An absolutely incredible book that I will likely recall as being one of my most favorites. To me this book is largely about the reconciliation of the main character (Nora) with her family's story and how the remnant shadows of the past will surface in the present in the characteristics and features of new generations.

I left reading this book with an immense feeling of loss. Loss of the papers and notebooks Nora had to throw away, the books and letters burned by the KGB, and the oral histories that were never passed down from one generation to the next. Ulitskaya's writing brought out very strong emotions in me while weaving an impressive and gripping story along a classic and predictable story arc. For these reasons I will call this book a must read for anyone wanting to approach contemporary Russian literature. Will absolutely be seeking out more of her books!

Очень понравилась эта изумительная история одной семьи длиной в сто лет. Глубокая, заставляющая чувствовать и сопереживать, написанная богатым, изысканным русским языком. Автор виртуозно соединяет разные эпохи, показывая преемственность поколений и предоставляя читателю возможность прожить несколько жизней. «Интеллигентские стенания» самого Якова в его письмах к Марусе несколько раздражали, но в целом рассуждения героев и автора об искусстве, музыке и литературе привели в полный восторг! Озвучка книги - отдельная вишенка на торте, именно так и должны звучать аудиокниги!

first book of the year, and i'm pleased by it being so. it's a multigenerational family saga: a bohemian and practical stage designer inherits a family letter archive when her grandmother dies, and later in life discovers the complicated and tangled love (and not just) story of her grandparents, expressed in letters and diary entries. we follow jacob and maria and their friends, acquaintances and enemies in one timeline, and nora with her son, her accidental husband and her fated lover through the other, with revolutions, wars, purges, coups and such familiar sight of russian soviet history rolling over them like waves.

it's a superbly done book, and the only problem i have with it is that it's the same book ulitskaya always writes, down to some characters; i think i've liked it more when it was казус кукоцкого. but on the other hand, it's a story based on her own family and her own late grandfather, and who am i to object to some authorial self-therapy via text? and besides, this story is never told enough.

The story of 5 generations of Russians and the disappointments life throws at them. Spoiler- it's pretty depressing at times. But it's also funny and filled with information about different writers, philosophers, ways to learn German, a lot about classical music, and how to stage a play, and a Jewish guy arguing about computers, cells and religion. Above all, it is a special opportunity to feel like you are reading the diaries, the love letters, of your own grand parents or great grandparents. To see how they were when they were young, how they reacted to life's challenges, how they loved just like you, how they hurt others sometimes, just like you. How they met with success and failure. How they lived. That in itself is one of the most touching experiences I've had while reading a book (a book about people from a country I have no relation to, at that). The author uses letters from her own family it seems, as she notates at the end of the book that the letters came from the state archives. It is unbelievably humbling and awe inspiring to walk in their shoes as you listen to them narrate their lives that are long gone and easily forgotten.

Some of my favorite quotes/things:
1. Nora's relationship to raising her kid
"Nora, good things always come to an end and after that, things aren't nice at all."
2. Tolstoy
Main reason I keep reading Russian literature might be to find other people who appreciate Tolstoy so much
"Why do we love Tolstoy? Tolstoy has taught us the importance of sincerity. No one passes him in this regard. This is why he brings people together. What unites people, if not sincerity?

3.How is Jacob so damn optimistic? and forgiving? his life is shit! but he inspires me and makes me feel guilty at the same time
"This year is ending, my very best year - the happiest, most promising year. 1913. This will set the standard for the rest of my life. I have learned to understand myself and you. I decided how to live my life. I'm not a seeker of truth, not a fighter, a poet, a scientist. But I will try to be more sincere, to live justly, always to study and learn, and to respond if someone near me is crying out in pain. And I will always be strong and love my wife and companion."
WOW! Talk about a new year's resolution! And a tear jerker too, cause this guy does not know what's coming in 1914, the 1920's, 30's, he hasn't even made it into the first of 2 world-wars *sigh*

4. Emotional, down-to-earth depictions of grief and dealing with family members passing away from old age
"The music suddenly seemed appropriate and necessary. It was astonishing: he didn't say a word but the music that had irritated Nora a hundred times over sounded bitterly sad, and even exalted"
"....what a pity that I didn't love her as I should, that I couldn't forgive her her love, that I didn't understand her giftedness, her genius and uniqueness which she invested almost solely in this love."

5. Dickens
One of my favorite quotes (because it's one of the only ones I remember) is "there can be no disparity in marriage like unsuitability of mind and purpose..." then this is the logical response
"The fundamental law of our happiness. Fate has bestowed a unique happiness on us. To love and at the same time to respect each other is a rare and fortunate combination."
This inspired me with how, of all the horrible things that happened in the 20th century, maybe it was the start of people being able to, in general, get closer to happier marriages because of the shift in distribution of power among the sexes. Now that women have more equal footing, more rights, perhaps couples are better situated to understand and respect each other, and thereby love each other better?

More about love and marriage and "Anatole France" never heard of him before. Ultiskaya is quite an education.

"France's love is the underside of love. The back entrance of love. I don't need that. I don't want that kind of love. I don't want my asexual organs, wisely located in my nether regions, to take the place of my head, to strangle my heart. I will not allow the lower to govern the higher."

"You plead with me: Be my mother, my sister, my helpmeet. I cannot. I am a woman. And if our bond in love is destroyed, I am not capable of anything else beyond it. I do not blame you for your sexual desires. Please do not blame me for mine. You are, for me, a man. Beyond this, everything loses value and meaning. You are attracted by youth and beauty, and the attraction is powerful. This is your right. You did not love me for beauty, but fell out of love for me for lack of it. I cannot live beside you if I am not attractive to you as a woman, if I don't bring you joy through my way of dressing, my body, my kisses. I want to be loved. This is my right. it is not a demand. It is a necessity. Without this I cannot live, nor can you."

4. Military Life depictions (1913 ish)
"I even start to feel indignant. Where is Platon Karatev?"

Finally:
If you read this book, and skimmed to the end of my review, can you help me understand what to make of Marusya and Genrikh? Is there anyone who reads this and doesn't finish it finding them to be the most selfish and base people? And hating them? Am I being too judgmental? Did I miss something?

Based on her grandfather's KGB file, No 2160, Lyudmila Ulitskaya weaves the stories of five generations as she investigates how humanity and individuality propel themselves through time. Not only a moving family story, but a nuanced and tragic document of the dead end Russia has been for over a century.

Le premier roman russe que j'ai eu l'occasion de lire et c'est une bonne découverte !
Pour quelqu'un qui aime le réalisme, les émotions et les personnages complexes, j'ai été servie. Ceci dit je suis embêtée car j'ai l'impression d'avoir cruellement manqué de culture pour profiter de ce roman comme il se doit...

I would really like this book if it was 400 pages and not 550. Ulitskaya is a very good writer and narrator but dear god I hated those letters. Every chapter labeled “from the willow chest” I wanted to skip and I would read them anyways and wished the were a narrative instead. I get how they tell a more authentic story but it wasn’t for me. Overall a 3.5/5