It's vital here to know very basic background author information. Alexander Solzhenitsyn served in the Russian army in WWII and later served eight years in a Siberian labor camp after making disparaging comments about Stalin in private correspondence. This fictional book was written based on his experience, and it shared with the world what really happened in the Stalin regime. In 1970, Solzhenitsyn was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
This book details one day in a 1950s Soviet labor camp. It's rather a dry read, unemotional (surely because of the conditions). It wasn't bad, but I didn't finish it.
It's classic literature, great for high schoolers to read, and adults too. However, when I read for pleasure, it's usually for my entertainment, or to learn more about current events or something near and dear to my heart (parenting, schooling, for example). Russian history doesn't fall into any of those categories at the moment, and I have other books I would prefer to be reading.
An excellent book to add to your kids' reading lists. (wink)
5 comments:
Oh this was one of my favorite high school books!!! I think it was in Needhams lit class(the only non-Steinbeck book we read!) -- or maybe Okita's ??
Oh, I am feeling such relief that you didn't finish this book. I saw the title listed & thought - darn that Kristine, she's making us all look bad by reading READ literature rather than beach books.
I started having flash backs of Anna Karenina & other Russian novels that go on & on forever but you can never quite get what the plot is (or if there IS one).
What relief to know you laid it aside & now we have nothing to live up to.
Back to the Yada Yada books...
Lori, how did YOU end up with the lit classes?
I must have studied chocolate . . . I know you enjoy Russian lit. And I know Liz enjoys choco-lit. HAHAHA! That just came to me as I was typing!
(Um, I did get up a little too early today, sorry.)
I too, did not finish this...way too deliberate a read for me at this stage.
Now, Liz, I actually enjoyed Anna Karenina, although keeping track of everyone was a challenge. My dd is reading it.
How did I end up with the lit classes? I loved the library just as much as you - and was lucky enough to get a bunch of them in high school. I took a Russian Lit class in college - LOVE Anna Karenina and Dr. Zhivago - but honestly think both are better if you have seen the movie(s) and know which characters to really pay attention to! Had it been allowed, I would have majored in Russian Lit (although neither my school nor my generous education underwriters would have allowed that (and I do thank them...now).
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