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1scarper
I finished Life and Fate last night and i have mixed feelings about the book. I struggled with Part 1 but enjoyed the rest of the book. Some part were immensely moving; Victor's mother's letter, the gas chamber scenes, the fate of and his Spiridov and his family/circle at the end of the novel. The oppression of the Soviet system at all levels of society was brilliantly done.
My main gripe with the book was the realisation of the characters. Victor, who probably had the lastest chunk of the narrative, was fully realised but many others weren't. With such a large cast, many characters didn't have substantial parts and i found it difficult to understand and empathise with some. I realise that many of the minor characters had stories that fit into the novel's vision a whole...but i'm not a big fan of that type of approach. Personal taste i suppose.
How does this book compare with War and Peace? I haven't read the latter but i've heard that they're similar in structure. I'm wondering would i have a similar gripe with Tolstoy's epic?
My main gripe with the book was the realisation of the characters. Victor, who probably had the lastest chunk of the narrative, was fully realised but many others weren't. With such a large cast, many characters didn't have substantial parts and i found it difficult to understand and empathise with some. I realise that many of the minor characters had stories that fit into the novel's vision a whole...but i'm not a big fan of that type of approach. Personal taste i suppose.
How does this book compare with War and Peace? I haven't read the latter but i've heard that they're similar in structure. I'm wondering would i have a similar gripe with Tolstoy's epic?
2rainpebble
I am probably 1/3 of the way through War and Peace and am not finding them the same at all. Life and Fate moves along at a fairly good clip. War and Peace rather meanders for me. Not that it is boring, just slower going. Tolstoy, I believe, does get more into the characters and allows you to move along with them.
scarper;
Your main gripe with the book was probably my only complaint. I thought using the war itself as a character (for it did take on a life of it's own) was done masterfully well here by Grossman, but I did miss having a person to take to my heart and head for the duration of the read. I thought for a time Victor would play that role for me, but it didn't turn out to be.
I thought this to be an excellent book and will be one that I will read again one day. The first Part of the book was my favorite Part. A comment was made on the 2nd thread, I believe, about it being interesting to read this war from an Eastern front perspective as opposed to a Western perspective and I agree totally.
I am very glad I took part in this group read. I appreciated the book and I thank those who set the read up for the rest of us.
I hope all of you have enjoyed/appreciated reading Life and Fate.
belva
scarper;
Your main gripe with the book was probably my only complaint. I thought using the war itself as a character (for it did take on a life of it's own) was done masterfully well here by Grossman, but I did miss having a person to take to my heart and head for the duration of the read. I thought for a time Victor would play that role for me, but it didn't turn out to be.
I thought this to be an excellent book and will be one that I will read again one day. The first Part of the book was my favorite Part. A comment was made on the 2nd thread, I believe, about it being interesting to read this war from an Eastern front perspective as opposed to a Western perspective and I agree totally.
I am very glad I took part in this group read. I appreciated the book and I thank those who set the read up for the rest of us.
I hope all of you have enjoyed/appreciated reading Life and Fate.
belva
3technodiabla
Woohoo-- I finished! Thanks to this group for introducing me to this work. I had not even heard of it. Looking forward to more long challenging reads! Here's my review as posted on LT:
Life and Fate is one of the most insightful and educational books I've ever read. Set in Russia around the defense of Stalingrad in WWII and the immediate aftermath, the book is extremely complex, intense, and articulate. It pays to learn a bit about Grossman's life before beginning and to look up facts, maps, and terms while reading.
Life and Fate is engaging and thoroughly thought-provoking. The subtle intricacies and comparisons between variations on Socialism, Communism and Fascism was enlightening and could only have been properly treated by someone like Grossman, who was there and really one of them (Soviet Jew). This is not your standard WWII book that we often read in the West. This is the story of the Eastern Front, which is often overlooked in Western Literature. As a child of the Cold War, I now have a much better understanding of how that era came into existence and some insight into the Soviet mindset. It is a worthy read, if you are willing to put in the time and effort to absorb all it has to offer. I imagine I'll be digesting and mulling it over for some time to come. 5 stars
Life and Fate is one of the most insightful and educational books I've ever read. Set in Russia around the defense of Stalingrad in WWII and the immediate aftermath, the book is extremely complex, intense, and articulate. It pays to learn a bit about Grossman's life before beginning and to look up facts, maps, and terms while reading.
Life and Fate is engaging and thoroughly thought-provoking. The subtle intricacies and comparisons between variations on Socialism, Communism and Fascism was enlightening and could only have been properly treated by someone like Grossman, who was there and really one of them (Soviet Jew). This is not your standard WWII book that we often read in the West. This is the story of the Eastern Front, which is often overlooked in Western Literature. As a child of the Cold War, I now have a much better understanding of how that era came into existence and some insight into the Soviet mindset. It is a worthy read, if you are willing to put in the time and effort to absorb all it has to offer. I imagine I'll be digesting and mulling it over for some time to come. 5 stars
4Cecilturtle
I'm glad I read this book because there are some gems and moments of brilliance that will stay with me for a long time: the celebratory meal in the death chamber, the train full of deported Jews, Sofya's letter and the conclusion of a couple arriving at an abandoned cabin.
I struggled however with the lack of structure. In line with scarper's comments about the characters, I felt like there were a lot of elements (people, events, points of view, philosophical and political reflections, etc.) just lumped together with no common thread. Ultimately, I became disinterested in the characters' fate and events because I was never sure they were going to return - sometimes it seemed they were just enumerations, examples of human misery. I found this frustrating: I can only conclude that this was an unfinished work and a good editor never had the chance to give some pointers (yes, there is such a thing as too many words!).
Despite this, I'm glad I invested this time (if not just to brag that I finished it!...). I always find these reads rewarding, especially after seeing other people's comments: they usually give me a perspective that I missed!
I struggled however with the lack of structure. In line with scarper's comments about the characters, I felt like there were a lot of elements (people, events, points of view, philosophical and political reflections, etc.) just lumped together with no common thread. Ultimately, I became disinterested in the characters' fate and events because I was never sure they were going to return - sometimes it seemed they were just enumerations, examples of human misery. I found this frustrating: I can only conclude that this was an unfinished work and a good editor never had the chance to give some pointers (yes, there is such a thing as too many words!).
Despite this, I'm glad I invested this time (if not just to brag that I finished it!...). I always find these reads rewarding, especially after seeing other people's comments: they usually give me a perspective that I missed!
