Reviews

In the First Circle by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

secretsoda's review against another edition

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challenging informative tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A fascinating picture of life in Communist Russia for intellectuals on the wrong side of the law. The book took me two months to read despite spanning only three days. An incredibly large cast of characters and numerous plot lines are employed. Unfortunately, many of these were hard to follow, especially when mentioned only briefly and then brought up much later.

I was glad to have read this book immediately after "Notes from a Dead House" and "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich." The contrast between this book and "Ivan Denisovich" seemed much greater than that between "Ivan Denisovich" and "Notes from a Dead House," despite Dostoevsky’s work being set in an entirely different era.

It was intriguing to imagine Ivan Denisovich toiling in his labor camp at the same time as the characters in this book worked in their prison labs. I appreciated how multidimensional the characters were. The story of the yard man, Spiridin, was my favorite part of the book. I was also fascinated by Reuben, who defended communism despite what the system had done to him.

Observing the lengths to which each character was willing to go in the name of self-preservation was interesting. There were those who were happy to act as informants on their fellow prisoners on one side of the spectrum, and those who refused to make tools that would be used to incriminate others, even if it meant returning to hard labor, on the other.

dev0225's review

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challenging reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

gregmorton's review against another edition

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5.0

Graceful and harrowing in equal measure

hank's review against another edition

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3.0

It is unlikely that I will say anything about Solzhenitsyn that others have not so I will just ramble with my own thoughts in hopes that if my future self reads this I will be reminded of some of the good parts.

As with most impactful philosophy Solzhenitsyn's was forged (lame, overused word) by his own experiences. His personally, particular genre is humanity created via Russian prison camps. Both of his better known works [b:One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch|27188929|One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch|Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1450368727l/27188929._SX50_.jpg|838042] and [b:The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956|70561|The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956 (Abridged)|Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388293026l/70561._SY75_.jpg|2944012] are also based in and on gulags. I read this one because it was on sale from Audible.

In the First Circle is fictional although largely autobiographical which made it that much more personal. The premise is a group of scientists being forced to work for their oppressors to further enable their ability to oppress. All sorts of easily graspable moral choices are presented such as the fact that none of them want to help communist Russia but the conditions in this sharaska are far better than if they refused or the oppression the necessary prisoners inflict on the transient ones.

More complex commentary about communism and Stalin are sprinkled throughout the book with the ultimate conclusion that if you take everything away, you now, no longer, have any control.

Similar to Ivan Denisovitch, the characters struggle to hold on to whatever dignity they deem to have left. There are reflections on how each prisoner has treated their families, how each one has stayed or not stayed true to their beliefs or how each one approaches basic human existence.

This book was long and although I am glad I read it and think that having read it, it gives more weight and understanding to Solzhenitsyn quotes, it was probably better read in the early 70s when debates about communism were fresher although his thoughts on human dignity and motivations will be insightful forever.

3.5 stars rounded down.

tittypete's review against another edition

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4.0

So during the cold war, the USSR had these special prisons for scientists and smart people. See, Stalin was in the habit of having everyone who could think for themselves thrown into prison. But … if they were gonna ‘win’ against the west, they still needed to innovate and invent stuff to keep up. So they put these smart people in these special cushy prisons where they made them work on government projects. They had decent food and could talk to each other and read books. They had access to smokes and got visits. There were lady civilians that worked with the prisoners and that would make them horny. Some books were permissible. Laundry, shoes, heat and lighting. The works. The title of the book refers to Dante’s first circle of hell. It’s nice-ish but it’s still hell. At least it’s not a Siberian labor camp.

The story starts with a Soviet diplomat making a phone call to the US embassy trying to tell them that the USSR is making plans to get the atom bomb. Then we cut to the special prison where the scientist prisoners are tasked with coming up with a phone-computer-translator thing that will help identify the aforementioned diplomat so they can put him in jail. So that’s the set up and from there it gets real Russian-novel-y. Lots of conversations about the times. Philosophical, talmudic discussions about what it means to be a prisoner, a socialist, an enemy of the state. There’s a lot of them. And for the most part they are charmingly written and interesting enough. But this book is long. Russian lit box handsomely checked. It feels like Ivan Denisovich blown out into 800 pages of Gulag Archipelago and shaded as a deep dive into the softer side of prison slave labor. Fun stuff. Russia never disappoints when it comes to culturally entrenched misery.

anarcho_zymurgist's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

haazex's review against another edition

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5.0

Fantastic! Need to ponder it a bit longer for a review....

zkendall's review against another edition

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5.0

Not very exciting, and hard to keep the Russian names straight. But fantastic writing and political commentary.

elanienneco's review against another edition

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4.0

i would have hated this book if i wasn’t reading it in a russian lit class but patricia burak is so good i love this goddamn book

jvanwagoner's review against another edition

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4.5

I grew up hearing about Axeksandr Solzhenitsyn, but I had never read his works. I grabbed this book and saw why he was a famous writer.

This book is a fictional account of the prison system in the USSR and is semi-autobiographical. It describes the prison system for intellectuals who work on actual projects for the government. They have virtually no rights and minimal contact with their families. Their prison sentences start short but always get extended, and there is little hope for them. It also shows people's fear of even thinking about what is unacceptable to the government.

The book is a good reminder of the evils of totalitarian governments. It is a long book, but worth while for those interested in the subject.