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Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Useful but curiously dull This is a very useful survey of Stalin's life and political career. It uses some of the new archival sources in Moscow, though not all of them by a long way, and it is easily accessible. But the prose is rather dull, and Stalin does not come to life, as he does, for example, in Sebag Montefiore's works. I also found the analysis disappointing. This is not a book that places Stalin in the context of his times, or makes his rise to power, his terror and his cult, understandable. For that it is better to go to... more info
Excellent book This is a really good book. While Stalin may be a character who it's hard to empathise with, Service approaches the topic with complete objectiity, leaving the reader to make up their own minds on the facts. The book is divided into nearly 50 chapters of ten to twelve pages each, which makes it easier to digest each separate issue and event the author addresses. Overall, great book for anyone keen on knowing more about Stalin.
Too close for comfort This is well worth a read, although at times you may need to take a break from it as , by the very nature of its subject, it can be depressing. You really sense that Service has got into the mind of Stalin, but rather than sensationalising his material, he presents his research with a cool, detatched approach. By the end you have some undertanding of the system, ideology and paranoia that allowed Stalin to pursue his enemies, although Service never for one moment excuses Stalin, and his huge culpability for... more info
An excellent biography of a man who shaped history Stalin by Robert Service is a very readable account of the life of the infamous dictator. It is certainly the best biography of Stalin I have read because it puts the man in conttext and does not try to put across an overtly political message. Serious students of Stalin may want something with a bit more detail but this is in my opinion the definative biography of Stalin which is accessible to all.
