Scan barcode
jacobinreads's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Having now read some of Serge's other works, I've come to perhaps his most famous, and can safely say that The Case of Comrade Tulayev deserves those accolades. The book is a masterclass in dramatic irony and (perhaps) dark comedy. From the inciting events to the denouement (for the characters "investigating" the case) a litany of error and tragedy parades before the reader. Serge is at the most coherent I've read of him, strangely enough, in a work that describes incoherent events.
This book holds tragedy and comedy in tension, with a deeply observed and sympathetic eye to those it describes. From the lowliest peasant to Stalin himself, Serge reveals the necessities that drive these characters. There is no grand victory here, for this book is set in a land of "defeat in the jaws of victory", the only victory that is had is for the small, for the worker, for the ordinary person. And perhaps that victory is the more important one Serge suggests - seemingly with a weary smirk.
I will be thinking about this book for some time, and of all of his books I've read thus far, I recommend it the most, and with the fewest qualifications.
This book holds tragedy and comedy in tension, with a deeply observed and sympathetic eye to those it describes. From the lowliest peasant to Stalin himself, Serge reveals the necessities that drive these characters. There is no grand victory here, for this book is set in a land of "defeat in the jaws of victory", the only victory that is had is for the small, for the worker, for the ordinary person. And perhaps that victory is the more important one Serge suggests - seemingly with a weary smirk.
I will be thinking about this book for some time, and of all of his books I've read thus far, I recommend it the most, and with the fewest qualifications.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Torture
msgtdameron's review against another edition
5.0
I read this wonderful book last year. I say wonderful because it gives a real insight into how paranoid narcissists react to being under attack. At least thinking they are under some kind of assault. DOes any one see a paranoid narcissist today? I new you would. If so and you want to see how to react after they come for you read this one. It will really give you an idea of how to survive after our arrest, for being a Democrat, and how to really screw up the GOP Gestapo during your interrogation.
emily_britton's review
2.0
This was a powerful book, but I did not enjoy it. The beginning and the end were very good, but the middle dragged on. I couldn't help comparing it to The Gulag Archipelago, but Solzhenitsen was far more lyrical and enjoyable.
gillysingh's review
4.0
The prose is intoxicating with a wide sweep of narrative and a piercing approach to uncovering the motives of the individuals depicted. Although the narrative is not linear, with a single protagonist, it is a very enjoyable read and well worth the effort. It uncovers the underlying reasons for people's actions and demonstrates the tide of history in a way which could only ever been done by an author steeped in Marxism.
drsarahp's review
I don't often give up on books - I'm stubborn and don't like the idea of not finishing something I've started to read. In this case however, I'm giving up. I don't know whether it's because I've been listening to this as an audiobook, but I've not gotten into it. I've listened to about 4 hours now and I find myself drifting in and out and losing focus. Plus, the female characters! There haven't been many, but those that are there are exclusively defined by their sexual relationships to men, which never endears me to a text.
br3nd4n's review
5.0
Ok, I confess. I have a macabre penchant for gulag fiction, and this is my favourite of the lot. While Koestler & Solzhenitsyn graphically portray interrogation and exile respectively, Serge takes a panoramic approach showing how a Stalinist purge rippled out from a random incident to ensnare old heroes and young zealots alike. And he ought to know - having spent years in a Russian prison in the 1930s. This is a masterfully constructed tale written in an immensely readable style, but it is the unique window into the remorseless machinery of a totalitarian state and its justifications that make this book essential cautionary reading.
Sentus Libri 100 word reviews of overlooked books.
Sentus Libri 100 word reviews of overlooked books.
dmaude's review
4.0
This Russian novel, written in 1940-2, while Serge was in exile, but not published in English until decades later, doesn't remind me of other big Russian novels - although set in 1936 in the reign of Stalin. It made me think of Philip K. Dick. Except for this novel, was based on not imagination - what if Hitler had won? - but based on the very real faked news of Russia, and it consequences. "Enemies of the people" was a common charge, which wouldn't have been so striking before the Donald and Steve.
Serge wrote some history books about the revolution and Russia too, but in a number of novels he went for the "truth" of what happened.
He wrote the book while Hitler and Stalin battled on the eastern front. Serge died in 1946.
Serge wrote some history books about the revolution and Russia too, but in a number of novels he went for the "truth" of what happened.
He wrote the book while Hitler and Stalin battled on the eastern front. Serge died in 1946.
More...