August 1914 (original 1971; edition 1974)

Abbastanza pesante l'argomento, anche i personaggi non fanno molto per appassionare il lettore; l'ho finito perchè ad ogni pagina mi ripetevo qualche passaggio di padiglione cancro... ( )

Abbastanza pesante l'argomento, anche i personaggi non fanno molto per appassionare il lettore; l'ho finito perchè ad ogni pagina mi ripetevo qualche passaggio di padiglione cancro... ( )

Vorotyntsev, la poitrine bombée comme pour un pugilat, le visage cramoisi sous l'effort, lui lança en pleine figure : — ... la plus fatale décision, ce fut, par désir de faire plaisir aux Français, la promesse in-considérée de commencer les hostilités au quinzième jour de la mobilisation, avec seule-ment un tiers de nos forces prêtes au combat ! Promesse due une grossière ignorance ! En-gager nos forces unité par unité, et sans même qu'elles soient prêtes !... Vorotyntsev eut encore le temps de lancer avec un éclair de haine : — D'après la convention, la Russie a promis d'apporter une « aide décisive», mais pas de se suicider ! Ce suicide, c'est vous qui l'avez signé pour la Russie, c'est vous, Votre Excellence !

Best book I have ever read. Fast paced, historical background of pre and WW1 Rusia under the Tsars. 622 pages
My congrats to Michael Glenny, the english translator for such an excellent english language rendition. ( )

This novel is, perhaps not unexpectedly given the author, a masterpiece. And despite the fact that it lists 9 pages of characters and requires more than 700 pages to cover one battle which took place over a few days shortly after Russia entered the war, it was a relatively easy read, and very difficult to put down. Its frequent comparison to War and Peace is not unjustified.

If there is an overriding theme in the book it is of the disconnect between the generals and other commanders far distant from the war arena and the soldiers actually fighting the battles. The soldiers at the front in Prussia could take no action unless the Command Center, headed by the Tsar himself, had given specific orders to do so. Often by the time the orders were received at the front conditions had so changed that to comply with the orders was insanity. The result was a complete rout of the Russian army, to such an extent that the commander in the field committed suicide in the surrounding forest.

I'm not a student of military history (nor do I want to be), but this novel, although focused on a particular battle, can be enjoyed by someone with little interest in military manuevers. A map of the terrain and surrounding towns is provided, but I found it to be of use only in the most general sense. Since I don't have a good understanding of military manuevers, I would have found maps showing the periodic locations of the various armies to have been helpful. As noted, however, this lack did not affect my general admiration for the book. ( )