Books
by Simon Sebag Montefiore
|
Jerusalem: The Biography |
I read this inspired by a visit to the Holy Land made this year with four days in Jerusalem. I don't know if this is The Biography - but Montefiore charts the turbulent, confusing, violent history which has this extraordinary city at its centre in a way that is both informative and with a certain humour. A marathon - but fascinating.
(Ferelith Hordon - bwl 74 Autumn 2014) |
|
|
One Night in Winter |
Simon Sebag Montefiore is an historian and this novel, set in Stalin's Moscow, is based on a true incident. His Stalin is a seemingly avuncular character whose unpredictability creates a truly sinister atmosphere. In this mixture of fact and fiction we feel horror and tension as we fear for the children at the centre of the plot. This is a scary crime story that actually happened in our own lifetime.
(Judith Peppitt - bwl 73 Summer 2014) |
|
|
Sashhenka |
The author is a renowned historian and on the evidence of this novel of fiction too. The story of Sashenka, born into wealth and Bolshevik by conviction, spans decades and charters the Soviet Union's descent into mindless, all-embracing tyranny which consumed millions and was presided over by the malignant, devious, murderous Joseph Stalin. The legacy of this wonderful novel is the present day Russia, a hugely unequal society ruled by an ex KGB apparatchik and with freedom a distant mirage.
(David Graham - bwl 85 Summer 2017) |
|
|
Stalin |
A vast amount has been written about Stalin and his crimes against millions of people - mainly his own - during his atrocious reign of terror. This account adds a new perspective in also showing a human side to this particular monster. New evidence from Stalin's archives such as letters, scribbled notes etc. reveal the man behind the crimes with the laughter, simple pleasures, little jealousies, affections, as well as pain and paranoia. Hideously compulsive read.
(James Baker - bwl 21 November 2003) |
|
|
The Romanovs |
For all who are interested in the relationship of past history to our present political situations and love very thick books, this is tops in every way. Although the main facts have been chewed over many times in innumerable books of every kind, there is always a new slant to be examined and new facts appearing in the public domain which produce, in the hands of a master, a fresh, very worthwhile and entertaining book, which is why this is highly recommended, a superb holiday read.
(Kathie Somerwil Ayrton - bwl 109 Summer 2023) |
|
|
