progress during this time. We often think of the massive advancements in technology and culture in the west during this time but rarely do we consider a place like the Soviet Union as progressing in this way too. This really was the turning point for when Russia went from an agricultural society to an industrial one.
Unfortunately, my knowledge of Soviet culture and history, especially during this time, is quite limited. This book definitely benefits from that kind of background. I think the perfect context for reading this book is reading it in a class on Soviet history or art. I'd imagine that is quite a common scenario as my copy of this book had a hefty layer of university bookstore stickers on the back.
I knew this book was about pouring concrete but I didn't realize that would be the most exciting part of the book. I actually really enjoyed reading these sections. The task of creating the world record and partaking in "socialist competition" was quite exhilarating, unfortunately the rest of the book definitely lost me at times. It takes 200 pages to even get to the concrete pouring and all that time beforehand is just spent talking about how they are going to beat the world record.
Kataev is quite literary with his writing but a lot of the chapters feel disjointed and more like vignettes of Soviet life than an actual story. Of course they do connect to each other but it just didn't feel like it was connected very well. As someone who had just finished reading Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred Döblin, this book was definitely a letdown in it's literary prowess.
I'd like to read more on this time period but I don't think this was the best to offer. The search for a favorite Russian classic continues.
Kataev offers a lot of great insight into Soviet life during this time period and the driving force of progress during this time. We often think of the massive advancements in technology and culture in the west during this time but rarely do we consider a place like the Soviet Union as progressing in this way too. This really was the turning point for when Russia went from an agricultural society to an industrial one.
Unfortunately, my knowledge of Soviet culture and history, especially during this time, is quite limited. This book definitely benefits from that kind of background. I think the perfect context for reading this book is reading it in a class on Soviet history or art. I'd imagine that is quite a common scenario as my copy of this book had a hefty layer of university bookstore stickers on the back.
I knew this book was about pouring concrete but I didn't realize that would be the most exciting part of the book. I actually really enjoyed reading these sections. The task of creating the world record and partaking in "socialist competition" was quite exhilarating, unfortunately the rest of the book definitely lost me at times. It takes 200 pages to even get to the concrete pouring and all that time beforehand is just spent talking about how they are going to beat the world record.
Kataev is quite literary with his writing but a lot of the chapters feel disjointed and more like vignettes of Soviet life than an actual story. Of course they do connect to each other but it just didn't feel like it was connected very well. As someone who had just finished reading Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred Döblin, this book was definitely a letdown in it's literary prowess.
I'd like to read more on this time period but I don't think this was the best to offer. The search for a favorite Russian classic continues.
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