moothemonster's review
challenging
informative
fast-paced
4.0
I can see why people criticise it for being too fast paced - if you're looking for an in depth focus, this book will not give it, but that's the nature of books that chronicle 1000 years. Additionally, the focus was a LOT more on 1917 onwards than on any time beforehand, but I didn't mind this - I'm reading from more of a political standpoint rather than a historical one, and I found it really interesting to see what led up to Russia being the way it is now, especially with the Ukrainian war now.
puglover's review
challenging
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Colonisation, and Murder
Moderate: Deportation, Confinement, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Religious bigotry and Antisemitism
evamadera1's review
informative
slow-paced
1.5
I thought that this book would end up as an average read for me. I stated as much in my August wrap up video when I thought I would finish by the 31st. Whoops.
Then I got further into the book. The more I read, the more frustrated I became. I added this book to my tbr because I wanted to learn more about Russia and its development. I have read a decent amount regarding Catherine the Great, the rest of the Romanovs and the Soviet era. I did not get this at all with this book.
In the first 150 pages of the 530 page book, Sixsmith "chronicles" a period of history from around the 900s to just after the start of the 1800s. Yeah. I should have known by that point how much time he would take on everything else. In fact, Sixsmith completely omits anything from the time of the Mongol occupation. He briefly mentions Ivan the Terrible, skimming over his reign in a short chapter. He spends a little longer on Catherine the Great, long enough to draw out some points that he could use to connect with actions taken by the Soviet rulers later. Then he gets into the start of the Soviet era with the 1917 Revolution and does this by page 225, yeah. He spends over 60% of a book purporting to be a 1000 year chronicle on less than 100 years of history.
I should have DNF'd but I'm too stubborn so I finished this one out which consumed several days of my September reading time. I do not recommend this one at all.
Also, I would say that the pace of the book is fast for the first 150 pages but then way too slow for the rest.
Then I got further into the book. The more I read, the more frustrated I became. I added this book to my tbr because I wanted to learn more about Russia and its development. I have read a decent amount regarding Catherine the Great, the rest of the Romanovs and the Soviet era. I did not get this at all with this book.
In the first 150 pages of the 530 page book, Sixsmith "chronicles" a period of history from around the 900s to just after the start of the 1800s. Yeah. I should have known by that point how much time he would take on everything else. In fact, Sixsmith completely omits anything from the time of the Mongol occupation. He briefly mentions Ivan the Terrible, skimming over his reign in a short chapter. He spends a little longer on Catherine the Great, long enough to draw out some points that he could use to connect with actions taken by the Soviet rulers later. Then he gets into the start of the Soviet era with the 1917 Revolution and does this by page 225, yeah. He spends over 60% of a book purporting to be a 1000 year chronicle on less than 100 years of history.
I should have DNF'd but I'm too stubborn so I finished this one out which consumed several days of my September reading time. I do not recommend this one at all.
Also, I would say that the pace of the book is fast for the first 150 pages but then way too slow for the rest.
thetarantulalounge's review
5.0
My wife and I recently watched the fantastic adaptation of War & Peace starring Lily James and Paul Dano (and Little Women’s James Norton, if you’ve seen it. That was my final straw – I had to learn more about Russian history. Everything I knew was from writers Tolstoy and Dostoevsky; as well as Doctor Zhivago and other movies. My usual search for history book advice on the internet wasn’t fruitful – any recommended book would be shot down by others as incorrectly biased or wrongly focused. Finally I just picked a random book at the library. I think I got the right one!
Martin Sixsmith isn’t writing about the subject from a distance. He studied and worked in Eurasia for decades as a journalist. He was there for a lot of the events from the 1970s-1990s firsthand. His presence gives him credibility while his writing background gives him the chops to create a coherent, educational, and enjoyable narrative. I noticed Amazon lists this as a textbook. It’s not dry like most of the history textbooks I had.
The book’s timeline is broad. Sixsmith covers Kievan Rus the Viking uniting the people in what would become Russia at their behest and goes all the way to Putin’s rise to power. Sixsmith gives more than just a string of events, though. He pontificates on why exactly Russia has been a churning hotbed of resolve and revolution. The author agrees with Russian who believe that the geography of the nation plays a large part in its national character and consciousness. It feels the pull of European liberalism and values as well as the need for autocratic reign as seen in its Asian neighbors. It feels danger from both sides, as well as from the South. He also notes the Russians’ own ambivalence about the need for strength in leadership over democracy. In addition to the heavier stuff, Sixsmith includes a lot of references to great art and literature of the various times giving the reader plenty of other writers to explore in order to learn more.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about Russia and the Soviet Union.
Martin Sixsmith isn’t writing about the subject from a distance. He studied and worked in Eurasia for decades as a journalist. He was there for a lot of the events from the 1970s-1990s firsthand. His presence gives him credibility while his writing background gives him the chops to create a coherent, educational, and enjoyable narrative. I noticed Amazon lists this as a textbook. It’s not dry like most of the history textbooks I had.
The book’s timeline is broad. Sixsmith covers Kievan Rus the Viking uniting the people in what would become Russia at their behest and goes all the way to Putin’s rise to power. Sixsmith gives more than just a string of events, though. He pontificates on why exactly Russia has been a churning hotbed of resolve and revolution. The author agrees with Russian who believe that the geography of the nation plays a large part in its national character and consciousness. It feels the pull of European liberalism and values as well as the need for autocratic reign as seen in its Asian neighbors. It feels danger from both sides, as well as from the South. He also notes the Russians’ own ambivalence about the need for strength in leadership over democracy. In addition to the heavier stuff, Sixsmith includes a lot of references to great art and literature of the various times giving the reader plenty of other writers to explore in order to learn more.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about Russia and the Soviet Union.