4/26/22

Rather disjointed, but not a fan of flashbacks / look-forwards.One wonders how much Sozhenitsyn's back story contributed to the Nobel win.

Don't know what made me gave up on this back in 1973. Loved the portrait of the aged Tolstoy at the beginning. But then ... On my list of books to try again with a clear mind. ( )

Warning: Make sure you have a map; there is probably one at the back of the book. Look at the map before you start reading and constantly follow it. I didn't realize until the last pages that my book had a map in it, so I got very confused and kept on wishing for one. Don't make my mistake.

August 1914 gives a good soldier-on-the-ground account of the Russian's disastrous invasion of Austria in August 1914. Largely a cultural rather than a military account, this book tries to get inside the soldier & their community.

This book succeeds in what it sets out to do, but that isn't much. There are better Solzhenitsyn books. ( )

I don't usually find war novels funny, but the series of mishaps that shape this story are either absolutely hilarious or unthinkably horrible, or both. ( )