Generations of Winter

Rating:
Summary: Generations to Read...
Review: Vassily Aksyonov's novel Generations of Winter certainly takes one generations to read, but once the reader is able to grasp all of the characters' names (some of them are referred to in multiple ways) as well as the fact that a great deal of the novel is just that, fact, the only word I can come up with to describe the work is "phenomenal." Once you are able to get past the historical facts you may not be familiar with and focus on the strength of a family during a time of great depression and hardship I can only hope you will agree.
The story is set in Moscow during Stalin's post-Revolutionary reign and portrays a family's struggle and perseverance throughout this horrific era.
Although the suffering described appears difficult to fathom, it was most likely more difficult for Aksyonov to relay in such a remarkable and genuine fashion. One could conclude that the individual characters presented to us-members of the Gradov family-represent different political viewpoints during this time. In fact, it seems that different members of the family were involved in most of the events that occurred at this historical time in one way or another.
The existence and struggles of the family are a result of a hardship all the people of this time and place are forced to deal with. The story will become even more moving once you remind yourself of the important factor that many more people faced the same struggle and although they suffered and in some cases lost the battle there were many more that overcame it.
Aksyonov mixes fact and fiction in order to create a soap-opera like collage of storylines including a few brief chapters from the point of view of various animals. As you witness the struggle of the Gradovs you are forced to continue reading to discover whether or not they will succeed in overcoming adversity.
The strength of the Gradov family will capture you and leave you thinking about the injustices the people of Russia dealt with long after you have closed the book. Considering my own ignorance concerning this issue in the history of our humanity this novel was educational to say the least. It opens up a chapter in history that is often ignored and if nothing else is bound to open any reader's eyes.



Rating:
Summary: A Russian History/Soap Opera Story
Review: "20th-Century equivalent of War and Peace"?-- maybe in length and time it took to read; maybe in subject matter - Russia; but everything else is definitely Vassily Aksyono. How interesting to read about historical events along with a soap-opera type story of a family (Gradov) and how their lives changed drastically during the Stalinist years. There seems to be no end to the tragedies that befall this once wealthy and loving family, who in the beginning of the story seemed to have everything going for them. The father, is a surgeon of high regard, Dr. Boris and his wife, Mary, someone who was good-looking, moneyed and positioned, but had to suffer through watching what happened to their children and extended family at the hands of some of the most corrupt political characters you will ever read about.
There were some "intermissions" thrown in amongst the chapters that had this reader wondering what happened to the author. Aksyonov, for some reason, felt that readers needed to see how "others" and by "others" I mean the family dog, a squirrel, a tree, all have thoughts about the family and what is going on in Russia at that time. Found this technique to be more fairy-tailish than I liked and added nothing to the story itself.
The book is split into two sections - "Volume I" is about the Gradovs and the happenings in Russia including some grisly stories about the disappearances of "citizens" in the night and treatment by brutal Stalin men. "Volume II" deals with Russia's battle with Germany and there are more horror stories of what happened to people living at that time in history. I don't know how much was true, but the senseless slaughter made me glad I didn't live there or then.
I will need to read the third novel ("The Winter's Hero") to see how the family fares when Stalin's era finally ends. I would be happy to just hear that Stalin had a horrible ending after reading this book. I know this story is fiction, but my history lessons didn't cover some of the events that really did happen, such as the gulag that existed during the Terror or the Russian Army of Liberation that helped the Nazis against Russia, all worth looking into separate from this book.
All in all, a good read, but only if you have the time to digest the trip through Russian history from 1925 to 1945, as told in connection to the story's Gradov family history. Leaves the reader wanting to know more about what really happened.


Rating:
Summary: History of the Stalinist Period: 1925 - 1945
Review: "Generations of Winter" is an interesting history of the early Stalinist period in Russia. While using the vehicle of the well-to-do, privileged Gradov family to describe the era, the book is, however, nothing but a fictionalized tale of the history of those tumultuous times in Russia. Author Vassily Aksyonov does write in an engrossing style which enables the reader to have feeling and empathy for the Gradov family members during their trials (rarely do they have triumphs). The reader will want to finish the book to see how everything is resolved.

The interesting, but unrealistic, fact that the extended Gradov family was personally involved in every significant historical happening of this period will provide the casual reader with an insight into the times, but it merely whets the appetite of those desiring a complete picture. To cite examples: - father Dr. Boris resolves the well-known crisis of Stalin's "constipation"; - daughter Nina participates in pro-Trotsky, anti-Stalinist demonstrations when Stalin was consolidating his power (but, curiously, never is arrested for this); - son Kirill, the doctrinaire Marxist, is arrested and sent to the gulag during the Terror; - son Nikita rises in the military, is arrested during the purge of the military, and then is rehabilitated during World War II and rises to become a Marshall of the Army; - nephew Nuygar, a Georgian thug, becomes a Major General and right-hand man to Lavrenty Beria, the head of what has become the KGB; - son Kirill and daughter-in-law Celia first meet in rural Russia during the de-kulakization of the countryside; - adopted grandson Mitya is drafted into the Soviet Army, is captured by the Germans, and joins the Russian Army of Liberation to assist the Nazis in their attack on Russia; - daughter-in-law Veronika emigrates to the United States; - etc., etc., etc.

As such, then, there is no real plot as we would normally think of a fictional plot, but rather a set of seemingly unrelated vignettes revolving around the history of Russia which become related only because of the omipotent Gradov family and their incredible impact upon Russia's history.

Mr. Aksyonov periodically resorts to a "cutsy" technique of interjecting into the text parenthetical sentences to seque into the vignettes, such as "How did it happen that Mitya Sapunov, who in July 1943 had joined the Dnepr partisan detachment, again found himself in a group of "traitors to the Motherland".....? This technique appears to be necessary because the vignettes are rather unrelated, except for the family connections.

Mr. Aksyonov also periodically includes anthropomorphic "Intermissions" where various things such as the Gradov family dog, a squirrel, and an oak tree provide us with, so Mr. Aksyonov must believe, some intellectual insight into something. These Intermissions add nothing whatsoever to the novel. Perhaps, as another Amazon reviewer noted, these are a holdover from Mr. Aksynovov's attempts in the past to confuse the Russian censors who might actually read them and try to determine what is being said.

All-in-all, "Generations of Winter" left this reader interested in the Gradov family and wanting to read the follow-on novel "The Winter's Hero" depicting the end of the Stalinist era to see if anything really positive could happen to the family during that time. However, readers will be left with an empty feeling if they are looking for a sweeping view of Russia during the Stalinist period. Each of the vignettes of history depicted in this novel deserve a separate detailed study.

Rating:
Summary: The War and Peace of Twentieth Century Russia? Yes.
Review: And nevermind that it isn't as great a masterpiece as Tolstoy's--literature itself isn't as great as in the 19th century, anymore. This book stands with anything in fiction written about the first third of the Soviet era.

As with all Russian literature, the English translation gives the impression that one is viewing an intricately woven tapestry from the back. This is a pity, but not an obstacle to following the story of the Gradov family. The curtain rises in the mid-Twenties. NEP has brought some semblance of normalcy to the economy. The Chekha, though an object of trepidation to ordinary people, is not yet the terror-engine it would become as the NKVD. It's still possible to disagree about politics, and Bolshevik art in the time of Mayakovsky and the Soviet cubist poster artists is still vital, not yet deadened into socialist realist straitjackets.

The Gradovs are a cozy, educated Muscovite family who have so far escaped disruption from the Revolution. They and their Georgian relatives get sucked into the new order, either by slowly accreting compromises with the regime, misplaced faith in its Marxist slogans, or outright "socialist justice". The disconnect between the high honors heaped upon many of them, and the razor's edge they walk to stay together and out of trouble causes all kinds of turbulent anguish.

Nikita Gradov is an especially affecting character. He is tormented by his role in betraying the sailors to the Reds in the Krondstadt mutiny. He is a composite of several real-life Soviet military men. Like Rokossovsky, he is released from the gulag to lead a Soviet army. Like Zhukov, he disputes a point of strategy with Stalin and escapes with his life. And like Chernyakhovsky, he is KIA.

Throughout the book, Aksyonov inserts several surreal "intermissions". These little episodes serve as fantasy counterpoints (or choruses) to the main action. For example, in one, the family dog is revealed to be the reincarnation of a murdered boyar from the time of Ivan the Terrible. In another, a swarm of fireflies descends over all the scenes of the novel. And in one, a garden squirrel is the reincarnation of Lenin himself, to give him time to unwind before he's hurled into eternity. These fantastic japeries seem like holdovers from earlier in Akysonov's career, when he would tweak the Soviet censors.

This novel is rich in tragedy, hitting all the awful low points of the communist regime in Russia, and demonstrating the moral and physical ruin it brought to the people.

Rating:
Summary: Among the ruins
Review: Closer to Dr. Zhivago than it is War and Peace, Aksyonov tries to piece together the Stalinist era through the eyes of an extended Russian-Georgian family. The first half of the book is the most compelling as Aksyonov sets up his intriguing family and its subsequent demise as its members ran afoul of Stalin. He is able to capture the clamp down of the Soviet state and its effect on the republics, particularly Georgia, which had managed to retain its identity under Lenin.

Navigating the ravaged battlefields of war proved more difficult for Aksyonov, as he tries to reassemble the scattered family. There are many engaging scenes but as a whole the second part of the book lacks focus, and reads as a jumble of events, which may very well have been the case in the beleagured Soviet Union as it struggled through its darkest hour.

Aksyonov offers a ray of sunshine in the end, but for the most part this is a bleak novel, befitting the era, and the impact Stalinism had on Russian society. The brief glimmer of a modernist utopia was all too quickly disspelled. In its place, Russians, Georgians and other ethnic groups tried to recapture their trampled identities. This being the only thing that could guide them through the aftermath of the revolution.

Rating:
Summary: The Great Russian Novel
Review: Generations of Winter was originally conceived as a mini-series for PBS, but when the project was shelved, Vassily Aksynov's publisher convinced him to make a novel out of the project. The novel was published in the US in 1994, and 10 years later, in late 2004, a mini-series based on the novel made it to Russian television where it was a resounding success. Considering the subject matter, the success of Generations of Winter in Russia must represent a difficult acknowledgement of the horrors of Soviet history which remain unmarked by monuments and for which the government has never officially apologized. Aksyonov is writing from firsthand knowledge when his characters are hauled off in the middle of the night by NKVD agents. Aksyonov's mother, Evgenia Ginzburg, was sent to the camps when he was five, and he joined her in exile in Siberia when he was 16. He followed in his mother's footsteps as a writer as well. Ginzburg is well-known for her memoirs of the gulag and exile, Journey into the Whirlwind and Within the Whirlwind. Many reviewers have described Generations of Winter as a War and Peace for the 20th century. Aksyonov's book is a sprawling, multi-generational tale set between the years 1925 and 1945. It centers on the Gradov family, lively members of the Moscow elite whose lives are shattered by purges, torture and war. Generations of Winter is a historical novel at heart. It's pages are populated by real historical figures, most notably Stalin, who mingle with the fictional Gradovs. Though the book's subject matter is difficult, the Gradov's shine, and the narrative is breathtaking in its scope.

Rating:
Summary: Generations of Winter: Russian Reality
Review: Generations of Winter, by Vassily Aksyonov, is a multi-volume piece about the incidents and struggles that confront Russia during the reign of Stalin. The novel mixes facts with fiction, providing the tale of one family's hardships during the very real history of Soviet Russia. It is a story of friendship and loyalty, but it also reeks of betrayal and distrust. Throughout the work, heroes as well as villains emerge, and the family must deal with each character type in turn. The story, related intriguingly, allows the reader unrestrained access into the cruel world of Stalinist Russia.
The novel is divided into three volumes, two of which are joined into one book. The length of the book is a bit frightening, and may put off those readers looking for a short, simple story. Generations of Winter is not for the faint of heart. It is lengthy and involved, and at times can be frustrating to read. There are ten intermissions throughout the work, some told from the point of view of an animal. Perhaps Aksyonov thought they would break up the story, and provide rest for the reader's taxed brain, but they are un-necessary and even annoying. If one chooses, they can be omitted while reading without any real effect on the story itself. The intermissions, however, are not the only challenge presented to the reader.
The book provides more detail about the Soviet Union under the realm of Stalin than any non-history buff can process, but one should look past the confusion to see the novel at its best. Some basic history is required to grasp the plot, but the book goes a bit overboard. Rather than aiding the reader, the amount of history often leads to confusion. The huge number of factual characters is overwhelming, and has the potential to turn the reader off. However, if one can bypass the confusion, a beautiful yet haunting piece ap-pears.
To read Generations of Winter is to have a life-changing experience. The fic-tional characters are unlike any ever before seen, and will leave a lasting impression on the mind of the reader. The suffering of the extended family, and their close friends, is unimaginable, but yet also made real. No textbook account, and most other fictional ac-counts, could create such a vivid picture of the anguish the Russian people faced, both mentally and physically. Their loved ones were sent off to fight for their country, and then later imprisoned and tortured for being "traitors." Families were torn apart, and then later were mended back together, often with little success. The characters face the most fierce form of destruction to the human psyche, war, yet manage to go on, though not un-scarred. The resolve and spirit of the characters is moving, and one feels for them be-cause their sufferings were real for millions of Russians.
The book allows one to see the ugly face of Stalin, and his whole regime, up close. The injustices inflicted upon the Russian populace are horrific, and comparable to the manner in which Hitler treated the Jews. The cruelty of Stalin seems to be overshad-owed by Hitler's malice, but once one reads the tale of Nikita, Boris, Nina, and the oth-ers, ignorance of Stalin's ways will be vanquished. The heroes of the novel do not achieve that status through combat, but rather because of their unbreakable spirit. Nikita is tortured at Stalin's command, but then turns around and willingly fights for his captor against the Germans. The love for their country seems to be the motivation behind many of the characters actions and thoughts, even when that country does not love them back.
Generations of Winter may seem off-putting at first glance due to various factors, such as length and abundance of history. However, if one can look beyond the surface, an unforgettable tale of humanity and suffering will be revealed. One can only benefit from reading this eye-opening book, and the results just may be life-altering.






Rating:
Summary: Completely engrossing; outstanding!
Review: Seemlessly mixing fictional and historical characters this grand historical novel will not disappoint. Following the Gradov family through the years this novel will satisfy even the most discreet reader. The scene of Stalin with constipation is worth the price alone...

Rating:
Summary: Warmed-over Tolstoy
Review: This book purports to be a 20th century analog of War & Peace. Unfortunately the author transposes entire scenes from Tolstoy's novel. Characters are one-dimensional, wearing labels such as "Decent Citizen Doctor," "Starry-Eyed Young Jewish Communist" or "Cynical Careerist".
The translation is goofy. No doubt jocular or slang terms for any manner of things sound just fine in the Russian, but using slang for the same word in English often sounds risible. Thus food is usually referred to as "grub," clothes as "duds," and so on.
Then there are the downright errors. Polish names for example are grossly misspelled; names of major streets in Warsaw are chewed up and spit out as names for non-existent neighborhoods.
Stalin and Beria were bad men and their purges were terrible events. That doesn't mean you've got to write bad books about them.

Rating:
Summary: Why You Should Read "Generations of Winter"
Review: Yes, it helps if you've read "War & Peace", but even if you don't know your Rostovs from your Raskolnikovs, "Gens. of Winter" is a must. Funny, wrenching, profound, and above all totally original, "Gens." is a masterpiece I have been reading and rereading for five years. Aksyonov alternates a straightforward, gripping, family-history narrative, full of densely layered, palpably real characters, with quotations-- many of them hysterical -- from magazines like 'Time' and 'Pravda', as well as occasional short chapters from the point of view of a squirrel, a dove, a houseplant, and of course a dog. Far from being bewildering or pretentious, however, this point-of-view smorgasbord coalesces into one vision of startling clarity. This book won't please the fundamentalist or the PC (lots of drinking, smoking, sexual activity), not to mention apologists for Stalin if there are any still alive. If, however, you crave exciting, challenging, world-expanding fiction, with a compelling story line and dialogue so real, you're practically wiping the characters' spit off your face -- if you like the idea of historical fiction but can't bear ponderous, talentless bores like James Michener -- if you've ever wondered what was going on in Russia during all those curtained years, put "Generations of Winter" in your shopping cart and click CHECK OUT. The book is long, the print is small, and the experience can't be surpassed. One of the formative books of my life -- and, could be, yours!