Stalin's Daughter: The Extraordinary and Tumultuous Life of Svetlana Alliluyeva by Rosemary SullivanMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Some self-help guru once said, "It's never too late to have a happy childhood." For some, it most assuredly is. Svetlana Alliluyeva was a survivor, nevertheless. Never mind that her mother committed suicide. Never mind that her father killed her aunts and uncles and imprisoned others. Never mind his persecution of doctors, poets and journalists. Never mind her feelings of betrayal when her cousin, Vladimir, published a nostalgic memoir in 1996 harking back to the "good old days" under Stalin. Svetlana had four husband, three children, and countless houses. She ran from her demons her whole life.
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I cannot imagine her childhood, or the rest of her life either. Is this a biography or just a story?
ReplyDeleteIt's a biography.The author interviewed people who knew her, including her American-born daughter, and had access to her correspondence. As the title says, she had a "tumultuous" life. It's a wonder she managed to hold herself together and have the semblance of a normal life. .
ReplyDeleteThis would doubtless be an interesting read but it does sound like it could be a depressing one to tackle.
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