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e_woodhouse's review against another edition
2.0
I was finding this an interesting, if stylistically a bit paint-by-the-numbers, story of a Russian family and the struggles of the author's Welsh father and Russian mother to be together.
But then Matthews started talking about his own time in Eltsin Russia and I read something that angered me so much that I spent the rest of the book (which, by the way, becomes increasingly boring as we go from the story of Matthews' grandfather and mother, to that of his father) waiting for it to be over. Specifically, he mentions a girlfriend he had at the time, a Russian woman named Yana who, after he lost contact with her, was raped and murdered. While reminiscing about this woman and the tumultuous times Russia was experiencing, Matthews muses: "it seemed right, somehow, that Russia swallowed her in the end" and "if she'd been character in my novel I would have killed her off, too". Wow. The nineties were super violent in Russia, and a young woman was murdered, but at least he gets to write about it in his book?
And this is part of a bigger problem I have with the book, and especially the parts where Matthews writes about himself: the tone-deafness of it all. He is very much a foreigner in Russia (and freely admits to it), but that's no excuse in my mind for the way he speaks of some things: even the second war in Chechnya, which he covered as a journalist, is just a catalyst for his own personal epiphanies; and while I understand that this is not a book about politics, or about Chechnya, it still comes off as superficial and leaves a bad taste.
But then Matthews started talking about his own time in Eltsin Russia and I read something that angered me so much that I spent the rest of the book (which, by the way, becomes increasingly boring as we go from the story of Matthews' grandfather and mother, to that of his father) waiting for it to be over. Specifically, he mentions a girlfriend he had at the time, a Russian woman named Yana who, after he lost contact with her, was raped and murdered. While reminiscing about this woman and the tumultuous times Russia was experiencing, Matthews muses: "it seemed right, somehow, that Russia swallowed her in the end" and "if she'd been character in my novel I would have killed her off, too". Wow. The nineties were super violent in Russia, and a young woman was murdered, but at least he gets to write about it in his book?
And this is part of a bigger problem I have with the book, and especially the parts where Matthews writes about himself: the tone-deafness of it all. He is very much a foreigner in Russia (and freely admits to it), but that's no excuse in my mind for the way he speaks of some things: even the second war in Chechnya, which he covered as a journalist, is just a catalyst for his own personal epiphanies; and while I understand that this is not a book about politics, or about Chechnya, it still comes off as superficial and leaves a bad taste.
caracalico's review against another edition
5.0
Really interesting memoir, I felt like it was a good introduction to soviet Russia. Not too much info and not too heavy, but enough to make you want to know more. The story is amazing and writing also very good. I liked his approach to the story, where he is not judgmental but presents the story for what it is.
pearl35's review against another edition
4.0
The author, a post 1989 journalist, decided to dig into his family's history in Russia, finding that his grandfather was a victim of the 1937 Stalinist purge, grandma spent time in a gulag, and that his bickering parents had, in the 1960s, endured a Cold War version of Romeo and Juliet. This is the "one death is a tragedy" amongst the millions, allowing us to see the effect of the purges on the everyday lives of Russians for three generations. The author also came to realize that there were solid reasons his mother is a paranoid control freak, and why you shouldn't take food off grandma's plate.
the_kpj's review against another edition
4.0
Stalin's children gives a good primer on the evolution of modern day Russia (of course not covering all possible aspects), beginning in the Stalin era, as portrayed by three generations of one family . It may not be the most beautifully written novel, though it is intriguingly enough to keep you reading. All in all, it is the story itself that makes the book worth reading. The fact that it is based on the real destinies of real people increases the impact on the reader. Especially for younger people I believe it can contribute to a wider understanding of the oppression that people lived under in former Soviet and similar states, some still existing.
scunareader's review against another edition
3.0
Reading this memoir, I was struck by the fact that, as a Soviet emigre, I would somehow connect with Owen's experiences. I just finished the book and realized that our experiences are not alike at all.
I was four when we left (1979) via Austria, via Italy and finally to New York. I remember nothing. I was told nothing. If I had been a little older I would have been an indoctrinated "Pionerka," a child-Commie. But that never happened. Sure, my grandfather and my parents told me the stories of waiting in lines and fear of Soviet snitchery. But mostly, my family wanted to forget Stalin, Lenin, all of them. They remember only certain things fondly, such as family, school chums, fun times from their youth. My chance to see Kiev (where we were from) came in 2005.
I hated every moment spent in that depressing place. I have been all over the world and had never been more afraid to be detained at Customs than when I entered (and thankfully left) Kiev. I was thinking that it must have been my in-born Soviet fear of imprisonment (similar to my instinct for waiting in lines). After performing the required Russian/Ukrainian duties of visiting every dead relative in the cemetaries, eating at the Pelmenyi, and hailing a personal taxi (this is a real thing that non-taxi licensed individuals do to earn money), I called my mom once on U.S. soil and thanked her for taking me out of that dark, dank country.
My experiences aside, the author had this need to identify with all things Russian--lived there, became absolutely fluent (reading/writing), married a Russian girl. Those are all things with which I cannot identify. Maybe it would have been different if he had been born there. I don't know.
Well, this book is definitely interesting and readable. I recommend.
I was four when we left (1979) via Austria, via Italy and finally to New York. I remember nothing. I was told nothing. If I had been a little older I would have been an indoctrinated "Pionerka," a child-Commie. But that never happened. Sure, my grandfather and my parents told me the stories of waiting in lines and fear of Soviet snitchery. But mostly, my family wanted to forget Stalin, Lenin, all of them. They remember only certain things fondly, such as family, school chums, fun times from their youth. My chance to see Kiev (where we were from) came in 2005.
I hated every moment spent in that depressing place. I have been all over the world and had never been more afraid to be detained at Customs than when I entered (and thankfully left) Kiev. I was thinking that it must have been my in-born Soviet fear of imprisonment (similar to my instinct for waiting in lines). After performing the required Russian/Ukrainian duties of visiting every dead relative in the cemetaries, eating at the Pelmenyi, and hailing a personal taxi (this is a real thing that non-taxi licensed individuals do to earn money), I called my mom once on U.S. soil and thanked her for taking me out of that dark, dank country.
My experiences aside, the author had this need to identify with all things Russian--lived there, became absolutely fluent (reading/writing), married a Russian girl. Those are all things with which I cannot identify. Maybe it would have been different if he had been born there. I don't know.
Well, this book is definitely interesting and readable. I recommend.
sassa_11's review
4.0
Så intressant om Stalins rike fram till Sovjets fall ur ’den lilla’ människans perspektiv. Välskriven!
mimima's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting story about the author's parents (a Welshman and a Ukranian woman) who had a five year journey to get married. Also, included is the story of his maternal grandfather, who was killed in Stalin's purges, his grandmother (interred in the Gulag,) and mom and aunt (raised in orphanage.) Interspersed is the story of Matthews himself, who is a journalist who has been posted in Moscow. It was an airplane read and read quickly.