arilaurel's review against another edition
4.0
I think Kollontai's fiction is severely underrated, and outside of specific markers of the time (such as names and political events), her stories often feel quite modern. I love the themes of women counseling in one another, or when a woman begins to dislike her man for political over romantic reasons (ie, they become more bourgeois). While Kollontai was a member of the communist party, she wrote fiction to reach homemakers who did not have access to the same political power she did, and through her fiction she successfully explored contradictions between the feminism of the time and the communism of the time. But she did so without laying judgment in her female characters or the reader for choosing one or the other, which I find to be rather compassionate.
dearcomposer's review
4.0
Perhaps what this book (or collection of stories) lacks in fluidity, it makes up for in straightforwardness. The first story which is highly biographical (I read Kollontai's auto-biography right before this), but seeks to justify why Kollontai felt so disappointed with the state of relationships in the Bolshevik era. But these stories don't come across as a lament or inability to move on from the author, but rather to tie universal truths of love (the excitement, drama, complacency, and eventual end) and explore new manifestations of emotional connection. Not the most romantically written prose, the content does suffice.
aritz's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
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? Yes
3.25
booksinblossom's review against another edition
2.0
Geen literaire hoogvlieger, maar wel interessant om via fictie het wereldbeeld van deze marxistische feministe beter te leren kennen.
ruthie_'s review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
maravika's review against another edition
4.0
Beautifully and painfully honest look into the inner lives of revolutionary Russian women - I really enjoyed reading this and my heart ached for each of the heroines, just as it aches for every woman living today, still dealing with the same issues, but often without the hope and optimism that Revolution, and Marxism, brings. Oh how I long for us all to be finally liberated!
p.s. more communist babies in this world please!
p.s. more communist babies in this world please!
sarahnlawson's review
3.0
CW: If you are a victim of domestic abuse or emotional abuse more generally, I recommend steering clear of this book. I had to read it for my coursework, but it was very difficult getting through it because of the accurate depictions of gaslighting, love bombing, lying, and manipulation.
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