Scan barcode
jacobinreads's review against another edition
2.0
While insightful, that insight is interwoven into Liebman's account of Leninism. This necessitated close reading, which essentially retreads early Russian Revolutionary history (which, if already familiar, can drag) for long stretches. Dreadfully uninteresting for long periods at a time, there are many highlights, especially in the latter sections of the book. Liebman's study of revolutionary society and his conclusions are particularly valuable and interesting.
This is not to say the book isn't valuable; as a stand-alone work it is a good, sharp, and sympathetic work of historiography and theoretical analysis of Lenin's thought and work. I do still recommend it for those curious in the subject- I just didn't enjoy it. Liebman's writing is staid, if illuminating, though having read Serge, one can infer from him much of what Liebman cover explicitly.
This is not to say the book isn't valuable; as a stand-alone work it is a good, sharp, and sympathetic work of historiography and theoretical analysis of Lenin's thought and work. I do still recommend it for those curious in the subject- I just didn't enjoy it. Liebman's writing is staid, if illuminating, though having read Serge, one can infer from him much of what Liebman cover explicitly.
More...