John O. (buzzby) -
This was a really interesting book, much better than the books I read 30 years ago about pre-revolutionary Russia. The author looks at the era (1891-1914) from several angles, he examines the famine of 1891 (something that is rarely mentioned, even though it's probably a lot more important to the downfall of the Romanov dynasty than the pseudopsychological problems of Nicholas or the obscure internicine machinations of the revolutionary leaders, both subjects of which have numerous book written about them), the backwardness of the peasants, the Russo-Japanese war, the nascent industrialization and the dramatic effect of the completion of the Trans-Siberian railroad, as well as the Arts and Letters of the time. At times, it feels that he is glossing over some things, but it would be hard to hit everything in that era in depth.
