Akin to Ismail Kadare, reflects 1990s transition from post Communism to market economies for former Soviet satellite states. Nothing new revealed but well written. Characters succinctly represent multiple facets of responses to changing times. Could work as a play. No hero or Antihero, has a Greek chorus of sorts with students/grandmother. Mussolini made the trains run on time vs freedom of expression: freedom to express disappointment.

What does a society do when options are limited? Non-verbal women’s protest of clanging pots and pans excellent metaphor re expression of overwhelmed frustration.

The people want both sides without compromise: a glamourous First Lady who cares nothing for clothes, a man of the people who leads like a TV star. Novel makes one thing of all the senseless deaths but few deaths make sense anyway; the truth of main character’s actions/motivations not revealed as in real life they wouldn’t be either. There probably isn’t one path forward as society has always diverging paths. Mostly it is about survival of one particular group at a time. ( )

3.5/5
It is well written, but it's not as interesting as the other works of Julian Barnes. But it's certainly much better than "Before she met me". And the topic is different. What I do like is how Barnes never takes a side. We see the pros and cons of communism/socialism as well as democracy. ( )

Nice read, well written, but not much of a story. ( )

The court case of a former communist dictator.
Weak ( )

A novella about the show trial of an eastern European former communist dictator. Main point seemed to be that communisism "can't get to heaven on the first jump" but that it did alright for it's first time anyway, and that one day in some form it will be back. ( )