This was very good. What comes across most strongly is the obscured truth that the Fourth Year of the Trumpshow was significantly evolved and more disThis was very good. What comes across most strongly is the obscured truth that the Fourth Year of the Trumpshow was significantly evolved and more disastrous than the preceding years. We forgot, immersed in our slow-boil-the-frog metaphor-- that he was way off the rails and the battle lines between Donald and planet-united-states were now very established.
Clarity, pace, and the ridiculous story of a dangerous and ridiculous man. Read while you still remember the recent past. ...more
Gets a (firm) fourth star from me only due to the subject matter and persistence of the author. Residing in the culture via marriage, de Bellaigue is Gets a (firm) fourth star from me only due to the subject matter and persistence of the author. Residing in the culture via marriage, de Bellaigue is observant and immersed, but somehow still manages to be a bit haphazard and disorganized in his pursuits. Resulting in a book of many questions, some detail but not enough, and a reluctance to reach many conclusions.
Still worth it, though. Iran needs to be an open book in our era, not an orientalist's mystery-box. ...more
Comprehensive, concise, blunt where required. Fiona Hill is a professional Russia Analyst and the methodically organized outline here displays that exComprehensive, concise, blunt where required. Fiona Hill is a professional Russia Analyst and the methodically organized outline here displays that expertise. Recommended for all armchair kremlinologists....more
A late-in-the-day Golden Era mystery, with almost all the furnishings: Odd location, odd circumstances, clever chief inspector, plodding but canny serA late-in-the-day Golden Era mystery, with almost all the furnishings: Odd location, odd circumstances, clever chief inspector, plodding but canny sergeant, clever repartee. (Fizz!) In the midst of which our casual & irreverent protagonist meets his dithery but stalwart distressed-ingenue. (Frisson!) Untrustworthy foreigners and rickety orientalism, those bounders, are encountered as we start in the cozy village green of England but spiral out to exotic locales. (France!)
Do NOT ask obvious questions along the way, just go with that pre-midcentury mystery vibe. Jeepers! Absolutely perfect beach or vacation read....more
This is an epic investigatory report, on the finances of the Modern Russian state and its architect, little Vlad Putin, the boy who wanted to be a spyThis is an epic investigatory report, on the finances of the Modern Russian state and its architect, little Vlad Putin, the boy who wanted to be a spy and a tough guy. But it has none of the bitter drama of that description. It's a clear-headed, well-documented economic report, and most if not all of the overarching dramatic threads must be drawn by the reader.
This took me all of last summer to read and it was absolutely worth it. No one knew then, that The Littlest Czar would pull an international wobbly and go face down in the historical chip-dip. But he has. This book would take a twelve-page review to sum, analyze and draw conclusions from all the material included. But a funny thing has happened on the way to that necessity--- because Vlad has skipped the exposition and proceeded straight to the spoiler, with his Ukraine misadventure.
This was a great book in many instances, and clearly required grueling sky-high amounts of data and historical archaeology to produce. It's also a great book to have absorbed prior to Vlad's cross-border road trip. As such, probably best to leave this one to the economists and historians and not the casual readers. Be assured that the evidence is damning. ...more
Deft. Devastating. Just the measured weight of the signature-Stoppard patter, the timing. The big subject lurking within the clever retorts and parrieDeft. Devastating. Just the measured weight of the signature-Stoppard patter, the timing. The big subject lurking within the clever retorts and parries. The pratfall, used sparingly here for Stoppard, some flourishes with tricks up the sleeves, and then the dagger through the heart.
This isn't moving from the to-be-read shelf. I'll read it again for pace, sleight-of-hand, and concision. Tom Stoppard's rosebud. Just on the precarious verge of bloom. ...more
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