Customer Reviews

The Village: Russian Impressions

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This small narrative of an American's visit to Russia just after the Communist Revolution could be a very valuable addition to anyone's study of the period. It takes you to what purports to be the people and gives you their impressions of what life is like and what changes might be coming because of the revolution. It has much pathos since many of their dreams will be shattered by the Bolsheviks and their communal system.

The direct destruction of the entrepreneurs of the village and towns which will soon come with massive deportations of whole families, just in the future of this book, is a very sad thought because the reader really emphathizes with those individuals who work harder than the rest and who use their intelligence and skills to help move their communities a bit forward from where they were.

While the Communists wanted to do the same, the top-down brand of Communism that was installed in the end failed to do this for the very people for whom they are claiming to be working: the proletariot. After 70 years the Communists created a population that is dependent upon the state while at the same time knowing that the state is incapable of providing even the basic necessities such as regular fresh food and decent housing. It is very sad. Yet there is some uplifting spirit that is transferred to the reader from the dreams and plans of these citizens caught in this snapshot of time. Perhaps the most significant of these is the indomitable spirit of the Russian people. It is a short, pleasant read introducing some very interesting characters and customs.

I find some of the editting suspiciously "representative" of a particular stratum of people. Mr. Poole's guide just happens to know the right people everywhere. Perhaps it was true, but it feels just a bit too perfect at times. The narrator's attitude is a bit "Ugly American" in the sense that a type of smugness is exhibited when comparing the U.S. with Russia. I suppose that is to be expected, but it is still annoying at times.

The most disturbing thing about this Kindle version of the book is that it is absolutely rifled, page after page, with typographical errors. Perhaps it was scanned incorrectly or without proper editting, but it is a mess. I mentioned it to Amazon and hoped they would correct this for future editions. I do understand that this book may have a limited audience, but those that do buy it deserve to have a good copy.